00:06Two months before Avengers Doomsday hits theaters, a Marvel artist shares a piece of promotional
00:11art.
00:12Doctor Doom stands in the center, surrounded by three sorceresses.
00:16A fourth figure lurks behind them.
00:18A fan asks who that fourth figure is.
00:21The artist's answer?
00:22He can't remember the character's name.
00:25But he says the character was removed from the movie.
00:28That figure goes by one codename, Boris.
00:32For a long time, fans have suspected Boris is Doctor Strange in disguise.
00:37Marvel has said nothing.
00:39So did Marvel just cut Doctor Strange out of the biggest Marvel movie ever made?
00:44Or did one artist accidentally blow the studio's best kept secret?
00:48Before we dig in, a quick favor.
00:50If you like having a Marvel rumor traced back to where it actually started, subscribe to
00:55the channel.
00:55To understand why one artist's comment set fandom on fire, you first need to understand
01:01what's at stake.
01:03Avengers Doomsday arrives in theaters on December 18th, 2026.
01:07The Russo brothers are directing, the same duo behind Infinity War and Endgame.
01:12The film was originally scheduled for May of this year, then slid to December after significant
01:18delays.
01:19When it does arrive, it will go head to head with Dune Part 3 on the same weekend.
01:24Fans have already nicknamed the clash Doomsday.
01:27The story brings together heroes from three different universes.
01:31The Avengers, the Fantastic Four and the X-Men.
01:34Their enemy is Robert Downey Jr. playing Victor Von Doom.
01:39And it's only half of the story.
01:41Avengers Secret Wars follows on December 17th, 2027.
01:46With that much on the line, Marvel is guarding its secrets like a vault, which is exactly why
01:52a single stray comment from an artist matters so much.
01:56The artist is Jorge Molina.
01:58He created a special Doomsday trading card for Magic the Gathering, available exclusively
02:04at Regal Theaters this December.
02:06The artwork shows Dr. Doom standing alongside the Latverian witches, Doom's mysterious
02:11sorceresses.
02:13Then, Molina shared his process, including an early sketch.
02:17In that sketch, a fourth character stood with Doom, the mysterious Boris.
02:22A follower asked who he was.
02:24Molina replied that he couldn't recall the name, but that the character was removed from
02:29the film.
02:30Notice what's missing though.
02:32The finished art released by Marvel doesn't include Boris at all.
02:36So there are two ways to read this.
02:38Maybe Molina posted an earlier version without realizing Boris was supposed to stay hidden
02:43and his removed comment was damage control.
02:46Or maybe Boris really did end up on the cutting room floor.
02:50So why does this matter?
02:52Because Boris has been described as a male acolyte of Doom, and leaked character portraits reportedly
02:58show him with a third eye.
03:00And a third eye means something.
03:03At the end of 2022's Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, Strange was corrupted,
03:09and a third eye opened on his forehead.
03:11A Strange who fell under Doom's influence would fit that story.
03:15It would also echo the comics.
03:17In the Secret Wars storyline, Strange stands beside Doom when Doom steals the power of the
03:23Beyonders to build Battleworld.
03:25He remains loyal to Victor until he's reunited with his fellow heroes.
03:29That's the case for Boris being Strange.
03:32Here's where it gets complicated.
03:34One well known leaker claims Boris appears only at the beginning of the film and near the end.
03:39If that's true, he would be very easy to remove.
03:43Another scooper, James Mack, says the exact opposite.
03:47According to him, Boris is constantly at Doom's side, has dialogue with multiple characters,
03:52and is woven into the real storyline.
03:55In his telling, cutting him this late would be practically impossible.
03:59Now, here's the honest part.
04:02Comic Book Movie describes Mack as a far less reliable source, and reshoots happened fairly
04:07recently, so neither claim can be treated as settled.
04:10Winston Duke confirmed in August that additional photography was underway.
04:15Reports said that final round overlapped with the start of production on Secret Wars.
04:20And the Russos have changed big things late before.
04:23In Infinity War, a sequence where Bruce Banner burst out of the Hulkbuster armor was scrapped
04:28entirely.
04:29There are also reports that another Doom character, Lord Doom, won't appear in the movie at all
04:35based on new merchandise.
04:37So, be honest.
04:39Do you think Mileena slipped up and then covered for it?
04:42Or do you think Boris really was cut?
04:44Pick a side in the comments.
04:46I genuinely want to know.
04:47And if this breakdown is helping you sort fact from rumor, hit the like button.
04:51It tells YouTube to show more of this to other Marvel fans.
04:55While the Boris debate rages, Marvel keeps feeding the theory machine.
04:59At New York Comic Con, which ran October 8th through 11th, the studio set up a display of
05:05Doom's laboratory.
05:06It was packed with artifacts from across the multiverse.
05:10Ultron's head, Thanos' broken helmet, Cyclops' visor, a piece of the Venom symbiote, and other trophies.
05:18Fans immediately concluded that Doom has beaten Thanos and Ultron.
