Marvel sleuths think they've solved the case about Avengers: Doomsday's story, and it's all down to a single chair's shadow

• Marvel fans think they've worked out what Avengers: Doomsday will be about
• The shadow of an actor's chair is responsible for the story-based fan theory
• MCU devotees have another theory about Scarlet Witch's possible appearance in it, too

Avengers: Doomsday is the gift that keeps on giving. Just days after the highly anticipated Marvel movie was confirmed to be in production and its initial 27-strong cast was revealed, fans have come up with two big theories about its plot and the possible return of a popular character.

Indeed, Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) devotees have spent the past 48 hours doing their best Sherlock Holmes impressions to determine what the next Avengers film's story is about. Thanks to one seemingly eagle-eyed Reddit user, we might have received a big clue by way of a single chair's shadow. Yes, the silhouette of a chair is what's got everyone talking.

If you've been keeping up with events this week, you'll know that Marvel unveiled Doomsday's cast via a five-hour-plus livestream on Wednesday (March 26). During that event, Marvel periodically added foldable chairs bearing the names of actors who'll appear in Avengers 5. Post-livestream, Marvel took to social media to post an image of the full chair line-up, too.

It's this photograph that's got fans theorizing about Doomsday's plot. Look at the third chair from the left and, thanks to an orange-colored light being shone on it, an unmistakable 'X' shadow is being cast on the floor.

Marvel fanatics won't need a second invitation to guess what this refers to. This 'X' has to be a reference to the X-Men, especially as there are numerous legacy characters from 20th Century Fox's original X-Men trilogy who'll appear in Doomsday.

But wait, there's more. Taking to Reddit post-livestream, user True_Confusion_295 admitted they'd gone full-blown conspiracy theorist by posting a zoomed-in screenshot of the 'X' with what appears to be an 'A' positioned beneath it.

I feel like a conspiracy theorist circling things in red from r/marvelstudios

Again, you don't need me to tell you what the significance of this 'A' is. Yep, it's a clear nod to the Avengers logo itself.

The insinuation here, then, is that Doomsday's story is going to center on a major dispute between the two superteams. And, based on this simple chair's shadow, it appears the Marvel Phase 6 film will be a full-scale Avengers versus X-Men affair.

There's plenty of evidence to back up this theory. The two groups have clashed in Marvel Comics before, most notably as part of the comic titan's 2012 crossover event 'Avengers Vs. X-Men', which was written by Brian Michael Bendis, Matt Fraction, Jason Aaron, Ed Brubaker, and Jonathan Hickman.

Interestingly, the last of those writers is also behind 2015's 'Secret Wars' comic book series. Doomsday's directors Joe and Anthony Russo exclusively told me they're drawing inspiration from that series for Avengers 5 and 6. Coincidence? I think not.

Then there's the fact that, as mentioned, Doomsday will feature multiple characters from Fox's original X-Men universe, as well as various MCU heroes.

These groups exist in different realities – the MCU's contingent on Earth-616 and Fox's X-Men on Earth-838. With the Multiverse Saga centered on cataclysmic events known as Incursions, which see two worlds collide until one of them is permanently destroyed, logic dictates that these alternate Earths will crash into each other. Their heroes, then, may be forced to do battle to ensure their planet survives, which would be reason enough for an Avengers vs X-Men conflict.

Finally, the Russo brothers have previous form for teasing us with MCU movie details via inanimate objects. Ahead of Avengers: Endgame's release in May 2019, the duo posted an image on social media telling fans to "look hard" at the objects in said image. Long story short: they spelled out the word Endgame, aka the fourth Avengers film's subtitle.

All of this, then, suggests that some or all of Doomsday's primary narrative will focus on a showdown between these two supergroups. Will Robert Downey Jr's Doctor Doom be pulling the strings from behind the scenes to make them battle to the death to save their respective worlds? Maybe.

He might also have something to do with Scarlet Witch's possible appearance in Doomsday. Fans have also picked up on Downey Jr's 'shushing' movement from the cast reveal livestream, which appears to be an homage to Agatha Harkness' own fingers-on-lips gesture in WandaVision on Disney+.

Now, Elizabeth Olsen has said she won't be in Doomsday. Wanda Maximoff/Scarlet Witch seemingly died in Doctor Strange 2, so her MCU character may not be part of Avengers 5 or its sequel, Avengers: Secret Wars. Nevertheless, some fans are convinced Scarlet Witch will be an integral part of one or both movies, and Downey Jr and Kathryn Hahn's near-identical gestures are all the proof that they need.

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