Forget Doomsday, Avengers: Secret Wars is the Most Important MCU Movie Since 2012

February 23, 2026, 1:30pm

It’s been seven years since the last Avengers movie, which means this year’s Avengers: Doomsday is surely set to be one of the most exciting blockbusters of the year. The first three phases of the MCU all peaked with an Avengers film, an effective way of ending them on a high note. But the Avengers disbanded after Endgame, with Tony Stark dying and Steve Rogers traveling back to the past. There’s technically one New Avengers team after Thunderbolts*, but they’re a little lower-key.

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Naturally, Marvel want all attention focused on Doomsday. It’s a big deal for the MCU, an opportunity to reverse the franchise’s declining fortunes of late, and it features the return of both Robert Downey Jr. (now as Doctor Doom) and Chris Evans. But, as important as Doomsday may be, this is a whole lot less of a big deal than its successor. Next year’s Avengers: Secret Wars is, in reality, the biggest make-or-break moment for the MCU since 2012.

The Entire MCU Rested On The Avengers’ Success

Modern viewers tend to overestimate the MCU’s initial success, viewing it as something of a “sure thing.” This is only one of the many lies believed by fans of the Infinity Saga, reinterpretations of history that prove the old adage: hindsight is an exact science. In reality, the early MCU featured many stumbles, and the entire cinematic universe model was really something of a gamble. How do you create a shared universe including the pseudo-science of Iron Man, Asgardian mythology brought to life in Thor, and a World War II vet brought to the present day in Captain America?

Viewed through this lens, 2012’s The Avengers was the moment that would decide the MCU’s future. It’s easy to imagine a world where The Avengers just didn’t quite work; where the dynamic between the actors popped a little less, where writers indulged in fanservice and Easter eggs a little too much, and it all collapsed under the weight of fan expectations. Looking back, it’s actually something of a miracle that The Avengers landed so well, and it’s a mark of the writing, directing, and acting. The Avengers grossed over $1.5 billion, a stunning achievement that left every other studio desperate to copy Marvel’s success.

The Avengers is best seen as the launchpad for everything that came afterwards. It proved the cinematic universe model could work, and it established Marvel as the one studio that had already mastered it. There were still a lot more stumbles and mistakes than people commonly remember, but by Phase 3, MCU films were routinely breaking that $1 billion milestone. Infinity War and Endgame followed the 2012 formula, amping it up massively, and both cleared the $2 billion marker quite comfortably. Endgame remains one of the highest-grossing movies of all time, beaten only by James Cameron’s Avatar.

We’re Back At Another Crucial Moment For The MCU

History repeats, and it is so very appropriate that the entire future of the MCU rests on yet another Avengers film. Not Doomsday, though; that’s a surefire hit, and it will set up another strong year for the MCU. No, the real pressure rests on Secret Wars, because it needs to duplicate The Avengers‘ biggest success. It needs to be another launchpad, engaging viewers in such a way that they continue to turn up as Marvel moves on into the Mutant Saga.

The shared universe model is struggling now. Some directors, such as Christopher Nolan, have openly argued that we no longer live in an age dominated by franchises, and that culture has finally moved on. MCU films have seen diminishing returns of late, likely compromised by brand dilution due to too many Disney+ TV shows. Everyone is going to turn up for Doomsday and Secret Wars, but the question is… will they come back for more Marvel in 2028 or not?

There’s a sense in which the MCU’s current problems began seven years ago, with Avengers: Endgame. As successful as that film may have been, the title says it all; it was an “ending,” a jumping-off point for many viewers that was perhaps accentuated by the fact Marvel’s subsequent plans were initially disrupted by the coronavirus pandemic. Secret Wars, however, has to be very different. Forget wrapping up the Multiverse Saga; it has to end on a note that leaves viewers interested in what comes next. There’s a sense in which has to be the opposite of Endgame.

The Russo brothers understand the stakes for these Avengers films. Infinity War and Endgame‘s directors are back for Doomsday and Secret Wars, and they know exactly what they have to deliver. “What’s compelling about these two new Avengers movies is they’re a beginning,” Joe Russo explained. “It’s a new beginning.” That’s just what it needs to be, because the MCU needs that “new beginning” if it is to have a future. We’ll have to wait till next year to see whether it’s delivered on.

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