The Multiverse Saga will come to a close the Marvel Cinematic Universe Phase 6, and new information continues to be revealed as Marvel Studios moves ever closer to some major storylines. Following 2019's Avengers: Endgame, and the huge variety of projects released as part of Phase 4, many had questioned what direction the MCU's Multiverse Saga would head in. Marvel Studios chief Kevin Feige unveiled the studio's plan throughout Phases 4, 5, and 6 in 2022, including revealing three projects that are expected to round off the current era of the MCU, though there is still a lot of missing information about the MCU's Phase 6.
Phase 5 kicked off with the February 2023 release of Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania, and despite major production delays and several shiftings in release dates of various projects, Marvel Studios is still on track to produce a strong Phase 5. The MCU's Blade reboot is currently expected to conclude Phase 5 in February 2025, allowing Phase 6 to begin only a matter of months later. While Feige and Marvel Studios have remained coy about a lot of Phase 6's projects, some information has been divulged about Marvel Studios' plans for 2025 and beyond. Here is everything we know about Phase 6, the final chapter in the MCU's Multiverse Saga.
Fantastic Four Will Begin Phase 6
Following Disney's acquisition of Fox in 2019, Feige revealed that a film centered around the Fantastic Four had been put into development for the MCU. Since then, little has been revealed about the project aside from WandaVision's Matt Shakman replacing Jon Watts as director. Fantastic Four is currently slated for release on May 2, 2025, marking the first project in the MCU's Phase 6, and hopefully doing justice to Marvel's First Family after two negatively received attempts to adapt them at Fox. Casting rumors surrounding Fantastic Four have placed the likes of Adam Driver, Margot Robbie, and Paul Mescal, among many others, in the film's iconic roles.
The Multiverse Saga Will End With Two Avengers Films
As well as confirming the development of Fantastic Four at 2022's SDCC, Feige also revealed that the MCU's Phase 6 would conclude with two epic Avengers films. Avengers: The Kang Dynasty, expected to release on May 1, 2026, will see the formation of a new Avengers team, just in time to battle Kang the Conqueror and his variants. Avengers: Secret Wars, adapted from Marvel Comics' 1984 and 2015 Secret Wars events, could change the landscape of the MCU significantly. While this was an exciting reveal from Marvel Studios, it also marked a huge diversion for the MCU's Avengers films, as Phases 4 and 5 don't feature an Avengers team-up.
The MCU's Phase 5 is set to feature the formation of a new team in Thunderbolts, but audiences will have to wait until 2026 to see the Avengers back in the MCU. Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings' Destin Daniel Cretton is attached to direct The Kang Dynasty, with Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania's Jeff Loveness penning the script. For Secret Wars, Loki and Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness' Michael Waldron is handling the screenplay, though no director has yet been confirmed. Casting for both projects is still a mystery, though Jonathan Majors is expected to reprise his role of Kang the Conqueror.
Kang Will Be The MCU's Next Thanos-Level Threat
Jonathan Majors debuted as He Who Remains in Loki season 1, before portraying Kang the Conqueror in Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania, building him up as the Multiverse Saga's major antagonist. Majors is expected to appear in Loki season 2, and in various upcoming projects as different variants of Kang, leading up to Avengers: The Kang Dynasty. However, his future with Marvel Studios could be in jeopardy after Jonathan Majors was arrested in March 2023 on assault charges. Although Marvel Studios hasn't made a clear decision about Majors' MCU future, the Multiverse Saga depends on Kang the Conqueror's involvement, so the issue will soon need to be directly addressed.
Doctor Doom Could Be A Phase 6 Villain Alongside Kang The Conqueror
The joint announcement of Avengers: The Kang Dynasty and Avengers: Secret Wars opens an interesting conversation regarding which villains will be featured in Phase 6. While Kang the Conqueror has been set up as the Multiverse Saga's overarching villain, Avengers: Secret Wars may also be setting up Doctor Doom as a primary villain in Phase 6. Marvel Comics' Doctor Doom is often depicted as an enemy of the Fantastic Four, so it's likely he could debut in Phase 6 given the intense rivalry between Doom and Reed Richards, a.k.a. Mister Fantastic. However, Doctor Doom could also play a major role in Secret Wars, perhaps even replacing Kang the Conqueror.
In Marvel Comics' 2015 Secret Wars event, Doctor Doom builds Battleworld after an incursion destroys the multiverse, using the fragmented pieces of destroyed realities to save a variety of Marvel's characters. His pivotal role in the comics' Secret Wars event means it would be very hard to adapt the story for the MCU without Doctor Doom. While Kang the Conqueror is the clear villain for the majority of the Multiverse Saga and Avengers: The Kang Dynasty, Marvel Studios could quickly replace him with Doctor Doom in Avengers: Secret Wars, setting up Doom as a potential looming threat for Phase 7 and beyond.
The Russo Brothers Won't Return To Direct Avengers 5 or 6
After the massive success of Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers: Endgame, many are expecting the swift and inevitable return of the Russo Brothers to direct future MCU projects. In a 2022 interview with Deadline, the acclaimed Russo Brothers lamented how much they loved Marvel Comics' Secret Wars event, but suggested that adapting it for the live-action MCU would be "incredibly ambitious, [and] a massive undertaking." While it would be fantastic to see Captain America: Civil War directors the Russo Brothers return for Avengers: Secret Wars in Phase 6 of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Kevin Feige revealed the Russo Brothers won't be directing Secret Wars, meaning the director's spot remains vacant.
