The Avengers crossovers are known for featuring the appearance of most pre-existing Marvel Cinematic Universe characters. Over the years, more and more fan favorites have joined the ranks of Earth's Mightiest Heroes, and this trend won't slow down anytime soon. For the first time in cinematic history, the X-Men, Thunderbolts, and Fantastic Four are set to join the Avengers thanks to the release of Doomsday. So if such a monumental team-up awaits us later this year, what surprises is Marvel holding in store for the future?
Avengers: Secret Wars is set to act as the culmination of the ongoing Multiverse Saga. For the first time in over seven years, audiences will live through a similar experience to watching Avengers: Endgame, except in a much more ambitious fashion this time around. With such high stakes, fans wondered whether new heroes could rise to the occasion and attempt to save the day, and it seems this will be exactly the case.
Avengers: Secret Wars will reportedly feature at least three never-before-seen characters
It's time to make space for the young blood. According to reliable insider Alex Perez (via The Cosmic Circus), Avengers: Secret Wars will feature groups of heroes, each "chasing different stories," mimicking the events of Avengers: Endgame. One of these groups will be composed of Marvel veterans, another one by younger characters (likely the Champions / Young Avengers), and the last of never-before-seen heroes.
One of the biggest perks of the Multiverse Saga is that new characters can appear unannounced, without needing an extensive setup beforehand. The perfect example came during Deadpool & Wolverine, where Gambit showed up out of the blue. Furthermore, John Krasinski had a cameo as Mr. Fantastic in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness. With that in mind, it's nice to know that Marvel will make the most of this trope in the last project of the Multiverse Saga.
Perhaps the most interesting question is: Who exactly will debut during the events of Avengers: Secret Wars? According to industry scoopers Daniel Richtman and Jeff Sneider, Blade will appear in the upcoming MCU crossover. If we were to assume this version of the character won't be played by Wesley Snipes once again, we'd see a new iteration of Eric Brooks make his cinematic debut before his standalone project.
In a similar vein, reports suggest that Ryan Gosling's Ghost Rider will appear in Avengers: Secret Wars, ahead of his solo movie in 2028. If this were true, then a pattern starts to emerge: Marvel is looking to introduce the new generation of heroes set to take over the next saga. With that in mind, we can narrow down the remaining possibilities to a few key candidates.
During San Diego Comic-Con 2026, acclaimed director Ryan Coogler took over the stage to announce that David Jonsson will be Black Panther moving forward, and the character is set to have his own movie in 2028. So maybe the upcoming King of Wakanda could follow a similar path to Ghost Rider and make his debut during the events of Avengers: Secret Wars.
Now that it has been officially confirmed that a new version of the X-Men will take over the MCU, it isn't far-fetched to assume that some of them will join forces with Earth's Mightiest Heroes in Avengers: Secret Wars. After all, Sadie Sink's Jean Grey was already introduced in Spider-Man: Brand New Day, so more mutants could be bound to join her soon.
Of course, the multiverse offers limitless possibilities, so any given character could make an unexpected appearance at any given moment. However, it's unlikely that Marvel will host a cameo fest just for the sake of it. Instead, these never-before-seen characters must have a purpose, and it is likely that they will merely be set up in Avengers: Secret Wars before they steal the spotlight further down the line.
Avengers: Secret Wars will be released on Dec. 17, 2027.
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