After Avengers: Endgame became one of the biggest hit movies ever made in 2019, fans wondered where Marvel Studios could possibly go after an event that massive. As it turns out, that next game-changing event comes directly from one of Marvel’s most insane comic stories, with the MCU’s Phase 6 now confirmed to end with Avengers: Secret Wars in late 2025.
This film already has a real shot at topping what Endgame did thanks to the use of Jonathan Majors’ Kang the Conqueror, who could even be joined or toppled by the MCU’s eventual take on Fantastic Four villain Victor Von Doom. As the Incursion that started in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness grows more serious, worlds will collide and every amount of hell possible will break loose between heroes and villains across the universe.
The fact that Secret Wars is even possible after an event as big as Endgame is a feat in itself, especially after the latter broke box office records daily and brought dozens of A-listers into the biggest comic book movie ever made. But according to one of the MCU’s longest-standing actors, Marvel has a chance to somehow top itself once again at the end of the Multiverse Saga.
Mark Ruffalo Teases Secret Wars
Speaking with Entertainment Tonight at the premiere event for She-Hulk: Attorney at Law, Hulk star Mark Ruffalo looked ahead to what Marvel Studios is doing with 2025's Avengers: Secret Wars.
When asked what he can tease about the movie and how it will compare to 2019's Avengers: Endgame, Ruffalo noted that movie will be "hard to top." However, he placed his trust in Marvel Studios President Kevin Feige, sharing that the plan is to "go out with a big bang" when the sixth Avengers movie debuts:
ET: "Kevin has obviously revealed that all of this is gonna end in Avengers: Secret Wars. How do you think this will compare to Endgame? What do you think? What can you tell us? What can you tease us with?"
Ruffalo: "Well, it’s gonna be hard to top Endgame, but if I know Kevin and if I know Marvel, it’s gonna be pretty amazing. It’ll be a big bang, we’ll go out with a big bang."
How Big Will Marvel Go With Secret Wars?
Even with Mark Ruffalo's penchant for spoiling things in the past, this quote doesn't indicate that he knows what's coming with Secret Wars, especially since the script for the movie hasn't yet been written. But seeing how much he understands the stories Marvel Studios is willing to tackle, he has no doubt that the sixth Avengers movie will be something to behold upon its debut.
With two full Phases of movies and TV shows coming out before 2025 ends, there are still dozens of plot lines and heroes that need to take their place in the MCU and build up to what Secret Wars will bring. But the idea that this movie could top what Avengers: Endgame brought isn't out of the question by any stretch of the imagination.
On sheer volume alone, Endgame was the culmination of 21 movies from the rest of the Infinity Saga, while Secret Wars will potentially have three dozen shows and movies as build-up, if not more - on top of everything that came before it. That amount of build-up is something that no franchise in history has ever attempted, much less achieved, and the story it's leading up to will tackle some of the most intense comic book movie plot threads in history.
Fans certainly hope to see Ruffalo involved with Secret Wars in some form or another, having been a part of all four Avengers releases to date since 2012. But no matter who actually continues into this movie after May 2025 kicks things off with Avengers: The Kang Dynasty, the stakes and scale in this new outing will be absolutely unprecedented.
Avengers: Secret Wars will debut in theaters on November 7, 2025.
