Kevin Feige Addresses Magneto’s Alleged New Jersey Rampage in AVENGERS: DOOMSDAY and Hypes an “Ambitious” SECRET WARS
With Avengers: Doomsday on the horizon, questions are flying about how the X-Men factor into the MCU, what wild multiverse collisions we’re about to witness, and whether Ian McKellen’s Magneto is really out there tearing apart New Jersey.
Coming out of CinemaCon, Kevin Feige sat down with Entertainment Weekly and confirmed what many suspected. This story is pulling from some of Marvel’s most iconic comic arcs, particularly the kind that deal with universes smashing into each other and timelines crossing in chaotic ways.
He didn’t name specific runs, but fans familiar with Jonathan Hickman’s work can read between the lines.
"We're not talking too much about story, but I think people know that the story of Doomsday is inspired by a very famous comic run in which universes are colliding, and Earths encounter one another, and different timelines encounter one another," Feige mused. "And in movie speak, what that allows us to do is get different casts from different franchises."
That opens the door for something fans have been waiting years to see. Multiple Marvel worlds finally colliding on screen. We’re talking about the MCU’s Earth-616, the Fantastic Four’s Earth-828, and the X-Men’s Earth-10005 all intersecting in one massive event. it’s a full-blown multiversal collision.
For Feige, bringing the X-Men back into the fold hits on a personal level. He actually worked on the early X-Men films, which makes this moment feel like things have come full circle.
"I was a part of the first couple many, many, many, many, many years ago," Feige told the site. "Now that they're back home, we thought: We have to utilize them. Deadpool & Wolverine was our first opportunity to do that and touch upon it, and it just felt like an amazing opportunity to pit multiple universes against each other, but you care about all of them."
These aren’t just characters, they’re entire eras of Marvel storytelling colliding. Fans who grew up with the original X-Men films, alongside those invested in the Avengers and the upcoming Fantastic Four, are all being pulled into one shared narrative.
"Bringing them all together is what we have tasked the brothers with doing for us."
Of course, one of the more interesting rumors floating around involves Magneto apparently destroying New Jersey. It’s something Ian McKellen himself has hinted at in interviews, which made fans wonder if the legendary mutant is about to unleash total chaos on the Garden State.
Feige addressed that directly in a conversation with Joe Russo, and the response was… not exactly definitive. "Does he destroy New Jersey in the movie? I think he might've misspoke. I don't think he destroys New Jersey." Feige added, "There's a New Jersey presence,"
So, no outright confirmation of Magneto leveling the state, but also not a full denial. Classic Marvel secrecy.
Looking beyond Doomsday, Feige also teased how it connects to Avengers: Secret Wars, which is shaping up to be something massive in its own right. Fans expecting a direct continuation similar to Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers: Endgame might want to adjust those expectations.
"People familiar with the comic stories see that they will relate. They relate in a very different way than Infinity War and Endgame. I think people are expecting a similar connection, and while one certainly does lead into the other, it's in a very different way. I will say that Secret Wars is as ambitious a project as we’ve ever embarked on."
Right now, Avengers: Doomsday is set to hit theaters on December 18, and it’s going to kick off a wild new chapter for the MCU. Between multiverse chaos, legacy characters returning, and a mystery involving Magneto and New Jersey, there’s plenty here to keep fans guessing.