Summary
- Avengers 5 & 6 face a monumental task trying to replicate the success of Infinity War and Endgame in concluding the Multiverse Saga.
- The absence of Phase 1 heroes and the introduction of numerous new characters may impact the popularity of The Kang Dynasty and Secret Wars.
- The lack of clear build-up to Kang and the confusing nature of the multiverse could pose challenges for the Avengers films.
Bringing the MCU's Multiverse Saga to a close, Avengers: Secret Wars will surely struggle to match the success of Marvel Studios' epic crossover double-feature Infinity War and Endgame. Ten years of MCU projects in the Infinity Saga culminated in 2018's Avengers: Infinity War and 2019's Avengers: Endgame, which brought all the franchise's heroes together in an effort to thwart the Mad Titan Thanos' destructive plans. At SDCC 2022, Marvel Studios chief Kevin Feige detailed plans to replicate this with Phase 6's Avengers films concluding the Multiverse Saga, but they have a huge, and potentially impossible, task on their hands.
Though not much has been revealed about the storylines that will unfold in The Kang Dynasty and Secret Wars, it's thought that Earth's Mightiest Heroes will be pitted against the villainous Kang the Conqueror and his variants while also dealing with the threat of a multiversal incursion. While these promise to be massive additions to the MCU, there is an expectation that The Kang Dynasty and Secret Wars will match the impact of Infinity War and Endgame, but this is a monumental task. Many consider Infinity War and Endgame to be the MCU's peak, so it's difficult to imagine the Multiverse Saga's only Avengers films living up to their success.
10 Avengers 5 & 6 Won't Have Phase 1 Heroes
Even four years after Avengers: Endgame, many MCU viewers are still grieving the loss of several of the original Phase 1 Avengers team. The deaths of Tony Stark and Natasha Romanoff, and the retirement of Steve Rogers in Avengers: Endgame cast a shadow over the MCU's Multiverse Saga which Marvel Studios has struggled to recover from. The fact that these iconic superheroes are unlikely to appear in The Kang Dynasty and Secret Wars - aside from potential cameo appearances - will surely have an impact on the popularity of these projects, particularly since there haven't yet been any clear and consistent replacements for these celebrated heroes.
9 MCU Phases 4, 5 & 6 Have Introduced Too Many Characters
The loss of major heroes in Avengers: Endgame meant that a huge void was left in the MCU's roster. This allowed Marvel Studios to introduce new heroes in the Multiverse Saga, but there have been so many new faces debuting that it's difficult to estimate who might actually become an official member of the Avengers. The MCU's first Avengers projects worked so well because of the smaller group size, letting each character have their fair share of screen time, but so many new heroes potentially being featured in The Kang Dynasty and Secret Wars could over saturate these films, especially since characters from non-MCU franchises are also rumored to be appearing.
8 The MCU Phases 5 & 6 Haven't Been Building Up To Kang Very Clearly
One of the biggest criticisms aimed at the MCU's Multiverse Saga has been the surrounding the lack of connection between Marvel Studios' recent projects. Audiences have struggled to understand how each project links, and how they will all inform the action of The Kang Dynasty and Secret Wars. In comparison, most of the projects in the MCU's Phase 3 teased Infinity War and Endgame, bringing viewers one step closer to these projects with every new release. It's possible that Marvel Studios could begin to repeat this pattern as the MCU inches closer to The Kang Dynasty's 2026 release, but the current level of disconnection could harm the Avengers films.
7 Infinity War & Endgame Focused On 1 Clear Villain
Infinity War and Endgame put only one villain front-and-center, as the films focused on Thanos' quest to collect the Infinity Stones, and then the Avengers' mission to reverse his devastation. This gave Phase 3's Avengers films a clear focus, whereas the MCU's Multiverse Saga has gone in the opposite direction. Jonathan Majors has so far portrayed two primary variants of Kang - He Who Remains and Kang the Conqueror - but even more are set to be introduced before The Kang Dynasty. It's not yet clear exactly what Kang wants to achieve, and the fact that there are an infinite number of Kang variants could quickly confuse the Multiverse Saga's storyline.
