Kevin Feige Reveals How the MCU Will Change After Secret Wars: “Easier for Audiences to Follow”
The Marvel Cinematic Universe is destined to change after Avengers: Secret Wars. Marvel Studios has lost its shine a little during the Multiverse Saga, with a transmedia push that wasn’t entirely successful. Now, the studio is regrouping, with the MCU’s current plans running all the way to 2042. Secret Wars is expected to reboot the universe in all but name, simply because creation will be rewritten. And, little by little, Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige is beginning to give us all a sense of what to expect.
Speaking in advance of this week’s Hall H presentation, Feige explained that Secret Wars will mark a “new beginning” for the MCU. “It will establish a streamlined, simplified, single universe that’s easier for audiences to follow. Some aspects will feel familiar. But many things will be entirely new.”
What Can We Expect From the MCU After Secret Wars?
It is, of course, rather amusing to already be talking about the MCU after Secret Wars; we’ve only just had the first trailer for this year’s Doomsday. But Marvel has always cultivated a reputation of playing the long game; it’s a little more exaggerated than the studio typically pretend, given the Infinity Saga’s continuity only works if you squint a little (compare the Thanos of Guardians of the Galaxy to Infinity War, for example). Still, Feige continues to insist Marvel has an ambitious plan going forward, one involving new elements as well as familiar ones.
We know that, post-Secret Wars, we’re going to be entering the Mutant Saga. Marvel regained the rights to mutants back in 2019, after Disney purchased Fox, and the result was always inevitable; it’s reasonable to assume the Multiverse Saga will be used to weave mutants into the MCU, rewriting history so they’ve always been part of it. Ms. Marvel set that up, and Sadie Sink is commonly expected to play the X-Men’s Jean Grey in Spider-Man: Brand New Day. We’re hoping for actual X-Men casting announcements at this year’s San Diego Comic-Con, given Marvel is getting ready to film.
Admittedly, it’s a little intimidating hearing that Marvel has plans running all the way up to 2042. At the same time, though, those may be a lot more flexible than many think; Marvel has reduced output, pushing for quality over quantity, so older plans have likely slipped into a wider time period. Popular culture will no doubt change a lot between now and 2042, and Feige and his team will no doubt fully understand that ideas need to change as a result. Already we’re seeing dramatic pivots, with Marvel reducing the number of MCU TV shows. Feige’s comments here likely imply transmedia won’t be as big a deal, and everything will be expected to stand on its own feet.
One thing’s for sure; there will be a future. Spider-Man: Brand New Day‘s box office proves that, and Avengers: Doomsday promises to be a hit as well. As much as some commentators may like to talk about “superhero fatigue,” the biggest names and the best brands still command a lot of attention even now. I can’t imagine a world where that changes.
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