The Multiverse Saga may be heading toward its conclusion with Avengers: Secret Wars, but Marvel Studios already appears to have big plans for what comes next. New rumours point to a surprisingly streamlined post-Secret Wars slate, potential cosmic team-ups, the return of the Guardians of the Galaxy in animated form, and a potentially major MCU role for a familiar face.
Starting with an admittedly dubious source, James Mack has dropped a series of scoops on social media. He's had a few Avengers: Doomsday claims pan out, so we'll give these the benefit of the doubt for now.
He reports that Brie Larson's Captain Marvel will have "one of the biggest leading roles" in Avengers: Secret Wars, "carrying the weight of being one of the people who remembers her past life."
Looking beyond the Multiverse Saga, the next Phase (described here as a new "Phase 1" rather than "Phase 7") will consist of only 9 movies, one of which is set to be an Avengers event. There will be 5 solo outings and 4 team-up films. So far, the only post-Secret Wars projects announced are X-Men, Ghost Rider, and Black Panther 3.
Marvel Studios is also said to be developing a "space-based team-up movie," featuring characters like Star-Lord, Nova, and Silver Surfer. Noh-Varr is also in the process of being cast.
Even with James Gunn calling the shots at DC Studios now, the Guardians of the Galaxy franchise is going nowhere. Current plans call for the team to get its own animated TV series on Disney+, joining X-Men '97 and Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man.
Over to @MyTimeToShineH now, who claims that Scream 7, The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping, and Scooby-Doo: Origins star McKenna Grace is being "eyed for a huge role in the MCU." She played the young Carol Danvers in 2019's Captain Marvel, but has since become one of Hollywood's most popular young actresses.
There are any number of characters she could play in the MCU, but a role in the X-Men franchise feels like the best fit for the 20-year-old. Grace has already demonstrated that she can handle major genre projects, and her previous connection to the MCU would make an X-Men role particularly interesting.
The scooper has also learned that Sebastian Stan, who plays Bucky Barnes, was among the actors on set for Avengers: Doomsday's recent reshoots.
For now, however, it's worth stressing that none of these reports has been confirmed by Marvel Studios. Until Marvel makes these plans official, fans should treat all of this as speculation, but stay tuned for updates as we have them.