Is the MCU Rebooting After ‘Secret Wars’? Kevin Feige Sets the Record Straight

The multiverse has become a significant challenge for Marvel, leading fans to speculate whether ‘Avengers: Secret Wars’ will serve as a complete reset for the franchise. As Phase Six approaches its conclusion, this question has been addressed directly by Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige.

Feige has clarified whether ‘Secret Wars’ will act as a full reboot for the MCU, igniting discussions among dedicated fans of the series.

During an appearance on Josh Horowitz’s Happy Sad Confused podcast, Feige was asked if the MCU would undergo a reboot following ‘Avengers: Secret Wars’. His straightforward answer was “No,” effectively putting an end to years of speculation that the film would completely reset the universe.

Instead of starting anew, Feige indicated that Marvel is using Jonathan Hickman’s Secret Wars comic as a guide for future storytelling. He emphasized that he consistently looks to the comics for inspiration.

This statement seems to dismiss one of the most enduring fan theories, as Marvel has never rebooted its cinematic universe in the same way that DC has. Since ‘Iron Man’ premiered in 2008, every film has maintained continuity.

Despite Feige’s denial of a full reboot, the notion of a potential course correction remains. Feige previously described Marvel’s strategy as more of a “reset” than a reboot, explaining that the term reboot can be intimidating and interpreted in various ways.

He specifically mentioned a singular timeline moving forward, with the X-Men being the next area where a reset could occur. In discussions with trade publications like Variety, Feige confirmed that the studio intends to recast the X-Men characters entirely when they receive their own dedicated MCU film.

This distinction is significant because the current cast of ‘Avengers: Doomsday’ includes several original X-Men actors from the Fox era, even though a full recast is anticipated in the future. Director Joe Russo has also contributed to the speculation, describing the upcoming Avengers films as bringing Marvel “back to phase zero,” a phrase that has intensified fan theories about a soft reset.

In the comics, Secret Wars served as a reset for the Marvel universe, merging the vast multiverse into a single Battleworld and pitting characters against one another in a canonical battle. This structure is a key reason fans expect the film adaptation to follow a similar trajectory, even if it stops short of erasing everything that has come before.

Phase Six incorporates elements from Hickman’s 2015 comic along with aspects of Avengers vs X-Men, with Robert Downey Jr.’s Doctor Doom drawing inspiration from Mark Waid’s Doctor Doom, The Book of Doom arc. This comic influence aligns with Feige’s comments about using Secret Wars as a narrative guide rather than a complete reset.

Several key questions about the post-‘Secret Wars’ era remain, such as whether Phase Seven will introduce a new X-Men franchise and how Fox era characters will be portrayed on screen. Fans are left piecing together Feige’s public statements with the limited concrete information Marvel has provided.

‘Avengers: Doomsday’ was initially scheduled for release on May 1, 2026, but has been moved to December 18, 2026, while ‘Avengers: Secret Wars’ has shifted from May 7, 2027, to December 17, 2027. Anthony and Joe Russo will return as co-directors for both films, working from a script co-written by Michael Waldron and Stephen McFeely.

‘Secret Wars’ will officially conclude Phase Six of the MCU and is expected to start filming in mid-2026. The film will also feature the main cast of ‘Fantastic Four: First Steps’, including Pedro Pascal, Vanessa Kirby, Ebon Moss-Bachrach, and Joseph Quinn.

The Multiverse Saga will officially conclude with ‘Avengers: Secret Wars’, a film that is expected to serve as a soft reboot for the franchise moving forward. With Robert Downey Jr.’s Doctor Doom anticipated to continue the story beyond December’s showdown, the stage is set for one of the most pivotal years in the franchise’s history.

So, is the MCU rebooting after ‘Secret Wars’ or not? Share your theories on what “phase zero” truly means for the future of the franchise.