Avengers: Doomsday is already proving to be unlike anything the Marvel Cinematic Universe has ever attempted before. For the first time in cinematic history, Earth's Mightiest Heroes will join forces with the Fantastic Four, the Thunderbolts, and the X-Men. With such an ambitious crossover on the horizon, it's easy to forget that an even mightier adventure is set to be released next year.
All roads (even those from alternate universes) lead toward Avengers: Secret Wars—the end of the ongoing Multiverse Saga and the last time we'll see some familiar faces on the big screen. While Marvel is playing its cards close to the chest by revealing very little about this anticipated crossover, it has been reported that Battleworld will play a pivotal part in the film, just as it did in the Secret Wars comic-book storyline. This amalgamation of multiple realities would be the perfect excuse to bring heroes from all across the multiverse to fight for a common goal.
If plenty of iconic MCU heroes are set to appear in Doomsday, then what surprises lie in store for next year? There's a case to be made that absolutely anyone could jump into action at any moment... with the exception of one fan favorite, that is.
Charlie Cox confirms Daredevil won't appear in Avengers: Secret Wars
Doctor Doom can consider himself lucky, as it appears he won't get to go face-to-face with the walking embodiment of justice. Speaking at MCM Comic Con Birmingham, actor Charlie Cox confirmed that he will not reprise his role as Daredevil in Avengers: Secret Wars.
Ever since this iteration of Matt Murdock was introduced in 2015 in the first season of Netflix's Daredevil, he and the rest of the Defenders were isolated from the larger Marvel Universe. It wasn't until the character rights reverted back to Disney that the Man Without Fear was able to appear in projects such as Spider-Man: No Way Home, Echo, and She-Hulk: Attorney at Law. With nothing preventing him from showing up in other superhero projects, fans expected him to appear in either Avengers: Doomsday or Secret Wars, but there might be a good reason this won't be the case.
Street-level heroes have mostly remained isolated from the ongoing multiversal storyline the MCU has been building over the years, with Spider-Man and Ms. Marvel being the two key exceptions. Even then, neither of them has been confirmed to return in Avengers: Doomsday. Additionally, supernatural characters are likely to miss out on the upcoming crossovers, with Oscar Isaac confirming that Moon Knight won't join Earth's Mightiest Heroes anytime soon. But why is this?
Ever since Avengers: Endgame was released, the MCU has been introducing multiple new characters only for them never to be seen again. This strategy was starting to have negative effects on the critical and commercial reception of many projects, which is why the studio has scaled back on the number of yearly releases. Furthermore, it seems this has also affected the overall direction of the MCU, and now heroes that were disconnected from the Multiverse Saga will remain on the sidelines until it's their time to shine again, instead of being shoehorned in just for the sake of it.
On paper, this new strategy makes sense. However, it's also worth noting that the highly rumored creation of Battleworld is bound to affect every single being in the MCU, including street-level heroes. That's why multiple reports indicate that the Defenders will, in fact, appear in Avengers: Secret Wars, despite Charlie Cox suggesting otherwise.
It isn't far-fetched to assume that the two upcoming MCU crossover movies will mark the last appearance of many iconic characters, such as Ant-Man, who is rumored to bite the dust in Avengers: Doomsday. While it's likely that Daredevil, Jessica Jones, Luke Cage, and Iron Fist have a bright and long future ahead of them, this could be Disney's last chance to let them cross paths with other legendary heroes whose stories are coming to an end.
Granted, it's best to always take rumors with a grain of salt and believe Charlie's words instead. However, anything is possible in the MCU, and with a bit of luck, we'll see Daredevil on the big screen sooner rather than later.
Avengers: Secret Wars will be released on Dec. 17, 2027.
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