Following its official confirmation at San Diego Comic-Con 2022, anticipation is sky-high to see what Marvel Studios has planned for the culmination of the Multiverse Saga, Avengers: Secret Wars. But with that massive movie so far away, Marvel still has a great deal of work to do to pull together its story, cast, and crew.
Over the last few months, fans have tossed around the idea that Ryan Coogler should take the position of director for Avengers 6 following his work on Black Panther: Wakanda Forever. He would follow Shang-Chi director Destin Daniel Cretton's work on 2025's Avengers: The Kang Dynasty, which could combine with Secret Wars to be the biggest pair of releases the MCU has ever had.
But is Avengers 6, which is currently being written by Loki and Multiverse of Madness scribe Michael Waldron, on Coogler's mind at the moment? Will he direct Phase 6's last story for Earth's Mightiest Heroes?
Ryan Coogler Discusses Avengers 6 Chatter
Speaking with Aaron Perine of ComicBook.com, Black Panther: Wakanda Forever director Ryan Coogler addressed the rumors that he's a frontrunner in line to direct Marvel Studios' Avengers: Secret Wars, now set to release in May 2026.
The two first discussed the potential that Coogler could move forward into a Black Panther 3, to which he admitted that he's "just trying to finish what (he's) doing" before thinking about another big production.
Aaron Perine : “So, after this, it’s Black Panther 3, right? You gonna do Black Panther 3?”
Ryan Coogler: I got no answers for you.
Perine: “You’re like, ‘I got nothing for you.’”
Coogler: “Yeah, no, I try to finish what I’m doing, and then think about what’s next.”
Perine then touched on the rumors pertaining to Coogler directing Secret Wars, to which Coogler repeated his first answer by saying "I'm trying to finish this one" before anything else:
Perine: “Ok. Some of the fans want you direct Secret Wars. You open to that if they want you?”
Coogler: Say what now?
Perine: They want you to direct Secret Wars. The fans, the streets, that’s what they want!”
Coogler: Man, what streets, bro? What’re you talking about, bro?!
Perine: “I said everyone, so yeah!”
Coogler: “Bro, I ain't heard nothing about that man, I’m trying to finish this one!”
Who Will Direct Avengers 6 for Marvel?
Ryan Coogler is a busy man and fans have to wonder if Coogler would even want to direct a movie that's bound to be one of Marvel Studios' grandest ever.
After bringing Dominique Thorne's Ironheart into her MCU debut during Black Panther 2, Coogler will also serve as an executive director on the Ironheart Disney+ series that will come to Disney+ in Fall 2023. He's also in the process of developing at least one Wakanda-centric show for an upcoming release on the streaming platform, although there's no timeframe on when those will go into development.
With all of that and more on his plate, Coogler is already one busy man, as fans cry out for him to take on one of the MCU's biggest challenges in history. Considering Avengers 6 is still nearly four years away still, only time will tell whether the star director will add that massive team-up outing to his impressive resume.
Black Panther: Wakanda Forever will debut in theaters on Friday, November 11. Avengers: Secret Wars will then arrive on May 1, 2026.
