Secret Wars Explained
Updated
Avengers: Secret Wars (December 17, 2027) closes the Multiverse Saga. It's named for two of Marvel's biggest comic events. Here's what they were, and what the film is expected to adapt.
Secret Wars (1984): the original
The first Secret Wars was Marvel's original mega-crossover: a cosmic entity called the Beyonder abducted Earth's heroes and villains and stranded them on a patchwork planet called Battleworld to fight. Its lasting legacies: Spider-Man's black suit (later revealed as the Venom symbiote) and the proof that universe-spanning crossovers could work.
Secret Wars (2015): the one that matters
Jonathan Hickman's 2015 Secret Wars is the version the MCU film is expected to draw on. The setup: incursions (collisions between parallel universes) were destroying reality. When the final incursion hit, Doctor Doom seized the fragments of dead universes and stitched them into a new Battleworld, ruling it as God Emperor Doom. The surviving heroes had to overthrow a god to rebuild the multiverse. Note that the MCU has already introduced incursions as a concept (see our multiverse explainer).
What we know about the film (confirmed)
- Title and date: Avengers: Secret Wars, releasing December 17, 2027.
- Saga placement: it closes the Multiverse Saga, following Avengers: Doomsday (December 18, 2026).
- Direction: Joe and Anthony Russo, announced in July 2024 to direct both Doomsday and Secret Wars.
- Prep guide: our Secret Wars prep guide tracks the essential viewing.
What we don't know (labeled speculation)
Speculation, not confirmed: the plot, the full cast, whether Battleworld appears, and how closely the film follows the 2015 comics. What's reasonable to expect: a multiversal collision bringing together heroes from across realities. The MCU has spent the entire saga assembling the pieces (the TVA, incursions, legacy Fox characters via the multiverse). But treat every "leaked plot" as rumor until Marvel confirms it.
Why it matters: the saga reset
In the comics, Secret Wars (2015) ended with the multiverse rebuilt from scratch, a clean slate. The MCU is widely expected to use its Secret Wars the same way: closing the Multiverse Saga and launching what fans have dubbed the Mutant Saga (Phase 7 and beyond; Marvel hasn’t officially named it), possibly with a refreshed continuity. If that happens, it will be one of the most consequential films the MCU has made.
To understand the stakes, the essential viewing is the multiverse spine itself: Loki Seasons 1–2 (the TVA, the branching, Yggdrasil), Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness (incursions), Spider-Man: No Way Home (variants crossing over), and Deadpool & Wolverine (the Void, anchor beings). Together they're the rulebook Secret Wars will play by, and our multiverse explainer breaks those rules down one by one.
FAQ
When does Avengers: Secret Wars release?
December 17, 2027. It closes the MCU’s Multiverse Saga, one year after Avengers: Doomsday.
Is Secret Wars based on the comics?
It takes its name and core concept from Marvel’s Secret Wars comic events (1984 and especially 2015), in which Doctor Doom rules a patchwork Battleworld. The exact adaptation is unconfirmed.
What is Battleworld?
In the 2015 comics, Battleworld is a planet stitched together from the fragments of destroyed universes, ruled by God Emperor Doom. Whether it appears in the film is unconfirmed.
Do I need to read the comics before Secret Wars?
No, but the 2015 Secret Wars by Jonathan Hickman is the single best primer for what the film may adapt.