Most fans agree that Avengers: Endgame was a pitch-perfect ending to the Infinity Saga, and all eyes were then on how Marvel Studios would top it. As of now, that hasn't happened.
Disney+ launched shortly after the movie's release, opening the door to expanding the MCU on television with shows like WandaVision and The Falcon and The Winter Soldier. COVID certainly didn't help, but even long after that, it's not unfair to say the Multiverse Saga has been something of a mixed bag.
The sheer number of streaming series has diluted the brand and made it confusing for casual fans to keep up with everything going on. At the same time, Kevin Feige has been stretched thin, meaning several titles failed to live up to expectations.
Marvel Studios is back to focusing on quality over quantity, and it seems the mixed response to the Multiverse Saga will have a huge impact on what the MCU looks like after Avengers: Secret Wars.
"We want to do two things," Feige recently told Chinese press of Avengers: Doomsday and Avengers: Secret Wars. "First, to bring some storylines to a close, those that started long before Iron Man, including the original X-Men characters. Second, to simultaneously set the stage for the future."
"Avengers: Endgame was truly an end, and since then, we've tried and experimented with many new things. But Avengers: Secret Wars is a beginning," he continued. "It will establish a streamlined, simplified, single universe that we can keep up with. Some things will be familiar, but many, many things will be entirely new."
"Going back to what we mentioned earlier about attracting young people and connecting with a new generation of audiences, that's exactly what the next universe will be about."
Feige has been transparent about the MCU taking its cues from how Jonathan Hickman's Secret Wars led to a refreshed Marvel Universe (in that instance, Ultimate Universe characters like Miles Morales and Bombshell were integrated into Earth-616). However, this is the closest we've come to the executive confirming that we're getting a soft reboot and a fresh start.
Many fans online have argued that it's time to recast characters like Steve Rogers and Tony Stark if Chris Evans and Robert Downey Jr. don't want to play them, and this is the chance to do just that. For now, what the new MCU will look like is a mystery, though we could get some hints at the San Diego Comic-Con this weekend.
The mention of a single timeline may also debunk rumours about the Fantastic Four remaining on Earth-828. Instead, it seems they'll join the Avengers, X-Men, and Spider-Man in the same reality.
While "superhero fatigue" talk continues to dominate the conversation, Feige confirmed that Marvel Studios has plans extending well into the next decade...and beyond.
"We were just in a Marvel Studios meeting room, planning movies all the way up to 2042," he revealed. "Whether we can make it to 2042? Who knows? Will it be those movies? Who knows? But this is how we approach and plan the vast amount of potential stories in the comics."
Avengers: Doomsday is set to be released on December 18, with Avengers: Secret Wars scheduled to arrive on December 17, 2027.