Inevitable Foundation continues to ramp up its efforts to platform disability in Hollywood with the launch of its own production company.
The first-of-its-kind Inevitable Studios will serve as the content wing of the advocacy and research non-profit, focusing on the development, production and marketing of film and television told through a specific diversity lens. Key to the initiative is the hiring of disabled writers and filmmakers, which make up a fraction of the entertainment industry workforce, but the programming goals are hardly niche.
“We’re looking for commercial projects across all genres that have disability in the DNA,” says Inevitable co-founder Richie Siegel. “That can mean a lot of things, but these are not projects that have disability slapped on — checking some box, where it feels performative. Think about a film like A Quiet Place. If you remove deafness and sign language, there is no movie. The whole thing falls apart. That’s a litmus test for how to build a story where disability is baked in.”
Across three films, that horror franchise has grossed more than $900 million at the global box office. But the fact that there are few examples beyond A Quiet Place, though Siegel eagerly praises Ramy Youssef-produced Ramy and Mo, underscores the dearth of intrinsic diversity in storytelling.
Such inadequacies are more noticeable when taking the scope of disability into account. Inevitable cites a disability community — covering those with physical disabilities, invisible disabilities, chronic illnesses, neurodiversity and mental health conditions, in addition to their family, friends and caregivers — that represents more than 70 million Americans across 20 million households. “It is such a large audience that you’d think someone must have already done this,” adds Siegal.
Siegal and his fellow co-founder, screenwriter Marisa Torelli-Pedevska, have envisioned a production arm since the foundation launched at the top of 2021. “We always knew we wanted to make stuff,” he says. “But we wanted to spend a lot of time building up the relationships with writers, filmmakers, agents and managers. I think we’ve developed our tastes and have a really strong understanding of what the audience wants. Now we can really cook.”
With substantial development fund to commission projects and invest in IP, Inevitable Studios will focus on stories with disability and caregiving baked into the narratives. Siegal and Torelli-Pedevska will lead the production company, with Paramount and Overbrook alum Clarence Hammond serving as senior advisor. The goal is to invest significant time and money into development before seeking financing for filming and partners for distribution and then, when the time comes, lend Inevitable’s understanding of the disability audience to market the projects.
“The early phase is so incredibly important for us,” says Siegel. “We want the space for writers and filmmakers to build the foundation in ways that have real commercial legs. Once that is in place, then we’ll go find those partners. Development is a beast and it’s so easy for the soul of a thing to get lost as more hands come in.”
Talking about the push, Siegel seems particularly eager about theatrical releases, though streaming and television across all genres are also part of the Inevitable Studios plan. The inaugural development slate is still being narrowed down, and the group is bullish on what happens after that — even if the industry headwinds aren’t exactly in anyone’s favor at the moment.
“Yes, in some ways, it is a very wild time to be doing this,” says Siegel. “At the same time, there’s a lot of opportunity. I think that with a lot of the challenges that the industry is facing, whether it’s ticket sales or fickle attention spans, we’re here saying, ‘Hey, there’s this audience no one is paying attention to.’ And maybe that’s part of the solution.”
Samantha Lorraine has officially taken over the role of Dora the Explorer from Isabela Merced — with exactly no swiping needed (a public service announcement to Swiper).
Dora the Explorer (the franchise, not the character — she’s still 16) turns 25 this summer, and Nickelodeon (and the greater Paramount Global) is going all out for the silver anniversary. The big swing is the return of Dora to the big screen feature film in Dora the Search for Sol Dorado, which releases July 2 on Paramount+.
The straight-to-streaming movie follows the world’s greatest explorer and her friends as they trek through the perilous dangers of the Amazon jungle in search of the ancient treasure of Sol Dorado. Dora (Lorraine), Diego (Jacob Rodriguez), the monkey Boots (voiced by Gabriel Iglesias), Mango (voiced by Jacqueline Obradors) and one really handy knapsack must race against time to keep the goodies from getting into the baddies’ hands.
Stepping into the iconic role was career gold for the first live-action Dora, Merced — Lorraine hopes there’s plenty of luster dust left over for her Dora film to have a similar impact.
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You’re the sixth Dora.
I am the Dora from Dora and the Search for Sol Dorado!
Well, Nickelodeon told me you’re No. 6 — but you’re not the first live-action Dora…
I’m not. Isabela Merced (Transformers: The Last Knight, The Last of Us) did a movie in 2019, and she was absolutely incredible. She’s had such a fantastic career [since then], and so many amazing projects have come out of it. I hope to have that same trajectory. She’s just so incredible, and I’m honored to share things with her and the [previous Doras]. It’s a huge community.
You’re a relative newcomer, though you did do the movie adaptation of one of my favorite books when I was a kid, The Kid Who Only Hit Homers (Matt Christopher, 1972).
