Ryan Reynolds and Hugh Jackman Listed as Avengers: Doomsday Writers in WGA Credits

admin · November 13, 2026 · 5 min read

Ryan Reynolds at the Deadpool 2 Japan premiere in 2018 (left) and Hugh Jackman at The Greatest Showman Japan premiere in 2018 (right). Photos by Dick Thomas Johnson, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons.

The worst-kept secret in the Marvel Cinematic Universe may have just slipped out through the credits. Ryan Reynolds and Hugh Jackman are listed among the writers of Avengers: Doomsday in the Writers Guild of America’s official directory, in the strongest signal yet that Deadpool and Wolverine will appear in the film when it opens in theaters on December 18.

What the WGA Listing Shows

According to the WGA directory, the film’s main screenwriting credit, “Written by,” goes to Stephen McFeely and Michael Waldron. Beneath that, ten writers are listed under “Additional Literary Material (not on-screen)”: McFeely, Waldron, Eric Pearson, Chris McKenna, Erik Sommers, Jeff Loveness, Andrew Lanham, Destin Daniel Cretton, Reynolds and Jackman. The credits were finalized on October 21, 2026, and Variety reported the listing on Thursday afternoon after fans spotted it.

Additional Literary Material is a relatively new WGA credit for writers who performed Guild-covered writing work on a theatrical feature but did not receive a primary writing credit. The names in that category do not appear in the film’s on-screen credits, and the designation does not say how much material each writer supplied, or whether any of it made the final cut.

That distinction matters. The listing is not, by itself, confirmation that either actor appears on screen. But it is hard to square with the idea that they are absent: as The Playlist noted, it would be strange for Marvel to involve Reynolds and Jackman in the writing process without intending to use their characters.

Reynolds Responds With a Joke

Reynolds did nothing to cool the speculation. After insider Daniel Richtman shared the credits on X and asked, “Ryan Reynolds and Hugh Jackman wrote parts of Avengers Doomsday?!” Reynolds reposted the message with a clip from Deadpool & Wolverine in which Matthew Macfadyen’s Mr. Paradox tells Wade Wilson, “Oh, there’s no need for paperwork.” Deadpool replies, “Good! Not to brag, but I do not read.”

Reynolds has a history of shaping Deadpool’s dialogue, having co-written both Deadpool 2 and Deadpool & Wolverine. For Jackman, the credit is more unusual: it marks his first comparable writing acknowledgment on a Marvel production, despite playing Wolverine for more than two decades.

A Long-Running Tease

Rumors that both actors would appear in Doomsday have persisted for months, even though nothing in the film’s marketing has indicated it. Reynolds crashed Marvel’s San Diego Comic-Con panel last year in a Canadian tuxedo version of Deadpool’s costume, asking whether it was too late to appear in the film. At Marvel’s D23 presentation in August, he and Jackman practically begged Marvel Studios chief Kevin Feige to let them appear, according to The Playlist.

The WGA directory itself carries a caveat worth noting: some of its data is self-reported by writers and is not independently verified by the Writers Guild of America West or East. Neither Marvel nor the actors have confirmed the roles, and the listing does not say how large the parts would be. Reports have ranged from a single scene to an entire act.

Why This Matters

Avengers: Doomsday, directed by Anthony and Joe Russo, is the biggest Marvel release in years, bringing together the Avengers, the Fantastic Four and the original X-Men, with Avengers: Secret Wars following on December 17, 2027. Marvel has been laying the groundwork for months: an Avengers: Endgame encore cut recently arrived on Disney+ with new scenes setting up Doomsday, and the VisionQuest finale brought back Scarlet Witch as Doctor Doom’s plan takes shape.

Deadpool and Wolverine were the two X-Men characters most conspicuously missing from the marketing, and their 2024 team-up film was a box office hit built on exactly the chemistry these credits hint at.

If the writing credits mean what they appear to mean, Marvel has kept its two most bankable mutants out of every trailer while quietly letting them shape their own dialogue. With less than five weeks until release, fans will not have long to find out.

Frequently Asked Questions

Are Ryan Reynolds and Hugh Jackman confirmed to appear in Avengers: Doomsday?
Not officially. They are listed in the WGA directory for Additional Literary Material on the film, which strongly suggests their characters appear, but neither Marvel nor the actors have confirmed the roles.

What is an Additional Literary Material credit?
It is a WGA credit for writers who performed Guild-covered writing work on a theatrical feature but did not receive a primary writing credit. The names do not appear in the film’s on-screen credits.

Who wrote Avengers: Doomsday?
The primary “Written by” credit goes to Stephen McFeely and Michael Waldron. Ten writers, including Reynolds and Jackman, share the Additional Literary Material credit.

When does Avengers: Doomsday come out?
The film, directed by Anthony and Joe Russo, opens in theaters on December 18, 2026. Avengers: Secret Wars follows on December 17, 2027.

Marvel has not commented on the listing, and with the release date approaching, the studio may simply let the credits speak for themselves until opening night.