Summary
Highlights
Marvel has finally announced that Ghost Rider will cameo in 'Avengers: Doomsday'. This comes after years of fan questions and previous attempts to bring the character to the MCU being canceled, including a 'Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.', and legal issues that prevented his inclusion in Deadpool and Wolverine. The 'Avengers: Doomsday' version of Ghost Rider is expected to be Johnny Blaze from another universe, making a brief appearance.
Ghost Rider's delayed entry into the MCU was primarily due to legal complexities and high special effects budgets. Unlike characters who can mostly appear in human form, Ghost Rider requires extensive CGI. Marvel's new TV show strategy focuses on 'ground-level' Netflix characters like Daredevil, as they are cheaper to produce and can be siloed in the TV universe with minimal movie crossover, allowing audiences to enjoy movies without needing to watch all the TV shows.
Mephisto's introduction in the 'Ironheart' series is a key step to setting up a main MCU Ghost Rider in Marvel Phase 7. Mephisto, who makes bargains and claims souls, will be crucial in explaining Ghost Rider's origins and powers. His appearance in 'Ironheart' serves as a teaser for his methods of influencing the MCU, by granting power in exchange for souls, slowly turning individuals into demons he controls. Ghost Rider is a similar concept, with Mephisto bonding demon souls (like Xerathos) with human hosts.
Simu Liu revealed during a New York Comic Con panel that he has scenes with the X-Men in 'Avengers: Doomsday', specifically mentioning Ian McKellen's Magneto and Patrick Stewart's Professor X. Their universe is believed to be the one Monica Rambeau entered in 'The Marvels'. Doctor Doom reportedly arrives in their universe, leading to a conflict where MCU heroes intervene, suggesting Shang-Chi is part of this team.
The Fantastic Four are expected to use their ship to travel between universes, initially to retrieve Franklin Richards from Doctor Doom. A scene showing the Fantastic Four and MCU heroes on their ship supports this. The theory is that Reed Richards will adapt his ship's engine to travel across universes. Alan Cumming, who plays Nightcrawler, mentioned a fight scene with Reed Richards, indicating a misunderstanding that leads to the two teams joining forces. This suggests the Fantastic Four might be split into different teams during the movie, potentially bringing the X-Men to the MCU by the film's end.