Summary
Marvel Studios has been slowly teasing the debut of an organization in theMCUthat I think will be incredibly important to Phase 6’sAvengers: Secret Wars. We’re now deep into the MCU’s Multiverse Saga, so certain separate storylines are starting to interweave, which is allowing the franchise’s overall narrative to, thankfully, begin to make sense. Heading intoPhase 6’sAvengers 5andSecret Wars, it’s likely we’ll soon have a functioning Avengers team, will witness more dramatic incursions, and will have a better idea of which villains the MCU’s heroes will battle.
Several upcoming MCU projects will lay the foundations forAvengers 5andSecret Wars, thoughit seemsThe Fantastic Fourwill be setting upSecret Warsthe most. Most notably, Marvel Studios has been continuously teasing theFuture Foundation’s appearance inThe Fantastic Four, recently as branding on banners promotingThe Fantastic Fourat SDCC 2024 (viaRob Paladino).
The Future Foundation plays a huge role in Marvel Comics’Secret Warsevent, which has made me think that some ofSecret Wars’most unexpected storieswill actually be told in the MCU.
8 Ways MCU Phase 4 & 5 Are Already Setting Up Avengers 6
The MCU is headed towards the big event of Avengers 6, titled Secret Wars, and Phases 4 and 5 have set up the movie in eight key ways.
How Marvel’s Future Foundation Connects To Secret Wars In The Comics
The Future Foundation was established in Marvel Comics in 2010’sFantastic Four #579, with Reed Richards forming the organization as a means to better serve humanity through philanthropic means. For the next five years, the Future Foundation aided several heroes across the world, and also recruitedSpider-Man as an official member of the Fantastic Fourfollowing Johnny Storm’s death.This culminated in theSecret Warsevent in 2015, which gave Mister Fantastic and the Future Foundation a crucial and seemingly impossible mission: saving as many as possible during an incursion.
To that end,the Future Foundation built life rafts that could theoretically carry anyone on board away from an incursion. The life raft was created from the corpse of the fallen Living Tribunal, and used to carry the Future Foundation members, the Fantastic Four, and several other heroes outside the universe while it was being destroyed. Unfortunately, the section carrying the Invisible Woman, the Thing, and the Future Foundation, broke off, but the life raft still saved several heroes, and I think this would be the perfect way for the MCU’s heroes to survive their own incursion.
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I’m Convinced The Fantastic Four Movie Will Set Up Avengers 6 With The Future Foundation
Marvel Studios has now included Future Foundation branding during two promotional opportunities - the first being the reveal of theMarvel Comics inspiration behindThe Fantastic Four.This makes me think that the Future Foundation will have a much bigger role inThe Fantastic Fourthan first thought, and this presents the perfect chance for Marvel Studios to set up key story elements forAvengers: Secret Wars.The Fantastic Fourcould feature the establishment of the Future Foundation, or Pedro Pascal’s Reed Richards could form the organization on-screen.
Marvel Studios recommended five issues of Marvel Comics to read prior to the release ofThe Fantastic Four: 1961’sFantastic Four #1, 1966’sFantastic Four #48, #49,and#50, and 2021’sFantastic Four: Life Story #1.
Some have speculated that, shouldThe Fantastic Fourbe set in another universe, the titular team could make the move to the MCU proper after their own reality is destroyed.This means thatThe Fantastic Fourcould detail the creation of the life rafts, which would enable the Fantastic Four and other members of the Future Foundation to join the MCU’s main continuity. This would establish a crucial piece ofAvengers: Secret Wars’plot, as these life rafts could later be used to save heroes during a devastating incursion event.
The Future Foundation Can Make Battleworld A Major Location In The MCU’s Phase 6
After the Future Foundation’s life raft carried several heroes away from the universe in Marvel Comics’Secret Warsstoryline, the craft eventually made its way to the patchwork planet of Battleworld. This world was created when Doctor Doom absorbed the power of the Beyonders, allowing him to bring together fragments of the destroyed universes to create a new planet inhabited by many different variants, with Doom presiding over them as God Emperor.Battleworld has already been teased in the MCU, so I would love forThe Fantastic Fourto actually begin to set up this exciting location.
In Marvel Comics, Battleworld comprised a series of “domains”, each inhabited by different variations of iconic Marvel characters, though none had any memory of their previous lives before Battleworld. God Emperor Doom employed the Thor Corps as his police force, with Sheriff Strange as his right-hand-man.Battleworld was an expansive and interesting world in Marvel Comics, so I would love to see it featured in several projectsin theMCU’s Multiverse Saga, and the Future Foundation’s debut inThe Fantastic Fourcan provide the MCU’s next tease towards Battleworld’s formation.
Secret Wars Can Be So Much More Than A Single Movie
Secret Wars is the exciting finale to the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s Multiverse Saga, but it can be so much more than just one movie.
Battleworld Has Already Been Teased In The MCU
While the Future Foundation’s appearance inThe Fantastic Fourcould be the easiest way for Marvel Studios to begin to tease the formation of Battleworld,there have already been several teases towards Battleworld being featured inAvengers: Secret Wars. Throughout the release ofLokiseason 1 in 2021, theories began to emerge suggesting the Void at the End of Time could become theMCU’s version of Battleworld. The Void is already full of the broken pieces of various pruned realities, and many variants already reside there.
Deadpool & Wolverinewill explore the Void in more detail, and could establish it as a true Battleworld. This seems even more likely as a copy of Marvel Comics’Secret Wars #5appeared inDeadpool & Wolverine’sfirst teaser.Secret Wars #5detailed Doctor Doom’s stealing of the Beyonders' power and his building of Battleworld. This seemed like a pretty overt tease towards Battleworld coming to the MCU. I can’t wait to see howDeadpool & WolverineandThe Fantastic Fourtee up these huge stories forAvengers: Secret Wars, making the Multiverse Saga’s conclusion even more exciting.
Avengers: Secret Wars
Cast
Avengers: Secret Wars is an anticipated installment in Phase 6 of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, serving as the finale of The Multiverse Saga. Scheduled for release in December 2027, the film’s plot remains under wraps, fueling curiosity about its role in the expansive Marvel narrative.
