Bollywood star Shah Rukh Khan may join the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) as a superhero soon, as per fan theories that have gone viral on social media.
MarvelLeaks22, a popular Marvel fan account on X, ignited the speculation on Monday, prompting a flurry of reactions and posts from fans in India and abroad.
In the now-deleted post, the Marvel fan page said Shah Rukh is likely to play a role in an MCU film but he won’t feature in Avengers: Doomsday, which stars Robert Downey Jr as Doctor Doom and is currently in production.
The post has left fans buzzing on X. “I keep seeing stuff about Shah Rukh Khan in the MCU and honestly, I’m all for it,” wrote one.
While another fan wrote, “#𝐒𝐡𝐚𝐡𝐫𝐮𝐤𝐡𝐊𝐡𝐚𝐧 in a #Marvel movies would pass a billion in Asia alone. This man is more famous than #TomCruise. The Brand SHAH RUKH KHAN goes GLOBAL AGAIN.”
“The moment Shah Rukh Khan steps into the MCU, he'll eclipse everyone, becoming the most popular and wealthiest face the Marvel Cinematic Universe has ever seen. That’s the power of his aura,” reads another post on X.
In February, Hollywood star Anthony Mackie, who plays Captain America in Marvel Studios’ Captain America: Brave New World, said in an interview that he would love to see Shah Rukh as the next Avenger.
While there is no official confirmation about Shah Rukh’s Marvel debut, some fans are speculating that he might even play the “real Doctor Doom”.
One fan wrote, “look, I know Doom is supposed to be Romani, but if we're looking at the history of the Romani people, they did come from the Indian subcontinent, so if they really truly didn't find a Romani person to portray Doctor Doom, Shah Rukh Khan would be closer than anybody else.”
However, several netizens expressed skepticism regarding the viral post.
One social media user wrote, “Yes, it was stirred up by some baseless Marvel update account that wants those clicks and likes. Would love to see SRK collab with Marvel, but right now I’m not believing.”
Another user wrote, “Would await official confirmation from @Marvel before going ga -ga on #srk appearance.”
Shah Rukh Khan has made his presence felt in the MCU in the past. In the 2018 film Deadpool 2, Ryan Reynolds’ Deadpool was seen vibing to the song Yun Hi Chala Chal from Shah Rukh’s Swades (2004). Stephen Wacker, the then vice president of creative development at Marvel, also shared his desire to work with Shah Rukh.
In the second episode of Ms Marvel (2022), Iman Vellani’s Kamala Khan said, “There's no such thing as a bad Shah Rukh Khan movie.”
Shah Rukh, 59, played a superhero in the 2011 movie Ra.One, which tanked at the box office but garnered critical acclaim later. The Bollywood star also played a scientist, Mohan Bhargav, with superpowers in Ayan Mukerji’s Brahmastra: Part 1, starring Ranbir Kapoor and Alia Bhatt.
The character Mohan Bhargav is primarily associated with the Bollywood film Swades and Shah Rukh’s cameo in Brahmastra: Part 1.
Shah Rukh will be next seen in King, directed by Pathaan helmer Siddharth Anand. He recently unveiled the teaser of the upcoming Netflix show The Ba***ds of Bollywood.