Avengers 5, which is still known as The Kang Dynasty, and Avengers: Secret Wars have not been delayed again despite expectations for that to happen. It’s not just last year’s industry strikes that would warrant another set of release date changes for the two highly-anticipated projects, but also Jonathan Majors being let go from the MCU.
But Marvel and Disney have suggested so far that plans are going forward according to schedule for both Avengers 5 and Avengers 6. Comic-Con 2024, which kicks off in about a month (right as Deadpool & Wolverine hits theaters), could reveal additional details about Marvel’s remaining plans for the Multiverse Saga and what might follow after that.
While we wait, an insider well-known to MCU fans has revealed additional details about the general plots of Avengers 5 and Secret Wars while also suggesting that the latter might be split into two movies.
Like other leaks said, we could get an Avengers 7 project to conclude the current saga. The leaker also teased what might follow after the Multiverse Saga, offering suggestions on what Marvel comics to read if you want to get ready that way. Mind you, big spoilers might follow below.
What Avengers 7 might look like
Secret Wars might turn out to become such a big movie that Marvel will be forced to split it into two parts. That way, it could deal with all the aspects of the stories and ensure it can fit in all the Avengers & Friends. By that I mean all the multiversal characters from outside the MCU that will probably be recruited to help the Avengers team in the main reality.
Alex Perez from The Cosmic Circus has offered plenty of MCU spoilers in the past few years. In a Q&A session on Discord, he addressed questions from Marvel fans about various upcoming attractions.
In the process, he speculated that Marvel would have to make an Avengers 7:
The main reason is that there are too many stories happening plot-wise that really can’t be condensed into the average 2-hour runtime. One thing I even heard through the grapevine was the idea of having more than one central antagonist. So yes, I think the films will be split.
What about Kang?
I said time and again that Marvel should recast Majors and continue the Kang story. The character certainly deserves to be the main villain of Avengers 5, even if a different actor would play him.
Perez doesn’t know whether The Kang Dynasty title will stay in place. But he heard that Avengers 5 will be “a multiversal film with a particularly grounded story involving multiversal elements.” He said the safest route would be to split Secret Wars into two parts.
The insider also mentioned a potential direction the story would take. Rather than Kang, Mephisto could be the big villain:
However, I will take the opportunity to mention a rumor about a possible adaptation of elements from the Avengers Assemble/Avengers: Forever event, which is a storyline involving a Multiversal Council of Mephisto variants known as the Council of Red, Multiversal Masters of Evil, and an Avengers team up to save the day before all of existence is destroyed. I might have to look into that storyline given Mephisto’s coming introduction into the MCU, but it might be an interesting story to adapt heading into Avengers: Secret Wars.
As for Kang, Perez said that Marvel wants to explore other multiversal villains before dealing with Kang again. However, he speculated that it won’t be Doom, as we’ll hardly get to explore the Fantastic Four character before the upcoming Avengers movies.
As for the Avengers teaming up in these upcoming crossovers, Perez teased that Loki (Tom Hiddleston) and Sylvie (Sophia Di Martino) will appear in the Avengers movies. However, it’s unclear how big their roles would be.
Secret Wars and beyond
Perez further teased the plots of Avengers 5, Secret Wars, and potentially Avengers 7 by suggesting other comics that MCU fans might want to familiarize themselves with.
In addition to Avengers Assemble, Avengers: Forever, and the obvious Secret Wars comics, he said that Time Runs Out is also something the upcoming Avengers movies might draw inspiration from.
Moreover, Perez noted that a soft reboot will follow the conclusion of the Multiverse Saga. Whether that final movie is Secret Wars or Avengers 7, you should be looking at Eternals Vol. 3 to see what might come next.
As ComicBookMovie explains, Avengers Assemble is a multiverse story where Mephisto rewrites reality to get rid of the Avengers. Among other things, the Avengers will meet their 10,000 B.C. counterparts.
In Avengers: Forever, Rick Jones assembles Avengers from the past, present, and future to fight Immortus, a Kang the Conqueror Variant. This also fits with the current path of the Multiverse Saga.
In Time Runs Out, the Avengengers would fight the Illuminati.
I’ll point out that Marvel is unlikely to copy any comic storyline perfectly. Instead, it could adapt various story ideas from the comics to serve its Multiverse Saga needs.