Marvel Studios has delayed the release of Avengers: Secret Wars. The studio’s parent business is reshuffling its release schedule, which explains the changes. The film will now premiere on May 1, 2026, six months after its planned release date of November 7, 2025, and six months after its counterpart, Avengers: The Kang Dynasty. The new release date separates the two films by one year, with The Kang Dynasty keeping its original May 2, 2025 release date, following the example of the two universe-altering films directed by fan favourites Joe and Anthony Russo, Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers: Endgame.
Destin Daniel Cretton, who previously directed Shang-Chi and The Legend of the Ten Rings, has been announced as the director of Avengers: The Kang Dynasty. The filmmaker, who did an excellent job introducing Simu Liu’s South Asian superhero to the MCU, will also be debuting the Wonder Man Disney+ series and developing a sequel for Shang-Chi. Following the events of The Kang Dynasty, Secret Wars will introduce new iterations of the eponymous supervillain to the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Jonathan Majors, who made a startling debut as He Who Remains in the Tom Hiddleston–led Loki trilogy that introduced the notion of the variations in the MCU, will play Kang the Conqueror.
Antman and the Wasp: Quantumania, starring Paul Rudd and Evangeline Lilly, is Majors’ next film. If the word from D23 attendees is to be believed, the perfection of the trailer for the Peyton Reed-directed flick is warranted. As Loki Season 1 concludes, we discover that Kang’s statues have replaced the three timekeepers’, suggesting that he will make a debut in Season 2. In one of the comic book arcs, the heroes and villains face combat on Battleword, a world transformed by the Kang Dynasty.
The MCU, true to form, has been dropping hints about the event in all of its Disney+ shows and movies. Though the Russo brothers, who have previously expressed interest in directing the movie, remain a fan favourite, a director and screenplay for Secret Wars have yet to be cast. It is not unusual for the studio to reschedule projects in order to give each one its full attention. Thus, the delay of a year will serve to further elevate the film upon its first release.