Avengers: Secret Wars is shaping up to be far more than another giant Marvel crossover. If Marvel Studios follows through on its plans, the movie could become the turning point that fundamentally reshapes the Marvel Cinematic Universe and establishes a new direction for the franchise. Kevin Feige has described Secret Wars as a “new beginning” that will establish a more streamlined and simplified single universe, with some familiar elements returning while others are completely new.

That possibility makes one question particularly exciting for Marvel fans: once the Multiverse Saga ends, which comic book storylines should the MCU adapt next?

The answer does not necessarily have to involve another race to find an impossibly powerful villain or another universe-ending threat. In fact, Marvel now has an opportunity to explore some of the richest and most diverse corners of its comic-book mythology, from mutant politics and cosmic warfare to superhero corruption, psychological horror and conflicts between heroes themselves. With the studio's new X-Men movie officially positioned for May 5, 2028, and expected to follow Avengers: Secret Wars, mutants are already set to become one of the most important pieces of the MCU's post-Multiverse Saga future.

That opens the door to a completely different kind of Marvel era. Instead of trying to immediately recreate the Infinity Saga, Marvel could spend years building new characters, factions and conflicts before eventually bringing them together in another enormous crossover. Here are the comic book storylines that could define the MCU after Secret Wars.

1. Avengers vs. X-Men

If Marvel is looking for its next truly enormous crossover event, Avengers vs. X-Men feels like one of the most natural choices. The comic storyline places Earth's two most powerful superhero factions on opposing sides when the Phoenix Force heads toward Earth. The Avengers see the Phoenix as an existential threat that must be stopped, while the X-Men believe its arrival could potentially give mutantkind a chance to survive and flourish.

What makes the story so compelling, however, is not simply the spectacle of superheroes fighting superheroes. Its real strength lies in the question at the centre of the conflict: what happens when two groups of heroes genuinely believe they are doing the right thing and saving the world?

For the MCU, the possibilities are enormous. Captain America could find himself opposing Cyclops, Wolverine could be caught between the Avengers and the X-Men, Storm could find herself facing Thor, and Spider-Man could be desperately trying to stop people he considers friends from destroying one another. Those confrontations could create the kind of emotional and ideological conflict that made Captain America: Civil War so memorable, while scaling it up to an entirely different level.

Marvel should not rush into this storyline, though. The studio would first need to establish its new generation of mutants, their relationship with humanity and the ideological differences between figures such as Professor X and Magneto. The Avengers would also need time to develop their own identity in the post-Secret Wars universe. Once audiences are emotionally invested in both sides, Marvel could finally pull the trigger and turn Avengers vs. X-Men into the next Civil War-scale event.

Potential MCU event: Avengers: Avengers vs. X-Men

2. House of M

If Avengers vs. X-Men represents a war between two superhero factions, House of M could provide the MCU with a far more psychological and reality-bending story. The comic famously explores a world in which mutants have become the dominant population and Magneto's family occupies a position of enormous power. At the centre of the story is Wanda Maximoff, whose extraordinary powers fundamentally alter reality. Marvel's own reading guide describes the event as a conflict involving the Avengers, the X-Men and an increasingly unstable Wanda, with the consequences affecting the wider Marvel Universe for years.

For the MCU, however, there would be little reason to simply reproduce the comic panel-for-panel. Instead, Marvel could use the basic idea of House of M to explore one of the most fascinating questions that would emerge after mutants become an established part of the MCU: what happens when mutants stop being feared and become the majority?

Suddenly, humanity could find itself as the minority. Mutants could hold positions of enormous influence within governments, institutions and global power structures, while the Avengers could discover that they are no longer Earth's most important or powerful heroes. That shift in the balance of power could create a fascinating political and social conflict rather than another straightforward superhero battle.

If Wanda is involved, Marvel could also approach her differently this time, allowing her to function as a tragic and complicated character rather than simply turning her into another villain. The famous “No More Mutants” moment could eventually become the devastating climax of an entirely new MCU saga.

There is also plenty of comic-book history for Marvel to draw from. Marvel's own guide to House of M points to stories such as Avengers Disassembled and the “E for Extinction” storyline in New X-Men as important pieces of the event's background, demonstrating just how much material exists for the studio to draw upon if it chooses to build toward a cinematic version.

3. Dark Reign

After years of cosmic invasions, multiversal destruction and reality-ending threats, the MCU could benefit enormously from something much more political and grounded. That is where Dark Reign comes in.

