Avengers: Secret Wars Countdown

The culmination

Adapting one of Marvel Comics' biggest crossover sagas, Secret Wars is expected to bring years of Marvel storytelling to a head on the biggest possible scale.

Date subject to change

As with all major releases, the date can move. We track the latest announced window; always verify before planning.

Named by a toy company's focus group

The 1984 comic behind this film nearly launched under a different name: Marvel first announced it as "Cosmic Champions." Then toy giant Mattel, planning a tie-in action-figure line, reported that kids in its focus groups responded strongly to two particular words — "secret" and "wars." Editor-in-chief Jim Shooter's 12-issue crossover was duly retitled Secret Wars, became a sales sensation, and four decades later lends its name to the movie meant to cap Marvel's entire Multiverse Saga. Directors Anthony and Joe Russo say they're drawing on both the 1984 original and the 2015 sequel saga.

Your homework before opening night

Secret Wars picks up directly from Avengers: Doomsday (December 2026), so seeing that film first is the one essential step — earlier MCU chapters stream on Disney+ whenever you need a refresher. Comic readers can go deeper with the two source sagas: Jim Shooter's 1984 original and Jonathan Hickman's 2015 epic. For opening weekend itself, plan ahead — Avengers films typically put tickets on sale several weeks before release, and IMAX and other premium-format screens for the first shows are claimed fastest.

Quick facts

• Based on Marvel's epic “Secret Wars” crossover
• Positioned as a culminating MCU event
• Release date is subject to change
• Directed by Anthony and Joe Russo, the team behind Infinity War and Endgame
• Moved from May 7, 2027 to December 17, 2027 as the film's scope grew