No way! That’s funny — it’s such a niche book.
Yeah, I’m old.
(Laughs) It’s so interesting. We did a little Amazon movie right before COVID hit. I remember we were shooting the last week, and all the news started coming out about COVID starting. We really missed [COVID shutdowns] just by a week.
Since Dora is set up to be your breakout role, do you have any apprehension that Hollywood will see you as “the Dora girl”?
No, honestly, it’s not as terrifying to be seen as that because the character in itself is not a copycat of the Dora that we’ve seen before. [This time], we see her be such a smart, quick-witted character, I was lucky enough to see it again last night with the cast and crew. Every time I watch it, I think to myself, “That’s a new Dora. A Dora that we haven’t seen before.”
She has the same traits and attributes of her positivity and optimism — her hopeful leadership. But in this movie, we also see her go through really some low times in her life. She loses a lot of important things, and I think there’s a beautiful, symbolic message of grief and how to deal with that in this movie.
Are there other ways this Dora will stand out from the others?
She doesn’t ask a question to the audience, and she doesn’t wait for the answer to be told to her. She knows it.
In our movie, she does break the fourth wall, kind of. When I’m in that tram scene and I’m giving the tour to the parkgoers, I break the fourth wall, and the camera pans out and shows the actual audience in real life, physically there. I thought that was a fun way of implementing that classic Dora-breaking-the-fourth-wall, but also keeping it true to our movie.
Was it daunting to play the role?
It’s truthfully daunting to have one of the biggest characters in media be made new again by your own devices. However, with that came an odd creative freedom to think and interpret her as my own. I think people are going to really like that she’s the same old Dora we know but so much more fearless, determined and smarter than we’ve seen. Her problem-solving skills are beyond impressive. I need a lesson or two from her.
Samantha Lorraine.
Emily Assiran
This is a straight-to-streaming movie. Did you know that when you signed up? Did you hope for theatrical?
No, I didn’t. But honestly, I’m so happy that it’s panning out the way that it’s been going so far. The engagement has been so positive. The reason why I do this is because my family — seeing my little cousins watching the screen and them going, “Sammy, Dora! Dora, Sammy!” It’s so surreal. It makes me tear up every time I think about it. Hopefully, little kids all around the world are going to go, “Wow, that’s — that’s Dora!” They’ll grow up with this version of Dora, and I’m so excited for them to see that.
There’s a ton of kids who will see it who weren’t even born when the 2019 movie came. You will be a generation’s Dora.
Exactly. Even though that previous movie was not too long ago, this movie is a completely different iteration. I think that’s so important to know. It’s another generation’s Dora. Art imitates life and I think it’s so exciting for kids and for the entire family.
You’re 18 now. You were 16 when you shot the movie — so what was your experience with Dora the Explorer? Who was your Dora?
I grew up in Miami, and I come from a very, very, very large Cuban family. That’s my roots. So obviously, me and my entire family watched Dora growing up. [The original Dora] Kathleen Herles, I’ve been able to speak with her. When she first connected with me — I’m being so serious — I threw my phone and started crying. You know the show that you watched growing up that really made who you are? That icon speaks to you and knows you exist? It’s such a huge honor.
What were you acting opposite for the monkey? A tennis ball, I assume?
Good old Boots (Gabriel Iglesias)! Mr. Fluffy! It was a tennis ball. But sometimes I would forget it was a tennis ball because they did such a fantastic job. Especially the little moments where I give Boots a hug, or Boots pets my face. It tripped me up sometimes where I was like, “Wait, that was a tennis ball I was talking to!”
How do you physically hug a tennis ball?
(Laughs) We had a tennis ball and then we had a stuffed animal monkey that I would hug for a reference.
L-R: Sonny (Acston Lucas Porto), Diego (Jacob Rodriguez), Dora (Samantha Lorraine) and Naiya (Mariana Garzón Toro) In the movie Dora and The Search For Sol Dorado for Nickelodeon, streaming on Paramount+ July 2.
Pablo Arellano Spataro/Nickelodeon/Paramount+
You’re very proud of your heritage and Dora is a very important character to the Latin culture — did you ask to add anything specific to the character to further highlight that?
Definitely. That scene after the map being burned and we’re at the dinner table at the Márquez house, asking them if they could put more Ropa Vieja on my plate, because that’s a very Cuban dish. And that’s one of my favorite Cuban dishes. I was like, “Oh, can I get a few extra scoops of that?” The tostones and the salsa and all of those foods. I was like, “Give it more to me, because, you know, she’s not really eating.” I was like, “Pile. It. On!”
Also in that same scene — when we were doing a fitting, that shirt of mine is such a beautiful, authentic Latin shirt, with that shape and that texture. I felt really connected to my roots, being in that wardrobe. There were a few other options that I tried on that I didn’t feel quite as represented, so I was like, “Let’s just go with that shirt. Let’s do it. This is a Latin film and we need to understand our culture, you know?”
