According to a new report, Marvel may be working to bring back icons of pre-MCU Marvel movies — some of whom have recently made their grand returns in the MCU — for Avengers: Secret Wars.
In the almost three years since Spider-Man: No Way Home, there has been a boom in actors reprising their superhero roles from decades past, be they for cameos or larger roles.
Most notably, Hugh Jackman's Wolverine co-headlined this summer's Deadpool & Wolverine, with chances at even more appearances not out of the question as of the movie's conclusion.
Tobey Maguire, Hugh Jackman, and More Could Reportedly Return in Secret Wars
A new report from The Cosmic Circus discussed the possibility of seeing Tobey Maguire's Spider-Man, Hugh Jackman's Wolverine, and Nicholas Cage's Ghost Rider as possible players in Avengers: Secret Wars.
Alex Perez of The Cosmic Circus wrote that reportedly, Marvel is "doing everything in [its] power" to bring together Maguire and Jackman in Secret Wars, along with other "legacy character interactions."
He added that the appearances would be "meaningful," rather than "one throwaway sequence that’s meant to be a one and done," assuming these reports are true:
"Tobey Maguire’s Peter Parker with Hugh Jackman’s Wolverine is probably going to be every Marvel fan’s fantasy going into Secret Wars and I know that they’re doing everything in their power to make this interaction and more legacy character interactions a reality, but it has to be something meaningful like it was when we saw the Resistance in Deadpool and Wolverine, not just some throwaway sequence that’s meant to be a one and done."
Perez also reported that possibly bringing in Maguire's Spider-Man as well as Cage's Ghost Rider is "in discussions," and reportedly "the idea is to have them appear at the very least in Secret Wars:"
Laurie Rolfe: "Hi Alex, hope you’re doing well. Do you know if we’ll see Tobey Maguire and Nicolas Cage return as Spider-Man and Ghost Rider respectively for both 'Doomsday' and 'Secret Wars?'"
Alex: "It’s in discussions, but yes, the idea is to have them appear at the very least in 'Secret Wars.'"
He does not cite any specific sources for these reports but did emphasize emphatically that what he is hearing "are currently just ideas they’re throwing around for these films," as it is too far away from Avengers: Secret Wars' release to know anything specific with certainty:
"I want to clarify that all of these interactions are currently just ideas they’re throwing around for these films. Until we get closer to the releases, it’s not something that can easily be confirmed to be happening this far out in advance."
Why Could Secret Wars Have So Many Returning Characters?
Many fans have theorized that the upcoming Avengers: Secret Wars would be a vessel for the returns of those like Jackman or Maguire. Notably, the comic it appears to be based on — Secret Wars (2015) by Jonathan Hickman and Esad Ribić — is a multiverse-focused story that allows for cross-universe interaction.
For instance, Secret Wars was how Miles Morales crossed over from the Ultimate Universe to the main 616 Marvel Comics universe.
However, the story itself of Secret Wars is not some Multiversal team-up in the way that many are theorizing the movie could be — and the movie very well could take that route, regardless of what happened in the comic.
The first of the three Secret Wars comics from Marvel (for the record, the 2015 one is the third) actually does focus on crossover team-ups, but they are not from different universes.
Yes, the original Secret Wars sees members of the Avengers, Fantastic Four, and X-Men, as well as solo heroes like Spider-Man, fight a wide range of villains, ranging from Doctor Doom to The Wrecking Crew. But, they are all the 616 versions of those characters.
Granted, there is not enough information out about the upcoming Avengers: Secret Wars movie to say for sure whether or not it will be based on the third Secret Wars, or it will combine the first and the third.
It could even throw in elements of the second, though that might cause some backlash with it being considered not only the worst of the three, but just bad in its own right by many fans.
Regardless, as much as the comics do not necessarily indicate major multiverse team ups to the extent many fans may be expecting, that does not mean they are impossible in the movie.
Avengers: Secret Wars will be released on May 7, 2027.
Gillian Blum has been a writer at The Direct since 2022, reporting primarily from New York City. Though she covers news from across the entertainment industry, Gillian has a particular focus on Marvel and DC, including comics, movies, and television shows. She also commonly reports on Percy Jackson, Invincible, and other similar franchises.
