MarvelBlog News for February 2nd, 2025
The big news this week is to ignore the big news last week. And I’ll add some Agatha All Along stuff you can ignore, too.
He Lied

Source: Marvel Studios
Last week, I detailed Benedict Cumberbatch’s vague annoyance over various MCU casting decisions.
Specifically, the actor didn’t appreciate being left in the dark regarding the return of Robert Downey Jr.

(Photo by Alberto E. Rodriguez/Getty Images for Disney)
Like the rest of us, Cumberbatch had no idea that RDJ would play Doctor Doom in the MCU.
As part of his stream-of-consciousness rant, the Dr. Strange actor revealed that he wouldn’t appear in Avengers: Doomsday.

Photo: BBC
Well, that was last week. After a brief conversation with his contract-holders at Marvel, Cumberbatch has changed his tune.
Now, the actor insists that he DOES appear in Avengers: Doomsday.
Also, he explicitly stated that nobody should ever believe him with regard to casting.
This behavior reminds me a lot of how kids at school would act before getting sent to the principal’s office versus afterward.

Chris Pizzello/Invision/AP
I guess Kevin Feige called Cumberbatch’s parents. Seriously, though. This is a complete flip-flop in just seven days.
At this point, nobody has any idea what to believe since Dr. Strange has become an unreliable narrator.

Photo: Screenrant
Somehow, this part of the story only scratches the surface of the current Avengers plan, though.
Here to Stay?

Photo: Head Curve
A credible rumor this week indicates that the Russo Brothers are back in the MCU for good.
That’s what tens of millions of dollars hitting your bank account can do for your perspective and belief system.

Photo: Vanity Fair
Apparently, the duo is speccing out several MCU stories beyond Avengers: Doomsday and Avengers: Secret Wars.
In fact, if the current stories are correct, the duo will play an even bigger role in shaping the next decade of the MCU.

Source: Marvel Studios
Yes, the current rumor is that the Russo Brothers will stick around and oversee the X-Men film.
Now, there’s a lot of wiggle room when we talk about someone overseeing a project.

Source: Variety
That doesn’t necessarily mean that the Russo Brothers will direct X-Men…but come on.
If Disney writes them another $20+ million check, they’re gonna direct X-Men.

Source: Deadline
For that to happen, Avengers: Doomsday needs to tear up the box office and be well received.
We’re years away from knowing whether that happens, which means Marvel may hold off on an announcement for now.

Photo: Filmibeat
There’s no rush to do it and plenty of downside if it turns into a Spider-Man 3 “jazz hands” situation with Avengers: Secret Wars.
I’m not expecting that, as Secret Wars sounds like a passion project for the Russos. Those tend to turn out well.

Photo: Vanity Fair
Ergo, I’m working under the assumption that the Russos will work on X-Men as well.
Something could always change later – See: Shang-Chi 2 – but that’s probably what’s happening at Marvel right now.
Unexpected Runaway

Photo: Marvel (via IMDB)
Let’s start with the fun one. Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man is now available on Disney+. Here’s a clip:
No, you’re not imagining things. That is Nico Minoru of Runaways making small talk with her new friend, Peter Parker.

Photo: Marvel
She gets the impression that he doesn’t like her name, which is fair. Her parents are pretty evil.
Seriously, though. As a Runaways fan, I’m thrilled that Marvel is elevating this character by putting her in Spider-Man’s orbit.

Photo: Marvel (via IMDB)
Thus far, the series is 96 percent fresh on Rotten Tomatoes and has some genuinely glowing reviews.
My one word of caution is that some critics note that it starts slower before picking up toward the end.
No More Agatha?!
On a different topic, I hinted at Agatha All Along news in the intro…and the news is that there isn’t any.
A story got picked up about actress Patti LuPone. The actress claimed that Agatha All Along won’t get a second season.

Image: Marvel
Her rationale was that showrunner Jac Schaeffer told her during filming that the writer wasn’t a fan of season twos.
You can safely ignore LuPone here because A) her character is dead B) This story happened three show names ago and C) things change.

Image: Marvel
If Marvel wants a season two of Agatha All Along – and I can assure you it does – we’ll get one.
The only question is whether Disney calls it Agatha All Along or Son of Wanda or Ghost Teacher or whatever.
I’ve seen data indicating that Agatha All Along was the most popular Disney+ draw for three consecutive months.
We’re getting more. The only questions are when and how much.

Image: Marvel
These conversations are taking place in higher offices than that of Patti LuPone, whom I happen to adore.
Whither Armor Wars?

Photo: Marvel Studios
In other Marvel news that I believe and find oh so amusing, two different sources reported conflicting information about Armor Wars.
Remember Armor Wars? That was one of the earliest Disney+ Marvel announcements.

Source: Marvel Studios
Plans called for an extension of the Iron Man story once Tony Stark died, with his loyal friend, James Rhodes, carrying on.
Alas, Armor Wars was envisioned in tandem with Secret Invasion and…well, you know.

Image: Marvel
As you might imagine, Marvel retooled the story of Armor Wars in the aftermath of the Secret Invasion debacle.
Well, one rumormonger feels strongly that progress has been made, while another claims that the project may be dead.

Source: Marvel Studios
I swear to you that I kinda believe both, as I suspect Marvel executives are deeply conflicted here. It’s not an easy call.
Secret Invasion ruined the War Machine character, but it was also an alien.

Image: Marvel
So, we could all just collectively pretend it never happened. I mean, we all wish it hadn’t happened.
Marvel Miscellany

Source: Marvel
In more significant Marvel news, X-Men conversations are occurring as we speak.
Some actors indicate that they’ve been approached about playing various Mutants, which leads to a fascinating debate.

Image: Marvel
If you were going to reboot the X-Men in the MCU, which Mutants would you pick? That’s a hard call, right?
Marvel can’t just choose the same cast as X-Men ’97, as that would seem lazy and lead to unwelcome comparisons.

Photo: MickeyBlog
Should Kevin Feige and co. choose obscure X-Men, they’d better bring something to the story. Otherwise, fans will hate them.
There’s a lot of politics in play here, which makes this story to watch unfold.

Photo courtesy of Marvel Animation. © 2024 MARVEL.
The other big story of the week hasn’t happened yet. We’ll get the first trailer for The Fantastic Four: First Steps on Tuesday morning.
Marvel’s corporate partner, Good Morning America on ABC, will air the trailer then. It’ll be available online almost immediately afterward.

Photo: Marvel
Finally, Geraldine Viswanathan of Thunderbolts* gave this interview with Empire Online.
She reveals details about her character, who is the assistant to Valentina Allegra de Fontaine.

Photo: Chuck Zlotnick/Marvel Studios
The MCU part of the conversation isn’t that informative, but it’s a delightful read nonetheless.
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