AVENGERS: SECRET WARS Mystery Solved? Noah Jupe May Be Playing an Older Franklin Richards
Marvel may have found one of the most important young characters in the MCU, and he could have a major part to play in Avengers: Secret Wars.
Noah Jupe, known for A Quiet Place and Hamnet, has reportedly joined the upcoming Marvel epic in an undisclosed role.
Naturally, fans immediately started throwing around possibilities, including the Beyonder and Wolverine. Now, multiple online scoopers are pointing toward another character who makes a lot of sense for a movie dealing with the fate of the Multiverse… Franklin Richards.
According to the latest claims, Jupe could be playing an older version of Franklin, the son of Reed Richards and Sue Storm.
If true, Marvel would be making a significant age jump with the character. Jupe is 21, putting this Franklin much closer in age to the young mutants expected to populate Marvel Studios' upcoming X-Men reboot from Jake Schreier.
That could make things interesting beyond Secret Wars. Franklin is a mutant in Marvel Comics, so an older version could potentially cross paths with the MCU's new generation of X-Men or even become part of the team.
Rumors have claimed that Sue is pregnant again in Doomsday, and that she will eventually become Doctor Doom's wife on Battleworld, with Franklin and Valeria presented as "their" children.
Then there's Jupe's recent Letterboxd activity. Fans noticed that the actor has logged multiple viewings of The Fantastic Four: First Steps. That's hardly confirmation that he's studying for the role, but when an actor who just joined Secret Wars starts repeatedly watching the MCU movie featuring Franklin's parents, people are obviously going to start connecting some dots.
Jupe also bears enough of a resemblance to Pedro Pascal, who plays Reed Richards, that the casting wouldn't be difficult to buy visually.
Franklin could have a very specific purpose in Secret Wars. The character possesses enormous reality-altering abilities and has been capable of creating entire realities in Marvel Comics.
If the MCU Multiverse is torn apart during Doomsday and Secret Wars, having Franklin around when it's time to put reality back together would make plenty of sense.
Of course, Marvel hasn't confirmed that Jupe is playing Franklin Richards, so this remains firmly in rumor territory for now.
With production on Secret Wars expected to begin later this year, the Russo Brothers are currently working through pre-production and assembling the massive cast needed to close out the Multiverse Saga.
Avengers: Doomsday arrives December 18, followed by Avengers: Secret Wars on December 17, 2027.
Do you think Jupe would be a good choice for Franklin Richards? Let us know what you think in the comments.