Intro for February 5, 2026

Dear Gossips,

Halle Berry is currently promoting Crime 101, in which she co-stars alongside Chris Hemsworth. I linked the other day to her new cover story in The Cut, during which she continues to talk about support for menopause research, calling out Gavin Newsom for dropping the ball on the issue.

The photos of Halle in the magazine are gorgeous, and she clearly thinks so because she just shouted out photographer Renell Medrano’s work on her Instagram, not once but twice.

But Halle’s also making headlines among the nerds because she’s been asked about the X-Men joining the Avengers in Doomsday, coming out this December, and Storm not being a part of it. As she told Screenrant:

"I think the whole world of the X-Men and being mutants and outcasts. And there've been movies that I've been proud to have my children watch. They have so much to say that I thought has been really important, especially for my children as they've grown. So they're beloved. And while I'm sad I won't be in Doomsday this round, there are other rounds. And I would do that in a heartbeat."

At this point, nobody believes anyone when they say they’re not in Doomsday or whatever MCU project is upcoming. By now we all know that they’re not allowed to confirm it and will often just straight up lie. Famke Janssen has said multiple times that she’s not in Doomsday and no one out there is convinced – and now, with Halle, and how she worded that answer, people are looking for the possible loopholes, speculating that she could be involved in the reshoots happening in a few months or the next Avengers movie, Secret Wars. If we’ve already decided that they’re not going to be truthful and that therefore they won’t be believed, why bother asking anymore?!

Yours in gossip,

Lainey