Avengers: Secret Wars is the final movie in the MCU Multiverse Saga, and therefore many of its details are likely to be kept hidden until its release date, but Marvel is still sharing some updates on the plot, cast, and more in the meantime. Set to follow up the events of Avengers: Doomsday as the sixth major crossover event under the Avengers banner, Secret Wars will also round out MCU Phase 6.

Not only will Avengers: Secret Wars be the culmination of the MCU Phase 6 movies and shows but also those titles released as part of MCU Phases 4 and 5, just as Avengers: Endgame was the ultimate conclusion of the first three phases of the franchise. With a variety of Marvel characters getting their own movies in the Multiverse Saga, Avengers: Secret Wars is guaranteed to have a huge cast as all the superheroes band together against a new threat.

Avengers: Secret Wars Latest News

The latest details about Avengers: Secret Wars arrived with the 2024 San Diego Comic-Con, which clarified a series of things about the new landscape for the MCU. The Marvel Comic-Con panel saw the confirmation that the Russo brothers will return to direct Avengers: Doomsday and Avengers: Secret Wars, raising the potential for them to repeat their success directing Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers: Endgame. This was followed with the news that the Fantastic Four will be a part of Avengers 5 & 6, which places them as the first concrete castings for the film.

The San Diego Comic-Con also revealed that Robert Downey Jr. will be returning to the MCU as Doctor Doom, which looks set to have major implications for Avengers: Secret Wars. With the Russo brothers directing the fifth and sixth Avengers movies, it stands to reason that Avengers: Doomsday will lead directly into Avengers: Secret Wars, meaning the story of Doctor Doom is set to play an integral role in both.

Avengers: Secret Wars Confirmed

Marvel Studios officially announced Avengers 5 and Avengers 6 during San Diego Comic-Con in the summer of 2022, much to the surprise of attendees. Both movies were revealed to be part of MCU Phase 6, and installments of the Multiverse Saga.

Avengers: Secret Wars Release Date

When Avengers: Secret Wars was announced, the movie was slated to release on November 7, 2025, just six months after the initial date for Avengers 5. However, due to production schedule changes, the Avengers movies’ release dates were separated further. Avengers: Secret Wars is now scheduled to open in theaters on May 1, 2026, nearly a full year after Avengers: Doomsday‘s release date of May 2, 2025.

Avengers: Secret Wars Cast

As the culmination of MCU Phases 4-6, there is an expectation that all the major characters from the Multiverse Saga will return. 2024’s San Diego Comic-Con saw Kevin Feige reveal that the Fantastic Four would be in Avengers: Doomsday and Avengers: Secret Wars, and alluded to Robert Downey Jr’s Doctor Doom also being a part of the upcoming MCU movie, which would be in line with the Marvel character’s importance in the comic storyline of the same name.

Spider-Man (Tom Holland), America Chavez (Xochitl Gomez), and Doctor Strange (Benedict Cumberbatch) are the characters who have interacted with the multiverse the most out of the heroes in the Marvel franchise, so they would be the top contenders to lead the team. Avengers: Secret Wars could have more characters than Avengers:Endgame.

Falcon (Anthony Mackey), Captain Marvel (Brie Larson), Star-Lord (Chris Pratt), Thor (Chris Hemsworth), Ant-Man (Paul Rudd), the Wasp (Evangeline Lily), and Loki (Tom Hiddleston) are all major returning characters from the Infinity War Saga who have had movies or shows in the Multiverse Saga. Every major character in MCU Phases 4-6 could very well be included in Avengers: Secret Wars. Kate Bishop (Hailee Steinfeld), She-Hulk (Tatiana Maslany), Shang-Chi (Simu Liu), and many more characters who have appeared or have upcoming releases before the sixth Avengers movie could also appear.

Avengers: Secret Wars Story Details

The story details of Avengers: Secret Wars are still forthcoming, especially since the prior build up for Kang and the Avengers: The Kang Dynasty story is now set to instead go towards Avengers 5’s retitled Avengers: Doomsday story, with the villain changing from Kang to Doom. However, this may actually work in Secret Wars‘ favor, since it allows the fifth Avengers movie to more directly set up the sixth.

The sixth Avengers‘ title comes from the Secret Wars comic book storylines of 1984 and 2015, both of which saw the collision of heroes and universes. However, the 2015 version of Secret Wars was more focused on the multiversal aspect. If there’s one that will be adapted, the 2015 run is the best bet.

The 2015 Secret Wars comic story sees an Incursion about to sabotage the multiverse, leading to Doctor Doom creating the Battleworld, which “God Emperor Doom” oversees with an iron fist until a team of heroes is able to restore the multiverse. This could work effectively as the split story of Avengers: Doomsday and Avengers: Secret Wars, with the first being about the creation of the Battleworld – following on from the tease of impending Incursions in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness – and with Secret Wars then following up on the story from that point.

Avengers: Secret Wars Theories & Rumors

With a wealth of television shows, movies, and comic book storylines to pick through, there are plenty of rumors and theories about what Avengers: Secret Wars could entail. There has been a lot of speculation about Doctor Doom’s possible appearance in the movie, for instance.

Marvel’s The Fantastic Four: First Steps has been announced for February 25, 2025, and Doctor Doom could be the big bad of that movie and subsequent titles. This is now doubly true with the confirmed appearance of Doctor Doom in Avengers: Doomsday, since only having the iconic Marvel villain in one release would be something of a waste – especially with Robert Downey Jr. returning to the MCU in order to play the antagonist. As one of the premiere villains of Marvel, it would raise the stakes and significance of Avengers: Secret Wars if Doctor Doom has a significant role in the movie.

Other than this, perhaps the biggest rumor and theory regarding Avengers: Secret Wars is that it will reboot the universe, allowing the MCU to recast any actors it wishes and potentially bring back dead characters at the same time. This would align with the plot of the 2015 Secret Wars comic storyline most directly, but would also make sense for an adaptation following the original 80’s Secret War storyline also, since both see the heroes taken away from their universe until the status quo of sorts is restored.