Kevin Feige loves to keep fans waiting, and he did just that at SDCC. After revealing the end of Phase 4 and the entire slate of Phase 5, he then teased the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s Phase 6. The long-awaited Fantastic Four movie will kick off the phase. Feige also shared that there would be two new Avengers movies: Avengers: The Kang Dynasty on May 2, followed by Avengers: Secret Wars, which will now release on May 1, 2026. (Initially, it was slated for November 7, 2025.) We also learned that the current phase we’re existing in—which will end with Secret Wars—is called the Multiverse Saga.
Jump To: Secret Wars // The Kang Dynasty
That moniker makes a lot of sense seeing as there have been plenty of Multiverse shenanigans so far. Most interesting is the reveal that the Phase 6 of the MCU saga will end with Secret Wars. This is something we’ve been predicting for a while. In the comics, the most recent Secret Wars event was used to streamline the massive multiverse of Marvel Comics. So it makes sense that after introducing the multiverse, the MCU might want to do the same. But it’ll be really interesting to see how we get there. Now thanks to Hall H, we have a little more of an idea of the roadmap.
If you’re wondering what Secret Wars and The Kang Dynasty are in terms of the comics, of course, we have you covered, so read on for a little primer on the history of each.
What Is Secret Wars?
In 1984, Secret Wars was the first epic Marvel crossover event comic, pitting Marvel’s most popular heroes against their worst villains. The 12-part series had the all-powerful entity called the Beyonder place these characters on a so-called “Battleworld,” where their conflict would decide the fate of humanity. The original series was mostly a gimmick to sell toys. But writer Jonathan Hickman took the bones of that concept and ran with it for a new version, back in 2015.
In this critically acclaimed reboot, Battleworld was composed of multiple realities from across the Multiverse, ruled by Doctor Doom. Versions of virtually every character Marvel fans have ever loved appeared on Battleworld, doing battle with each other. And it looks like we might see this play out on the big screen, with something that might blow fans’ minds. Secret Wars may have the possibility of making the Infinity Saga like just a warm-up act.
Secret Wars has been a rumored MCU outing for a long time, so we’re excited to see it in Marvel’s Phase 6. Famously, the Russo Brothers have brought up over and over again that they would like to helm the Secret Wars film. But, alas, Kevin Feige has revealed that this won’t come to pass for now. In fact, the Russos won’t connect to either the Secret Wars or Kang Dynasty Avengers movies. Per Deadline, Feige notes, “They’re not connected to it…They’ve been very direct about that. We love them, they love us. We want to find something to do together, it’s not this.”
What Is The Kang Dynasty?
Marvel Studios likes to take titles from well-known comics but apply them to all-new stories. Most famously, they did this with Avengers: Age of Ultron. The movie had a totally different story than the comic of the same name, aside from the basic “Avengers vs. Ultron” of it all. We may see the same thing with The Kang Dynasty.
In the comics, “The Kang Dynasty” was a 16-part story by Kurt Busiek, who wrote one of the best Avengers runs of all time with multiple artists. The basic plot of the 2001-2002 story saw Kang in the present announce his intentions to the UN to take over the world, in order to prevent all negative futures from happening. We could see something like this taking place in the MCU, which would lead an all-new team of Avengers to stop Kang.
Of course, we don’t know any details about The Kang Dynasty yet. But The Hollywood Reporter revealed that Shang-Chi director Destin Daniel Cretton will also helm Avengers: The Kang Dynasty. So we already know its going to be fire. Additionally, per Deadline, Jeff Loveness will pen this Phase 6 Marvel movie.
Both movies will hit the MCU and theaters in 2025!
Originally published on July 23, 2022.
Featured Image: Marvel Studios
