What The MCU’s Next Big Crossover Event Could Be (Not Avengers 5)

Rather than Avengers 5, the Marvel Cinematic Universe could have a different crossover event next in the pipeline. Marvel Studios head Kevin Feige has made it clear that even though Avengers 5 is indeed in the works, more time needs to pass between it and the fight to bring down Thanos in Avengers: Endgame. Even so, it does seem appropriate for Marvel to deliver another major crossover event at some point in the near future, possibly in the early part of Phase 5.

In Phase 4, the MCU is delivering plenty of exciting team-ups. These include the likes of Doctor Strange and Spider-Man in Spider-Man: No Way Home, Doctor Strange and Scarlet Witch in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, and the three “Marvel” heroes joining forces in The Marvels. However, while these films certainly offer never-before-seen team-ups, they aren’t the wide-scale crossovers previously seen in The Avengers movies.

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This means that a future tentpole crossover event would be the ideal way to diversify the Marvel slate. As for when one could happen, a good time for it would be May 2024. The open release dates leading up to that are likely to be filled by movies already confirmed to be in development, such as Fantastic Four, Blade, Captain America 4, and Deadpool 3. Following their releases, Marvel could well make a crossover movie its yearly, summer blockbuster for 2024. Given this potential timeframe, here are some potential options for the MCU to explore.

Dark Avengers

Marvel may hold off on Avengers 5, but its next big event could still focus on a variation of the Avengers. One in particular from the comics that has the potential to lead its own movie is the Dark Avengers, a group that Marvel seems to be building the groundwork for in the MCU. It made the first step toward that possibility in The Falcon and the Winter Soldier when Contessa Valentina Allegra de Fontaine (Julia Louis-Dreyfus) recruited U.S. Agent (Wyatt Russell) for a mysterious purpose. A second-team member was scooped up in Black Widow when she paid a visit to Yelena Belova (Florence Pugh) in a post-credits scene. As Phase 4 continues to unfold, the Dark Avengers roster could continue to be fleshed out, with characters like Swordsman and Abomination. This could culminate in a Dark Avengers TV series, or Marvel could actually be thinking bigger. Val’s anti-hero team may in fact be headed to the big screen.

The Defenders

Thanks to Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, Marvel already has the right recipe for its classic Defenders team in the MCU, which is the trio of Hulk, Doctor Strange, and Namor the Sub-Mariner. Marvel can finally build them with Mark Ruffalo, Benedict Cumberbatch, and Tenoch Huerta’s respective MCU characters. Using the original group stands a chance at being a lot more exciting than just duplicating Netflix’s Defenders lineup. Hulk has a reputation as an Avenger, but with Namor and Strange, the group can feel like a whole new team, rather than a rebuilt version of Earth’s Mightiest Heroes. This can work, especially if they stick to the original comic’s core concept, which is the idea that the Defenders are a “non-team” of the Earth’s most powerful forces that only come together only when needed. In addition to the main trio, the MCU’s Defenders could be joined by Valkyrie (Tessa Thompson), who has long-standing ties to the comic book team in the 1970s and 1980s.

A-Force

There’s no sign that Marvel has any interest in this option nor is it clear how it could work in a narrative sense, but one crossover idea that’s gaining a great deal of traction is A-Force. In the 2010s, Marvel Comics assembled a group of female superheroes and branded them the A-Force. Such a team doesn’t exist in the MCU, but Avengers: Endgame notably had its own A-Force moment in the movie’s final battle. If Marvel Studios decides to take this notion to the next level, an A-Force film could reunite some of these heroines, along with some new faces, with She-Hulk (Tatiana Maslany) being a strong candidate for membership.

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Secret Wars

Assuming Fantastic Four and Deadpool 3 release first, Secret Wars could be the perfect follow-up crossover to Endgame for Phase 5. The only thing that might top Endgame in terms of scale is a story that unites the corners of the Marvel Universe that were missing when Thanos showed up. The Avengers, the Guardians, Spider-Man, Doctor Strange, and Wakanda were all on-hand for the battle with the Mad Titan, but the MCU didn’t have access to the mutants or Marvel’s First Family at the time.

That won’t be the case though, once audiences are treated to Fantastic Four and Deadpool 3 (which might be set in an alternate universe). Adding these characters to the MCU will make it possible for Marvel to deliver a proper adaptation of Secret Wars, a story that saw a cosmic being known as the Beyonder force a hand-picked gathering of heroes and villains to fight it out in a pocket dimension called Battleworld. Just like the situation that unfolded in the original miniseries, Doctor Doom could emerge as the main antagonist. Doom having this role is more than feasible, since he may exist in the MCU by this time – thanks to Fantastic Four.

Midnight Sons

Looking at the direction Marvel is taking with some of its movies and shows, Phase 5 could be a great fit for the MCU’s first-ever supernatural crossover story: Midnight Sons. In the comics, the Midnight Sons is an assembly of magical and horror-oriented characters, typically fronted by Doctor Strange. The MCU interpretation of the Midnight Sons could be formed by the Sorcerer Supreme, which would give the hero a chance to shine as a team leader. Instead of surrounding himself with colorful superheroes like his allies in the Avengers, Strange could work with some of the darker figures in the MCU.

Among those who could be available ahead of Midnight Sons are Blade (Mahershala Ali), Moon Knight (Oscar Isaac), and Scarlet Witch (Elizabeth Olsen). Another character who may be on the table is Werewolf by Night, who is rumored to receive a Halloween special on Disney+, potentially in 2023. And considering that Strange is already one of the most powerful characters in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, he’d need a good reason to require a team. One threat who could easily justify their formation is the demon lord, Mephisto, the same villain who fans were so convinced was the one pulling the strings in WandaVision. Either way, the Midnight Sons would provide another interesting alternative to Avengers 5.

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