SDCC 2022: Avengers: Secret Wars could give the MCU the power of a reboot

Marvel Studios is a master at throwing a Hall H party. Despite concerns that San Diego Comic-Con’s irregular schedule would make things less exciting, they delivered. We know a lot now that we didn’t know before. And glimmering on the far end of Marvel’s new timeline is one ominous name: Secret Wars: Avengers.

Marvel Comics has infamously published multiple Secret War events, but there’s only one that is likely to have inspired an arc that includes exploring the multiverse and introducing the Illuminati. And that’s Jonathan Hickman and Esad Ribić’s Secret WarsThe cosmic natural catastrophe that caused the destruction of and the unlikely recreation of the Marvel Multiverse was called.

That’s all: The Marvel Cinematic Universe. You are welcometo bring about fundamental changes within its internal continuity. Secret Wars would be one of the only truly “Marvel Comics” ways was to do it.

The Marvel Method

Photo by Marvel Studios/Disney

That’s in part because Marvel Comics historically does not reboot its full continuity, ever. Contrary to DC Comics’ setting, which is built upon an every-25 years-or so cycle of resetting its characters and reimagining them, Marvel Comics has an uninterrupted line that runs from the Tony Stark in 2022 to the Tony Stark in 1963.

2015’s Secret Wars bucked that trend — not in a way that broke the line between 2015 Tony and 1963 Tony, but in a way that had significant editorial repercussions nonetheless. Namely, Secret WarsThrew out a Marvel Universe.

Marvel Universe Ultimate

Marvel’s Ultimate line, founded in 2000, was arguably the publisher’s biggest success of the decade, an alternate Marvel universe where modern writers and artists had freedom to take the company’s most famous characters and start all over again. And it’s got a heavy hand of influence in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, perhaps best represented in the pick of Samuel L. Jackson to play Nick Fury — Ultimate comics were the first to depict Nick as a Black man who looked This is exactlyJackson is a better choice than any white man who could mistakenly be called David Hasselhoff.

But during Secret WarsIt was the end of the Ultimate Marvel Universe. Actually, all of the Marvel universes died in the run-up to the event. This left only a handful surreal variations that were glued together in this mashup. When the Good Guys won, they restored all the universes, but the Ultimate Marvel Universe died.

Marvel decided to save a few elements of Ultimate Universe that resonated with readers and shutter the editorial lines. This made perfect sense. Secret WarsThe Ultimate Marvel Universe was not a new start when it arrived. It had its own 15 years of continuity to catch up on, and it wasn’t even the HauptseiteMarvel Continuity.

Next year, the Marvel Cinematic Universe will turn 15 Isn’t that interesting?

Are the Marvel Cinematic Universe and its reboot in planning?

Image: Marvel Studios

We won’t find out for a while — probably not until late 2025, when Secret Wars: AvengersThe movie will be released in theaters. You can also bet that Marvel Studios’ Kevin Feige, and all other higher-ups at Marvel Studios, will try to hide the truth until then. At least you now know the reason.

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