MCU: Annihilators Team-Up Movie In the Works (Report)

Marvel Studios is reportedly developing an Annihilators team-up movie for the MCU, and it could be tied to Chris Pratt's Star-Lord. The MCU studio found great success with other team-up movies through The Avengers, Guardians of the Galaxy, and, most recently, Thunderbolts*. The franchise's arsenal of superhero teams is only scheduled to grow soon, with an X-Men reboot in development.

According to a post on Patreon from scooper Daniel Richtman, Marvel Studios is developing a movie starring the Annihilators, a superhero team from the comics. If Annihilators moves forward, the movie would join Black Panther 3 and an X-Men reboot in Marvel Studios' reported theatrical plans for the next saga.

The Cosmic Circus recently stated that there were "plans" for Chris Pratt's Star-Lord to form the Annihilators after returning to Earth and leaving his cosmic team behind after Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3. That said, the insider noted that they were uncertain whether that was still the plan for the character.

Several years back, an Annihilators movie was among 24 projects rumored to be secretly in the works at Marvel Studios. Since then, there have been no major developments on the movie, meaning those early rumors may have been false or the project may have spent some time on ice.

The team was formed in 2011 by Cosmo to fulfill his late friend Star-Lord's dream of assembling a team to stop threats before intergalactic dangers come about. The Annihilators' roster included Silver Surfer, Beta Ray Bill, Ikon, Gladiator, Quasar, and Ronan the Accuser. That said, the team line-up could be adapted to feature characters more involved with the current MCU, especially as Ronan was already killed in Guardians of the Galaxy.

When & Why Will the Annihilators Join the MCU?

As always, with rumored and reported projects supposedly in development at Marvel Studios, there's no guarantee they will actually come to fruition. If they do, fans shouldn't expect to see Annihilators headline theaters anytime soon.

The superhero team-up would presumably be released in the next saga after Avengers: Secret Wars, for which Marvel Studios has untitled release dates mapped out for July 23 and November 5, 2027 and February 18, May 5, and November 10, 2028 (although one of those dates may go to Black Panther 3).

While the Annihilators were assembled in honor of Star-Lord in Marvel Comics, he could be the one to form the team for the MCU adaptation. The roster could retain some comic members, such as Silver Surfer, while adding in more familiar MCU faces like Captain Marvel, Sentry, Adam Warlock, and Thor.

That said, Marvel Studios could equally use the project to introduce Annihilators who have yet to join the MCU - Quasar, Beta Ray Bill, Ikon, and Gladiator. After all, this franchise has found success before with teams of all-new faces through Guardians of the Galaxy, so the same could happen again.

The basis of the Annihilators in Marvel Comics was to prevent threats before they threaten the whole universe. Perhaps Star-Lord and other heroes will come together in the aftermath of Doctor Doom's villainy in Avengers: Doomsday and Secret Wars to dodge similar threats.

This could see the first seeds of the Annihilators planted in Secret Wars before their ensemble team-up actually releases, likely in 2028 or beyond.