‘Avengers’ stars assemble to cheer up terminally ill child

Avengers assembled this weekend in an effort to cheer a terminally ill child, with Marvel Cinematic Universe stars Chris Evans, Paul Rudd and Paul Bettany plus fellow Marvel screen stars Ryan Reynolds and Chloe Bennet offering their support.

“Need your help Twitterverse — trying to help a young boy who is dying,” tweeted Fox News Channel anchor Shannon Bream on Sunday, later tweeting that the child was named Emilio. “He probably has just days and all he want is a greeting from one of the Avengers. If you have a celeb connection, please let me know. Otherwise, could you help out with a RT [retweet]? Thank you in advance!”

Syndicated Boston Herald columnist Adriana Cohen quickly replied, “May I suggest contacting @RepMikeCapuano office tomorrow for help,” referring to the Democratic U.S. Congressman for most of Boston and nearby towns. “His nephew is one of the Avengers @ChrisEvans,” she added, tagging the star who plays Steve Rogers/Captain America. Sometime afterward, Evans, 36, tweeted to Bream, “Happy to! DM [direct-message] me.”

“I’m more of a ‘Reserve Avenger’. But happy to help. DM me,” tweeted Reynolds, 41, who plays the antihero Deadpool in 20th Century Fox’s “X-Men” film franchise rather than Disney’s Marvel Cinematic Universe of the “Avengers,” the “Black Panther” and the “Guardians of the Galaxy.”

Bream told Newsday, “I met Emilio’s uncle on a plane, so I had some background with him when this came to me.” The family’s website, she said, is the Coral Gables, Florida-based Genes Foundation, created in honor of Emilio Pachon, a child diagnosed with neurofibromatosis, a genetic disorder that causes usually benign but sometimes malignant tumors to form on nerve tissue.

Bream told TheWrap.com Monday that the uncle had “reached out yesterday, and I don’t really have Hollywood friends but I said I’d give it a try. I sent the tweet and said a prayer.” Evans, Reynolds and Rudd, 48, who plays Scott Lang/Ant-Man, shot video greetings for Emilio, she added.

Others who responded to Bream included Bennet, 25, who plays Daisy Johnson/Quake on ABC’s “Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.,” and Bettany, 46, who portrays the “synthezoid” Avenger called Vision. “I’m the purple one,” he tweeted jocularly. “DM me.” Zachary Levi, 37, who played Asgardian warrior Fandral in the two most recent “Thor” movies, tweeted, “I’m not technically an Avenger, but I’d be happy to record a video for the little man and do my best impressions of @ChrisEvans @prattprattpratt @chrishemsworth or any other Chris if necessary,” referring to Evans, “Guardians of the Galaxy” star Chris Pratt and “Thor” star Chris Hemsworth.

Even a former Superman, of DC Comics, responded. “I’m still overseas, but I’d be honored to help,” tweeted Dean Cain, 51, who played the Man of Steel in ABC’s 1993-1997 “Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman.” Also pitching in was “The View” co-host Meghan McCain, 33, daughter of U.S. Sen. John McCain; and CNN anchor Jake Tapper, whom Bream told TheWrap “is friends with Rudd and that really got the ball rolling. That — in addition to all the kind RTs — got the attention of the others.” She added, “I’m still going through tweets this morning and finding others offering to get involved.”

“Thank you, EVERYONE!” Bream tweeted some hours after her initial post. “Major progress has been made because of you. A special assist coming in from @jaketapper . . . I guess Twitter can be full of love when someone really needs it.”