For just about everyone except Kevin Feige himself, looking ahead to Avengers: Secret Wars seems like an incredibly bold move; with the outcome of the Jonathan Majors scandal getting more and more dubious by the minute, and the MCU as a whole taking a one-step-forward-three-steps-back approach to inspiring hope, a few steady stepping stones are likely needed before it can safely occupy space in the conversation.
Don’t believe us? Look no further than Twitter, which wound up being the site of a markedly contentious collective reaction to a mere rumor about who will be helming Secret Wars from the director’s chair. Although, in fairness, the response would probably be similar no matter the situation.
The one and only Sam Raimi has allegedly been pegged as the director for Secret Wars, and not for the first time, either. If true, the film would mark a reunion between the director and writer of Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, with Michael Waldron still seemingly confirmed to be penning the screenplay despite rumors that he’s been dropped.
In any case, that Multiverse of Madness connection – coupled with Raimi’s otherwise-beloved reputation – is all one needs to know how the response went down.
As far as the eye could see, every cheer was met with an equal hiss; a step up from the Waldron news, perhaps, but still not quite the homerun would-be announcement that the MCU would want or need right now.
It would be an interesting choice, to say the least; it’s not like Raimi is incapable of making a good superhero movie (hell, he made two of the greatest of all time in Spider-Man and Spider-Man 2), but at the end of the day, separating Raimi from his auteur DNA is a tough ask, and for a film like Secret Wars, distinct stylization probably isn’t the way to go. But then again, maybe he could pull it off.
Avengers: Secret Wars is due in theaters on May 7, 2027.