Hugh Jackman’s involvement in Avengers: Doomsday remains officially unconfirmed, but new rumors surrounding the film’s opening sequence have reignited speculation about Wolverine’s MCU return. Despite Marvel omitting Jackman from the movie’s massive cast announcement, recent leaks and cast comments continue to fuel theories that the actor is secretly tied to the project.
Rumor claims Avengers: Doomsday begins with Spider-Man and Wolverine
According to rumors circulating online, Avengers: Doomsday would apparently open with an incursion involving collapsing universes. The leak indicates that Tobey Maguire’s Spider-Man and Hugh Jackman’s Wolverine will be introduced in the opening seconds of the film, as they try to stop a “super bomb” destroying their world.
If the leak proves accurate, then it is reported that the sequence features Spider-Man and Wolverine fighting each other until they realize they are both trapped in universal destruction. This rumored scene has been widely shared on the Internet since the leak indicates that Jackman and Maguire would be the first legacy characters seen in the film.
It must be noted that neither Marvel nor the film’s directors (Joe and Anthony Russo) have confirmed the details of the leak. Currently, the information is unverified and remains just a piece of internet speculation about the film with no official confirmation from the movie’s makers.
Jackman’s actual casting status in the film is still uncertain. The actor, when asked about Avengers: Doomsday, claimed he didn’t know anything about it. “I have no idea what you’re talking about. Oh, what is it? Dooms what? Who knows?” Jackman responded, in another typical evasive response from Marvel Studios.
To add further confusion, James Marsden has recently claimed Jackman isn’t involved with the production. As it turns out, the actor who officially returns as Cyclops in the upcoming film, says that “Wolverine was missed on set.” It is possible that Marvel might be using Jackman for Avengers: Secret Wars instead.
Without Jackman’s inclusion, Avengers: Doomsday still looks like one of Marvel’s biggest crossover events. Set 14 months after the events of Thunderbolts (2025), the movie would feature heroes from Earth-616, the Earth-828 Fantastic Four universe, as well as the original Fox X-Men timeline, facing off against Doctor Doom.
Robert Downey Jr. will apparently play Victor von Doom, based on the recent exclusive footage from CinemaCon shown in April 2026. The video allegedly showed Doom confronting Thor and then stopping his attack mid-air using only his bare hands. Moreover, Chris Evans is set to return as Captain America in the movie, as proven by footage of him lifting Mjolnir again.
Marvel has also confirmed the return of some of the X-Men actors from the Fox era of the franchise. Specifically, the confirmed cast includes Patrick Stewart (Professor X), Ian McKellen (Magneto), James Marsden (Cyclops), Kelsey Grammer (Beast), Alan Cumming (Nightcrawler), Rebecca Romijn (Mystique), and Channing Tatum (Gambit).
