Entertainment
The MCU May Have Already Spoiled One Character’s Future in Secret Wars
With anticipation at a fever pitch for Avengers: Doomsday, directors Joe and Anthony Russo have begun work on its direct sequel, Avengers: Secret Wars. Details about Secret Wars have remained as scarce as Doomsday, though it’s been confirmed that the Russos are drawing inspiration fromJonathan Hickman and Esad Ribic’s Secret Wars series. However, Secret Wars just took its biggest step forward with the news that Noah Jupe (A Quiet Place) has been cast in a mystery role.
Jupe’s casting has sparked a flurry of speculation online, as is par for the course with MCU casting news. Some have theorized that he might play a character connected to the X-Men, particularly since the mutant team’s slated to be the center of an upcoming reboot. This speculation also stems from the fact that Secret Wars will potentially feature the return of X-Men characters like Hugh Jackman‘s Wolverine. However, Jupe could also play a teenage version of Franklin Richards, and Hickman and Ribic’s Secret Wars supports this theory.
Franklin Richards Plays a Major Role in Jonathan Hickman and Esad Ribic’s ‘Secret Wars’
When 2015’s Secret Wars begins, it’s with a truly apocalyptic event. Earth-616, the mainstream Marvel Universe, and Earth-1610, the Ultimate Marvel Universe, collide in a reality-shattering event that leaves both worlds utterly destroyed. However, Doctor Doom uses the godlike powers he recently gained to pull the fragments of reality together into a new Battleworld, which he rules as God Emperor. As part of Doom’s machinations, he rewrites reality so that Sue Storm is his consort, and Franklin Richards is one of his children. In the aftermath of the storyline, Franklin uses his reality-warping powers to reconstruct the Marvel Universe. Joe Russo previously confirmed that both the 2015 Secret Wars and the original 1984 miniseries would serve as inspiration for the movie:
“Well, we always create our own version of the story. So, we use the comics as loose inspiration. “But, you know, I grew up on the original run. That’s something that got me into Marvel comic books. The Hickman run is also fantastic [and they’re] very different from each other in a lot of ways, so we’ll draw inspiration from both of them.”
If Noah Jupe is playing a teenage Franklin Richards, then Avengers: Secret Wars is more than likely going to adapt the storyline where he and Sue become Doom’s new family. It would give Secret Wars plenty of emotional heft, as Reed Richards fights to free his family from Doom’s clutches while Doom potentially gains a measure of peace following the tragedies he’s suffered in life. Avengers: Secret Wars is also shaping up to be a potential reboot for the MCU, and what better way to introduce that concept than featuring a character who can literally reshape the universe with his fingertips?
A Recent MCU Movie Sets the Stage for Franklin Richards’s Upgrade
The groundwork might have already been laid for Franklin Richards’ appearance in Avengers: Secret Wars, thanks to The Fantastic Four: First Steps. That movie features Franklin in a key role, as his birth draws Galactus to Earth. Though the Fantastic Four manage to defeat the Devourer of Worlds, the effort leaves Sue Storm on the verge of death…until Franklin brings her back to life with his powers. The mid-credits scene for First Steps also features Doctor Doom coming face to face with a younger Franklin, hinting that the metal-clad monarch intends to use the child for his plans. This might also be why the Fantastic Four leave their reality in Avengers: Doomsday, as they race to save Franklin whileconfronting an old foe in Doom.
A recent fan theory also hints at Franklin playing a major role in Avengers: Secret Wars, though it takes a tragic turn. According to Bam Smack Pow, Avengers: Doomsday could end with Franklin and his uncle, Johnny (Joseph Quinn), being two of the few characters who survive Doom’s wrath. The evidence for this comes from a shot in which Johnny shields Franklin from a dizzying white light, implying the two are witnessing the final incursion that shatters reality. Whatever happens to Franklin in Doomsday and Secret Wars, it’s very likely that Noah Jupe might be playing the character.
Avengers: Doomsday premieres in theaters on December 18, 2026, while Avengers: Secret Wars premieres on December 17, 2027. Stay tuned to Collider for future updates.
- Release Date
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December 17, 2027
- Writers
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Jack Kirby, Stan Lee, Stephen McFeely
- Franchise(s)
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Marvel Cinematic Universe
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