If there’s anything that’s getting more skeptical side eye than the idea, four years ago, that Marvel Entertainment could pull off a three movie, two year leadup to bringing us not just the world’s first superhero team movie from the Big Two’s character stables, but the first successful one… it’s Warner Bros.’ current “me too!” effort to do make lightning strike twice.

Now, Kevin Feige, working as he does for Marvel, might not have the most insider view of the Justice League movie’s progress, but it’s nice of him to be giving advice from his position of having helmed a successful superhero franchise that’s made seven total movies and counting in about half a decade.

Followers of Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. will know that Agent Coulson will be popping up in the show—in fact, he’s one of the leads—and that Agent Maria Hill might put in an appearance as well. But what about other characters from the Marvelverse? People who’ve been in the comics but not the movies, say? Like new superheroes?

Entertainment Weekly asked Marvel Studios CEO Kevin Feige just that, and his answer was pretty intriguing.

We’d heard the rumors that Zoe Saldana would play female lead Gamora in Guardians of the Galaxy before, but—speaking for myself personally, here—I didn’t want to assume they’d come true lest I jinx that wonderful bit of casting.

Looks like my skepticism paid off, as the casting was not jinxed and Saldana has in fact been confirmed as Gamora. You’re welcome.

With Joss Whedon‘s mention, on the red carpet of Iron Man 3‘s Los Angeles premiere, that he’d managed to “lock” in his favorite brother/sister characters into the script for The Avengers 2, comics fans were very surprised, for a semi-complicated reason. It seemed very much like Whedon was hinting at the roles of Wanda and Pietro Maximoff, alias Scarlet Witch and Quicksilver, reformed members of a terrorist group who were a major part of the second incarnation of the Avengers, lead by Captain America.

What’s surprising about this is that Scarlet Witch and Quicksilver are mutants, and were long thought to probably be characters that Marvel Entertainment couldn’t touch due to licensing agreements that left the X-Men and their supporting characters with Fox Studios. But was Whedon really hinting at Magneto’s wayward twins, or at a different sibling pair? According to Entertainment Weekly’s sources, it’s mutants all the way down.

Even though Natalie Portman may not have been thrilled to return for Thor: The Dark World, her character Jane is going on quite the adventure. Hit the jump for the official plot synopsis as well as a few details on Jane’s journey to Asgard.

Because he’s Ben Kingsley, darnit, and it doesn’t matter how the Mandarin is in the comics, he’s doing things his way.

Good call, Ben. Because I don’t think the comic version of the Mandarin would work on the big screen all that well. For reasons that rhyme with… what rhymes with “racism”?

In a Battle of the Anonymous Sources, Ain’t It Cool News is reporting that Latino Review‘s report from earlier this month that Marvel would be taking a trip to Planet Hulk for their standalone Hulk movie is “1,000% inaccurate.”

1000%. No wiggle-room there. So tell us, AICN. Why can’t Marvel utilize the Planet Hulk storyline, where the Hulkinator ends up on another planet and takes over?

We’re moving ever closer to the next installment of Marvel’s Iron Man, getting new posters every few days, and anxiously awaiting another trailer. And while Robert Downey Jr. may have bombed at the Oscars along with his Avengers co-stars, we know he’ll always be awesome as Tony Stark. Or will he? In a recent interview with Empire Magazine, the actor talked about his long love affair with the character and how it may be time for someone to replace him. 

In an interview with MTV, Marvel President Kevin Feige confirmed that Ant-Man will be the first movie in Marvel Cinematic Universe’s Phase Three (which we kind of already knew), talked about how Iron Man 3 will connect with The Avengers sequel (potentially interesting…), and confirmed that Marvel’s planning a Doctor Strange movie for after Ant-Man.

One of those bits of news is far and away more exciting than the other two, and I don’t think I need to tell you which one.

Those who wanted to see some sort of mini-Avengers reunion in Iron Man 3 are going to be disappointed: Marvel Studios President Kevin Feige has said that not a single other Avenger will be appearing in the film.

Says Feige,

You have to keep in mind that Iron Man 3 had been in the works for almost a year, year and a half before The Avengers was released. We’re sticking to the vision for these films, and showing once again that these characters are just as interesting alone as they are together.

*sigh* Fine. I understand that reasoning. But I’ll still be sad about the lack of Science Bros.