Jonathan Hickman Is Consulting on ‘Avengers: Doomsday’ and ‘Secret Wars,’ and the Movies Could Stay Close to the Comics

For years, comic book readers have wondered how much of the page will survive the jump to the big screen. The MCU has used comic titles and borrowed ideas, but it has rarely adapted a run directly. The latest news around ‘Avengers: Doomsday’ suggests the studio has someone from the source material in the room.

‘Avengers: Doomsday’ opens in theaters on December 18, with ‘Avengers: Secret Wars’ following on December 17, 2027. The Russo brothers are directing both, with a screenplay by Stephen McFeely. Marvel has said the 2015 comic ‘Secret Wars’ inspired the movies, and Kevin Feige has pointed to the run-up that began when Jonathan Hickman started writing ‘Avengers’ and ‘New Avengers.’

Now Hickman himself has confirmed his involvement. In an interview with Bleeding Cool ahead of his first appearance at Lucca Comics & Games in Italy, he said “I consult for studios and read almost all the movies” that are in development. That includes ‘Avengers: Doomsday,’ for which he has been reading scripts for the past two and a half years.

The interview was prompted by the new ‘Avengers: Doomsday’ footage and its multiple Earths fighting each other, which comes from his ‘Fantastic Four,’ ‘Avengers’ and ‘Secret Wars’ comics. Hickman said it has been fascinating watching the film change since he started. He described a big shift when the Russos and McFeely came back on and when Robert Downey Jr. was announced as Doctor Doom.

Two and a half years puts him on the scripts in early 2024, months before Marvel announced the Russos and Downey’s role at Comic-Con that July. He also said the directors have been very kind to him, and that he’s excited about what they’re working on. He stressed he hasn’t seen a final cut, only work in progress, and said he’d never before watched a movie come together before the special effects were added.

Hickman’s fingerprints are all over the story the movies seem to be telling. His run on ‘Avengers’ and ‘New Avengers’ centered on the Illuminati, a secret group of heroes who band together to stop the incursions destroying the multiverse. It built toward the 2015 event ‘Secret Wars,’ which he wrote with artist Esad Ribić.

That story ends with the Marvel and Ultimate universes being destroyed. Doctor Doom becomes the possessor of the godlike power of the Beyonders and rules what remains of the multiverse, and one outlet noted that even that doesn’t save him from his inferiority complex. ‘Doomsday’ places Doom at the center of a collapsing multiverse, which comes straight out of that material.

It’s worth being careful here. Hickman’s involvement doesn’t guarantee a page-for-page adaptation, and Marvel has not confirmed any plot details for either film. In an earlier interview with TechRadar, the Russos said they would draw inspiration from both the 1984 ‘Secret Wars’ and Hickman’s 2015 version, but described the comics as loose inspiration.

Some insiders have gone further. One rumor claimed ‘Avengers: Doomsday’ is literally Hickman’s ‘New Avengers’ and ‘Secret Wars’ stories with the MCU’s main plot woven into it. That remains unconfirmed, so treat it as speculation until the film arrives.

He used to be different. Avengers: Doomsday arrives in theaters everywhere December 18. Get your tickets now: https://t.co/J5PUbxvAkc https://t.co/OUutSMZneq

— Marvel Studios (@MarvelStudios) August 15, 2026

Hickman will appear at Lucca Comics & Games from October 28 through November 1, so more comments could surface. There’s also the possibility that other creators from the source material are quietly shaping the films. For fans who have been burned by loose adaptations before, a writer with Hickman’s resume in the room is a promising sign.

In the meantime, Marvel is pushing ahead with its marketing, and a special look airs during the World Series tonight. How faithful the finished films turn out to be will only become clear in December. Until then, the comics remain the best homework for what’s coming.

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