Marvel movies boss reveals plans for major recasts and timeline reset after Avengers: Secret Wars

Unfortunately, the quality control also appeared to be less rigorous, with projects like Secret Invasion, Captain America: Brave New World and Thor: Love and Thunder provoking ire from viewers, while The Marvels and The Eternals also flopped financially.

Looking ahead, however, Feige remains optimistic about a return to form, with a strategy valuing quality over quantity, plus a more focused storyline as the multiverse is retired in favour of a "singular timeline".

First though, we have the two-part cinema event of Avengers: Doomsday and Secret Wars, which brings together Marvel actors old and new – from Fox's X-Men to Disney's Fantastic Four: First Steps – for a crossover of epic proportions.

This really will be the end of the line for (most of) the original X-Men actors, such as Ian McKellen (Magneto) and Patrick Stewart (Professor X), who are back from since-reversed swan songs in Days of Future Past and Logan respectively.

Feige confirmed at a press conference (via Variety) that his post-Secret Wars X-Men movie will deal with new incarnations of the iconic characters, likely to involve enlisting a core cast of adolescent actors.

"[X-Men comics] have been a place to tell stories about young people who feel different and who feel 'other' and who feel like they don't belong," the producer explained. "That's the universal story of mutants, and that is where we're going."

Notably, Feige was less forthright about his plans for Ryan Reynolds's Deadpool and Hugh Jackman's Wolverine specifically, who netted the MCU one of its biggest post-pandemic hits with their 2024 two-hander.

"I think there is more fun to be had with both of those characters," he teased. "But we'll see where."

Most surprising of all, however, was the revelation that the producer plans to eventually recast even Marvel royalty, such as Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr) and Steve Rogers (Chris Evans).

Feige acknowledged that it will be "hard" to find actors to inherit those roles, but compared the process to the multiple re-castings that have kept the James Bond films fresh and exciting for several decades.

"[Amazon MGM producers] Amy Pascal and David Heyman are now searching for a new James Bond. David [Corenswet], the new Superman — he was awesome," said Feige.

"I think it's hard for anybody to [take over] when an [earlier] actor has done such a great role," the producer added, suggesting there was a time when replacing Sean Connery as Bond would also have seemed unthinkable, but a worthy successor was found.

Ultimately, Feige described 2027's Avengers: Secret Wars as representing a new beginning for the MCU that "sets us up for the future", adding that he plans to continue steering the ship for many more years (amid speculation that he could step down).

Marvel is hoping to change the narrative on a rocky year with Fantastic Four: First Steps, arriving this weekend, which is hoping to enjoy a stronger critical and commercial run than February's Captain America: Brave New World and May's Thunderbolts*.

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