Kevin Feige Clarifies: Avengers: Secret Wars Will Not Reboot the MCU

The countdown to Doctor Doom’s debut in Avengers: Doomsday is on, but fans are already buzzing about what’s next with Avengers: Secret Wars. This upcoming Avengers flick is poised to usher in significant shifts within the Marvel Cinematic Universe, but don’t label it a reboot just yet. Marvel’s Kevin Feige has been shedding light on what the MCU landscape will look like post-Doomsday, especially with the comic influences behind Secret Wars.

In a recent chat, Feige clarified that the MCU isn’t heading for a reboot, emphasizing that Marvel continues to draw from its comic roots, particularly the iconic Jonathan Hickman’s Secret Wars from a decade ago. He mentioned that there’s a clear path forward for the franchise.

Further insights shared with Chinese media revealed Feige’s vision for the MCU after Secret Wars: “It will establish a streamlined, simplified, single universe that we can keep up with. Some elements will feel familiar, but many aspects will be entirely new.”

Feige has been careful to avoid the term “reboot,” even admitting that it carries a certain weight. Looking at Hickman’s Secret Wars gives us a solid glimpse into how the MCU might implement Feige’s strategy.

Hickman’s 2015 comic series served as a narrative device to conclude Marvel’s Ultimate Universe and merge its elements into the Prime Universe. The storyline featured epic cosmic battles for survival, with Doctor Doom emerging as a savior and ruler of a realm known as Battleworld. By the end, Earth 616 (the Prime Universe) was reborn in a streamlined form that incorporated beloved characters from the Ultimate Universe, like Miles Morales.

This suggests that Avengers: Secret Wars could provide a similar opportunity for the MCU to refresh itself. With a grand cosmic narrative, Marvel is setting the stage to recalibrate its storytelling. Since Avengers: Endgame, the MCU has faced challenges in maintaining a cohesive narrative akin to the Infinity Saga, and the Multiverse Saga has struggled to find its footing.

In a world where reality is fluid, a post-Secret Wars landscape might see the return of deceased characters, potentially with new actors stepping into iconic roles. Feige has hinted that Tony Stark could make a comeback, possibly played by someone other than Robert Downey Jr. He also mentioned that the upcoming X-Men film will play a crucial role in resetting the MCU after Secret Wars. The absence of the X-Men has been notable, and with Disney now able to integrate these characters, a universe reset could be the smoothest way to introduce them. This reset would also pave the way for the Fantastic Four to join the main universe, rather than remaining in the alternate reality of 2025’s The Fantastic Four: First Steps.

From everything Feige has indicated, Secret Wars does seem to function like a reboot, despite his reluctance to label it as such. While many characters and storylines that have defined the MCU will remain, significant changes are on the horizon. Only time will reveal whether these changes will be beneficial.

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