Over the next two years, Marvel Studios is focusing on quality over quantity. While only time will tell whether they succeed in delivering on that front, all Kevin Feige needs to focus on now theatrically are Spider-Man: Brand New Day, Avengers: Doomsday, and Avengers: Secret Wars.
Those are two franchises that should be guaranteed to find success; Spidey remains a huge draw, and with Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings director Destin Daniel Cretton at the helm and a street-level story, it's impossible to imagine it being a let-down.
The Russo Brothers have admittedly had a rough few years, but they've yet to deliver anything other than an excellent MCU movie. With that in mind, we can surely have faith in them wrapping up the Multiverse Saga on a high note.
Many fans have argued that this Doctor Doom story deserves more space to breathe, and that Avengers: Secret Wars should be split into two (perhaps with a couple of Battleworld-set tales dropping between each half). That's not the plan, but Marvel Studios did consider it.
According to scooper @MyTimeToShineH, "There was an idea to split Secret Wars at one point, but [Marvel Studios] decided against it."
It's unclear when this was considered or how much of an impact not heading down that route has had on the version of Avengers: Secret Wars we're now getting. Still, with fans eager to move on from the Multiverse and multiple release date delays caused by creative team changes and Hollywood strikes, it's probably for the best to wrap this Saga up at the end of 2027.
The expectation is that Avengers: Secret Wars will serve as a soft reboot for the MCU, with a new timeline created that's inhabited by the Avengers, X-Men, Fantastic Four, and Spider-Man. Talk about a dream come true, right?
While not confirmed, 2028 is expected to see the release of Black Panther 3, X-Men, and the next Spider-Man movie.
"We’re utilizing that [story] not just to round out the stories we’ve been telling post-'Endgame,' just as importantly — and you can look at the at the 'Secret Wars' comics for where that takes you — it very, very much sets us up for the future," Feige has said of the Multiverse Saga's conclusion. "'Endgame,' literally, was about endings. 'Secret Wars' is about is about beginnings."
"Reboot is a scary word," he continued. "Reboot can mean a lot of things to a lot of people. Reset, singular timeline — we’re thinking along those lines. 'X-Men' is where that will happen next."
"They have been a place to tell stories about young people who feel different and who feel Other and who feel like they don’t belong," Feige added, teasing Marvel Studios' approach to putting a new spin on the mutant team. "That’s the universal story of mutants, and that is where we’re going."
Avengers: Doomsday is set to be released on December 18, 2026, with Avengers: Secret Wars scheduled to arrive on December 17, 2027.