As its title indicates, Avengers: Endgame truly marked the end of an era for the Marvel Cinematic Universe. The big bad of the Infinity Saga, Thanos, was finally defeated, and Infinity Stones were relegated to the backlines after serving their purpose and turning half of the life in the universe to dust. But most importantly enough, the stories of many iconic characters we all knew and loved came to a definitive end. Captain America, Iron Man, Natasha Romanoff, and many more all made their last heartbreaking appearance during Avengers: Endgame... or at least, that's what we assumed back then.
See, the closer we get to the big culmination of the Multiverse Saga, the more it seems like some familiar faces will be back. For starters, Robert Downey Jr. is set to make an explosive MCU comeback as Doctor Doom. Furthermore, it was also "confirmed" that both Hayley Atwell and Chris Evans would have a role to play in the upcoming Avengers movies (though the latter claimed this was nothing but a false rumor). And now, it looks like another Marvel legend will appear on the big screen to steal the spotlight once again.
During an interview with Vanity Fair, Gwyneth Paltrow was asked if she would return to the MCU during Captain America: Brave New World. While she denied her involvement in that particular project (and the movie came out and that was proven to be the case), she did hint that another appearance might be on the horizon:
"I may... we'll see. I don't know. They keep it all very top secret, you know? They think they're the CIA or something over there that it's like national secrets."
While just that tease alone is exciting, a new report might put all speculation to rest by confirming we'll see more of Paltrow in the future.
Gwyneth Paltrow will reportedly make a return in the MCU
According to insider MyTimeToShineHello, Gwyneth Paltrow will be back in the MCU. While it wasn't revealed which role will he portray — and anything could happen in the multiverse — it's likely that she'll be Pepper Potts once again. If so, chances are that she'll come across Doctor Doom during the events of either Avengers: Doomsday or Secret Wars, and that could be heartbreaking. After all, she'd see someone sharing the exact same face as her deceased husband, only for the movie to reveal that he's just a supervillain eager to reshape reality.
While it will be hard for any Marvel character to accept that Doom shares the same face as their previous savior, Iron Man, perhaps Pepper, Morgan Stark, Happy Hogan, and Peter Parker will have it worse. The only question remaining is whether Pepper or Peter will suit up to fight back, or if they'll accept Doom's new order and join him in his crusade to "save" human life as a whole. With so many incursions on the horizon, it has been reported that the multiverse as a whole will start to collapse. So the only way to prevent the death of billions of lives will be for Doom to create Battleworld by uniting all branching realities in a single place.
Leaked concept art for Avengers: Doomsday revealed that some heroes such as Doctor Strange, Sue Storm, and Yelena Belova might all plead their allegiance to Doom (or at least, multiversal variants of them might). While the Russo Brothers have stated that these illustrations aren't really "theirs", Marvel was quick to take them down and issue copyright strikes to any account reposting them. So perhaps there's some validity to them and the idea that different sides will be formed once Victor Von Doom arrives. If that turns out to be the case, then Pepper Potts will find herself in a very complicated spot.
Tony Stark almost doomed the world as a whole in the past by trying to find a permanent solution to impending alien invasions. When Ultron was created, it brought the destruction of Sokovia as a whole even if it was programmed to preserve peace. So even if Pepper instantly realizes that Victor isn't her husband but merely someone sharing his face, perhaps she'll see a bit of similitude between the two. They can both do questionable things in the name of "the greater good". In their eyes, they are both the heroes of their own stories even if other people might not see it that way. So what are you meant to do? Believe in this multiversal variant who claims he's the only solution to the multiverse collapse, or would you go against him?
The return of Pepper Potts might add an extra layer of complexity and depth to the story of either Avengers: Doomsday or Secret Wars. So fingers crossed she ends up making an appearance, and that Gwyneth Paltrow is behind such an iconic comeback.
Avengers: Doomsday will be released on May 1, 2026.