Marvel fired Jonathan Majors after the guilty verdict in his domestic abuse trial, to no one’s surprise. This prompted speculation that Kang might be gone from the MCU for good due to the association between the villain and the actor. In turn, this might force Marvel to rethink the Multiverse Saga’s storyline to make room for a different villain who would fight the Avengers in The Kang Dynasty and Secret Wars.
As for the Avengers 5 subtitle, it might not be The Kang Dynasty anymore. But it would still be the first part of a two-part Secret Wars story.
Nothing is confirmed for the moment, and Marvel has plenty of time to announce a new title. There are even rumors that Avengers 5 and Avengers 6 are getting delayed. I don’t just think delays are warranted; I think Marvel should postpone both releases no matter what. These Avengers movies need to be as good as Infinity War and Endgame.
But while I expect delays, I also hope we’ll get more crossovers until then. Marvel doesn’t need to put so much effort into avoiding mentioning the Avengers until they return in the next Avengers movies. Some spoilers might follow below.
It’s not just about Kang
Marvel changed the original Avengers 5 and Avengers 6 release dates long before Majors’s trial. The current premiere dates are May 1st, 2026, and May 7th, 2027.
But Marvel insider Alex Perez says it’s best not to cling to those release dates. He also teased in a report that Marvel is working on various storylines in addition to the big multiverse story.
Marvel’s firing of Kang would be just one of the good reasons to delay the conclusion of the Multiverse Saga. Whether Marvel recasts the role or not, it’ll need time to build towards Avengers 5 and Avengers 6. To make the audience care about the villains.
I will remind you that Marvel has only one movie set to hit theaters next year. That’s Deadpool 3. Everything else MCU-related is hitting Disney Plus. That has nothing to do with Kang. Because of the strikes, Marvel had to delay various movies, Deadpool 3 included.
That’s the main reason I’ve been expecting Avengers 5 and Avengers 6 delays. For example, Marvel is busy with reshoots for Captain America: Brave New World. Work on Thunderbolts and Fantastic Four is yet to start. And forget about Blade, considering all the drama around that picture. At this point, it’s a miracle Marvel hasn’t canceled it.
Finally, the most important reason to delay Avengers 5 and Avengers 6 concerns Marvel’s biggest problem right now: The quality of the MCU.
We need more Avengers in the MCU
The strikes came right in time to help Marvel fix the MCU. The year 2023 has not been kind to the MCU. Quantumania and Secret Invasion are big disappointments, especially the latter. Sadly, The Marvels paid the price for all the quality issues, even though it’s much better than the other two.
The Captain America 4 reshoots indicate that the MCU needs fixing. And that’s for the better. I hate to imagine a scenario where the next Avengers adventures would not be great stories.
But while I’m ready to wait as long as it takes for great Avengers 5 and Avengers 6 stories, I hope Marvel will correct its ways when it comes to crossovers. It certainly seems to have started doing it with The Marvels.
What I’m getting at is that we need these standalone MCU movies and TV shows to provide connections to the larger picture. That includes more meaningful Avengers mentions or Avengers involvement.
We’re not in the early days of the MCU when we didn’t have Avengers or expectations of such connections. And you can’t sideline your heroes for so long just to introduce the new one. Hopefully, it’ll start with Brave New World. Then, movies like Spider-Man 4 and even Thunderbolts could deliver more Avengers connections.
Perez’s scoop that Marvel is building additional storylines in the MCU also implies we’ll see all sorts of interesting team-ups down the road. But not necessarily the connections I’d want.
Whatever the case, I’m definitely hopeful that Marvel can fix the MCU and that Avengers 5 and Avengers 6 will be great movies.