The expectation among comic book fans is that Avengers: Secret Wars will take place primarily on Battleworld, with a handful of heroes who remember the way things used to be attempting to fight back against the last remaining reality's God Emperor, Doctor Doom.
Today, we have some rumours about what exactly to expect from the Multiverse Saga finale. Starting with Daniel Richtman, he's claimed that the main focus of Secret Wars will be on "team-ups involving characters who didn’t get much, if any, screen time in Doomsday."
@Cryptic4KQual later chimed in to say that "some" characters with big roles in Avengers: Doomsday will have smaller ones in Secret Wars. The leaker added, "It'll focus more on the younger cast, guided by a few adult advisors and new mutants that will go up against Doom and some defectors."
"From my sources, it sounds like a Children's Crusade sorta story because Marvel seemingly wants the younger cast to make an impact before the Saga ends," the scooper noted, "as they'll also be ushering in [a] new young cast in the next Saga."
That's a bold move on Marvel Studios' part, especially as those young characters haven't exactly struck the same chord as the heroes introduced during Phase 1 of the Infinity Saga. However, Kevin Feige and company can't rely on them forever, so there will have to be a passing of the torch at some point, even though it might be time to recast some of the legacy heroes (a new Iron Man, for example).
Later, Alex Perez chimed in to explain, "Most of the characters who appear in Doomsday with bigger roles will start out as NPCs in [Secret Wars], with absolutely [zero] recollection of their previous lives or roles, which is why their roles are reduced until the final act."
"As for the adult advisors who will guide: Wong, Agatha [Harkness], Scott [Lang], Vision, [and] Star-Lord are among the names I've heard repeatedly from sources as potential advisors for this group of Champions. Heard Clint's name thrown in too, but I doubt he'll show up," he added, pointing out that Steve Rogers will still be "an issue" for Doctor Doom.
So, it seems the leaked concept art of those young heroes alongside Star-Lord and Wong is an accurate representation of what we'll see in Avengers: Secret Wars next December. Moving forward, the pressure may be on them and the rebooted X-Men to carry the MCU, especially as Marvel Studios looks to connect with a largely disinterested Gen Z and Alpha audience.
The confirmed (or, semi-confirmed, at least) cast of Avengers: Secret Wars includes Robert Downey Jr. (Doctor Doom), Chris Evans (Steve Rogers), Anthony Mackie (Captain America), Benedict Cumberbatch (Doctor Strange), Paul Bettany (The Vision), Letitia Wright (Black Panther), Simu Liu (Shang-Chi), and Hayley Atwell (Peggy Carter).
Also appearing are Pedro Pascal (Mister Fantastic), Vanessa Kirby (Invisible Woman), Joseph Quinn (Human Torch), Ebon Moss-Bachrach (The Thing), and Sadie Sink.
The Russo Brothers direct Avengers: Doomsday and Avengers: Secret Wars from a screenplay by Stephen McFeely, with whom they previously collaborated on the Avengers and Captain America franchises. Loki and Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness's Michael Waldron has also been enlisted to refine the story.
Avengers: Doomsday is set to be released on December 18, with Avengers: Secret Wars scheduled to arrive on December 17, 2027.