(Photo Credit: Marvel Studios)
A new Avengers: Secret Wars rumor has reignited fan speculation about which Marvel characters may not survive Avengers: Doomsday. The upcoming film will bring together characters from the Avengers, X-Men, and Fantastic Four.
According to industry insider James Mack, James Marsden is expected to reprise his role as Cyclops in Avengers: Secret Wars. The scooper previously claimed that five major heroes will die in Doomsday, specifically noting “3 X-Men and 2 Avengers.” He also claimed that only characters killed during the final Incursion collision will return for Secret Wars, while characters who die of natural or direct deaths will remain dead.
James Marsden returns in AvengersSecret Wars as Cyclops— James Mack (@JamesMackwl) September 9, 2026
In another report, the Insider claimed Ian McKellen’s return as Magneto in the climax of the Multiverse Saga. Those new rumors have led fans to begin eliminating potential survivors to guess the fallen heroes. However, Marvel has not confirmed any such plot details.
lan McKellen returns in AvengersSecret Wars as Magneto— James Mack (@JamesMackwl) September 9, 2026
The X-Men characters fans believe Avengers: Doomsday may already have written out
With Cyclops and Magneto returning, the question now falls to Charles Xavier, Nightcrawler, Mystique, Beast, and Gambit. Many users on social media pointed to Charles Xavier, Mystique, Beast, and Nightcrawler as the most likely characters to die in Doomsday.
Notably, one fan @brs123_brs asked, “So Charles, Mystique, Beast, and Nightcrawler die from FoX-Men?” Other fans questioned the absence of characters from the announced cast lineup, with @InnovativeT03 writing, “Forget what we already know…we, well I, wanna know WHERE IS KITTY PRIDE?”
Another fan, @nixstyxxx, commented on Cyclops’s potential arc, writing, “It’s probably Phoenix Cyclops and he’s getting killed off.”
Other reports indicate that Deadpool and Wolverine will make it past the events of incursions that lead to the deaths of X-Men before Doomsday events. That said, there is a possibility that they will appear in Secret Wars. As always, these claims remain unconfirmed and should be treated as speculation.
Avengers: Doomsday is scheduled to arrive in theaters on December 18, 2026.
