In 2019, Avengers: Endgame unleashed monumental changes on the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Not only did it have a major impact on the Marvel timeline, with the story executing a five year time jump, the events impacted every single character in the canon with the reversal of The Blip, and beloved heroes sacrificed their lives. It exists as the most consequential title in the MCU to date… but that may end up changing in a few years with the release of the upcoming Marvel movie Avengers: Secret Wars.
The capstone blockbuster of The Multiverse Saga is coming in 2027, a year after the premiere of Avengers: Doomsday, and while much is being kept hush-hush about the project (as is the tradition at Marvel Studios), the details we do know are fascinating, and the implications of the title are massive. So will Avengers: Secret Wars have an even bigger impact on the Marvel Cinematic Universe than Avengers: Endgame? I’d make the argument that the answer is “potentially yes”, in that while the 2019 film was an end of an era for the franchise, the 2027 release may offer something even more special: a new beginning.
The Release Date
Avengers: Secret Wars will arrive in theaters on May 7, 2027, having first been announced as part of the MCU’s Phase 6 slate at San Diego Comic-Con 2022. The movie was originally scheduled to be released in November 2025, but behind the scenes changes and delays of other Marvel projects saw the film pushed back. It has been described as the final movie of the franchise epoch known as the Multiverse Saga, following Avengers: Doomsday (May 1, 2026) and the untitled Spider-Man 4 (July 24, 2026). It is presently the only Marvel Studios feature title scheduled for 2027, but that may change.
Expectations for Marvel Cinematic Universe movies are always high, but Avengers: Secret Wars exists in a special upper echelon of anticipation as fans wonder how the film will shape the future of the canon. There are multiple confirmed aspects feeding excitement, including:
- The Reprisal Of Robert Downey Jr. As Victor Von Doom a.k.a. Doctor Doom
- The Filmmakers Attached To Make Avengers Secret Wars
- The Significance Of “Secret Wars” As A Crossover Event Title In The Comics
Robert Downey Jr. Will Be Back As Doctor Doom In Avengers: Secret Wars
When Robert Downey Jr. took the stage in Hall H during the Marvel Studios panel at San Diego Comic-Con 2024, his presence didn’t just confirm his casting as Victor Von Doom for Avengers: Doomsday (marking a return to the franchise for the Marvel star following the death of Tony Stark a.k.a. Iron Man in Avengers: Endgame). It was also confirmed amid all of the hullaballoo that the character will also have a key role to play in Avengers: Secret Wars. We have no clue what that role will be, as we don’t even know what he will be up to in Doomsday, but it’s fascinating for obvious reasons.
Doctor Doom is a major character in both iterations of Secret Wars from the comics (more on those in a bit), but with the sixth Avengers movie putting an emphasis on the multiverse, it may end up being the title that sees Robert Downey Jr. playing both the Latverian villain and making a bold return as an alternate dimension Tony Stark.
The Russo Brothers Are Making Their Return To Marvel Studios
Taking the helm of Avengers: Secret Wars will be Joe and Anthony Russo, who have directed a number of the MCU’s greatest successes. While principally known for their work in sitcom television, the sibling filmmakers made Captain America: The Winter Soldier as their first action movie, and it stands as one of the most celebrated titles in the canon. They followed up that work making Captain America: Civil War – another feature considered one of the best Marvel movies – and they then were hired to make Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers: Endgame.
The Russo brothers are making Avengers: Doomsday in addition to Avengers: Secret Wars, but unlike their last pair of Avengers films, the productions won’t be scheduled back-to-back. Joe Russo has said that there will be a bigger gap between the making of Doomsday and Secret Wars after working with just a four week break between Infinity War and Endgame.
The Secret Wars Title Carries A Lot Of Expectations From Comic Book Fans And May Result In The Birth Of A Brand New MCU Canon
What will Avengers: Secret Wars be about? That’s not a question that that we can answer with full confidence at this point, even with the film’s title as a guidepost. After all, the Marvel Cinematic Universe has yet to attempt any direct adaptations of stories from the comics – with filmmakers instead finding inspirations from broad stroke ideas (Captain America: Civil War being a perfect example). Knowing that the blockbuster is named after the most significant crossovers in Marvel Comics is more of a hint at what is being cooked up rather than a detailed revelation… but it nonetheless raises eyebrows regarding what it may mean for the future of the MCU.
There exists a very real possibility that the canon as we know it will be gone by the time the end credits roll on Avengers: Secret Wars. We don’t yet know for certain which version of Secret Wars from the comics will serve as the primary source of inspiration – either the original from 1984/1985 or the more recent event from 2015 – but if it’s the latter, it’s worth noting that the inciting incident is two distinct Marvel universes (Earth-616 and the Ultimate Universe) crashing together and being obliterated. There are refugees from the disaster, and Doctor Strange and Doctor Doom form a sketchy collaboration in the effort to rebuild reality.
Canon resets are a regular thing in the world of comics, as they prevent continuities from becoming too complicated and vast, and provide fresh entry points for newcomers. By 2027, the Marvel Cinematic Universe may be ready for a cinematic version of this narrative practice, and Avengers: Secret Wars could be a perfect vehicle.
What To Watch To Get Ready For Avengers: Secret Wars
Given the expected scale of Avengers: Secret Wars, it may not be enough to just watch the films of the Multiverse Saga to prepare. At this point in time, we can’t dismiss the idea that it will reach even further back in the canon, and not only expand on the movies and television shows since 2021, but also everything since the arrival of Iron Man in 2008. To be best equipped for your eventual screening of the blockbuster, you may need to watch/rewatch everything.
This is a complicated screening adventure because of the sheer size of the Marvel Cinematic Universe (34 movies and 12 series to date – not counting the Marvel Netflix shows), but it’s simple from a logistics perspective. The whole canon is instantly accessible with a Disney+ subscription, and watching the entirety of the MCU would definitely be a way to fully take advantage of the service.
Stay tuned here on CinemaBlend for all of the biggest updates about Avengers: Secret Wars in the run-up to its arrival in 2027.
