We are just months away from the highly anticipated release of Avengers: Doomsday, and with characters like the X-Men, Steve Rogers, and Shang-Chi confirmed to be returning, rumors are swirling about what other beloved characters might appear in the fight against Dr. Doom. The two most popular rumors at the moment involve Hugh Jackman and Tobey Maguire returning as Wolverine and Spider-Man, respectively. I believe Hugh and Tobey should and will return in Avengers: Doomsday, but I also believe Avengers: Doomsday MUST be the last we see of one of them.
Hugh Jackman has been the face of Marvel's X-Men films for over twenty-five years, beginning with X-Men (2000). His iconic portrayal of Wolverine has been a constant throughout both critically acclaimed films (X2 and Logan) and critically panned ones (X-Men: The Last Stand and X-Men Origins: Wolverine). Deadpool & Wolverine marked Hugh Jackman's tenth appearance as Wolverine, and it is rumored that it won't be his final one. There have been many insider claims suggesting Hugh Jackman could return in Avengers: Doomsday, alongside Ryan Reynolds.
Along with the rumors of their appearances is the possibility that the two characters could be part of a major fight with Tobey Maguire's Spider-Man. According to reports, the X-Men are forced to eliminate colliding universes to save their own, leading to a clash where Tobey's Spider-Man defends his New York City alone. This report has received significant pushback from fans, but I believe this is not only a great idea but a great opportunity to truly launch Marvel Studios into a new era.
The pushback comes from fans interpreting this report as a sign that Marvel could kill off Tobey's Spider-Man. The consensus online is that killing Tobey in Doomsday would be a tremendous mistake, and I agree. Avengers: Doomsday MUST be the FINAL appearance for Hugh Jackman in the MCU, not Tobey. If this fight actually transpires in Avengers: Doomsday, it could be the perfect sendoff for Hugh Jackman's Wolverine. After Doomsday, I do not want to see Hugh Jackman in another Marvel movie, EVER. His Wolverine has had arguably the most complete arc for a comic book movie character ever, but because Hugh Jackman is so beloved and nostalgia is king, it seems like Marvel won't truly ever let the character rest.
I know what you're thinking: "So you hate the other X-Men returning too, right?" The answer is no, and here's why: Aside from Wolverine and Professor X, the original Fox X-Men have never gotten an actual proper sendoff. Cyclops and Jean Grey's storylines were heavily botched and Mystique, Beast, and Nightcrawler were all criminally underutilized. Avengers: Doomsday and potentially Secret Wars could be fantastic opportunities for these characters to finally get their happy ending. And that leads me into my next point, the new X-Men.
Just a little under a month ago, Marvel announced the cast for the new X-Men movie, which comes with a new Professor X, Jean Grey, Cyclops, Storm, and Rogue, all characters who were a part of the Fox franchise. This is another reason why Doomsday and Secret Wars have to be the end not only for Hugh Jackman but also for all the original X-Men. It is a new era at Marvel Studios (at least we're supposed to believe that), so you shouldn't have the X-Men of the past coexisting with the X-Men of the future. It worries me a little bit that they haven't already announced a new Wolverine. I think they will eventually, but we have to make sure Hugh Jackman isn't also canonically Wolverine at the exact same time.
Regarding Tobey Maguire, I think it would be idiotic to kill him off in Avengers: Doomsday. Marvel has just barely cracked the surface with the live-action Spider-Verse, andSecret Wars is a perfect opportunity to expand it. There should be at least one more movie where all three Spider-Men team up again, and I don't think Tom or Andrew will be in Doomsday, but I do believe they will both be in Secret Wars. Also, we haven't seen THAT much of Tobey (at least as much as I would like). I think the chances of getting another solo movie are slim, but I would love to see it. We've never seen an older Spider-Man before, and Tobey, like the X-Men and Andrew, did not have the best final movies. In my dream world, none of the Spider-Men die in Secret Wars, Tobey and Andrew get their own solo movies, and Tobey eventually dies in another crossover movie. Killing Tobey in Avengers: Doomsday would be jumping the gun quite a bit, in my opinion, but maybe Tobey wants to be done with Spider-Man.
I believe, in the end, Marvel will do the right thing, and these will be our last movies with the Fox X-Men and Wolverine, but I am concerned Tobey could also be a casualty.