It's all but confirmed that Marvel Studios plans to reboot the Marvel Cinematic Universe after Avengers: Secret Wars. It won't be a full-blown fresh start, but dead heroes will supposedly return, and a new status quo will likely be established to usher in the next era of storytelling.
The MCU launched in 2008 with Iron Man and The Incredible Hulk, so the franchise's anniversary in 2028 seems as good a time as any for a fresh start.
With that in mind, we're taking a deep dive into what should be the biggest priorities for the "new" MCU. From the inclusion of certain characters to recastings and how even key locations are portrayed, we believe these suggestions are a solid starting point, especially when it comes to restoring this property to its former glory.
Find out what we're hoping to see in this rumoured reboot by clicking on the "Next"/"View List" buttons below.
6. A New Captain America And Iron Man
It was fun watching Sam Wilson wield the shield in The Falcon and The Winter Soldier and Captain America: Brave New World. Ironheart is another character with potential (albeit in the supernatural realm), but when the MCU is rebooted, Steve Rogers and Tony Stark need to live again.
Chris Evans and Robert Downey Jr. could return to pick up where they left off, but if the likes of James Bond and Batman can be frequently recast, then why not Captain America and Iron Man as well?
This extends to other fallen heroes—Black Widow immediately comes to mind—and those who will likely have to be recast five years from now when MCU vets Chris Hemsworth and Mark Ruffalo, for example, potentially decide to move on from their respective superhero roles. Lehacy heroes haven't worked in the Multiverse Saga, so let's give recasting a try.
5. Return Of The King
This is a really tricky subject to tackle, but on the subject of heroes who should return, T'Challa/Black Panther needs to be somewhere near the top of that list.
Chadwick Boseman's performance as Wakanda's King was superb, and the fact that we lost him so soon will never be anything less than a heartbreaking tragedy. However, we have to believe he'd want the character to live on without him, inspiring people just as he did during his brief tenure in the MCU.
Shuri's story can continue over the next few years, but when this franchise is rebooted, T'Challa should be put front and centre as a King and an Avenger. There are rumblings that F1 star Damson Idris has already been cast for the next Avengers movies, and we'd be fine with him sticking around as Toussaint/T'Challa II, if that's the direction things are heading in.
4. A Reimagined New York City
This would be a minor change in the grand scheme of things, but with a new timeline comes heaps of new opportunities. Among them should be making the MCU's New York City more in line with what we've been seeing on the page for decades.
Give us Avengers Mansion and have the Baxter Building tower over the rest of the Big Apple's skyscrapers! This can even extend to Westchester, where we'd obviously like to see the X-Mansion in all its rebooted glory.
The MCU is a reflection of our world, but there's no harm in embracing the source material, even going so far as to give the Inhumans a base on the moon and for the likes of the Savage Land and Latveria becoming places we spend a lot of time in moving forward. Put simply, it's time for the MCU to be less Ultimates and more Avengers.
3. Spider-Man...Well, Spider-Men
It would be all too easy for Marvel Studios and Sony Pictures to end their agreement after Avengers: Secret Wars, finally giving Ari Arad what he wants: Spider-Man.
With that, the wall-crawler would be thrown into all manner of terrible Morbius-like projects, with Arad (the worst thing that's ever happened to Spidey) likely destroying the character's reputation just as he very nearly did in the mid-2010s with his wider plans for The Amazing Spider-Man movies.
Beyond Spider-Man: Brand New Day and this reboot, the web-slinger must remain part of the MCU. Despite some controversial changes, Marvel Studios has proven that they know how to handle this character on screen in a way Sony cannot, and after Spider-Man 6, the torch should surely be passed to Miles Morales.
2. A Redefined Role For The Legacy Heroes
Now, you might be reading this feature thinking we simply want to go back to how things were, saying goodbye to the likes of Yelena Belova, Kate Bishop, and Ms. Marvel in the process. Absolutely not. Those characters should still be a big part of what comes next, including in projects where they're the leads.
In some cases, these characters can actually remain permanent replacements for their predecessors. After all, there really aren't that many places left for Clint Barton's story to go at this stage, so why not have Kate take over as Hawkeye?
There's a delicate balance to be found here, but just because the spotlight will be put back on many of the heavy-hitters, that doesn't mean there isn't room for newer heroes. Marvel Studios just needs to focus on continuing to better establish them over the next couple of years.
1. X-Men Front And Centre (And The Fantastic Four)
As we enter a new era of storytelling, the X-Men, for a while at least, must be the team that the wider MCU revolves around.
Whether we meet them as teenagers or an established team, there are countless places to take their stories, particularly with Marvel Studios calling the shots in place of 20th Century Fox. This is also relevant to the Fantastic Four, another group that is every bit as important to this world as The Avengers.
Crucially, both sets of heroes have villains who are Thanos and Kang-level threats to the MCU. Apocalypse, Magneto, Doctor Doom, Annihilus, Mister Sinister...the list goes on and on. A reboot presents Marvel Studios with the opportunity to massively shake things up by shifting the spotlight to two more heroic teams.