Avengers: Secret Wars: Release date, what to expect, leaks and more

Avengers: Secret Wars is set to hit theaters on May 1, 2026. The film will serve as a direct sequel to Avengers: The Kang Dynasty and will close out the Multiverse Saga, which began with the Disney+ miniseries WandaVision on January 15, 2021.

The film will adapt the famous comic book storyline of Secret Wars that features almost every Marvel hero from different universes. Interestingly, there were two storylines of the same name, one hit comic book published from 1984 and the other hit publication released in 2015.

Since Secret Wars will be the finale of the Multiverse Saga, fans have a lot of expectations for the film. The movie is rumored to feature not only heroes from the Marvel Cinematic Universe but also heroes from every major movie by the studio, especially non-MCU films.

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The makers of Avengers: Secret Wars can either choose to follow the 1984 or 2015 storyline of the comic or proceed by incorporating both materials

Avengers: Secret Wars to hit theaters May 1, 2026 (Image via Marvel Studios)

As mentioned above, Avengers: Secret Wars is set to hit theaters on May 1, 2026. At the San Diego Comic Con 2022, Kevin Feige announced that the film was originally scheduled to be released on November 7, 2025, six months after Avengers: The Kang Dynasty. However, it was later postponed to be released the following year.

The delay was due to Marvel reevaluating structural changes to the Phase 5 and 6 slate. This came after the backlash they faced against Phase 4 and other production delays, such as Blade and Deadpool 3, which were originally supposed to release on November 3, 2023, and September 6, 2024, respectively. However, the release dates were shifted to September 6, 2024, and November 8, 2024, after Blade lost its director Bassam Tariq.

As of now, the only confirmed detail regarding Avengers: Secret Wars is that Michael Waldron will pen the script. He previously wrote the scripts for the Disney+ series Loki and the MCU film Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness.

Since the film is in development, plot details are scarce. However, if one goes by the comic timeline, there are two ways it can be adapted by Avengers: Secret Wars. On the other hand, comic insider @Comicodigy reported that The Beyonder is going to be the main antagonist of the film.

One possible route Avengers: Secret Wars can follow is by adapting the 1984 comic, which sees all the famous Marvel heroes and villains meet in the Battleworld after being transported to the location by The Beyonder. The heroes and villains are then forced to fight for the villain's entertainment. The storyline is also famous for introducing the Venom Symbiote, which later bonds with Spider-Man.

The 1984 comic was commercially successful but was disliked by some readers who criticized the story for its shallow narrative and only saw it as a way to market Marvel action figures and toys. However, fans of the comic still love the plot to this day.

Another route Avengers: Secret Wars can take is by relying on the 2015 comic material, which majorly focuses on the prime Marvel universe (Earth 616) colliding with the Ultimate Marvel universe (Earth-1610). The storyline is also famous for integrating fan-favorite character Miles Morales (Spider-Man) in its narrative, who originates within the Ultimate universe of the main Marvel timeline.

In the 2015 Secret Wars comic, Doctor Doom harnesses the power of The Beyonder to create a new Battleworld, which is a combination of all alternate universes within Marvel comics. Ever the greedy and power-hungry villain, Doom installs himself as the Emperor. When the heroes and villains arrive in the Battleworld, they have no recollection of their past lives in their respective universes prior to Doom's rule.

The third alternative that Marvel can proceed with is by taking elements from both the 1984 and 2015 storylines and putting their own unique take on the story of Avengers: Secret Wars.

As for plot leaks regarding the upcoming film, there is only one reputable insider, @MyTimeToShineH, who has stated that Avengers: Secret Wars will be shown to audiences via the point of view of heroes outside the MCU and across the Multiverse. Meanwhile, Avengers: The Kang Dynasty will focus on the New Avengers and MCU heroes.

However, concerning the cast details leaks, several Marvel insiders have tweeted about them, albeit without any official confirmation by the studio. As such, here are some of the following heroes who are rumored to make an appearance in Avengers: Secret Wars:

• Robert Downey Jr. as Tony Stark/Iron Man
• Scarlett Johansson as Natasha Romanoff/Black Widow
• Josh Brolin as Thanos
• Hugh Jackman as Wolverine
• Patrick Stewart as Professor X
• Tobey Maguire and Andrew Garfield as Spider-Man
• Wesley Snipes as Blade

However, these leaks should be taken with a grain of salt.

So far, there are yet to be any official announcements about who will appear in the film since it is in early development. However, due to the movie being part of Marvel Studios, fans can expect popular MCU heroes such as Captain Marvel, Hulk, Thor, Shang-Chi, and Spider-Man to make their comeback.

Additionally, fans can expect cameos from the aforementioned Robert Downey Jr.'s Iron Man and Scarlett Johansson's Black Widow alongside non-MCU characters like Patrick Stewart's Professor X, Hugh Jackman's Wolverine, and Tobey Maguire's Spider-Man.

Moreover, if Jonathan Majors' Kang is not killed off in Avengers: The Kang Dynasty, the fanbase can also see him appear in Avengers: Secret Wars.