Marvel Studios President Kevin Feige reveals how Avengers: Secret Wars will set the stage for the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s future, and while he didn’t say reboot, he did imply some significant changes. 2015’s Secret Wars comics led to a soft reboot of the Marvel Comics Universe, seeing the Ultimate Universe folded into the main 616 Marvel Comics continuity. With the Fantastic Four hailing from their own universe and the MCU set to introduce more mutants and eventually the X-Men, fans have been expecting Avengers: Secret Wars to pull a similar move to round out the multiverse saga and set up the franchise’s future.
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Kevin Feige spoke to the press about the future of the Marvel Cinematic Universe and touched upon Avengers: Secret Wars. The studio head was very clear not to say “reboot” and instead “reset, singular timeline”, suggesting that The Fantastic Four will be folded into the main MCU timeline while also setting the stage for the X-Men which seemingly will be the first MCU film to explore this new reset timeline in time for the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s 20th anniversary in 2028. This also opens the door for the X-Men of the MCU to be recast following the return of many fan-favorites in Avengers: Doomsday. Feige also suggesting recasts for other Marvel heroes like Tony Stark / Iron Man and Steve Rogers / Captain America (via Variety). Feige said:
“We’re utilizing that [Secret Wars] is not just to round out the stories we’ve been telling post-Endgame, and you can look at the Secret Wars comics for where that takes you — it very much sets us up for the future. Endgame, literally, was about endings. Secret Wars is about beginnings…Reboot is a scary word. 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.”
The MCU’s 20th Anniversary
20th Century Studios
Kevin Feige’s comments about resetting, but not rebooting, the MCU timeline following Avengers: Secret Wars are something we’ve previously touched on. With characters like Sam Wilson and Riri Williams, the MCU doesn’t need to rush to recast Steve Rogers or Tony Stark anytime soon. Thankfully, it looks like Marvel is not going to discard their established characters and continuity, but use the reset timeline to introduce major history-changing retcons, such as the Fantastic Four and X-Men, into the successful MCU. Meanwhile, the recast news not only allows Marvel Studios to introduce new X-Men, but also provides a new (less expensive) Doctor Doom following Robert Downey Jr.’s portrayal in Avengers: Doomsday and Avengers: Secret Wars.
This does seem to be timed perfectly for the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s 20th anniversary, as both Iron Man and The Incredible Hulk kicked off the franchise in 2008. The MCU celebrated its 10th anniversary with Avengers: Infinity War, a film that brought together all of its various franchises in an epic crossover. Now the series looks to be entering its 20th anniversary with a semi-new start that could revitalize the franchise, and provide a new starting point for those who don’t want to catch up on the last two decades of content.
That possibly means the X-Men will be the first film of Phase 7, kicking off what many think will be the Mutant Saga. Marvel has release dates for February 18, May 5, November 10, and December 15, 2028, suggesting one is saved for the MCU’s reboot of the X-Men. The X-Men kicked off the superhero genre in the 21st century, so it seems fitting they would be the heroes who would usher in a new age for the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Don’t call it a reboot, but more of a fresh start.
Source: Variety