With every passing tick of the clock, the multiverse is closer to collapsing. Reality as a whole is at stake, and with so many lives on the line, it doesn’t come as a surprise that Earth’s Mightiest Heroes are set to assemble after a seven-year hiatus. Avengers: Doomsday will feature fan-favorites from every corner of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, from hammer-wielding gods to astronauts from a parallel Earth who can ignite themselves in fire. Over 25 characters have been officially confirmed to appear in the highly anticipated crossover, and that’s just the beginning.
Marvel Studios President Kevin Feige stated that there’s room for more heroes to steal the spotlight in Avengers: Doomsday, leaving fans to wonder who else will join the fight against the Ruler of Latveria. Characters like Wolverine, Deadpool, and Storm are among the most likely candidates to make a surprise appearance thanks to their immense levels of popularity. However, a new illustration teases the return of a previously unannounced Marvel legend that is bound to make fans happy.
Robert Downey Jr.’s recent post teases the return of Spider-Man in Avengers: Doomsday
In celebration of Easter, Robert Downey Jr. posted an image on social media depicting Doctor Doom, holding a basket filled with Easter eggs, each meant to represent a different Marvel hero. While they all seem to be picked at random, it’s clear that they share one (very cool) thing in common upon closer inspection.
From left to right and top to bottom, the Easter eggs represent the following characters: Doctor Strange, Namor, Ant-Man, Black Panther, the New Avengers, Captain America, the X-Men, Shang-Chi, Thor, the Fantastic Four, and Loki. Wouldn’t you know it, nearly all of them are officially confirmed to have a role in Avengers: Doomsday.
While Stephen Strange wasn’t part of the movie’s official announcement, Benedict Cumberbatch has teased that we’ll see his character join Earth’s Mightiest Heroes this very year. So if all of these Easter eggs represent someone who will be in the upcoming film, then Spider-Man fans are in for a treat, because his logo is seen at the very right of the image.
Ever since his debut, Tom Holland’s Spider-Man has been part of every major MCU crossover. He has appeared in Captain America: Civil War, Avengers: Infinity War, and Avengers: Endgame. As such, it has been heavily theorized that he’ll make a comeback for Doomsday, too, but will that ultimately be the case? See, even if Robert Downey Jr.’s post seemingly confirms that we’ll see more of Spider-Man soon, it isn’t specified which version of the wall-crawler is bound to steal the spotlight.
Tobey Maguire as Peter Parker / Spider-Man in Sam Raimi’s Spider-Man 2. Image courtesy of Fathom Entertainment.
It has been reported that fan-favorites such as Tom Holland’s Peter Parker and Elizabeth Olsen’s Scarlet Witch will miss out on the events of Avengers: Doomsday in favor of having a major role in Avengers: Secret Wars. On the contrary, there’s plenty of evidence to suggest that Tobey Maguire’s Spider-Man will finally cross paths with other iconic Marvel heroes later this year.
Leaked Avengers: Doomsday set pictures (presumed to be real and not made by AI) showcase Tobey in his iconic Spider-Man costume. Furthermore, many different insiders have all claimed that the beloved Marvel veteran will be a major character in the upcoming MCU crossover, appearing from the film’s very opening sequence. Furthermore, Tom Hiddleston stated that Tom Holland is his favorite Spider-Man of all time “for reasons he cannot disclose. ” That statement alone was enough to convince fans that Tobey’s version of the wall-crawler will fight Loki in Avengers: Doomsday.
Spider-Man is Marvel’s most popular and beloved hero, so it would be a shocker to find out that he’s completely absent from the biggest MCU movie to date. With three different live-action iterations of the character so far, it seems likely that at least one of them will appear in the upcoming crossover. Besides, with the Multiverse Saga coming to an end, this is one of the last chances we have to see either Andrew Garfield or Tobey Maguire swing back into action in this iconic role. So, with a bit of luck, either of the two will show up to save the day in Avengers: Doomsday.
Avengers: Doomsday will be released on Dec. 18, 2026.