SECRET WARS Writer Jonathan Hickman Consulted on AVENGERS: DOOMSDAY and Says the Movie Has Changed a Lot
Marvel Comics writer Jonathan Hickman, the mastermind behind the 2015 Secret Wars crossover, has revealed that he's been consulting on Marvel Studios' upcoming Avengers: Doomsday, and he's had a front-row seat to the movie's evolution over the past two and a half years.
Hickman's work has been a major influence on the MCU's Multiverse Saga, particularly his acclaimed runs on Fantastic Four, Avengers, and New Avengers. Those stories introduced Incursions, the destruction of the Multiverse, and Battleworld, a world pieced together from the remnants of different realities.
While directors Joe and Anthony Russo have expressed their love for the original 1984 Secret Wars crossover, their upcoming Avengers: Doomsday and Avengers: Secret Wars are also drawing inspiration from Hickman's 2015 storyline.
During an interview with Bleeding Cool, Hickman revealed that he's been reading scripts for Avengers: Doomsday throughout its development, giving him a unique perspective on how much the movie has changed.
"It's been really interesting. I don't know that it's common knowledge, but I consult for studios and read almost all the movies that they're making while they're in development. So it has been fascinating watching that change over the past two and a half years since I've been reading scripts for it."
He also explained how the return of the Russo Brothers and some major creative changes affected the direction of the movie.
"There was a big shift when The Russos came back on, and [Steven] McFeely came back on, and they announced that Robert Downey Jr. was going to be joining the cast again and all that kind of stuff.
“It has been really, really interesting. Those guys are very, very nice to me and take care of me. I'm very excited about what they're working on. I have not seen a final cut or anything like that."
The casting of Robert Downey Jr. as Doctor Doom was obviously a massive change for Marvel's Avengers plans, and it's interesting to hear just how much the project evolved once the Russos and screenwriter Stephen McFeely got involved.
Hickman also got to see something he hadn't experienced before, which involved unfinished footage from a massive superhero movie before the visual effects were added.
"I've seen work in progress and all and whatnot. But I think they're really excited about it. I'll tell you the most interesting thing about the whole thing was that I have never seen a movie before while it was being worked on, in that there was no CGI involved."
"So you would see scenes where they hadn't added any special effects, and then two months later, you see the final version. It's kind of wizardry."
It's pretty cool that Marvel has Hickman involved in the creative process, especially considering how much of his comic book storytelling appears to be influencing these final chapters of the Multiverse Saga.
His Fantastic Four and Avengers comics helped establish the events that led to Secret Wars, and he's written major stories involving Doctor Doom. He also completely reinvented Marvel's mutants with House of X and Powers of X.
Hickman knows how to bring complicated Marvel storylines together, which is exactly what Marvel Studios needs as it prepares to unite its various characters and universes for these next two Avengers films.
Along with McFeely, Michael Waldron, known for Loki, and Chris McKenna and Erik Sommers, who worked on Spider-Man: Brand New Day, have also contributed to the Avengers: Doomsday screenplay.
It's worth pointing out that Hickman hasn't seen the completed movie, so his comments aren't a review of the finished product. Still, it's exciting to hear that he's excited about what Marvel is putting together, especially after watching the project go through so many changes.
Avengers: Doomsday hits theaters December 18, 2026, and having the writer behind one of Marvel Comics' biggest crossover events involved in the process makes me even more interested in seeing how this story plays out.