The MCU has had some exceptional cameos in its 18-year history, and Phase 6 is keeping that trend going. The sixth and final phase of Marvel Studios' Multiverse Saga is ramping up towards its two-part finale in Avengers: Doomsday and Avengers: Secret Wars. However, there are some equally exciting things happening on the Marvel Television side of things, and one Disney+ show just took the cameo cake in Phase 6 (for now).
Daredevil: Born Again Season 2 was already an unprecedented crossover event for the MCU, as it brought back original Netflix Defenders hero, Jessica Jones (Krysten Ritter), to star opposite Charlie Cox's Daredevil for the first time since their respective shows were canceled. Leading up to and throughout Season 2, speculation was rife that fellow Defenders Luke Cage and Iron Fist might also make a return in the Disney+ show, and at least one of these predictions ended up being correct as Mike Colter appeared in the final moments of Daredevil: Born Again Season 2's finale.
Luke Cage's appearance was hinted at during Daredevil: Born Again Season 2, particularly after the reveal that Jessica Jones is now a mother and that her daughter is named Danielle. The season-ending confirmed that Luke Cage is indeed the father of Jessica's child and that the two are back in a romantic relationship, after he walked into the Alias Investigations office, making a surprise appearance. Danielle embraces her father upon seeing him, while Luke confirms to Jessica that his work with Mr. Charles is officially done.
Seeing Luke Cage back on screen after seven years makes his cameo undeniably the best of Phase 6 so far. Adding to that was his cameo involving a reunion with Jessica Jones, which has been long-awaited, given that the two are such a power couple in Marvel Comics.
Phase 6 in the MCU so far has consisted of The Fantastic Four: First Steps, Wonder Man, Daredevil: Born Again Season 2, and Punisher: One Last Kill. While The Fantastic Four had a post-credits cameo from Doctor Doom, it was lessened somewhat due to the fact that Robert Downey Jr. wasn't revealed behind the mask. The Punisher: One Last Kill also featured a surprise appearance from Karen Page, but given that Deborah Ann Woll also appeared in Daredevil: Born Again, her appearance wasn't as unexpected as Luke Cage's official return.
Marvel Studios still has a few more projects on the docket for Phase 6, so it's possible that Luke Cage may not be the reigning cameo king by the time the phase is out.
Rumored Marvel Cameos in Upcoming Phase 6 Projects
Claire Temple - Spider-Man: Brand New Day
Rosario Dawson's Claire Temple became the glue that bound the Defenders on Netflix, appearing in Daredevil, Jessica Jones, Luke Cage, Iron Fist, and The Defenders. Now that the Netflix Marvel universe has been reborn on Disney+ with Daredevil: Born Again, fans are waiting to see if this crucial character will reappear in the MCU.
Rumor has it that that wish may be granted in Spider-Man: Brand New Day, with insider Daniel Richtman reporting a rumor that Dawson is set to reprise her role as Claire in the new MCU film. After Charlie Cox made a surprise appearance in Spider-Man: No Way Home and with Jon Bernthal playing the Punisher in Brand New Day, the door is firmly open for Defenders characters to appear in Spider-Man films, and Claire may be the next perfect cameo.
J. Jonah Jameson - Spider-Man: Brand New Day
Tom Holland's Spider-Man films have introduced many important elements into Peter Parker's life, but he's yet to start his job as a photographer for the Daily Bugle in the MCU. With Spider-Man: Brand New Day making a significant time jump, this could be the perfect time to link Peter with his Daily Bugle role, which in turn would be the ideal time to bring back J.K. Simmons as the paper's iconic editor, J. Jonah Jameson.
A rumor from Cosmic Circus suggests this may be the case, with Alex Perez reporting that he has heard J. Jonah Jameson will appear in Spider-Man: Brand New Day, which would allow him to reprise the role he's held in the Spider-Verse, Sam Raimi's Spider-Man films, and the MCU.
Deadpool - Avengers: Doomsday
After Ryan Reynolds' Deadpool made his official MCU debut in 2024's Deadpool & Wolverine, many have been wondering when the Merc with the Mouth will appear next. A rumor from The Hollywood Reporter indicates that Reynolds has quietly been added to the cast of Avengers: Doomsday, which would mark his first proper interaction with Marvel's Avengers cast.
Given the love for Reynolds' Deadpool, his cameo would be a pretty big deal, although it may be overshadowed by the huge amount going on in these Avengers films.
Daredevil - Spider-Man: Brand New Day
After he cameoed in Spider-Man: No Way Home as Peter Parker's lawyer, many are hoping Charlie Cox will return as Daredevil in Spider-Man: Brand New Day for a long-awaited Spider-Man/Daredevil team-up. With Jon Bernthal's Punisher in the mix for Spider-Man 4, the cast may already be too crowded for Cox to appear, not to mention that the actor has repeatedly denied his involvement (which doesn't count for much these days).
With Punisher, the Hand, and several other Daredevil characters appearing in Spider-Man: Brand New Day, an appearance from the man himself doesn't seem out of the question.
Scarlet Witch - VisionQuest or Avengers: Doomsday
Despite the Scarlet Witch's apparent death in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, the popularity of Elizabeth Olsen's Marvel hero makes it almost impossible for her not to return.
The most likely places for this to happen are in the upcoming VisionQuest series, which is a core part of the WandaVision trilogy and continues the story of Vision and his and Wanda's son, Tommy Maximoff. Vision's story is so intertwined with Wanda's that it makes it highly likely she'll be involved in the narrative in some way, but a cameo would be the icing on the cake for MCU fans.
Alternatively, Scarlet Witch could make a cameo in Avengers: Doomsday. The latter Avengers movies will be dealing with alternate universes and variants, so even if Earth-616's Wanda is truly dead, that doesn't stop Olsen from playing a different version of her, as Tom Hiddleston did with Loki.