6 Avengers: Secret Wars Could Feel Rushed
Marvel Studios' Avengers: Secret Wars is expected to be based on Marvel Comics' 1984 and 2015 events of the same name: two of Marvel Comics' biggest crossover events. 2015's Secret Wars saw an incursion obliterate the multiverse, though characters were kept safe on Doctor Doom's Battleworld. This storyline ran for nine months over dozens of issues, so it will be difficult for Marvel Studios to dilute Secret Wars into a single film. With so many characters rumored to be appearing, it's possible that Secret Wars will end up being rushed, perhaps following in the footsteps of Phase 5's Secret Invasion, which many thought didn't do the Marvel Comics storyline justice.
5 MCU's Avengers Had Multiple Projects Before Infinity War & Endgame
There's pressure on The Kang Dynasty and Secret Wars as they're the only Avengers films being released in the Multiverse Saga, whereas Avengers projects have previously concluded each MCU Phase. So far, there's been seemingly no real set up for the MCU's new Avengers team, so it's possible this may occur completely in The Kang Dynasty, which will take up a lot of time that could be spent diving straight into the action. Infinity War didn't waste any time, as the Avengers had already appeared in three projects, The Avengers, Age of Ultron, and Civil War, which developed their history enough so that Infinity War could get straight to the point.
4 A Confusing Multiverse Needs To Be Explained In Avengers: The Kang Dynasty
Marvel Studios introduced the concept of the multiverse fairly early on in the Multiverse Saga, first broaching the subject in 2021's Loki season 1, but despite this, there still hasn't been a clear explanation of what the multiverse's actual rules are. such as universes, dimensions, realms, timelines, and branching have all been thrown around, but the multiverse seems to only be getting more complex with each new project that releases. What little time The Kang Dynasty has after bringing the MCU's new Avengers together may simply be spent on multiversal exposition, which wouldn't benefit the film at all, so this explanation needs to be sooner rather than later.
3 Endgame's Emotional Impact Will Be Hard To Replicate
One of the most difficult aspects of Infinity War and Endgame to replicate in Phase 6 will be the emotional impact of these epic projects. Avengers: Endgame came after eleven years of stories in the MCU, and featured the deaths of two high-profile and beloved superheroes. This punch was enhanced as audiences had had so much time to become invested in these characters, but the lack of this in the Multiverse Saga has been a huge criticism, as viewers simply aren't connecting as well to the MCU's current roster of heroes. Infinity War and Endgame had a huge cultural and emotional impact that will be practically impossible to repeat.
2 Superhero Fatigue Might Damage Avengers 5 & 6's Box Office
In the wake of the Infinity Saga's conclusion, Marvel Studios branched out to produce TV shows for Disney+ alongside their films, and while this expanded the MCU in some great ways, it led to a massive increase in superhero content. Unfortunately, this influx led to some projects lacking in quality, with scrutiny falling on visual effects and scripts for several Phase 4 and 5 installments. Many have expressed "superhero fatigue", which may be severely damaging for The Kang Dynasty and Secret Wars, as previously dedicated viewers might not be as hyped-up or tempted to go to theaters, which could impact these films' box office totals and Marvel Studios' own popularity.
1 Infinity War & Endgame Were The First Of Their Kind
Even though Marvel Studios continued to produce stories after Infinity War and Endgame, this double-feature acted as the perfect ending to the MCU's Infinity Saga, which is a feat that no other studio has managed to pull off. Nobody but Marvel Studios has been able to deliver such a powerful ending to a superhero franchise - not least because other franchises live in the shadow of the MCU - which poses a huge problem for Avengers: The Kang Dynasty and Avengers: Secret Wars. Even if these films manage to match the impact and spectacle of Infinity War and Endgame, it simply won't be as special, as it's already been done.
