Avengers: Secret War has the opportunity to make multiple non-Marvel Cinematic Universe franchises like never before.
The final installment in the MCU's ongoing multiverse saga, the sixth Avengers movie, currently set for release in 2026, is expected to delve into multiple universes beyond Earth-616, possibly including certain worlds and characters from previous Marvel films, as well as series currently located outside the mainline MCU. With a film as vast as Secret Wars, there really are no limits to the Marvel universe that can be explored in it.
In Phase 4, several of the previous MCU characters return, making their franchise a classic in the multiverse. Spider-Man: No Way Home has taken the lead in this regard, acknowledging that Tobey Maguire's Spider-Man, Andrew Garfield's Spider-Man, and Tom Hardy's Venom are part of the MCU Multiverse. The highly anticipated Deadpool 3 is expected to be identical to Fox's X-Men films, with both Ryan Reynolds and Hugh Jackman reprising their roles as Deadpool and Wolverine, respectively. However, by the time Secret Wars comes out in 2026, there are still plenty of non-MCU franchises waiting to become classics in the expanding Marvel Cinematic Multiverse.
Fox Fantastic Four (2005)
With Fantastic Four about to debut at the MCU, there's never been a better time for Marvel to revisit the first live-action film series featuring an iconic team of superheroes. While Fox's Fantastic Four franchise isn't particularly popular, it does have an exciting connection to the MCU who plays Chris Evans of Thunderbolt. The return of Ioan Gruffudd's Mr. Fantastic, Jessica Alba's Invisible Woman, and Michael Chiklis' Freak will be exciting, but if any character from the 2005 series appears in Secret Wars, it's certainly Evans' Johnny Storm, who is absolutely delightful to interact with MCU's Captain America.
Agents Of SHIELD
Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. was perhaps Marvel's best series, and although it was originally intended to be part of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, it was largely rejected by Canon, especially in the years after WandaVision launched many of the series' Disney+ projects. While the series still contains enough connections to the MCU that some still consider it a canon to this day, Secret Wars could take such claims a step further by having the main characters return through the multiverse. It's certainly heartening to see characters like Daisy Johnson and Bobby Morse end up alongside the Avengers while establishing Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. as its rightful place in the MCU canon.
Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse
Although Homeless excludes Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse from the antics of its multiverse, the hope that the two universes will soon come together has not faded. Secret Wars offers Into the Spider-verse's Miles Morales a great opportunity to meet Tom Holland's Peter Parker for the first time, and can even capture key plots from the comics by making Miles a permanent part of the MCU. Instead, it is rumored that the upcoming sequels Spider-Man: Spider-Man Through and Spider-Man: Beyond Spider-Man will beat Secret War on this feat and potentially incorporate cameos from other live-action Spider-Man films and may even include Tom Holland.
Ghost Rider
While the MCU may have its own Ghost Knight shortly, it's never too late to bring back Johnny Blaze from Nic Cage. While these two Ghost Rider movies are far from the best non-MCU Marvel movies, it's hard to deny the sheer entertainment value of Cage's quirky performance as the superhero of the same name. Cage is often mentioned when discussing potential secret war cameos, and although Cage has so far denied these claims, his return is undoubtedly a major victory for the film. Ghost Rider at Cage updates improved CGI that the original movie can't use, and may be better than ever.
Blade
Wesley Snipes' return as a Blade Warrior is absolutely necessary for Covert Wars. Snipes' return not only allowed him to pass the torch to his MCU successor, Mahershala Ali but also paid tribute to his incredible contributions to the superhero movie genre. The original Blade trilogy proved to the general audience the entertaining nature of comic book movies, paving the way for other groundbreaking franchises like Fox's X-Men and Sam Raimi's Spider-Man trilogy. "Secret War" can acknowledge the huge impact the original Blade movie has had on modern cinema, while also giving Snapple more opportunities to play the iconic Daywalker.
Daredevil
Ben Affleck has starred in Overnight Man and Batman, but his experience with superhero movies has not been smooth, although 2003's Daredevil is often considered one of the worst films in the genre. However, with Charlie Cox's Daredevil becoming popular in the MCU, it may be interesting to see Affleck's version return again. Multiverse events could even reunite Affleck with Jon Favreau, who played his best friend Fergie Nelson in the 2003 film. It would also make Elektra, who Jennifer Garner acquired her own spin-off in 2005, a canon in the MCU multiverse, with the potential for her character to return in Secret Wars as well.
Ang Lee's Hulk
Ang Lee's 2003 Hulk film was plagued by CGI issues and bumpy dialogue but still maintains a certain following to this day. As the first actor to play the Hulk in a live-action movie, Eric Barna will be the perfect actor to return to Secret War, making the Hulk universe officially a classic in the MCU's multiverse. It will also give viewers a chance to see what his version of the Hulk will look like in the updated CGI, solving the biggest problems with the original film. While Marvel may be forced to partner with Universal Studios to make that happen, Eric Barna's return is certainly worth it.
Fox's Fantastic Four (2015)
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