We recently reported on the plethora of Marvel news from Comic-Con 2022. Among the many thrilling announcements: the reveal of Phase Five and Phase Six of the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU), which will kick off in 2023 and conclude in 2025.
It may seem premature to talk about it, but the two movies set to conclude Phase Six are Avengers: The Kang Dynasty and Avengers: Secret Wars. The former film will place Jonathan Majors' fearsome Kang the Conqueror centre stage – he's previously made an appearance (as Kang variant He Who Remains) in Loki and will play a more substantive role in the nascent Phase Five movie Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania. The third Ant-Man film is released in February 2023.
While we know relatively little about either of the next Avengers movies, it's been announced that Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings director Destin Daniel Cretton will be helming the first of them. Having spun the Shang-Chi origin story into a fun and visually exuberant martial arts adventure, Cretton will now be embarking on his most ambitious Marvel project to date.
The Hollywood Reporter broke the news of Cretton's involvement in The Kang Dynasty. The busy filmmaker is also reportedly hard at work on the Shang-Chi sequel, which will reunite us with Simu Liu's likable title character. (One assumes the movie will also showcase Shang-Chi's abilities with the aforementioned Ten Rings, bequeathed to him by Tony Leung's conflicted father figure Wenwu/The Mandarin.)
Avengers: The Kang Dynasty will be released on May 2nd 2025, followed by Avengers: Secret Wars (which the Russo brothers are definitely not directing) on 7th November 2025.
Just announced in Hall H:
— Marvel Studios (@MarvelStudios) July 24, 2022
Marvel Studios' Avengers: The Kang Dynasty, in theaters May 2, 2025. #SDCC2022 pic.twitter.com/kCxeyYwgN5
Just announced in Hall H:
— Marvel Studios (@MarvelStudios) July 24, 2022
Marvel Studios' Avengers: Secret Wars, in theaters November 7, 2025. #SDCC2022 pic.twitter.com/FXQ5ZbzQYl
Phases Four to Six in the Marvel Cinematic Universe have now adopted the umbrella term 'The Multiverse Saga.' The possibilities of said multiverse have been teased in the likes of Spider-Man: No Way Home and Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness.
Marvel Studios welcomes you to The Multiverse Saga. pic.twitter.com/HC1b747YPl
— Marvel Studios (@MarvelStudios) July 24, 2022
We're now anticipating the multiverse's potential impact in the forthcoming Black Panther: Wakanda Forever. The Ryan Coogler-directed movie will conclude Phase Four of the MCU and must grapple with the tragic absence of T'Challa actor Chadwick Boseman who passed away in August 2020.
It's long been speculated that the first Black Panther's Michael B. Jordan may be reinstated via the power of the multiverse. Jordan gained acclaim for his role as the complex villain Killmonger, so will he be contorted via time and space to re-emerge as the movie's hero?
We'll find out for certain when Black Panther: Wakanda Forever is released on November 11th 2022. Check out the trailer below and drop us your own theories, plus your thoughts on director Destin Daniel Cretton directing the next Avengers movie, @Cineworld.