On the final day of filming, did you just casually stroll out with Backpack?
I wish I would have taken Backpack! No, that would have been so amazing. You’ve got to manifest it for me. Diego (Rodriguez) and I have our Quipos on our hands that we do for our handshake, the Allyu handshake. I did snatch that up and I have it hanging on my wall right in front of my door. It’s such a good memento, because every time I see it, I always think to myself, “How can I reshoot the movie?” I just want to relive the moment again.
Are you down for more Dora? Or are you one and done?
Oh, absolutely not — bring on the Dora! I love her so much. I think she’s such a huge role model, not just for the Latin community, but just for every single culture around the world. When it comes to that one episode for World Friendship Day, and she goes to Russia, she goes to China and she goes to Africa. It’s such a love for culture, and it’s such a love for, yes, we are all different, but more we’re all the same and we’re all human — just be more empathetic to each other.
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Dora the Search for Sol Dorado releases July 2 on Paramount+.
Christopher Nolan’s upcoming epic “The Odyssey” via a theatrical teaser tied to the release of “Jurassic World Rebirth.” If you’ve caught the sneak peek, you’ll know that it follows a tried and true Nolan tradition — the often cryptic, vibes-first trailer, meant more to tease the mood of the film than to give away much in the way of plot or detail. Since “The Odyssey” is an adaptation of one of the most famous literary works in recorded history, story spoilers aren’t really a concern here. But the classic early Nolan movie teaser arguably makes even more sense in this case, and the trailer footage perfectly sets up the kind of movie he’s trying to make.
The footage primarily shows Telemachus, Odysseus’s son, played by Tom Holland, at a feast of sorts where he asks Jon Bernthal’s character what happened to his father. The older man seems to scoff, declaring that everyone has their own story of what happened to Odysseus (Matt Damon) after the Trojan War. The rumors swirl, and we get a closing shot of the man himself passed out on a drifting raft.
Most of what we see is dim fireside conversation and empty ocean, though there are a couple shots of what appear to be the Trojan Horse. While it’s not quite as much as some fans may have wanted, it’s a great setup for the sort of story we’re going to get.
Christopher Nolan has a habit of making memorable teasers
Warner Bros. Pictures
The original teaser trailer for “Inception” lives in my mind permanently. Speechless, it nevertheless conveyed the mystery, drama, and wonder of the film. It did exactly what a teaser trailer is meant to do — create questions and promise satisfaction. “Dunkirk” had a very similar announcement teaser, as did “Tenet,” and many of Nolan’s other films. Compared to some of those, the “Odyssey” teaser actually looks fairly substantive.
Coming off of his greatest critical success yet with “Oppenheimer,” the director is clearly trying to carry that reputation for epic storytelling forward. If you’ve read any version of “The Odyssey,” you know that the story has a massive scope, and I love that this first trailer keeps things centered on the main plot issue — the disappearance of Odysseus and the question of his return home.
The Odyssey may be fantasy, but it’s still a Nolan movie
Universal Pictures
We all know generally what will happen in “The Odyssey.” The title alone has long been a colloquial shorthand for a long journey of any kind. But there can still be rich drama pulled from the text, and by focusing on the unresolved loss on the side of Telemachus, this early teaser does just that.
In the trailer footage, Odysseus has already been gone far too long. The tragedy has occurred — he didn’t make it home from the war he won, and no one knows for certain why. There are still a lot of questions about how Nolan will balance the various adventures, dangers, and side characters that the story demands, but it’s clear that the tone will be unmistakably Nolan.
Of course, that means that your mileage may vary depending on how much you enjoy the director’s distinct brand of sleek, crowd-pleasing genre drama, as well as how much you can bear his struggles in certain key areas (like, you know, writing women). Though the subject matter is more fantastical with Nolan diving into Greek mythology, your response to the “Odyssey” teaser may still be a fair indicator of what you can expect tonally from the finished film. Nolan doesn’t look to be breaking the mold on what’s worked in the past.
which /Film’s Jacob Hall reviewed here), and, as you can imagine, there are plenty more instances of playing fast and loose with the “rules” of the world at this point in the timeline. It’s no spoiler to say there are holodeck hijinks and even more setup for “Star Trek: The Original Series” to come, but what about those pesky questions surrounding the alien antagonists known as the Gorn?
When “Strange New Worlds” first reintroduced the Gorn back in season 1, the famous villains from “The Original Series” were given quite the makeover for audiences these days. Gone was the slow, janky, man-in-a-suit silliness that William Shatner’s James T. Kirk had to contend with, replaced by fearsome lizards created with visual effects and obviously meant to take a page out of the Xenomorph playbook. To say that these changes were controversial would be an understatement, but there was always a method behind the approach.