The comic storyline explores a Marvel Universe in which traditional heroes have been weakened while villains begin occupying positions of power. Norman Osborn rises to become one of the most influential figures in the Marvel Universe and creates his own version of the Avengers, effectively allowing villains and morally questionable characters to operate under the banner of Earth's greatest superhero team.

For the MCU, that premise could be spectacular.

Imagine a government-backed superhero team that looks completely legitimate on paper but is secretly controlled by villains. The public loves them. The media celebrates them. Governments trust them. Meanwhile, the real Avengers are branded dangerous vigilantes and forced to operate outside the system.

That would give Marvel something it has not fully explored on the big screen: a superhero conspiracy thriller.

Norman Osborn would be an especially fascinating character to place at the centre of such a story. Rather than simply fighting Spider-Man in another traditional villain role, he could become a political operator capable of manipulating governments, public opinion and the superhero community itself.

The result could be a darker MCU story in which the biggest threat is not necessarily the person with the most destructive superpower, but the person who understands how to control the world around the heroes.

4. Annihilation

If Marvel wants to build its next major cosmic saga, it would be difficult to find a better foundation than Annihilation. The comic storyline revolves around Annihilus unleashing the Annihilation Wave from the Negative Zone and launching an overwhelming invasion into the Marvel Universe. Marvel's own description of the 2006–2007 event highlights characters including Nova, Silver Surfer, Super-Skrull, Ronan, Drax, Thanos and Star-Lord as part of the cosmic struggle against the seemingly unstoppable invasion.

Unlike many MCU events, Earth does not have to be the centre of the story. The battlefield is the galaxy itself, which would allow Marvel to expand the cosmic side of its universe on a scale the films have only occasionally approached.

That opens the door to characters such as Nova, the Guardians of the Galaxy, Silver Surfer, the Fantastic Four, Captain Marvel, Adam Warlock and Annihilus, while also bringing the Kree and Skrulls into a much larger intergalactic conflict.

The MCU has already spent years establishing pieces of this cosmic mythology. Annihilation could finally bring many of those elements together and introduce audiences to an enormous corner of Marvel's universe that remains largely unexplored.

More importantly, it would allow Marvel to create another huge cinematic saga without relying on another Infinity Stone, another multiverse or another Thanos-style villain. The invasion itself would be the story. The scale would come from the number of civilizations at stake, not simply from giving one villain an increasingly powerful weapon.

5. Annihilation: Conquest

If Annihilation became a success, Marvel would have an even more fascinating follow-up waiting in Annihilation: Conquest. The comic storyline takes place after the devastation of the Annihilation War and centres on a galaxy struggling to rebuild, only to face a new threat when the techno-organic Phalanx invade the Kree homeworld. At the centre of that threat is Ultron.

This could allow the MCU to take its fascination with artificial intelligence and push it into genuine cosmic horror.

Instead of the rogue AI audiences saw in Avengers: Age of Ultron, imagine an Ultron that has evolved far beyond humanity and become connected to a techno-organic collective capable of threatening entire civilizations. Marvel could transform Ultron from an Earth-bound antagonist into a cosmic nightmare.

The formula would be something completely different from the MCU's previous major events: Ultron plus cosmic horror, science fiction and body horror.

The storyline would also provide an excellent opportunity to introduce Nova properly. In the comics, Richard Rider becomes one of the central figures in the aftermath of the Annihilation War, while the Nova Corps is devastated. Marvel's Annihilation: Conquest material also connects the event to Star-Lord, Rocket, Groot, Mantis, Adam Warlock and the modern Guardians of the Galaxy.

That makes Annihilation: Conquest much more than simply another cosmic crossover. It could become the bridge between the Guardians era and a completely new generation of Marvel's cosmic heroes.

6. War of Kings

Once Marvel has properly established its mutants and cosmic heroes, the studio could connect those worlds through War of Kings.

The comic storyline features an enormous conflict involving the Kree, Shi'ar, Inhumans and X-Men, bringing together some of Marvel's most important cosmic and mutant characters. Characters such as Black Bolt, Vulcan, Gladiator and Lilandra become particularly important to this corner of the Marvel Universe.

For the MCU, War of Kings could establish something the franchise has never fully achieved: a genuine Marvel space empire.

