WGA Directory Lists Ryan Reynolds and Hugh Jackman Among 'Avengers: Doomsday' Writers

The Writers Guild of America's online directory credits Ryan Reynolds and Hugh Jackman as two of the ten writers on Marvel's "Avengers: Doomsday," fueling speculation that Deadpool and Wolverine will appear in the film.

Eagle-eyed Marvel fans combed through the WGA directory and spotted the screenwriting credits for "Doomsday," which lists Reynolds and Jackman among the ten writers who contributed to the movie. Reynolds co-wrote "Deadpool 2" and "Deadpool & Wolverine." The "Doomsday" credit marks Jackman's first writing credit.

Neither Marvel nor the actors has confirmed anything. Variety has reached out to representatives for Marvel, Reynolds and Jackman for comment. Reynolds appeared to respond on his own terms, posting a cryptic X video from "Deadpool & Wolverine."

Who actually wrote the script?

The main feature writing credits go to two Marvel veterans: Stephen McFeely and Michael Waldron, creator of "Loki" and writer of "Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness."

The credits for additional literary material — material not on screen — go to:

• Stephen McFeely
• Michael Waldron
• Eric Pearson
• Chris McKenna
• Erik Sommers
• Jeff Loveness
• Andrew Lanham
• Destin Daniel Cretton
• Ryan Reynolds
• Hugh Jackman

That is a long list, and the WGA defines the category narrowly. The Guild calls additional literary material "an official film credit introduced by the Writers Guild of America to recognize Guild-contracted writers who contributed writing services to a theatrical feature but did not qualify for a traditional primary writing credit."

What does this change for the film?

In practice, the credits suggest Reynolds and Jackman wrote dialogue for their X-Men characters. What the listing does not say is whether they will appear in "Doomsday," or in what capacity. That question remains open.

There is also a caveat baked into the database itself. The WGA directory states: "Some of the data is self-reported by writers and not independently verified by WGAW and WGAE. Users of the database accept the data as is, with no warranty of its accuracy stated or implied." A listing, in other words, is a strong signal but not confirmation.

A project already rewritten once

"Doomsday" has already survived one full overhaul. Destin Daniel Cretton, director of "Spider-Man: Brand New Day," was originally tapped to helm the film when it was titled "Avengers: The Kang Dynasty," with Jeff Loveness set to write. Disney fired Kang the Conqueror actor Jonathan Majors, and the project was reworked.

After Cretton stepped down, the Russo Brothers came on board with McFeely, McKenna, Sommers and Waldron to shift the story's focus to Robert Downey Jr.'s Doctor Doom as the main villain. Downey, who built the Marvel Cinematic Universe as Iron Man, returns as its villain.

For now, the WGA listing is the strongest public evidence yet that Deadpool and Wolverine have a hand in "Doomsday" — as writers, at minimum. Whether they appear on screen is a question Marvel has not answered, and one the studio will likely keep unanswered until it is ready.