The Marvel Cinematic Universe is at a turning point. Most fans feel that the ship needs some righting after a string of lackluster releases. Even the higher-ups in the Marvel-Disney hierarchy have admitted that poor decisions have been made. As such, it’s unsurprising that rumors of an MCU reboot have been circulating, partly spurred by Robert Downey Jr.’s return to the MCU as Doctor Doom instead of Iron Man, and partly due to Marvel having a movie on its schedule titled Avengers: Secret Wars, taking its name from a series of major Marvel Comics events, the latest of which involved literally destroying the Marvel Universe.
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A new fan theory posited by Reddit user Ozymandiiass on the Marvel Studios subreddit suggests a different fate for the Marvel Cinematic Universe after Avengers: Secret Wars, but one no less inspired by the 2015 Secret Wars comic book event. Instead of a straight reboot of the MCU’s “sacred timeline” following Avengers: Secret Wars, the MCU’s Doctor Doom will do as he did in the buildup to the Secret Wars comic book event: break the multiverse and reforge it into the fragmented landscape called Battleworld, with the next phase of the MCU following different stories set in different realms of this piecemeal planet.
What is Marvel’s Battleworld?
A fuller explanation of how Battleworld worked in Marvel Comics a decade ago is necessary to understand what this could mean for the MCU. Back then, the Secret Wars event was the result of Doctor Doom obtaining godlike power, destroying the multiverse, and remaking it as a single planet called Battleworld. This world was then carved into many different domains, each functioning like its own reality despite physically bordering other such realms, with a Doom-appointed Baron governing them and keeping the truth of Battleworld a secret.
Marvel Comics used this premise to remix its characters in fun ways and revisit past storylines, using them as the basis for each Battleworld domain’s unique status quo. Age of Ultron, Marvel Zombies, Siege, 1602, Age of Apocalypse, Civil War, House of M, Planet Hulk, Spider-Verse, X-Men ‘92, and many others became the basis for Battleworld-set miniseries, some of which fed into the larger Secret Wars narrative, while others functioned entirely as standalone tales, until the few heroes who survived the destruction of the previous multiverse managed to defeat Doom and restore what had been (more or less).
The idea behind this theory is that Marvel Studios will follow a similar track: Doom creates Battleworld in Avengers: Secret Wars, and the movies that come in the next phase will tell stories set in Battleworld’s domains. Eventually, these stories will lead to the conclusion of the larger saga set in motion in Avengers: Doomsday in a film that will be, in spirit if not in title, Avengers: Secret Wars Part 2.
Could the MCU’s Next Phase Be Battleworld?
Is it possible for the Marvel Cinematic Universe to spend a phase fully dedicated to the Battleworld premise? Sure, anything is possible, especially when there’s already a template to follow, thanks to the comics, and not to mention one written by Jonathan Hickman, who has been a favorite source of inspiration for the MCU in the past.
Is it likely? That’s another question entirely. As many of the Reddit comments point out, the Battleworld concept is a lot for moviegoers to take in, especially more casual fans who aren’t as versed in the wilder sci-fi side of the Marvel Comics Universe. Not to mention that many fans seem burnt out on the multiverse as a concept and plot device. Making an entire phase of the MCU dedicated to stories set entirely on other sub-worlds may be pushing them toward a breaking point.
Then again, The Fantastic Four: First Steps is Marvel Studios’ most successful movie of 2025, and it is set on a universe seperate from the main MCU. Maybe Marvel fans would be willing to watch stories set in Battleworld’s domains if they’re as self-contained as First Steps, rather than focusing on the multiverse itself.
This is all speculation, of course. Marvel Studios hasn’t revealed any official plans for the MCU after Avengers: Secret Wars, though it is known that they’re developing the MCU’s take on the X-Men. For now, MCU fans will just have to go along for the ride and see where the next Avengers movies take them.
Would you be interested in watching a phase of the MCU set on the domains of Battleworld? Let us know what you think in the comments.
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image courtesy of 20th Century Studios
