Marvel Studios finally pulled back the curtain on what’s next in the MCU at Comic-Con, announcing that the next “Avengers” sequels — technically “Avengers 5”And “Avengers 6” — will be called “Avengers: The Kang Dynasty”And “Avengers: Secret Wars.” This is the next Thanos-level event facing the characters in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, and it can’t come soon enough.
Since then “Avengers: Endgame” put a definitive button on the first three phases of the MCU, the output has been uncharacteristically disconnected, with disparate stories being told in both film and TV (on Disney+) that take place in the same universe, but lack the looming threat of Thanos that hung over the characters after 2012’s “The Avengers.”
This all changes with “Secret Wars,”This will be followed by “The Kang Dynasty.”But, what’s the point? “Secret Wars”And what makes it worthy of being an Avengers movie. We answer all your questions below.
So, what happens in “Kang Dynasty?”
Before we get to “Secret Wars,”There will be “Kang Dynasty,”The “Infinity War”To its “Endgame”
Its 16-part name is what gave it its name. “Avengers”The story was written by Kurt Busiek and ran between 2001-2002. In it, Kang, in a nutshell, comes back from the 30th century and actually manages to take over the entire planet earth — destroying the United Nations headquarters in the process. The Avengers eventually stop him, but it comes at a great cost.
So “Kang Dynasty”Kang could be seen bringing the fight on Earth, “Secret Wars”His revenge plot could be. Like with “Secret Wars,” we don’t expect Marvel to adapt this storyline as a 1:1, but the basic plot gives us an idea of where Marvel is going with Phase 5.
What is it? “Secret Wars,” Exactly?
“Secret Wars”This was the first ever comics company-wide crossover event. It took place in Marvel Comics between 1984 and 1985.
In the story, a cosmic entity called the Beyonder has become fascinated by the presence of superheroes on Earth and chooses to teleport Marvel’s A-list heroes to an artificially constructed planet called “the battleworld”And orders them to fight to death. “I am from beyond! Slay your enemies and all that you desire shall be yours! Nothing you dream of is impossible for me to accomplish,”He says.
This simple idea brought about huge changes in the status quo of Marvel Comics. Spider-Man’s black suit was found in the Battleworld, which turned out to be the Venom symbiote. The series saw She-Hulk take over as The Thing’s member of Fantastic Four and some interpersonal drama between the X-Men. The Hulk also suffered injuries that restored his uncontrollable rage-version.
What Does this Mean for the MCU
For one, we can reasonably anticipate Kang the Conqueror – played by Jonathan Majors, who made his MCU debut in “Loki” – to be the entity who teleports all the characters, not the Beyonder. Kang is also in the title “Avengers 4.”For another, we can anticipate the “Avengers”Expect more surprises in the sequel
Remember that Thanos arrived at the end of the movie right after Thanos. “The Avengers,”Many fans assumed that the MCU story would continue the comics with Thanos marrying Death. Marvel Studios thought that this was a good idea, but they decided to take a different approach. “Infinity War”And “Endgame”These stories ended up being largely original. BasedThe Infinity Gauntlet comics are available.
Who will be in? “Avengers: Secret Wars?”
We don’t know yet, but we do know the major MCU players still on the board. There’s Thor (Chris Hemsworth), Doctor Strange (Benedict Cumberbatch), Scarlet Witch (Elizabeth Olsen), Bruce Banner (Mark Ruffalo), the Guardians of the Galaxy, Ant-Man (Paul Rudd), Wasp (Evangeline Lilly), Spider-Man (Tom Holland), Captain America (Anthony Mackie), Bucky Barnes (Sebastian Stan), Captain Marvel (Brie Larson), Shang-Chi (Simu Liu), Shuri (Letitia Wright), Hawkeye (Jeremy Renner), Yelena Belova (Florence Pugh) and all those Eternals.
And that’s not to mention the characters introduced on Disney+ like Ms. Marvel (Iman Vellani), Kate Bishop (Hailee Steinfeld), She-Hulk (Tatiana Maslany), Moon Knight (Oscar Isaac), and plenty more to come.
So some combination of the above and any number of characters we didn’t list are likely candidates for this “fight to the death”Secret Wars are a challenge.
Will the Russo Brothers Direct?
After directing two “Captain America”Follow-ups “Infinity War”And “Endgame,” directors Joe and Anthony Russo have long said they’re interested in returning to Marvel at some point to direct “Secret Wars.” As recently as this month they’ve They reiterated their interestThey have not yet made any official statements, but they maintain that there is no settlement and they are busy with other projects.
So the answer is… maybe?
