Marvel "cancels" two movies; will be combined as one, reports say

Marvel Studios is set to announce some major updates about its beloved Marvel Cinematic Universe. Yes, that means that San Diego Comic-Con is just around the corner, and Kevin Feige will indeed be taking to the stage in Hall H to make some exciting announcements about upcoming MCU titles (and there will undoubtedly be some surprises along the way, too).

As a result, the Marvel rumor mill is in full swing (but honestly give us a time when it's not in full swing), with potential hints and scoops suggesting what titles could be on the horizon, as the studio continues to navigate its new era where it will be focusing on taking less risks. After the disappointing performances of Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania, The Marvels, and potentially Secret Invasion, it will be committed to guaranteed hits for the foreseeable, which means some reshuffling will be taking place.

Now, a new report suggests that two of the MCU's long-rumored titles could have been scrapped and replaced with a new idea designed to give the fans the best of both worlds.

Scarlet Witch and Young Avengers movies rumored to be merged

According to a recent update from insider account Marvel Rumors, the long-rumored Scarlet Witch and Young Avengers movies will merge into the one project. If this turns out to be the case, it could be a good thing for the story given how interconnected they are rumored to be, but it will no doubt come as a surprise to fans hoping for both standalone titles.

Both the Scarlet Witch and Young Avengers movies have been rumored to be in development since early on in Phase Four of the MCU. The former would obviously have been spun out of WandaVision and Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, with Elizabeth Olsen reprising her role as Wanda Maximoff / Scarlet Witch, while the second has been slowly built up in projects such as Hawkeye, Ms. Marvel, Loki, and also WandaVision. As for what would connect them, well there is a potential story that has come up quite a bit in recent months.

According to long-standing rumors, the Young Avengers project would have been based on The Children's Crusade storyline and seen the titular team of young heroes (which would likely consist of Kate Bishop's Hawkeye, Kamala Khan's Ms. Marvel, and Joe Locke's mystery character among others) start searching for the Scarlet Witch, who was presumed dead after sacrificing herself to destroy the Darkhold in an act of redemption in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness. The reason for that could have to do with the fact that Locke's character is rumored to actually be Billy Kaplan, a.k.a. Wanda's son.

Locke will make his MCU debut in WandaVision spinoff Agatha All Along, which will seemingly "confirm" that Wanda is dead after all. But if that's not the case, Billy might decide it's time to seek out his mother, which could very well put the Young Avengers on a direct course to finding the Scarlet Witch and bringing her back to the MCU in time for Avengers: Secret Wars.

From a story standpoint, it is clear to see how the two projects could be merged. The premise of the Young Avengers film would remain largely unchanged as the team would have to locate Wanda, but if there was some other major threat they needed help taking down, she could resurface and help them do just that. But the fact still remains that fans would prefer to see the Scarlet Witch get her own spotlight at some point. She has been one of the most popular MCU characters since her introduction in 2015's Avengers: Age of Ultron, so having her become such a huge force in the Multiverse Saga only to take her solo project away from her would be a little unfair - especially after the divisive response to the way she was treated in Doctor Strange 2.

As it stands, Marvel has yet to confirm whether the Scarlet Witch and Young Avengers projects are even happening irrespective of whether they will be merged or not, so it's best to wait for some official announcements from the studio (perhaps we'll get some clarity at SDCC!). That said, it's always nice to hear rumors about both of these projects as it likely confirms that they are both still being tossed around by Marvel and not among the in-development projects that have either been cancelled or shelved.