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Credit: Marvel StudiosA new report has surfaced that suggests Avengers: Secret Wars (2027) is to be scrapped as we know it.
Avengers: The Kang Dynasty and Avengers: Secret Wars in the MCU
Avengers: Secret Wars, the sixth movie in the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s Avengers series, was first announced alongside Avengers: The Kang Dynasty (2026) during San Diego ComicCon 2022.
In Hall H, Marvel Studios President Kevin Feige revealed that the Avengers movies were to be released together in 2025. Avengers: The Kang Dynasty and Avengers: Secret Wars were initially intended to be released on May 2 and November 7, 2025, respectively. However, two years later, that is no longer the case.
After both were shifted to 2026 and Secret Wars was then bumped to 2027, the new release dates for the next installments in the Avengers franchise are May 1, 2026, for Avengers: The Kang Dynasty—although the movie is now known simply as Avengers 5—and May 7, 2027, for Avengers: Secret Wars.
Neither movie is yet to score a director. In fact, only Michael Waldron (Loki, Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness) has been confirmed as the screenplay writer for both films.
Destin Daniel Cretton, director of Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings (2021), was originally on board for Avengers 5 but later dropped out to work on Shang-Chi 2 (TBD) and the upcoming Marvel Spotlight series Wonder Man, starring Yahya Abdul-Mateen II as the titular hero.
Another key player who exited Avengers 5 following its announcement was scribe Jeff Loveness. Loveness penned the screenplay for the poorly-received Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania (2023), which was also the official introduction of Jonathan Majors’ Kang the Conqueror. Majors first appeared as a Variant of Kang called He Who Remains in the season finale of Loki Season 1.
While it’s still just under three years until Phase Six officially ends with Avengers: Secret Wars, rumors are swirling surrounding the upcoming epic, and the latest report suggests Secret Wars, as we currently know it, will seemingly be scrapped.
Alex Perez of the Cosmic Circus recently shared information that he believes may be coming down the pipeline at Marvel Studios. In the Discord Q+A, Perez answered a question regarding the future of Avengers: Secret Wars and whether the movie could be split into two.
“I suspect that Secret Wars may be heading into a two-parter territory for a number of reasons,” Perez said. “The main reason is that there are too many stories happening plot-wise that really can’t be condensed into the average 2-hour runtime. One thing I even heard through the grapevine was the idea of having more than one central antagonist. So yes, I think the films will be split.”
The entertainment scooper then goes on to posit a potential storyline for Avengers 5, which he says could adapt the “Avengers Assemble” and “Avengers Forever” comic book runs and include Mephisto and his Council of Red. The Council of Kangs debuted in the post-credits scene of Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania, but following the ousting of Jonathan Majors, could this council become something new for the live-action Marvel Universe?
Related: Kang the Conqueror Replaced? Actor Speaks Out on MCU Casting
The report of Avengers 5 being a more grounded story has already been circulating. With the current contention over the use of the Multiverse, CGI, and cosmic elements, it seems a more grounded approach is likely locked in.
A more recent article from Deadline reports that Marvel Studios is courting Deadpool & Wolverine (2024) director Shawn Levy to helm Avengers 5, even adding that more than 60 characters could return to the ensemble.
“Sources close to both the project say more than 60 MCU characters could reprise their roles, including everyone from Mark Ruffalo, Chris Hemsworth and Benedict Cumberbatch to Tom Hiddleston, Simu Liu and Karen Gillian,” the outlet notes.
This suggests that the Avengers squad will not focus on central characters and supporting characters like it did when the original six debuted, but on an overall ensemble basis akin to the Russo Brothers’ Phase Three movies, Avengers: Infinity War (2018) and Avengers: Endgame (2019).
What started with just Tony Stark/Iron Man (Robert Downey Jr.), Thor (Chris Evans), Clint Barton/Hawkeye (Jeremy Renner), Natasha Romanoff/Black Widow (Scarlett Johansson), Dr. Bruce Banner/Hulk (Mark Ruffalo), and Steve Rogers/Captain America (Chris Evans) became a squad consisting of multiple other heroes like Black Panther (Chadwick Boseman), Spider-Man (Tom Holland), and the Guardians of the Galaxy.
The flurry of new reports comes amid an ongoing restructuring of the MCU, which sees fewer projects greenlit in an effort to preserve the franchise’s quality. Disney CEO Bob Iger outlined earlier this year that the main goal is for Marvel Studios to only release two to three movies per year and a maximum of two TV shows on Disney+.
Iger’s new rule came after the CEO—who returned in late 2022 following Bob Chapek’s surprise ousting—shared his thoughts on sequels and audience fatigue. Iger also had previously commented on Marvel’s lack of expertise in the TV field, something Head of Streaming, Television and Animation Brad Winderbaum acknowledged recently.
Winderbaum confirmed that the Nova series was still in development and that Marvel was operating a “new system” where not everything developed would be produced. The superhero studio had to turn things around last year when its current model of not using showrunners and treating its Disney+ shows as episodic movies caused Daredevil: Born Again to be creatively overhauled.
Related: Hugh Jackman Speaks Out on Leaving Marvel Behind After Disney Scrapped ‘Deadpool 3’
Following the box office bomb of Nia DaCosta’s The Marvels (2023), all eyes are now on Deadpool & Wolverine to deliver a return to form. Levy’s movie, which sees the MCU debuts of Ryan Reynolds (Wade Wilson/Deadpool) and Hugh Jackman (Logan/Wolverine), is on track to jolt the MCU into its next era with a potential soft reboot of the franchise.
What do you think is going to happen with Avengers 5 and Avengers: Secret Wars? Let Inside the Magic know in the comments down below!