Of all the upcoming projects in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Avengers: Secret Wars has the most potential to bring back supposedly killed-off characters into the fold of the franchise. Based on the original Secret Wars run by Marvel Comics, the sixth Avengers movie promises to adapt the ambitious storyline into live action. In the comics, the story followed the various heroes and villains of the Marvel universe as they were sucked into the mysterious Battleworld by the Beyonder, a nigh-omnipotent cosmic being, and forced to fight on an unprecedented scale in a massive battle royale.
It’s likely that the MCU will impart its own significant changes to the famous event, such as replacing the Beyonder with Kang, as they have done before with adaptations of important comic series like Civil War. But regardless of how closely the Secret Wars film will adhere to the original story, the concept is rife with opportunities to bring back a litany of deceased characters back into the MCU. From minor villains to universally-recognized flagship heroes, the Marvel Cinematic Universe has the opportunity to bring back characters whose absence has been sorely felt with its last project on the horizon.
10. Jane Foster’s Return Could Take Advantage Of Her Late Development
Mighty Thor was killed off just as she was getting interesting
Thor’s love interest from the first two movies of his own solo quadrilogy, Natalie Portman’s Jane Foster wasn’t given much to do in the early days of the MCU, mostly just persisting in the background as the Norse God’s vague connection to Earth and physics-savy girlfriend. However, her re-introduction as Mighty Thor in Thor: Love & Thunder was one of the best parts of the film, expanding on her personality while giving her character arc an exciting new trajectory. Considering how long Jane’s tenure as Mighty Thor lasted in the comics, it would be a missed opportunity for Secret Wars not to take advantage of Jane’s late development.
9. The Return Of Thanos Could Once Again Re-Unite The MCU
The Mad Titan is too compelling of a villain not to consider bringing back
It goes without saying that Thanos has been one of the MCU’s most successful villains, having enacted his plan successfully and presented a compelling character with motivations beyond simple aims of world domination or evil for evil’s sake. With the Multiverse Saga being in full swing, bringing some kind of Thanos variant back would be a terrifying prospect for the more inexperienced, newer heroes to face. Few things could draw returning fans to theaters like the threat of a re-invigorated Mad Titan with an army of villains at his back.
8. Killmonger Could Break Out Of The Ancestral Plane
The fan-favorite villain has barely scratched the surface of his potential
Even if he isn’t a universal threat on the level of megalomaniacs like Thanos or Kang, Killmonger was one of the most effective and sympathetic villains Marvel Studios has ever created, being killed off far too soon in his first appearance in Black Panther. It’s confirmed that at least some version of Killmonger’s consciousness is alive and well thanks to Shuri’s vision of him in the Ancestral Plane in Black Panther: Wakanda Forever. It’s a shame that Killmonger never got to interact with the MCU at large outside the cast of Black Panther, and Avengers: Secret Wars could rectify that.
7. Vision Could Be Re-Built To Give The Heroes A Much-Needed Powerhouse
Paul Bettany’s delightful automaton has lots of room for interesting development
During his time as an Avenger, Vision was one of the MCU’s most powerful characters, and the remaining heroes would do well to find a way to re-build or re-summon him from the throes of the Multiverse. White Vision’s introduction in WandaVision already provides a great avenue for the character to return, in a sense, having already absorbed the memories of the original model. It would be interesting for Vision to learn what Wanda Maximoff had been up to since his death, possibly setting up a fascinating internal conflict for the nascent artificial intelligence to wrestle with.
6. Xu Wenwu’s Revival Would Present An Interesting Moral Dilemma
The Mandarin would have to pick a side between hero and villain
Xu Wenwu’s revival in Avengers: Secret Wars would present the recently-reformed character with a tantalizing moral dilemma. Just before the ending of Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings, The Mandarin was hinted at having some sort of moral epiphany, possibly being able to reach a peaceful resolution with his son after his life was spared. If brought back in the context of Secret Wars, in which he would have to pick a side between hero and villain, it could present a complex dilemma for Wenwu to navigate, torn between his redemption and old habits of vying for power.
5. Quicksilver Could Have More Time To Shine If Revived
The iconic speedster wasn’t given much to do before being killed
Of all the Marvel heroes, few have had their potential squandered quite like Quicksilver. His super speed wasn’t given too many chances to truly shine in Avengers: Age of Ultron, and audiences didn’t get much time to spend with Pietro before he was unceremoniously gunned down. Beyond salvaging the character’s wasted potential, much like Vision, it would be interesting to see how Quicksilver would react to his sister’s activities since his death, having missed out on an entire arc spanning multiple projects for Scarlet Witch.
4. Ultron Was Re-Built In The Comics
Secret Wars is a fitting time to re-introduce Marvel’s sorely-missed big bad
Despite being one of the most terrifying and powerful villains in the Marvel Comics Universe, Ultron was introduced and dealt with within the space of a single Avengers movie. In the Secret Wars comic, Ultron is re-built, and goes on to play a pivotal role in the overarching story on the side of the villains. Ultron’s unrealized possibilities as a villain were teased in What If…?, but a return to live-action in Secret Wars would be an exciting and comic-accurate avenue to take the story, possibly supplanting Kang as the MCU’s next big bad.
3. Scarlet Witch’s Death Was Suspiciously Off-Camera
The MCU may have more in store for Wanda Maximoff
Few characters have had as tumultuous an arc in the MCU than Scarlet Witch, going from villain to hero to villain again over the course of six appearances. In Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, her final demise wasn’t directly shown, leading many to believe Scarlet Witch could still be out there. Like Xu Wenwu, Scarlet Witch enjoyed a last-minute redemption that would be interesting to explore further if brought back in Avengers: Secret Wars, forcing the shifting allegiance of the character to pick a side between hero and villain once and for all.
2. Black Widow Deserved More Time In The Spotlight
The undersung original Avenger would have a welcome return
Black Widow holds the curious distinction of being the only MCU hero to get a solo film after her canonical death, with the prequel movie Black Widow being a disappointing payoff for the original Avenger. As the only founding hero of the MCU to mostly be relegated to the supporting cast, a Black Widow revival in Avengers: Secret Wars might finally do the Russian super spy justice. Seeing her reunite with Florence Pugh’s Yelena Belova could also be a heartwarming moment of emotional payoff to interject within the turbulent chaos of Avengers: Secret Wars.
1. Iron Man’s Return Would Be Marvel’s Nuclear Option
If done right, Secret Wars’ revival of Tony Stark could be the franchise’s most successful moment
Rumors of Robert Downey Jr.’s return as Iron Man to the MCU have been swirling in the wake of Marvel’s string of recent box-office failures like Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania and The Marvels. It’s hard not to imagine that resuscitating the character that created and anchored the MCU for years isn’t at least on the table. If done poorly, the MCU might not be able to recover from sullying the character’s legacy, but if the MCU could find a way to make Iron Man’s return work respectfully in Avengers: Secret Wars, it could easily become the movie event of the century.