That news comes straight from showrunner Akiva Goldsman, who recently indicated that he thought the series was the perfect opportunity to take one of the most beloved aspects of the original show and add a thoroughly refreshing twist to our conception of the property. To hear him tell it, this goes far beyond simply modernizing the Gorn — he wanted to add a unique thematic flavor to “Star Trek” and its typical approach to good versus evil.
Strange New Worlds adds new layers to the Gorn
Paramount+
Throughout three seasons of “Strange New Worlds,” the Gorn have certainly claimed their fair share of victims: the Aenar Starfleet officer Hemmer (Bruce Horak), the family of La’an (Christina Chong), and the general peace of mind of pretty much anyone unfortunate enough to cross paths with them. For those who assumed the history of the Gorn had been set in stone decades ago, well, think again! Viewers will remember that season 2 ended on a cliffhanger related to the Gorn Hegemony, leaving us desperate to see how this storyline may be resolved. Showrunner Akiva Goldsman addressed this very issue a few weeks ago following the season 3 premiere of “Strange New Worlds” in New York City.
During a special Q&A after the screening of the Gorn-centric debut episode, which /Film attended, Goldsman was asked about the choice to retcon the Gorn and, in the process, upend a certain “Trek” tradition dating back to its earliest days:
“What I loved about the Gorn was the idea that it was an opportunity to retcon something into ‘Worlds.’ What we do in ‘Star Trek,’ I think, is we start by seeing the ‘other.’ And often we end by engaging our empathy and understanding common ground. That’s great. And it doesn’t mean that there isn’t real evil in the world. What we wanted to do with the Gorn was to create a monster. And a monster that, at least at first, seemed evil.”
Straddling the line between seeing the good in all beings versus the abject “evil” of a species like the Gorn is just one of many ways “Strange New Worlds” has added a new flavor to “Star Trek.” The series may be ending with its fifth and final season, but there are still plenty of episodes left to keep us on our toes. Season 3 premieres on Paramount+ July 17, 2025.
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For someone who became one of the biggest stars in the world thanks to one of the biggest sitcoms of all time, Matthew Perry knew a lot about failed sitcoms. That’s not a knock against the man whose comedy stylings are never given their proper due, having influenced an entire generation’s sense of humor. It’s simply an acknowledgement of how remarkably difficult it is to land a series that actually hits.
Prior to starring in “Friends,” Perry starred in “Home Free,” a sitcom that’s almost impossible to watch today, in which he played a bachelor who lived at home with his mom, only for his divorced sister and her two children to move home and upend his carefree life. It only lasted one season. But Perry was used to sitcoms that didn’t go beyond their first season. He also appeared in “Second Chance” (which was later retitled as “Boys Will Be Boys”) and “Sydney,” both of which were also cancelled before their first seasons ended. That’s to say nothing of the many pilots Perry shot, including “LAX 2194,” a pilot in which Perry played a baggage handler at a future version of the Los Angeles airport, a role that nearly cost the actor his role as Chandler in “Friends.”
Thankfully, Perry (who tragically passed away in 2023 at the age of 54) eventually did make it big with that beloved NBC sitcom and was immediately catapulted to megastar status. Unfortunately, that did little for his personal feelings of inadequacy — something which he discusses in detail in his memoir “Friends, Lovers, And The Big Terrible Thing.” Nonetheless, the years after Friends ended would see Perry once again struggling for a hit, and while most of his projects were short-lived, there was one sitcom which, though it was far from a “Friends”-level success, at least lasted beyond one season.
Matthew Perry remade a comedy classic that had already been rinsed dry
CBS
After “Friends” wrapped up in 2004, the ensemble all had very different experiences. Matt LeBlanc fronted spin-off “Joey,” which was cancelled after two seasons. Matthew Perry, however, initially stayed away from sitcoms, only returning to the format in 2013 with “Go On,” and like his pre-“Friends” series, it lasted just one season. He then appeared in an episode of his former co-star Courteney Cox’s show “Cougar Town” before once again trying his luck with the sitcom in 2015. This particular project was a reboot of “The Odd Couple,” which had been revisited several times since the 1965 play of the same name debuted.
When Neil Simon wrote his stage comedy back in the mid-60s, he likely had no idea it would spawn what is one of the most deceptively sprawling franchises in TV and movie history. The play debuted on Broadway in 1965 and followed two incompatible roommates, Felix Ungar and Oscar Madison. The former was a fastidious neat freak and the latter was, well, a slob, leading to one of the most enduring fictional dynamics in history.
