MCU Phase 5 and 6 movies and Disney+ shows to come). However, the original comics provide good insight into who might appear in Marvel's long-awaited MCU Secret Wars adaptation.
In the mid-1980s, the company published a 12-issue miniseries titled Secret Wars, which encomed all the major cornerstones of the Marvel Universe. In a move that was considered unprecedented at the time, Marvel united characters associated with Spider-Man, the Fantastic Four, the Avengers, and the X-Men. By using a cosmic being called the Beyonder, Marvel created dream teams of heroes and villains, pitting them against each other in a dimension of his own creation called Battleworld. Over the course of the story, Doctor Doom emerged as the primary threat, as he ended up stealing the energy of the Beyonder and using it to become all-powerful. The concept was revived for the 2015 Secret Wars comic, except this time, heroes from across the entire Marvel Comics multiverse were pulled to Battleworld, including characters like Miles Morales from the Ultimates universe and fan-favorite What If...? scenarios like Marvel Zombies. Doctor Doom was once again the villain, this time in his now-infamous God Emperor Doom form.
Marvel has confirmed that it's building toward a big-screen MCU Secret Wars adaptation of the groundbreaking stories that changed the lives of many of its characters. Avengers: Secret Wars already promises to be a game-changing MCU event, especially since it directly follows on from Avengers: The Kang Dynasty, the movie which will no doubt bring Secret Wars 1984 Avengers team.
Captain America
While Kang (or a being of a similar level of power) could theoretically pull a young Steve Rogers variant out of the Multiverse, this scenario is unlikely to ever happen now that Chris Evans has moved on from the MCU. Instead, his place in MCU Secret Wars can be filled by his successor, Sam Wilson (Anthony Mackie). Sam Wilson, formerly Falcon, has been officially confirmed as the new MCU Cap and will star in what happens in Captain America 4, his fellow heroes may find themselves depending on Sam to lead them in a battle of cosmic proportions.
Monica Rambeau as Captain Marvel
Years before Carol Danvers adopted the Captain Marvel mantle, the title belonged to Monica Rambeau (Teyonah Parris), who was an active member of the Avengers when the Beyonder brought her to Battleworld. Monica was introduced to the MCU as a child in Monica may become Captain Marvel. If so, Secret Wars can act as the next step in Monica’s superhero journey by having her represent the cosmic side of the MCU.
Hawkeye
Despite his unfortunate reputation as “the worst Avenger,” Hawkeye was one of the seven Avengers chosen by the Beyonder in Secret Wars 1984. Secret Wars can give him an opportunity to truly prove himself by having him fight alongside the champions of the MCU against some of its most menacing villains. Moreover, after the events of Hawkeye on Disney+, Clint could also be bringing his protege Kate Bishop along for the fight. Other characters, such as Echo, are also linked to Hawkeye and now have an MCU presence, so even if the original arrow-slinging avenger isn't present himself, the MCU has several options to make sure What If...?, or a version from a reality where the Avengers never rectified the finger-snap, meaning Hawkeye is still the violent, grizzled alter-ego Ronin.
She-Hulk
She-Hulk: Attorney At Law is one of the most highly-anticipated 2022 Disney+ MCU releases, but what will Marvel do with Tatiana Maslany’s She-Hulk after the release of her TV series? Other heroes on the Disney+ shows are breaking into the movies, so it stands to reason that Marvel has similar designs on Bruce Banner’s cousin. One of the most exciting options for her character is a spot on its Secret Wars roster. Her power could be a great asset, particularly with the absence of or alongside Mark Ruffalo's Hulk. Interestingly, the original Secret Wars made several changes to the Marvel canon when it concluded, and one of the biggest was She-Hulk replacing The Thing in the Fantastic Four. With the MCU Fantastic Four movie slated for a 2024 release, there's a possibility that a second Fantastic Four movie in Phase 7, after Avengers: Secret Wars, could include Jennifer Walters instead of Ben Grimm.
Thor
When some assumed that Thor arrived on Earth in Infinity War (even though the good guys' celebrations turned out premature). Hopefully, Odinson re to go for the head this time if the opportunity presents itself.
Wasp
Interestingly, the leader of the Avengers during Secret Wars in the comics wasn’t Captain America – it was the Wasp, a.k.a. Janet van Dyne. The MCU Wasp, Hope van Dyne (Evangeline Lilly) doesn’t appear to be on the same path, but Wasp's Avengers: Endgame role was pretty limited, but the positioning of Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania in the MCU release scheduled could mean Avengers: Secret Wars sees her Sam Wilson in calling the shots against Kang and his multiverse-wrecking plans.
Spider-Man
Secret Wars 1984 is most famous for introducing something now integral to Marvel Comics – Symbiotes. No hero was affected by Secret Wars more than Spider-Man. A whole new chapter for him was opened up by his discovery of the black suit, which turned out to be the moment that set Venom in motion. Since the Spider-Man: No Way Home post-credits scene left behind a slither of Symbiote in the MCU, it's unclear whether Marvel/Disney will follow the comics and give Tom Holland his own Symbiote suit in Avengers: Secret Wars. Ironically, the black suit emerging in Avengers 6 is now in some ways less likely, since the movie is a multiverse-crossing affair and the Symbiote left by Tom Hardy's Venom is in Earth-616 (so wouldn't require any reality-hopping shenanigans for Peter Parker to encounter). It might be that Sony/Marvel is saving the Symbiote for a Tom Holland Spider-Man 4, especially since all future iterations of Spider-Man had the Battleworld aspect of Venom's origins written out. The Secret Wars source material is still the original appearance of the black Spider-Man suit though, so the door is open for its introduction in Avengers: Secret Wars.
Deadpool
MCU from the X-Men movies when they were owned by Fox and would give Avengers: Secret Wars the massive scope it would need to truly pay homage to the original comics.
Colossus
Both because of and in addition to Deadpool, Avengers: Secret Wars is an opportunity to place another of the X-Men in the MCU – Colossus. Not only is Colossus (Stefan Kapicic) a key character in both Deadpool movies, he plays an important part in the original Secret Wars 1984 story. He even has a romance plotline, falling in love with an alien priestess and breaking Kitty Pryde's heart in the process (as they were a couple). Several X-Men took part in the Beyonder's Battleworld. If Marvel truly wants to leverage the multiverse and capitalize on the IPs Disney acquired from Fox, Colossus is a great option due to his central part in the Deadpool franchise and his links to the original Secret Wars comic book.
Hulk
Like most Marvel comics crossover events, the Hulk (Bruce Banner) featured prominently in Secret Wars. Just like his cousin Jen, Bruce (Mark Ruffalo) will also no doubt be included in the Avengers: Secret Wars lineup. Hulk will feature in She-Hulk: Attorney at Law on Disney+, so his likely role in Avengers 6 will probably become clearer after She-Hulk's solo series wraps up. In the Secret Wars 1984 comic, it wasn't Smart Hulk on Battleworld though, so already it's pretty obvious that the MCU Hulk will play a very different part in the big-screen Secret Wars adaptation. One thing known for sure is that Hulk's Infinity Gauntlet injury from Avengers: Endgame is fully healed.
