Ryan Coogleris not directingAvengers: Secret Wars. Well, not yet. Coogler, who recently directed MCU’s latest entry,Black Panther: Wakanda Forever,was in rumors to pick upAvengers: Secret Wars. Throughout the press tours forWakanda Forever, Coogler was repeatedly asked about any potential signing forSecret Wars,which he always humbly declined. In his defense, Coogler pointed out that he will get busy withIronheartsoon after theBlack Panthersequel, and there are Proximity Media projects such asCreed IIIto look after.
Even Kevin Feige has clarified that Coogler hasn’t been contacted aboutAvengers: Secret Wars. Marvel Cinematic Universe producer was approached byVarietyto comment on the rumors surroundingSecret Warsdirector names. Kevin replies that though he is always up for working with Coogler anytime and on anything, he hasn’t talked to him about themega-multiversalAvengersproject.
Well, I would want Ryan to do anything at any time because he’s a singular talent and a great person to spend years with. But no, in all honesty, there’ve been no conversations. We’ve not spoken to him about Secret Wars.
This certainly doesn’t mean that the idea of Coogler helmingSecret Warsis out of the question; however, given the director’s constant reminders about his busy schedule for the next couple of years, it seems Ryan Coogler won’t be the one to direct the final segment ofThe Multiverse Saga.
Though the film doesn’t have a director, Marvel has already begun pre-production on the project,with Michael Waldron currently writing the film. Meanwhile, Destin Daniel Cretton and writer Jeff Loveness areworking together onAvengers: The Kang Dynasty, the predecessor film toSecret Wars. This is a different route Marvel Studios has taken. The Russo Brothers earlier deliveredInfinity WarandEndgameby shooting the two films simultaneously. Now, two separate teams are working on potentially conjoined films.
There are rumors that a third project will serve as a conjunction betweenThe Kang DynastyandSecret Wars, but nothing has been officially confirmed yet.
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Marvel Will Likely Hire a Former Associate to DirectSecret Wars
Until now, Marvel Studios has hired directors they have previously worked with for major MCU projects. For instance, Jon Watts and Matt Shakman were first picked forFantastic Four. Russo Brothers helmed four essential franchise films, includingInfinity WarandEndgame. And even earlier, Joss Whedon helmedAvengersandAvengers: Age of Ultron.
For a film likeAvengers: Secret Wars, it’s only rational to pick a person who has been associated with Marvel Studios for a while now. The film will connect all MCU entries and cross-over storylines from alternate timelines. Thus, only a person well familiar with MCU’s lore and that of other Marvel Entertainment projects will fit all of them in a single story. And that’s the reason thatMichael Waldron is the one writing it.
Some names, such as Russo Brothers and Sam Raimi, can fill the director’s chair onSecret Wars. The studio may get Cretton to helm both the Avengers movies simultaneously. Or, there is a candidate like Jon Watts, who has already worked on one multiversal storyline,Spider-Man: No Way Home. No one has been officially roped in for talks, buta name shallpop up in the media sooner than later.
Avengers: Secret Warsis slated to release in May 2026, bringing a culminating end toThe Multiverse Sagaand Phase Six of the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