05:22But, hold on. One outlet reports that the lab display mirrors Doom's lab from the video game
05:28Fortnite, and there's no official confirmation that the room appears in the film.
05:33Think of it as a teaser, not a spoiler.
05:36Still, the Thanos question won't go away.
05:39Josh Brolin has said he hasn't ruled out returning if the circumstances are right.
05:44He's also not confirmed.
05:46There's comic book precedent, too.
05:47In the 2015 Secret Wars storyline, Thanos challenges Doom for control of Battleworld.
05:54Whether that idea reaches the screen in Doomsday or Secret Wars is anyone's guess.
05:59Then, there's Vision.
06:01Vision Quest began streaming on Disney Plus on October 14th with its first two episodes.
06:07The eight-episode series ends with its finale on November 11th, barely five weeks before Doomsday.
06:13James Spader is back as Ultron, and the show takes place largely inside Vision's mind.
06:19Paul Bettany isn't on the official Doomsday cast list.
06:23When asked about a possible return, he deflected.
06:26Meanwhile, early concept art posted by Marvel artist Mushk Rizvi on ArtStation,
06:31then quickly removed, showed Vision and Star-Lord among the characters.
06:35Nobody knows whether that art reflects the final film.
06:38One rumor making the rounds says Marvel will soon announce two more major characters.
06:43I couldn't trace that claim to a reliable source, so file it under speculation.
06:48Fans guess everyone from Vision and Ultron to Thanos.
06:52Which two do you think they are?
06:54Drop your answer below.
06:56Now, let's talk about Jeremy Renner, because he's sending some very mixed signals.
07:01At Comic-Con Liverpool, Renner said flatly that he's not in Doomsday,
07:06joking that the Avengers will probably lose without him.
07:10But on October 14th, he posted an Instagram story
07:13showing a stack of West Coast Avengers comics next to a Hawkeye issue.
07:18In the comics, the West Coast Avengers were the first Avengers spin-off team.
07:23The original roster was Hawkeye, War Machine, Mockingbird, Wonder Man, and Tigra,
07:29with Clint Barton leading.
07:30Marvel executive Brad Winderbaum has teased that fans have a lot to look forward to for
07:35Wonder Man and the West Coast Avengers.
07:38But Marvel hasn't announced a West Coast Avengers project.
07:42So, what does it all mean?
07:43Many fans read Renner's post as a hint at Secret Wars,
07:47since he said, not in that one, about Doomsday.
07:50Some of the heroes fans link to a West Coast team, like Paul Rudd's Ant-Man,
07:55are on the official Doomsday cast list. Others, like Moon Knight, aren't.
08:00Renner is also confirmed to reprise Hawkeye for a Disneyland attraction opening in 2028,
08:05so the post could simply be playful.
08:08Which brings up a good question.
08:10Who would you actually want on a live-action West Coast Avengers team?
08:14Tell me in the comments!
08:16Marvel's marketing has also been dropping new posters.
08:19An international poster released October 12th shows Sam Wilson's Captain America,
08:24Mr. Fantastic, Cyclops, Thor, Yelena Belova, Professor X, Bucky Barnes,
08:30Steve Rogers, Gambit, and Shuri's Black Panther, plus Loki.
08:35They stand against Doom and his army of Sentinels,
08:38while an incursion tears through Xavier's school.
08:41Loki's presence is interesting.
08:43As Comic Book Movie noted, it suggests he'll do more than simply die at Doom's hands.
08:49A newer poster, released October 15th, shows Mr. Fantastic, Gambit, Captain America, Black Widow,
08:57Thor, Black Panther, and The Thing.
09:00A theater display also revealed a closer look at Doom's costume,
09:04and the Williams F1 team announced a special Doom livery for the Austin Grand Prix fanzone.
09:10Some fans have already voiced a complaint.
09:12With X-Men representation on the poster, shouldn't Cyclops get the spot instead of Gambit?
09:18Gambit made his MCU debut in Deadpool and Wolverine in 2024,
09:23and Marvel clearly wants audiences to embrace him quickly.
09:27Who do you think should represent the X-Men?
09:29And who should lead each team?
09:31Say it in the comments!
09:33So, where does all that leave us?
09:35We know Avengers Doomsday opens December 18th.
09:38We know an artist said a character was removed.
09:41We know two insiders contradict each other.
09:44And we know that reshoots happened close to release.
09:47What we don't know is whether Boris was cut, whether Boris is Doctor Strange,
09:52or whether Marvel is playing the longest game of misdirection in its history.
09:57Unless Boris shows up in a future trailer, this mystery won't be solved until opening day.
10:02If you made it this far, thank you.
10:05Subscribe so you don't miss the next update.
10:07And tell me in the comments, do you think Doctor Strange is in this movie or not?
10:12Because on December 18th, one of us is going to be very wrong.
10:16If you liked the video, please consider to like, share, and subscribe to the channel for daily
10:21MCU videos.
10:22And I'll see you in the comments.
10:22Bye.
