Within the space of one week, Marvel Studios has showcased updates about both of its live-action movies currently set for 2026 releases. From the cast reveal of Avengers: Doomsday to the Spider-Man: Brand New Day title announcement, it's been a very exciting week for the millions of Marvel Cinematic Universe fans around the world.
The former of those two announcements had fans watching a five-hour livestream to see who would be joining the next Avengers movie, and they would definitely tell you it was worth the wait. Not only are plenty of MCU stars returning for the big film, some major X-Men stars are too.
That said, there were a few noticeable absences, both on the MCU and the X-Men front. Now, rumor has it that one of them could appear after all.
Halle Berry rumored to return as Storm in Avengers: Doomsday
Could it be true that Marvel Studios’ MCU cast announcements for the upcoming Avengers: Doomsday may not be over? That looks to be the case, as Marvel insider Daniel Richtman reveals that Oscar winner Halle Berry is in final talks to reprise her role from the X-Men movies as the weather-manipulating mutant known as Storm, a.k.a. Ororo Munroe. Multiple media outlets, including CBR are reporting the report now too, speculating about whether the X-Men legend could return.
Berry's potential return as Storm in Doomsday would see her join her fellow stars from the 20th Century Fox X-Men movies in reprising their roles. So far, the cast of the upcoming MCU movie includes X-Men veterans Patrick Stewart (Professor X), James Marsden (Cyclops), Ian McKellen (Magneto), Alan Cumming (Nightcrawler), Rebecca Romijn (Mystique), and Kelsey Grammer (Beast). Stewart and Grammer already appeared in MCU projects before, with the former reprising his role in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness and the latter making an unexpected cameo in The Marvels.
Additionally, Deadpool & Wolverine’s Channing Tatum will return as Gambit in Doomsday, marking the first time we will get to see a version of Gambit alongside the X-Men in a movie. I suspect it’s likely because of Tatum’s deliciously surprising near-perfect Cajun accent, in D&W, and the comic book spot-on manifestation of his mutant biokinetic energy blasts and weapons – or was it that he’s... “the superhero version of Hawkeye!”
Berry previously revealed that she hadn't been asked to cameo in Deadpool and Wolverine as Storm but she would have done so if star Ryan Reynolds had called her. I hope it was just an oversight by the D&W creative team to not cast Berry as Storm, but if these rumors are true that she’s in final talks to appear in Doomsday– I am confident fans are ready to cheer on the return of Berry as Marvel’s first Black female superhero. Should these rumored final talks come to fruition, Berry could potentially end up in both Avengers: Doomsday and Avengers: Secret Wars, as the Russo brothers (Joe and Anthony) are likely to film them back-to-back.
When you consider that Ororo Munroe (Storm) debuted in Marvel Comics’ 1975 Giant-Size X-Men No. 1 as a mutant priestess of weather, the fact that, 50 years later, Halle Berry may be reprising her iconic X-Men role in Avengers: Doomsday is an incredible celebration and continuation of beloved character's enduring legacy!