After the play proved successful and closed in 1967, mass audiences would have a chance to experience that very dynamic when Walter Matthau reprised the role of Oscar alongside Jack Lemmon as Felix in a 1968 “The Odd Couple” movie, which Simon adapted from his play with Gene Saks directing. Once again, the mismatched pair of Felix and Oscar proved popular, and the “Odd Couple” saga was officially established.
The 1970s would see the arrival of a TV series based on the concept with Tony Randall starring as Felix and Jack Klugman as Oscar. That ABC sitcom ran for five seasons from 1970 to 75, proving that this simple concept had widespread appeal. A Saturday morning cartoon followed, before a reboot of the sitcom arrived in the 1980s. In 1993, CBS aired the made-for-TV movie “The Odd Couple Together Again,” which reunited Randall and Klugman. Hollywood even churned out a sequel to the 1968 movie with “The Odd Couple II,” which saw Lemmon and Matthau back in the roles of Felix and Oscar, capitalizing on their “Grumpy Old Men” success.
Unfortunately, the late-90s sequel very much seemed to suggest that audiences had grown tired of the franchise, but by the time Perry came to the IP, he was hoping things had changed. They sort of had, but not really.
The Odd Couple lasted longer than some of Perry’s other shows
CBS
Matthew Perry’s “The Odd Couple” took the form of a CBS sitcom which ran from 2015 to 2017. This particular effort did manage to go beyond one season, running for three seasons before CBS pulled the plug. With this being the seventh on-screen re-imagining of the story, audiences would have been within their rights to dismiss it outright, but the show also debuted almost a full 50 years after the 1968 film, which Perry claimed he watched “like 50 times” while developing the series (via Twitter).
That Walter Matthau and Jack lemmon-led comedy, rather than the ’70s sitcom, was seemingly the main inspiration behind this sitcom reboot, which featured Perry as Oscar Madison and Thomas Lennon as Felix Unger (the character’s second name had been spelled differently in the original sitcom, and it seems the writers stuck with it for the modern reboot). Perry also executive produced and developed the series, which depicted Oscar as a sportswriter and sports talk radio host whose slovenly ways don’t mesh well with Felix, a professional photographer who moves into Oscar’s apartment after his wife kicks him out.
The critical reception wasn’t great. Perry’s “The Odd Couple” wasn’t exactly one of the best TV show remakes, currently bearing a 26% critic score on Rotten Tomatoes. Reviewers were mostly disappointed with the dated sitcom humor and the inescapably derivative nature of yet another “Odd Couple” revisit. That didn’t bode well for the series’ longevity, though three seasons wasn’t bad for yet another “The Odd Couple” reboot.
According to Deadline, season 2 of the show “exceeded (modest) expectations” in terms of ratings, which secured a season 3 renewal. But that third run of episodes didn’t fare nearly as well, becoming the lowest-rated CBS comedy series of that season, according to the outlet. As such, the network decided to forgo another renewal, and “The Odd Couple” was once again abandoned. Surely, it won’t be long before it returns in some form.
returning to the MCU as Doctor Doom. Then, in March 2025, the studio shared a number of cast members who would be returning for the Russo Brothers’ next epic featuring Earth’s Mightiest Heroes. And though that list includes nearly 30 names already, there is no way that this is the entire Avengers roster for the upcoming Phase 6 film and its sequel, “Avengers: Secret Wars.” After all, there are some heavy hitters still missing from the lineup.
But while looking at the landscape of the MCU as it is now, there are a number of characters that have been introduced in films and TV shows that also have a history with the Avengers in the pages of Marvel Comics. With that in mind, we thought that we could speculate by examining some lesser-known team members who could be involved in whatever madness Doom has in store over the next couple of years. And though none of these names are official as of yet, with production on the two major blockbusters still ongoing, there’s still plenty of time for Kevin Feige and company to add them in somewhere down the line.
Rogue
20th Century Studios
Several cast members from Fox’s original X-Men film franchise were announced as part of the “Doomsday” cast, including Kelsey Grammer, Patrick Stewart, Ian McKellen, Alan Cumming, James Marsden, and Rebecca Romijin. Rumor has it that this is because the “Avengers vs. X-Men” comic story may be incorporated into the “Doomsday” plot. However, one notable name missing from the returning crew is Anna Paquin.
Paquin first played Rogue in 2000’s “X-Men,” where the audience is introduced to the heroes’ world through the eyes of this young mutant with the ability to absorb others’ memories, powers, and personality traits by touching them. And though the “True Blood” actor hasn’t been present in the X-Men franchise since “X-Men: Days of Future Past,” her character is very familiar with the Avengers in the pages of Marvel Comics.
For instance, Rogue gained the ability to fly and super strength from prolonged contact with Carol Danvers, the current Captain Marvel and former Ms. Marvel. She also led her own team of Earth’s Mightiest Heroes. Following “AvX,” Rick Remender and John Cassaday’s “Uncanny Avengers” introduce the Avengers Unity Division with both X-Men and Avengers being represented. And even though more experienced leaders were part of the team, Rogue was appointed as the team’s field leader to promote a new era of teamwork between humans and mutants.
