As the December 18 release of “Avengers: Doomsday” rapidly approaches, fan speculation is running rampant over just about every aspect of the movie. Is Doctor Doom a Tony Stark variant? Which characters will die? And who will make surprise cameos? Anthony Mackie recently spoiled the return of Paul Bettany’s Vision, while there’s also been talk that the finalized Writers Guild of America writing credits would tip the appearances of two hugely popular characters. This talk is now fact.
Those credits are now official, and, per the WGA website, Stephen McFeely and Michael Waldron will share the coveted “written by” credit (with an “and” instead of an “&,” which means they did not write as a team). Meanwhile, quite a few folks received Additional Literary Material credits (which will not be seen on screen). Here’s the list: McFeely, Waldron, Eric Pearson, Chris McKenna, Erik Sommers, Jeff Loveness, Andrew Lanham, Destin Daniel Cretton, Ryan Reynolds and Hugh Jackman.
Yep, the previously uncredited Reynolds and Jackman will join the spandex showdown as Deadpool and Wolverine. Probably. I mean, it’d be funny if the fellas were hired to punch up Kelsey Grammer’s dialogue, but, no, this almost certainly means the indestructible duo is back. As for how significant a role they’ll play in “Avengers: Doomsday,” your guess is as good as mine. So let’s get to guessin’!
Can Deadpool and Wolverine find solid footing in the crammed Avengers: Doomsday
My greatest fear regarding “Avengers: Doomsday” is that it’ll be undone by superhero clutter. If the Russos don’t have a compelling story (and we know they began shooting without a finished script), it could be a comic book version of those leaden 1960s all-star romps like “Casino Royale,” “Candy” and “The Magic Christian,” where each actor’s sole function is to pop up on camera so the viewer can say “Hey, there’s Orson Welles!”
I’ve been encouraged by some of what I’ve heard over the last month – in particular, that James Marsden’s Cyclops plays a significant role in the film. If this means we’ll get a resumption of hostilities between the humorless Scott Summers and cocky Logan, I’ll be so very happy. Add the exponentially more antagonistic Deadpool into the mix, and that just may be enough to drive Summers into the steely arms of Doctor Doom.
I’m most excited to see Deadpool be the straw that stirs the drink. I really don’t want a relentlessly dour “Avengers: Doomsday,” which is the vibe I’m getting from the pea green aesthetic of the trailers (and its fast food tie-ins). Are they going to get MCU fans to buy back in with a surfeit of character deaths? Gunn’s “Superman” caught on because it foregrounded hope in a thoughtful, non-anodyne way. We live in bleak times. I’m not sure AI-friendly filmmakers like the Russos should be in charge of a franchise that, overall, appeals to our sense of humanity. I’m hoping the heavy-handed trailers are a happy bait-and-switch. Let Deadpool and Wolverine cook.