We won’t be getting Avengers 2 until at least 2015, but we will happily subsist on a pop culture diet of rumor and speculation until then. Our favorite whispers of the now? That a fan-favorite Avenger from the comics just might join the Avengers roster and that characters from the X-Men universe might get a little more than a cameo in Joss Whedon’s anticipated follow-up.

First and foremost, rumor has it that the popular Marvel Comics character Carol Danvers, aka Ms. Marvel, might make the jump from page to screen for Avengers 2. Introduced in 1968, the character has grown in popularity recently with prominent roles in several crossover story arcs. As far as who is rumored to be playing Ms. Marvel: actresses Emily Blunt and Ruth Wilson are reportedly neck-and-neck for the role, according to Filmophilia.

Blunt was actually originally in the running for the role of Black Widow, now-and-forever occupied by Scarlett Johansson (if they keep rolling out the cash for her, that is), so her selection as Ms. Marvel might be a given at this point. Blunt is a bigger name than Wilson too. Though the latter is indeed a talented actress, starring alongside Idris Elba on BBC’s Luther, audiences aren’t very familiar with her, and Blunt’s casting might better boost anticipation for Avengers 2.

Also on the rumor mill: X-Men characters showing up in Avengers 2 could move from geek-fantasy to genuine possibility with X-Men film producer Lauren Schuler Donner having expressed interest in merging the two universes. “I would love it,” she said of the possibility. “I personally have close ties to Marvel because of Kevin Feige. Kevin worked for me. But to take our characters and mingle them in the way that they were written … yeah, absolutely.”

The rights to X-Men and its characters lie with 20th Century Fox, but that doesn’t mean a crossover isn’t possible. Even Sony has expressed interest in getting Andrew Garfield’s Spider-Man into Whedon’s Avengers 2.

What do you think? Emily Blunt as Ms. Marvel? X-Men cameos? Spider-Man cameo? How jam-packed should the cast of Avengers 2 be?

‘Avengers 2′ Picking Up Ms. Marvel, X-Men Characters [Rumor] is a post from: The Inquisitr