Cable
20th Century Studios
“Deadpool & Wolverine” marked the first official MCU film to include the X-Men. But while the Merc With A Mouth was palling around with Logan around the multiverse, fans were probably wondering what happened to Josh Brolin’s Cable.
At the end of “Deadpool 2,” Wade Wilson’s (Ryan Reynolds) time-traveling cybernetic soldier bestie stayed with him and X-Force to ensure that the timeline would remain intact so that his family in the future survives. However, when the threequel rolled around, Cable was nowhere to be found. Considering Reynolds’ chemistry with Brolin, many assumed that we would see the pair team up again. Well, it could still happen in Phase Six due to Cable’s association with the Avengers.
Similar to Rogue, Cable joined the roster of Earth’s Mightiest Heroes during “Uncanny Avengers.” By the time he joined the squad, their mission expanded to create better relations between mutants, humans, and Inhumans. But above all, he was determined to help the team recover the brain of Charles Xavier from Red Skull.
Neither Brolin nor Reynolds is currently listed as part of “Doomsday,” but if it somehow turns out that a reunion fits in, fans should welcome this team-up with open arms.
Swordsman
Disney+
After Captain America joined, the Avengers began to represent second chances since Steve Rogers now had another chance to be a hero after emerging from the ice. To keep that spirit alive, Cap invited reformed villains to the team, including Hawkeye, Quicksilver, Scarlet Witch, and Vision. Although one member during this period may have slightly more villain credentials than the others.
While performing in a circus, Jacques Duquesne met a young Clint Barton and taught the runaway how to handle bladed weapons. But when the future Hawkeye caught his mentor stealing money to pay a gambling debt, the two had a falling out, and Duquesne became the costumed supervillain Swordsman. When they cross paths again later during his Avengers auditions, his nefarious ways still weren’t completely purged as he was secretly working for The Mandarin. But eventually, a double turn leads the rogue to save the heroes from their powerful foe.
This uncertainty of allegiances carried over to the MCU, where Tony Dalton portrays Jack Duquesne. The character first appears as a socialite and the fiancé of Eleanor Bishop (Vera Farmiga) in “Hawkeye.” After that, he pops up again in “Daredevil: Born Again” as Swordsman and gets caught up in Wilson Fisk’s (Vincent D’Onofrio) anti-vigilante agenda. With an even bigger threat than Mayor Kingpin on the horizon, the Avengers will need all the help that they can get, so extending membership to Swordsman may not be completely far-fetched.
Black Knight
Marvel Studios
The Black Knight mantle has been passed down through the same family since the time of King Arthur. When Iron Man came to blows with him, it was Nathan Garrett who wielded the cursed sword known as the Ebony Blade. But Roy Thomas and John Buscema continued with the theme of second chances by introducing an all-new Black Knight. That’s when Dane Whitman donned the regalia to restore honor to his family’s lineage. At first, Whitman was mistaken for his Uncle Nathan and attacked by the Avengers. Once they realized their mistake, they used this to their advantage by having him infiltrate the Masters of Evil before joining battles over the years against Kang the Conqueror, Morgan le Fay, and the Kree Empire.
In the MCU, where the character is played by “Game of Thrones” star Kit Harington, Black Knight is less active. Dane appears in “Eternals” as a history professor at London’s Natural History Museum who is dating Gemma Chan’s Sersi. After a brief Deviant skirmish, we don’t see him again until the end of the film, where he watches Arishem abduct his girlfriend. Then, in a post-credits scene, he opens the case containing the Ebony Blade. Though the MCU’s Black Knight didn’t exactly make a splash in this appearance, he could be recruited by the Avengers in their fight against Doctor Doom.
Starfox
Marvel Studios
In addition to Black Knight, “Eternals” also features the live-action debut of Starfox. Also known as Eros or Knave of Hearts, the character created by Jim Starlin is a charming, carefree rogue with the power to control people’s emotions. While he typically uses his powers to do good, Starfox’s intergalactic tomcatting ways place him in the dictionary under “chaotic bisexual.” And in addition to being a card-carrying Avenger, he is also the brother of Thanos and an Eternal. While Starfox’s hedonistic lifestyle screams that he’s only here for the vibes, his association with the Avengers has come in handy in a number of cosmic conflicts.
Although, despite giving off main character energy, the character played by Harry Styles hasn’t exactly become a main character in the MCU just yet. Along with Pip the Troll (voiced by Patton Oswalt), Starfox makes his presence known to the other Eternals in a post-credits scene for the Phase Four film. Since then, the only thread from that movie that was picked up was the giant Celestial protruding from the ocean, which factored into “Captain America: Brave New World.” But considering that “Doomsday” and “Secret Wars” will span the entirety of the multiverse, it might not be a bad idea for the Avengers to enlist someone from the same family tree as arguably their biggest foe to date.
