From Agents of SHIELD to the Fantastic Four, Avengers: Secret Wars has the potential to make several old Marvel franchises canon in the MCU.
Avengers: Secret Wars has the opportunity to make several non-Marvel Cinematic Universe franchises canon in a way that has never been done before. As the final entry in the MCU’s ongoing Multiverse Saga, the sixth Avengers film, which is currently slated for a 2026 release date, is highly expected to delve into multiple universes outside Earth-616, potentially including certain worlds and characters from Marvel’s previous films and series that currently lay outside the mainline MCU. With a film as expansive as Secret Wars, there is truly no limit to which Marvel worlds could be explored therein.
During Phase 4, several pre-MCU characters have returned, thereby making their franchises canon in the Multiverse. Spider-Man: No Way Home led the charge in this regard, acknowledging the universes of Tobey Maguire’s Spider-Man, Andrew Garfield’s Spider-Man, and Tom Hardy’s Venom as parts of the MCU’s Multiverse. The highly anticipated Deadpool 3 is expected to do the same with Fox’s X-Men movies, with Ryan Reynolds and Hugh Jackman both set to reprise their roles as Deadpool and Wolverine, respectively. By the time Secret Wars hits theaters in 2026, however, there will still be plenty of non-MCU franchises waiting to be made canon within the expanding Marvel Cinematic Multiverse.
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Fox’s Fantastic Four (2005)
With the Fantastic Four about to make their MCU debut, now is the perfect time for Marvel to revisit the very first live-action franchise to feature the iconic superhero team. While Fox’s Fantastic Four franchise was not particularly well-received, it does have one exciting connection to the MCU in the form of Chris Evans, who portrayed the Human Torch. The return of Ioan Gruffudd’s Mister Fantastic, Jessica Alba’s Invisible Woman, and Michael Chiklis’s Thing would be exciting, but if any character from the 2005 franchise should appear in Secret Wars, it is certainly Evans’s Johnny Storm, who would be an absolute delight to see interacting with the MCU’s Captain America.
Agents Of SHIELD
Agents of SHIELD is perhaps Marvel’s best show which, despite being initially intended to be a part of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, has been largely disavowed from canon, especially in the years after WandaVision kicked off the franchise’s many Disney+ projects. While the series does still include enough connections to the MCU for some to consider it canon to this day, Secret Wars could go a long way in furthering such claims by having the main characters return via the Multiverse. Seeing characters like Daisy Johnson and Bobbi Morse finally fight alongside the Avengers would certainly be exhilarating, while simultaneously establishing Agents of SHIELD‘s rightful place in MCU canon.
Spider-Man: Into The Spider-Verse
Although No Way Home excluded Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse from its Multiversal antics, hope is not lost for the two universes to come together one day soon. Secret Wars presents a perfect opportunity for Into the Spider-Verse‘s Miles Morales to meet Tom Holland’s Peter Parker for the first time and could even take a key plot point from the comics by making Miles a permanent part of the MCU. Conversely, the upcoming sequels, Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse and Spider-Man: Beyond the Spider-Verse, are heavily rumored to beat Secret Wars to this feat, potentially incorporating cameos from the other live-action Spider-Men into the film, perhaps even including Tom Holland.
Ghost Rider
Although the MCU may be getting its own Ghost Rider in the near future, it is never too late to bring back Nic Cage’s Johnny Blaze. Although the two Ghost Rider films are far from the best non-MCU Marvel films, it is difficult to deny the sheer entertainment value of Cage’s eccentric performance as the eponymous superhero. Cage has often been brought up in discussions of potential Secret Wars cameos and, although the actor has denied these claims so far, his return would certainly be a major victory for the film. Updated with improved CGI that wasn’t available for the original films, Cage’s Ghost Rider may be better than ever.
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Blade
Wesley Snipes’ return as Blade is absolutely necessary for Secret Wars. Not only would Snipes’ return allow him to pass the torch on to his MCU successor, Mahershala Ali, but it would also pay homage to his incredible contributions to the superhero film genre. The original Blade trilogy was paramount in proving to general audiences that comic book films could be entertaining, paving the way for other seminal franchises like Fox’s X-Men and Sam Raimi’s Spider-Man trilogy. Secret Wars can acknowledge the colossal impact that the original Blade films had on modern cinema, while also giving Snipes one more opportunity to play the iconic Daywalker.
Daredevil
Having portrayed both Daredevil and Batman, Ben Affleck has had a troubled history with superhero movies, though 2003’s Daredevil is often considered one of the worst films the genre has to offer. However, with the popularity of Charlie Cox’s Daredevil in the MCU, it may be fun to see Affleck’s version return once more. A Multiverse event could even Affleck to reunite with Jon Favreau, who portrayed his best friend Foggy Nelson in the 2003 film. This would also make Jennifer Garner’s Elektra, who received her own spinoff in 2005, canon in the MCU’s Multiverse, potentially allowing her character to return in Secret Wars as well.
Ang Lee’s Hulk
Ang Lee’s 2003 Hulk film was plagued by CGI problems and campy dialogue but still retains a modest following to this day. As the first actor to portray the Hulk in a live-action film, Eric Bana would be a perfect actor to return in Secret Wars, making the universe of Hulk officially canon in the MCU’s Multiverse. It would also provide audiences with an opportunity to see what his version of the Hulk would look like with updated CGI, fixing the biggest problem with the original film. Though Marvel may be forced to collaborate with Universal Studios to make it happen, Eric Bana’s return would certainly be worth the effort.
Fox’s Fantastic Four (2015)
Many mistakes were made with 2015’s Fantastic Four movie, but that certainly doesn’t exclude its universe from returning in the Multiverse Saga. The MCU has a habit of embracing its old mistakes and can do the same for Fox’s much-disparaged film. The cast, which included Miles Teller, Kate Mara, Michael B. Jordan, and Jamie Bell, was not without its talent, and certainly deserves one last chance at proving their merit as Marvel’s first family. Although the MCU may simply elect to allow Fantastic Four to continue to fade into obscurity, its cast has the potential to engage in the biggest comeback story within the events of Avengers: Secret Wars.
