Summary

The long wait between Avengers: Endgame and Avengers: The Kang Dynasty allows for an elongated mourning period for Iron Man, Captain America, and Black Widow, giving new heroes time to establish themselves.
The gap also provides ample time for the MCU’s legacy heroes, such as Sam Wilson’s Captain America and Riri Williams’ Ironheart, to develop their own storylines and continue the narratives initiated by their predecessors.
The introduction of new superheroes like Shang-Chi and Moon Knight can be better established without the pressure of immediately forming a new Avengers team, allowing Marvel Studios to interweave their stories before The Kang Dynasty.

By the time Avengers: The Kang Dynasty releases in Phase 6 of the MCU, it will have been seven years since Avengers: Endgame, marking the longest wait between Avengers movies in the MCU’s history. The Kang Dynasty was confirmed by Marvel Studios chief Kevin Feige in 2022, originally with a 2025 release date, though significant delays in the Multiverse Saga have pushed it back to May 1, 2026. Announced alongside Secret Wars, Marvel Studios’ Avengers: The Kang Dynasty and its sequel will be the only Avengers projects in the Multiverse Saga, with Phases 4 and 5 being the first to not feature an adventure for the MCU’s premiere superhero team.

Directed by Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings’ Destin Daniel Cretton, Avengers: The Kang Dynasty is expected to pit a new team of Avengers against Kang the Conqueror and the Council of Kangs. While no details of the storyline are currently known, there is a lot of pressure on The Kang Dynasty and Secret Wars to match or beat the success of Avengers: Infinity War and Endgame, particularly since no Avengers projects are releasing between these double-bills. While this seven-year wait might be frustrating for some, leaving such a huge gap between Endgame and The Kang Dynasty can actually benefit the upcoming project in many notable ways.

10 Iron Man, Black Widow, & Captain America Have A Long Mourning Period

2019’s Avengers: Endgame saw three members of the MCU’s original Avengers team hang up their hats, as Steve Rogers retired as Captain America, and Tony Stark’s Iron Man and Natasha Romanoff’s Black Widow tragically lost their lives in the battle against Thanos. These heroes were crucial to the Infinity Saga and were key in the development of the Avengers throughout the MCU’s first three Phases. The gap between Endgame and Avengers: The Kang Dynasty allows these iconic superheroes to have an elongated mourning period before new heroes take their places and establish a new Avengers team in the MCU, giving other heroes an appropriate amount of time to grieve.

Even though Steve Rogers, Tony Stark, and Natasha Romanoff are no longer a part of the MCU, new characters have stepped up to the plate to assume their roles as legacy heroes. Waiting seven years for the release of Avengers: The Kang Dynasty means the MCU’s legacy heroes have plenty of time to develop their own storylines while continuing narratives and themes initiated by their predecessors. Sam Wilson’s new Captain America, Riri Williams’ Ironheart, Yelena Belova, Kate Bishop’s Hawkeye, Shuri’s Black Panther, Jennifer Walters’ She-Hulk, and Cassie Lang are just a few of the exciting legacy heroes that the Multiverse Saga can develop fully before The Kang Dynasty.

8 New Avengers Members Can Be Better Established

As well as legacy heroes being passed the superhero baton in the Multiverse Saga, Phases 4 and 5 have also introduced many new superheroes who could potentially become Avengers in the MCU. Since heroes such as Shang-Chi, Moon Knight and the Scarlet Scarab, the Eternals, Ms. Marvel, and America Chavez are brand-new to MCU audiences, they need even more time to show their skills and grow as characters before they’ll be fit to form a new Avengers team. These heroes are currently completely separate, so Marvel Studios has time to interweave their stories better prior to the release of Avengers: The Kang Dynasty.

7 Kang The Conqueror Will Be Set Up As A Major Threat

Jonathan Majors’ Kang the Conqueror has been set up as the primary antagonist of the MCU’s Multiverse Saga, and is expected to be the main villain of Avengers: The Kang Dynasty, but hasn’t received a lot of development in the MCU so far. Majors has only appeared in Loki on Disney+ as He Who Remains and Victor Timely, and Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania as Kang the Conqueror, but a glimpse of the Council of Kangs teased a great deal more development before Phase 6. In the few more years before The Kang Dynasty, Marvel Studios can set up Kang to be an even more formidable adversary for the Avengers.

