Ryan Reynolds and Hugh Jackman are listed among the contributors to Avengers: Doomsday, a development that has reignited expectations that Deadpool and Wolverine could enter the next Avengers ensemble. Their names appear in the Writers Guild of America listing under “Additional Literary Material,” alongside several Marvel-connected writers and filmmakers.
That is a notable credit, particularly because Reynolds has been closely involved with the writing of the Deadpool films and because Jackman has spent 26 years portraying Wolverine. But it is important to separate what the listing establishes from what it does not: it documents script contribution, not cast membership. Neither actor’s appearance in Avengers: Doomsday has been explicitly confirmed here.
What the credit actually says
The listed screenplay writers for Avengers: Doomsday are Stephen McFeely and Michael Waldron. Reynolds and Jackman are among eight people credited for additional literary material:
- Eric Pearson
- Chris McKenna
- Erik Sommers
- Jeff Loveness
- Andrew Lanham
- Destin Daniel Cretton
- Ryan Reynolds
- Hugh Jackman
“Additional literary material” is distinct from a screenplay or story credit. In practical terms, it can cover contributions such as dialogue work, revisions, character-specific material, or a smaller pass on the script. It does not necessarily mean each credited contributor built the film’s central plot or wrote an entire character arc.
That distinction matters with a crossover of this scale. A film bringing together characters from different corners of Marvel’s screen continuity may call on people with particular familiarity with a character’s voice, history, or prior tone. The credit can therefore be a useful clue about creative involvement without serving as a definitive roll call for the finished cast.
Why Reynolds and Jackman stand out
Reynolds’ name naturally attracts attention because of his established writing involvement with the Deadpool movies. If the character is being brought into an Avengers story, a contribution from the performer so identified with Deadpool’s distinctive comic voice would make creative sense. Deadpool’s dialogue, in particular, depends heavily on a deliberately self-aware style that can be difficult to slot into a broader ensemble without losing what makes the character recognizable.
Jackman’s credit is more unusual on the surface because he does not have the same public history of writing credits tied to Wolverine. Yet his lengthy experience playing the character makes a focused contribution plausible. An actor who has inhabited a role for decades can offer useful insight on dialogue, emotional beats, physical characterization, and what feels consistent with that character’s established screen persona.
Still, plausible is not the same as confirmed. The listed credits support the idea that Reynolds and Jackman had some creative input on Avengers: Doomsday. They do not specify which material they contributed, whether that material remained in the final version, or whether either actor will appear on screen.
Teases are not a formal cast announcement
Both actors have already played along with fan expectations through tongue-in-cheek promotional appearances at San Diego Comic-Con and D23 over the summer. Those moments helped keep the prospect of a Deadpool and Wolverine return alive, especially after the strong reception to their most recent team-up.
Promotional teasing can be part of the fun around a franchise, but it should not be treated as a production confirmation. The line between a joke, a nod to audience demand, and a genuine reveal is especially blurry for Deadpool, whose identity is built around knowing winks and misdirection. For now, the most accurate reading is that the writing listing raises the likelihood of their involvement while leaving the acting question open.
If the pair do appear, an Avengers film would represent the long-awaited step of placing them in the wider Marvel Cinematic Universe alongside its core heroes. That possibility has been a major point of interest for audiences, and this new credit information offers more substance than a social-media tease alone. It remains an inference, though, rather than an announced fact.
Other names on the additional-literary-material list offer context
The rest of the contributor list underscores why it is risky to use a writing credit as a one-to-one indicator of a character cameo. Destin Daniel Cretton is also named for additional literary material. Cretton directed Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings and is directing Spider-Man: Brand New Day.
Shang-Chi is confirmed to be part of Avengers: Doomsday, making Cretton’s participation easy to interpret as potential input connected to that character. It could equally reflect broader work on the script. His credit does not establish that Spider-Man is in the film, even though Cretton is attached to a Spider-Man project. The same caution applies to Reynolds and Jackman: contributors can have several relevant creative connections, and the credit alone does not identify the exact subject of their work.
This is the value of reading the full list rather than isolating one or two high-profile names. It shows a script that has drawn on multiple creatives with different Marvel backgrounds. That approach can be especially useful for an ensemble picture, where characters may arrive with very different styles, histories, and audience expectations.
Scarlet Witch adds another moving part
The developing picture around Avengers: Doomsday also includes Scarlet Witch. Her return has been confirmed after a four-year absence. At the end of VisionQuest, she is seen being abducted by Doctor Doom, following her previous appearance in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness.
That setup suggests Doctor Doom may have direct influence over Scarlet Witch’s role in the new film. It also creates the possibility that she could be positioned against other heroes, though the available details do not settle whether she is a full antagonist, unwillingly controlled, or something more complicated. The distinction will matter: a character acting under another figure’s control carries very different dramatic stakes from a character choosing conflict on her own terms.
With Shang-Chi confirmed and Scarlet Witch brought back into the picture, Avengers: Doomsday is clearly assembling material from several Marvel storylines. That is why Reynolds and Jackman’s additional-literary-material credits have prompted such intense discussion. They fit neatly into a broader pattern of a large crossover, but they remain evidence of behind-the-scenes contribution rather than final proof of Deadpool and Wolverine’s on-screen return.
What fans can reasonably take from this
- Reynolds and Jackman contributed to the script in some capacity. Their names are included in the additional-literary-material credits.
- McFeely and Waldron hold the screenplay credit. The contributor designation should not be confused with screenplay or story authorship.
- Deadpool and Wolverine remain unconfirmed as cast members. The credit makes their possible involvement more intriguing, but it does not function as an official announcement.
- Spider-Man is also not confirmed by Cretton’s credit. Cretton has ties to both Shang-Chi and Spider-Man, while Shang-Chi is already confirmed for the ensemble film.
- Scarlet Witch’s return is part of the confirmed setup. Her abduction by Doctor Doom in VisionQuest points toward a potentially fraught role in the story.
For viewers tracking Marvel’s next event movie, the best approach is to keep the levels of certainty straight. Script credits reveal meaningful creative collaboration. Character appearances require cast confirmation or a comparable on-screen reveal. Until that happens, Deadpool and Wolverine’s places in Avengers: Doomsday are compellingly suggested—not officially locked in.
For more Marvel-adjacent viewing ideas, see our weekend streaming guide featuring an Endgame encore.
