How the Third Set of ‘Avengers’ Movies Might Be Different From the Previous 2
Marvel‘s Infinity Saga marked a huge accomplishment for the superhero genre, spanning 23 films over 10 years. And after Marvel’s panel at the 2022 San Diego Comic-Con, it seems the studio has no plans of slowing down. The third set of Avengers movies was one of the biggest announcements to come out of the recent convention. And based on what we know about the films so far, they might be very different from previous Avengers installments.
‘Avengers: Secret Wars’ and ‘Avengers: The Kang Dynasty’ announced at SDCC 2022
Marvel teased several of its Phase 5 and Phase 6 projects at the 2022 San Diego Comic-Con. In addition to unveiling the timeline for upcoming movies and TV shows, the studio also shared some major updates pertaining to the highly anticipated ensemble films Avengers: Secret Wars and Avengers: The Kang Dynasty.
While not much is known about the movie’s premise, Avengers: The Kang Dynasty will likely see the titular superhero team facing off against Kang the Conqueror. Played by Jonathan Majors, the time-hopping villain was introduced in Disney+’s Loki series. Kang is poised to become the franchise’s next big bad following Thanos’ defeat in Avengers: Endgame. The movie is slated to premiere May 2, 2025, as part of the MCU’s Phase 6.
Avengers: Secret Wars will follow The Kang Dynasty as part of an epic two-part event. In the comics, Secret Wars merges its mainstream canon with the parallel “Ultimate Marvel” universe, causing cataclysmic events in which the two realities collide. The movie is set to arrive in theaters Nov. 7, 2025.
While a full cast has yet to be announced for both of the movies, it’s more than likely that Majors will take center stage as Kang. There’s also speculation that other major Avengers characters will show up in some capacity, including Doctor Strange (Benedict Cumberbatch), Captain Marvel (Brie Larson), and Thor (Chris Hemsworth).
What a director choice might say about the future of ‘Avengers’ movies
At Comic-Con, fans also learned that Destin Daniel Cretton will direct Avengers: The Kang Dynasty, per Deadline. Cretton previously directed Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings. This surprised some fans who thought Marvel would bring back the Russo brothers for a Secret Wars project after they talked at length about wanting to adapt that specific storyline in the MCU.
Moreover, Marvel’s decision to announce only one director so far for its two upcoming Avengers installments indicates what could be a big change for the studio: not having the same directors make Avengers movies in pairs.
Brothers Anthony and Joe Russo helmed Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers: Endgame. Joss Whedon directed The Avengers and Avengers: Age of Ultron. Because Cretton was only confirmed to be directing one of the upcoming Avengers movies, there’s a possibility that someone else could be taking charge of Secret Wars.
At Comic-Con, MTV News asked Marvel President Kevin Feige whether the Russo brothers would be helming the upcoming Avengers movies. Feige responded: “We do not have a director for Secret Wars, and you will see about some of the other director announcements at some point. But no, [the Russo brothers] are not lying to you. They’re telling the truth. They’re very busy running their AGBO empire.”
Of course, Feige could just be misdirecting fans — something Marvel Studios is known for doing. And the Russos could be playing along. But for now, we still only know The Kang Dynasty director for sure.
Other exciting Marvel projects in the works
Marvel has been steadily pumping out new content in recent years, especially on Disney+. Phase 5 and Phase 6 will continue to give fans plenty of new stories. They will expand on established characters, such as Mackie’s Captain America, and focus on newer characters, such as Iman Vellani’s Kamala Khan.
Over the next few years, fans can get excited for projects including Black Panther: Wakanda Forever (2022), Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania (2023), Secret Invasion (2023), Loki Season 2 (2023), Captain America: New World Order (2024), and Thunderbolts (2024), among others. Phase 6 will then end with Avengers: Secret Wars in 2025.