6 The MCU’s Multiverse Can Be Better Explained

2021’s Loki on Disney+ introduced the concept of the multiverse to the MCU, which has since been explored more in Spider-Man: No Way Home, Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania, and Loki season 2. However, the rules of the multiverse are confusing, as terms such as universes, branching realities, timelines, nexus events, and incursions get thrown around without much explanation. The multiverse is set to play a huge role in The Kang Dynasty and Secret Wars, so Marvel Studios must take the time leading up to Phase 6 to better explain what the MCU’s multiverse actually is – and what dangers it can pose.

5 Different Crossovers Can Take Place Before Avengers 5

Phases 4 and 5 not including any Avengers crossover movies means that new team-ups and crossovers can happen instead, and several of these have already been seen. The MCU’s Phase 4 saw Spider-Man and Doctor Strange band together, while Strange later teamed up with America Chavez. Phase 5 will kick this into overdrive, featuring a crossover between Captain Marvel, Photon, and Ms. Marvel in 2023’s The Marvels, while several of the MCU’s reformed villains and antiheroes will be brought together in 2024’s Thunderbolts. These new teams forming in the MCU can also have roles in The Kang Dynasty, but the seven-year wait gives them time to establish themselves first.

4 Mutants & The Fantastic Four Will Have The Space To Debut Properly

Similarly to the development of new heroes and teams prior to Avengers: The Kang Dynasty‘srelease, without any prior Avengers movies stealing focus, major new properties including mutants and the Fantastic Four can be properly introduced. Disney’s acquisition of Fox in 2019 allowed these characters to enter the MCU, and this is set to happen fully in 2024’s Deadpool 3 and Marvel Studios’ Fantastic Four reboot, respectively. It’s unclear what role these heroes will have in The Kang Dynasty, as the film could be oversaturated with debuting a new Avengers team anyway, but a lack of Avengers projects in the Multiverse Saga means these new characters can have more attention.

3 The MCU Can Move Past Disappointing Storylines

Despite including several successful projects that helped to advance the overarching narrative, the MCU’s Phase 4 became the most divisive era of the franchise since it began in 2008, and this has continued into Phase 5, to an extent. Several storylines have been introduced that haven’t always garnered attention from audiences, such as those in Eternals, Thor: Love and Thunder, Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania, and Secret Invasion on Disney+. Since there is still a great deal of time prior to Avengers: The Kang Dynasty’s release, Marvel Studios can either resolve these storylines or ignore them and move on, with sufficient time for the franchise to recover.

As well as having the opportunity to move on from divisive storylines, Marvel Studios can also use the lengthy gap between Endgame and The Kang Dynasty to build back the MCU’s strong reputation. In recent years, the MCU has come under scrutiny for a lack of quality, both in feature films and TV, but Hollywood’s recent strikes, VFX workers unionizing, and delays in the MCU’s Phase 5 have given the studio a chance to take stock and make sweeping changes. Most notably, Daredevil: Born Again has recently undergone a massive shakeup, meaning Marvel Studios may be solving these issues, which hints at Avengers: The Kang Dynasty being much better quality.

1 Phase 4 Set-Ups Need To Be Paid Off Before Avengers 5

Marvel Studios has set up many exciting storylines so far in the MCU’s Multiverse Saga, but not many have actually been paid off. Shang-Chi and Katy being approached by Wong, the Eternals being taken from Earth by the Celestial Arishem, Peter Parker being forgotten by the world, Kate Bishop seemingly becoming Hawkeye, Marc Spector’s third alter, Jake Lockley, emerging, and Hercules vowing to battle Thor are just a few notable examples. Many of these storylines need to be revisited before the MCU’s heroes can come together properly in Avengers: The Kang Dynasty, particularly if the MCU is set to reboot after Secret Wars, as there shouldn’t be any loose ends.

Key Release Dates

The Marvels

Deadpool 3

Captain America: Brave New World

Marvel’s Thunderbolts

Blade (2025)

Marvel’s Fantastic Four

Avengers: The Kang Dynasty

Avengers: Secret Wars

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