The next universe-shaking Marvel movies are Avengers: Doomsday and Avengers: Secret Wars. Many fans are excited to see Robert Downey Jr. return, this time playing the villainous Doctor Doom. Some are excited for another reason, though; Marvel Studios President Kevin Feige confirmed that Secret Wars would "reset" the MCU. According to Variety, Feige said that "Reboot is a scary word” because it "can mean a lot of things to a lot of people." He clarified that he wanted a reset to create a "singular timeline" and that "X-Men’ is where that will happen next.”
Understandably, the fandom is divided over whether a reboot (by any other name) would be for the best for this franchise. However, the blunt truth is that such a reboot has arguably been needed for years.
4 Reasons Why the MCU Desperately Needs a Reboot After Secret Wars
The Only Way To Bring Back Popular Characters
Part of what made Avengers: Endgame so special was that it marked the departure of two Marvel icons: Chris Evans’ Captain America and Robert Downey Jr.’s Iron Man. Fans were distraught, but this is the nature of Hollywood: nobody plays the same role forever. And when one actor finally retires from the tights and flights, their character is never seen onscreen again.
Unfortunately, this makes audiences more judgmental of their replacements (just look at the reception to Ironheart and Anthony Mackie's Captain America). With this MCU Reboot, Feige confirmed he'll recast beloved characters like Cap and Iron Man rather than replace them with new characters. At this point, such a reboot is the only way to bring some of the most popular characters back to the big screen.
Potential for More Comic Accuracy
For better or for worse, the MCU has always been different from Marvel Comics. This has often worked in the films' favor because it is more easily accessible to mainstream audiences. However, the continuity issues sometimes annoy old-school comic fans who were hoping for a more direct adaptation of major events like Civil War.
With an MCU reboot, Feige (who is also currently busy hyping Fantastic Four) can build a new continuity more faithful to the comics themselves. Done right, this could be a win/win, funneling film fans to the comics even as it funnels comics fans to their local theaters. Certainly, more comic accuracy would help the rumored reboot of the popular Jessica Jones Netflix series.
Making the X-Men Make Sense
With respect to the Fantastic Four, the most exciting aspect about the future of the MCU is the addition of the X-Men. The only problem is that there has been little discussion about mutants in this cinematic universe. That means it wouldn’t make any sense for the soon-to-be-recast X-Men and their enemies to suddenly show up out of nowhere, especially in a world where major world governments are always scanning for those with useful (or dangerous) superpowers.
With the current MCU, fans would have to accept that characters like Wolverine and Professor X (who have, in the comics, been around for nearly three centuries) have somehow avoided detection by groups like SHIELD and HYDRA. Frankly, that makes no real narrative sense. But with an MCU reboot, there is a more organized continuity where (as in the comics) Wolverine was part of the same shady government experiments that spawned both Captain America and Deadpool.
Having Their Cake & Eating It, Too
It’s easy enough to root for an MCU reboot when it comes to actors like Chris Evans, who is likely to never play Captain America again. However, fans may be worried about the prospect of losing current popular Marvel actors like Hugh Jackman and Ryan Reynolds (read about how he thinks he still has an MCU future). To such fans, a reboot would be a terrible idea because it would mean losing out on future movies from their favorite performers.
If Marvel Studios follows in the footsteps of the 2015 Secret Wars comics, though, the executives may be able to have their cake and eat it, too. When multiple realities merge together into a singular universe, it might make sense for Deadpool (whose Void location may appear in Doomsday) to be part of a new continuity teeming with mutants (notably, Feige did not rule out the possibility of seeing them again). As an added bonus, this reboot approach would close the doors on the grating Multiverse once and for all.
Dr. Chris Snellgrove is a staff writer who joined The Direct in 2025. He is a veteran entertainment writer who has written for a number of national outlets and reputable sites, with his hot takes on movies and TV shows reaching millions of fellow nerds. When he's not busy reading comics and watching the latest in superhero smackdpwn cinema, he loves to cosplay his favorite fandoms at conventions throughout America.
