Marvel is admitting defeat and plans to fix its biggest MCU problem with Avengers: Secret Wars.
After the overwhelming success of the Infinity Saga, Marvel entered the Multiverse Saga for Phases Four through Six of the MCU. The idea was to incorporate different superheroes from various timelines and have them interact with the MCU’s stable of recognizable characters. Kang was positioned as an overarching villain of the saga, similar to Thanos in the Infinity Saga.
It’s fair to say the Multiverse Saga has been a disappointment since its inception in 2021. To be fair, Marvel could not have predicted a global pandemic or legal issues with Jonathan Majors that would force the MCU to abandon Kang.
Still, problems were brewing for Marvel outside of those two situations. The MCU became crowded due to the influx of movies in theaters and shows on Disney+. Many of the projects felt like homework, where you wouldn’t understand certain storylines or characters if you missed a movie or show. Instead of building around new characters and trusting new filmmakers to create engaging stories, Marvel relied too heavily on established heroes and bringing past stars back to the MCU. This stunted the growth and potential star power of the new heroes.
2023 is probably the straw that broke the camel’s back for Marvel, with the failures of Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania, Secret Invasion, and The Marvels. Since then, Disney has scaled back the number of Marvel movies and TV shows released per year. Marvel still has to finish the Multiverse Saga with Spider-Man: Brand New Day, Avengers: Doomsday, and Avengers: Secret Wars. Now there is light at the end of the tunnel, and Marvel can get back on track.
Why Avengers: Secret Wars could end the MCU’s confusing Multiverse Saga
Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige spoke at a press event in Shanghai about how Avengers: Secret Wars will reset the MCU and create a “streamlined” universe that will be more straightforward.
“It will establish a streamlined, simplified, single universe that’s easier for audiences to follow,” Feige said. “Some aspects will feel familiar. But many, many things will be entirely new.”
Marvel needs to get back to what worked in the Infinity Saga, which is one timeline in a singular, shared universe. Every movie and show builds toward one epic conclusion, not create homework for the audience, and each one should feel like a self-contained adventure while advancing long-term storytelling.
The Multiverse Saga took too many turns in different directions. It’s still a confusing mess in 2026. Just think about how many characters have shown up, never to be heard from again. I’m looking at you, Eternals.
If Marvel follows through and creates the single universe post-Secret Wars, then there is hope for the MCU after all.
