Summary
- Not all MCU Phase 4 characters will be in the next Avengers movies, according to Kevin Feige. Choices must be made.
- Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige mentions that just because some heroes won’t be in the Avengers films, doesn’t mean they will never return.
- Characters such as Shang-Chi and Sam Wilson will likely play a big role in the upcoming Avengers movies.
While the next two Avengers movies, Avengers 5 and Avengers: Secret Wars, will be massive films, not every Marvel Cinematic Universe character will be in them, says Kevin Feige. Following the news that the Russo brothers might be returning to the MCU as the directors of the next two Avengers movies, all eyes are on what Marvel Studios has planned for the epic massive crossover.
It is following in some big shoes, particularly after Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers: Endgame united the various corners of the Marvel Cinematic Universe with The Avengers, Spider-Man, Black Panther, Doctor Strange, Captain Marvel, Ant-Man and Guardians of the Galaxy all coming together.
With how massive Phase 4 and Phase 5 have been, there has been speculation about how the next two Avengers movies would fit in all the previous heroes into the story.
While speaking with Gizmodo, Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige revealed that not every hero will be in the next two-part Avengers installment. While he did say not every character will be in the film, he told fans not to worry as that doesn’t mean those characters will never be seen again, as he points to Tim Blake Nelson’s return as the Leader nearly sixteen years after The Incredible Hulk as a sign that the door is open at Marvel Studios. Feige said:
“I rarely speak in absolutes like that, right? The notion of never ever seeing somebody again, we’ve got Tim Blake Nelson in a movie coming up next year, right? So I never talk in absolutes like that. But the truth is, you know, we’re going to tell a story in these
Avengers
movies, and there won’t be room for 100,000 characters in it. So choices will have to be made, that’s for sure. But that doesn’t mean you won’t ever see anybody ever again.”
Related
Prediction: Why Avengers 5 Will Be Changed to Avengers vs. X-Men
With Marvel scrapping plans for Avengers: The Kang Dynasty, it is likely the MCU’s Avengers 5 will be Avengers vs. X-Men.
Who Is off the Table?
Phases 4 and 5 have introduced many new heroes like She-Hulk, Shang-Chi, Moon Knight, Werewolf by Night, Ms. Marvel, and Echo, just to name a few. Meanwhile, Sam Wilson becomes the new Captain America, and Shuri becomes the new Black Panther. With so many characters, who is likely going to play a role in this next Avengers film?
Up to 60 characters have already been teased to be part of the film. Obvious picks for characters who might be completely off the board are after-credit cameo teases like Hercules from Thor: Love and Thunder, Clea from Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, and Starfox from Eternals. The Eternals themselves seem like a big question mark given the film’s mixed reaction, and Kit Harrington’s Dane Whitman/Black Knight will also likely sit this one out.
Jeff Loveness, the original screenwriter of Avengers 5 when it was called Avengers: The Kang Dynasty, already said the X-Men and Fantastic Four were not part of the script. While it is unclear if that remains the case as Loveness is not writing the film, there is a chance that the Fantastic Four will not factor into the fifth film but might appear in Avengers: Secret Wars.
The Thunderbolts team also might not be a significant factor in whatever the next big Avengers adventure ends up being, and there is no word on the Guardians of the Galaxy following Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3‘s conclusion. That film did feature a new team at the end of the film, but given James Gunn’s guiding hand on the franchise and his now working at DC Films, Marvel Studios might provide those characters with a rest.
Meanwhile, characters like Agatha Harkness and Echo might not be top priority for an epic Avengers film, but they’ll likely remain anchor characters for the smaller-scale stories of the MCU.
This does show one big problem that the Multiverse Saga has that the Infinity Saga did not. Marvel’s decision to only make Avengers movies as big, massive saga conclusions instead of ending the individual phases like before has left the projects feeling scattered.
With no core Avengers team in place, it is unclear who the main driving forces of the franchise are. No new team dynamic has been established between characters like Shang-Chi and She-Hulk with each other or previous heroes like Doctor Strange and Captain Marvel.
Will the Young Avengers be part of Avengers 5 or will they be spun off into their own film? It is unclear and puts a lot more pressure on the next two Avengers movies to both do what The Avengers did and establish a new team dynamic while also doing what Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers: Endgame did and building an epic conclusion.
Avengers 5
opens in theaters on May 1, 2026.
Avengers: Secret Wars
opens in theaters on May 7, 2027.