Jack of Hearts
Marvel Comics
Not to be confused with Starfox’s Knave of Hearts alias, Jack of Hearts is a completely different Avenger. He was the son of a human man and a Contraxian woman who gained superpowers after being doused in the mysterious Zero Fluid. Now with the ability to expel his body’s energy, Jack Hart donned a containment suit that resembles the playing card he’s named after to become a hero. However, despite the suit, there were still instances where he was unable to control his powers. This became a focal point of the classic “Avengers Disassembled” storyline, where his death was one of many tragedies that led to the Avengers disbanding in favor of new teams like the New Avengers and the Young Avengers.
But if one of his biggest claims to fame is his death, then why would Jack of Hearts be included in “Avengers: Doomsday”? Well, if they’re facing a threat big enough to jeopardize the entire multiverse, then the Avengers need an army. Tony Stark’s sacrifice in “Endgame” inspired a whole generation of heroes. And thanks to the Sokovia Accords, the governments of the world have a huge list of powered individuals like Jack of Hearts who can be soldiers in this Avengers army.
In other words, he could be a redshirt in the Russos’ upcoming blockbusters. But with the New Avengers already entering the fray and the Ms. Marvel-led Young Avengers rumored to be on their way, Jack’s presence could also signal bits of “Avengers Disassembled” being incorporated into the MCU as a massive shake-up to kick off Phase Seven and beyond.
Skaar
Disney+
Whether it was found, chosen, or blood-related, the MCU has always been about family. When it comes to Hulk, though, his support system wasn’t as fleshed out until “She-Hulk: Attorney At Law” dropped on Disney+. Not only did we meet Bruce Banner’s (Mark Ruffalo) cousin and series star Jennifer Walters (Tatiana Maslany), but we were also introduced to his son, Skaar.
Created by Greg Pak and John Romita Jr. for the acclaimed “Planet Hulk” storyline (which partially inspired the film “Thor: Ragnarok”), Skaar is the offspring of Hulk and Caiera, a native of the gladiatorial planet Sakaar. He makes his way to Earth after the destruction of his home planet to confront and kill his father. But when he realizes that Banner is not the same revenge-fueled, savage “War Hulk” that sired him, Skaar and his father embark on various missions to take on Mole Man, Doctor Doom, and Wolverine’s son Daken.
Skaar eventually joins Norman Osborn’s Dark Avengers during the “Fear Itself” crossover. However, he is a double agent for Captain America and the New Avengers who helps them escape from Osborn’s grasp. But unlike his comic book counterpart, the only appearance of the MCU’s Skaar to date has been in the season one finale of She-Hulk’s series, where Wil Deusner makes a non-speaking cameo as the character. Since he’s already with his heroic father and his aunt when that show wraps up, maybe he’ll be trained enough to fight alongside Earth’s Mightiest Heroes when “Doomsday” comes around.
Tigra
Marvel Comics
Like Jack of Hearts, Tigra has not appeared in the MCU. However, she was supposed to. Back in 2019, Hulu and Marvel Television announced four animated comedies coming to the streamer. After “M.O.D.O.K.” and “Hit Monkey” debuted, a shake-up behind the scenes saw Jeph Loeb’s TV division folded into Kevin Feige’s Marvel Studios purview. As a result, Kevin Smith’s “Howard the Duck” and “The Tigra & Dazzler Show” from Erica Rivinoja and Chelsea Handler became casualties of Marvel’s restructuring.
But just like the stars of Fox’s X-Men series, maybe “Avengers: Doomsday” could be a second chance for Tigra. In the comics, Greer Nelson becomes a mighty half-human, half-feline warrior thanks to the magic, science, and mental power of the ancient Cat People. She is also given a magical amulet that allows her to revert to her human form, but she rarely uses it. Instead, she proudly touts her orange fur, pointy ears, and slitted irises as a member of the Avengers, the West Coast Avengers, and the Avengers Academy. As part of these teams, Tigra also forms a close bond with Hank Pym under his Yellowjacket mantle.
With many of Pym’s storylines transferred to Scott Lang in the MCU, it’s possible that Greer could be a new love interest for Paul Rudd’s Ant-Man, especially since Evangeline Lilly’s Hope Van Dyne hasn’t been announced as part of the cast yet.
Hercules
Shortly after they first met, Thor Odinson told Jane Foster, “Your ancestors called it magic, but you call it science. I come from a land where they are one and the same.” In the world of Marvel, the same can be said about gods and aliens. When Thor’s Asgardian ancestors first made contact with people from Earth, the humans considered them gods despite only visiting from another realm/planet. For the Greeks and Romans, their gods came from an adjacent dimension to Earth known as Olympus. And like Thor, Hercules finds himself on Earth often to defend its inhabitants.
