NEED TO KNOW
Kevin Feige is giving some new details about the future of the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
In a conversation with press, including Variety, the Marvel Studios president discussed what some of the franchise’s most beloved characters might look like down the line.
Namely, per Feige, there are plans to recast the X-Men mutants following Avengers: Secret Wars (2027) — as well as Robert Downey Jr.’s Tony Stark/Iron Man, who died during the events of 2019’s Avengers: Endgame, and Chris Evans’ Steve Rogers/Captain America.
But Feige, 52, hesitated to use the word “reboot” to describe future installments in the MCU. As he explained, “Reboot is a scary word” and “can mean a lot of things to a lot of people,” Variety reports.
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“Reset, singular timeline — we’re thinking along those lines,” the executive continued, adding later that the “reset” will “happen next” with the X-Men.
Feige also noted that the X-Men comics “have been a place to tell stories about young people who feel different and who feel Other and who feel like they don’t belong.”
“That’s the universal story of mutants, and that is where we’re going,” he added.
And while Endgame “literally was about endings,” Feige said, “Secret Wars is about is about beginnings,” Variety reports.
His comments echo those he made back in November 2024 during a Disney Content Showcase in Singapore, when he teased “some X-Men players that you might recognize” in the MCU’s “next few movies” — a slate which also includes Avengers: Doomsday in 2026.
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“And then right after that, the whole story of Secret Wars really leads us into a new age of mutants and of the X-Men,” he said, per Entertainment Weekly. “And, again, one of these dreams come true that we finally have the X-Men back at Marvel Studios.”
In his new comments, Feige stressed that recasts in franchises aren’t a new concept, using the example of David Corenswet as the newest Superman and the ongoing search for a new James Bond, after Daniel Craig’s exit.
“I think it’s hard for anybody to do that when an actor has done such a great role,” Feige said. “How are they going to ever replace Sean Connery [as Bond], right?”
The most recent MCU installment, The Fantastic Four: First Steps, is in theaters Friday, July 25.
