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 Warsseries. 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’
Franklin Richards in the Fantastic Four comics by MarvelImage via Marvel Comics
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?
Collider Exclusive · Marvel Personality Quiz Which MCU Hero Are You? Spider-Man · Daredevil · Iron Man · Punisher · Thor · Cap
Six heroes. One destiny. Answer 10 questions to discover which Marvel Cinematic Universe hero shares your personality, values, and fighting spirit. Will you swing, fly, or thunder your way to glory?
🕷️Spider-Man
😈Daredevil
🤖Iron Man
💀Punisher
⚡Thor
🛡️Cap
01
What drives you to do what’s right? Choose the answer that feels most like you.
02
It’s 2 AM. Where are you? Your answer says more about you than you’d think.
03
How do you handle a villain who keeps escaping justice? Every hero has a method. What’s yours?
04
How do you feel about keeping a secret identity? The mask — or the lack of one — says everything.
05
You’ve lost someone important because of your heroism. How do you carry that? Every hero pays a price. The question is how they pay it.
06
What’s your role when working with a team? Who you are under pressure is who you actually are.
07
Where do you draw the line between justice and revenge? The answer defines what kind of hero you really are.
08
When you’re not saving the world, what does life look like? The person behind the mask is always the more interesting story.
09
What keeps you up at night? Fear is useful data — if you’re honest about what you’re actually afraid of.
10
The battle is lost. You’re outnumbered, outgunned, and exhausted. What do you do? This is your tiebreaker — choose carefully.
Your Hero Has Been Identified Your MCU Hero Is…
Based on your answers, the Marvel hero who matches your spirit, values, and instincts has been revealed.
Queens, New York
🕷️ Spider-Man
You carry the weight of the world on shoulders that are younger than they should have to be — funny, loyal, and endlessly self-sacrificing.
You do the right thing not because it’s easy, but because no one else will.
You understand that responsibility isn’t a burden you choose — it’s one that finds you.
Whether it’s a neighbourhood mugging or a multiverse crisis, you show up.
Peter Parker’s lesson — that great power demands great responsibility — isn’t a slogan to you. It’s the code you live by, even when it costs you everything.
Hell’s Kitchen, New York
😈 Daredevil
You fight in the shadows between law and chaos, guided by a fierce moral compass that refuses to let the guilty walk free.
You use every tool available — your mind, your body, your faith — to protect those the system overlooks.
You’ve looked into the darkness and chosen not to become it, though the line has never been easy.
Matt Murdock’s duality — champion in the courtroom, devil in the alley — mirrors your own.
Relentless, conflicted, and unwilling to stop. That is exactly you.
Stark Industries, Malibu
🤖 Iron Man
Brilliant, driven, and occasionally insufferable — but always the person who solves the unsolvable problem.
You lead with your mind and back it up with resources, innovation, and a stubbornness that borders on heroic.
You started out looking out for yourself, but somewhere along the way the world became your responsibility.
Tony Stark’s arc — from ego to sacrifice — is your arc too.
You build, you plan, and when the moment comes, you’re willing to give everything. Because in the end, you’re Iron Man.
New York City
💀 The Punisher
You’ve been through fire that would break most people — and it did change you, completely. What’s left is unyielding, relentless, and operating by a code forged in grief.
You don’t ask for forgiveness, and you don’t expect gratitude.
You see a corrupt, broken world and you’ve decided to do something about it, consequences be damned.
Frank Castle’s war is born from love twisted by loss — and so is yours.
Uncompromising and unflinching — the world may not agree with your methods, but your conviction is absolute.
Asgard · Protector of the Nine Realms
⚡ Thor
Powerful, proud, and on a lifelong journey to become worthy of the legend you carry.
You lead with strength but have learned — sometimes painfully — that true greatness comes from humility and growth.
You’re larger than life, yet more vulnerable than you let on.
Thor’s story is one of transformation: from arrogant prince to worthy king, from isolated warrior to beloved protector.
You bring the storm when it’s needed — and the warmth when it matters just as much.
Brooklyn, New York · The Avengers
🛡️ Captain America
You believe in something bigger than yourself — and you fight for it even when the world has moved on and nobody else will.
You don’t bully the small guy, and you never stop when it gets hard.
Steve Rogers didn’t become a hero when he got the serum — he was always one. So were you.
Your strength isn’t in your fists; it’s in your refusal to compromise what’s right, no matter the cost.
In a world full of people taking the easy road, you’re the one who picks up the shield and stands up — every single time.
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.