While the Prince of Power is mighty on his own, he finds allies all over the pages of Marvel Comics. Not only is he a member of The Avengers, but he’s also affiliated with The Champions, The Defenders, Heroes For Hire, S.H.I.E.L.D., and more. Basically, he’s ready and willing to help any noble cause that might need him.
Unfortunately for the Asgardian Avenger, the MCU’s version of the Lion of Olympus (played by “Ted Lasso” star Brett Goldstein) hasn’t reached that point in his story yet. Instead, his father, Zeus, tasks him with tracking down and killing Thor after the events of “Thor: Love & Thunder.” But with the multiverse in danger, potentially including Olympus, it’s possible that Hercules and Thor could put their differences aside to face off against Doctor Doom and whatever master plan he’s cooking up in “Avengers: Doomsday” and “Avengers: Secret Wars.”
Wiccan
Disney+
In both the MCU and its source material, Vision and Scarlet Witch’s twin boys, William and Thomas, are created when Wanda Maximoff gains access to some extremely powerful magic. However, when her spell is ended, their boys dissipate along with it. Somehow, their souls endure and find other vessels to inhabit. William becomes Billy Kaplan and eventually embraces his identity as the powerful wizard Wiccan. In the comics, this comes after many trials and tribulations with the Young Avengers. Meanwhile, Billy’s (Joe Locke) journey of self-discovery in the MCU is chronicled in “Agatha All Along,” where he joins Agatha Harkness (Kathryn Hahn) and her coven on the Witch’s Road.
Since Doctor Doom has been known to dabble in magic as well as science, it wouldn’t hurt to have someone as powerful as Wiccan on the Avengers roster. Of course, they have already have Doctor Strange, Wong, and the other sorcerers of Kamar-Taj (possibly including America Chavez) on speed dial, but it wouldn’t hurt to over-prepare for what is probably going to be the biggest threat to the MCU thus far.
And with “Vision Quest” (or whatever they’re officially calling the upcoming Vision series on Disney+) in the pipeline, maybe we can even get both of Vision and Scarlet Witch’s kids on the big screen in 2027.
Quake
ABC
“It’s all connected.” When “Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.” premiered in 2013, we were meant to get a seamless experience between this show and the Marvel Studios films. However, as the seasons progressed, none of the ABC show’s stars (except for Clark Gregg’s Phil Coulson) made the jump to the big screen. Well, now the House of Ideas finally has the chance to remedy this injustice by bringing Quake to “Avengers: Secret Wars,” which would be fitting because she was first introduced in the comics during the 2004 storyline “Secret War.”
Daisy Johnson is the Inhuman daughter of supervillain Mister Hyde who gained seismic activity-inducing powers from Terrigenesis. During “Secret War,” Nick Fury takes her under his wing and turns her into a top S.H.I.E.L.D. agent. And though she’s typically seen with S.H.I.E.L.D. or the Secret Warriors, Daisy was chosen for the Avengers by Captain America himself after the “Fear Itself” storyline concluded.
Over the years, fans of the ABC series hoped that Chloe Bennet would reprise her role in many Marvel Studios projects. But now that Sony’s Spider-Man films, Fox’s X-Men movies, and even Wesley Snipes’ Blade have been integrated into the MCU, hopefully Kevin Feige and the Russos do the same for this beloved character as well.
Ghost Rider
ABC
After the love letter to the ghosts of Marvel movies past that was “Deadpool & Wolverine,” one hero that didn’t get as much love was Ghost Rider. While the team tried to get Nicolas Cage to reprise his role from the 2007 movie and its 2012 sequel, things just couldn’t come together. So what better place to finally make this happen than the grand finale of the Multiverse Saga? Furthermore, why don’t we bring in all of the live-action Ghost Riders since multiple hosts have been members of the Avengers roster on various occasions?
Along with Cage as Johnny Blaze, the Russo Brothers should also bring in Gabriel Luna to play Robbie Reyes again. After his short stint on “Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.,” he was meant to get a spin-off series on Hulu as part of Marvel Television’s Adventure Into Fear label, along with “Helstrom” and a crossover similar to Netflix’s “Defenders” with Lilith, Mother of All Demons as the villain. But again, restructuring squashed these plans.
And to sweeten the pot, the MCU can introduce Danny Ketch’s version of the Spirit of Vengeance as well. Ryan Gosling’s name has been thrown around as a rumored choice, but no matter who hops on this Ghost Rider’s signature motorcycle, the visual of all three variants would look incredible. Those flaming skulls would certainly intimidate any possible foes that stand across the battlefield from them, no matter what corner of the multiverse they come from.