Instead of the galaxy simply being a collection of planets that the Guardians visit from one adventure to another, audiences could finally see competing civilizations, political alliances, royal families, interstellar territories and wars that have consequences across multiple worlds.

The involvement of the X-Men would make the story even more valuable. Mutants would no longer be confined to stories about discrimination, schools or Earth-based politics. They could become part of a much larger cosmic mythology, allowing characters such as Storm, Vulcan and other mutants to interact with the wider Marvel universe on an entirely different scale.

7. Uncanny Avengers

After Avengers vs. X-Men, Marvel could adapt Uncanny Avengers as a natural evolution of the conflict.

The concept is almost tailor-made for the post-Secret Wars MCU. The Avengers and X-Men eventually realise that continuing to fight each other is not the answer. They need to work together.

That could produce a new flagship team combining heroes from both sides and symbolising a much broader Marvel Universe.

Imagine Captain America fighting alongside Cyclops, Storm standing beside Thor, Rogue working with Spider-Man and Wolverine sharing the battlefield with Shang-Chi. The exact roster could obviously change, but the larger idea would remain the same: Avengers and mutants no longer existing as separate corners of the franchise.

This could give Marvel a natural way to transition from an Avengers-centric cinematic universe into a much broader Marvel Universe.

The Avengers would not disappear.

They would evolve.

8. Onslaught

Marvel could also take the post-Secret Wars MCU in a considerably darker direction with Onslaught.

Onslaught remains one of the most fascinating villains in X-Men history because his origins are deeply connected to Professor Xavier and Magneto. Rather than being another alien army, cosmic god or multiversal conqueror, Onslaught represents something far more disturbing: the darkness within the heroes themselves.

That could give Marvel the opportunity to make a psychological superhero thriller unlike anything it has attempted before.

Imagine the world's greatest heroes discovering that their most powerful enemy was born from the minds of two of their own most important leaders. Suddenly, the threat is not another invasion. It is not another Infinity Stone. It is not another multiverse.

It is the terrifying consequence of unchecked psychic power.

An MCU adaptation could also make Onslaught a culmination of years of X-Men storytelling, particularly if Marvel establishes the complicated relationship between Xavier and Magneto before eventually revealing the monstrous consequences of their combined psychic history.

9. World War Hulk

There is another storyline Marvel has been circling for years that could finally receive the treatment it deserves: World War Hulk.

The premise is almost absurdly simple. Hulk is betrayed. Hulk is exiled. Hulk returns. And Hulk is furious.

But the MCU could make the story much more emotional than a simple succession of Hulk-versus-superhero fights. Instead, the film could explore the consequences of the Avengers' decisions and Bruce Banner's complicated relationship with the people who once considered him a friend.

And then comes the fun part.

Hulk vs. Thor. Hulk vs. Wolverine. Hulk vs. Thing. Hulk vs. She-Hulk. Hulk vs. Captain America.

The MCU has spent years establishing Hulk as one of its most powerful heroes, but audiences have rarely been allowed to experience him as the genuinely terrifying force that exists beneath Bruce Banner's intelligence and restraint.

World War Hulk could change that.

It could also work particularly well in a post-Secret Wars universe because Marvel would no longer need to treat Hulk purely as a supporting player in an Avengers story. He could finally become the centre of a story about rage, betrayal, isolation and the consequences of underestimating the monster within.

10. The Kree-Skrull War

The MCU has already introduced both the Kree and the Skrulls, but it has yet to deliver the enormous intergalactic conflict that their comic-book mythology makes possible.

A proper adaptation of The Kree-Skrull War could bring together Captain Marvel, the Fantastic Four, the Guardians of the Galaxy, Nova, the Avengers and potentially the X-Men.

The key, however, would be avoiding a simplistic “good side versus evil side” approach.

Both civilizations could have legitimate grievances. Both could have committed atrocities. Both could believe they are fighting for survival. And both could have very different ideas about what peace would actually look like.

That kind of morally complicated conflict would feel particularly appropriate for the MCU's next era.

It could also provide Marvel with a way to connect its Earth-based heroes to its expanding cosmic mythology without making the story feel like another generic alien invasion.

So, What Should Marvel Do After Secret Wars?

The biggest mistake Marvel could make after Secret Wars would be trying to immediately create another Thanos.

The Infinity Saga worked because Marvel spent years building its characters, relationships and mythology before bringing everything together. The post-Secret Wars MCU should take the same long-term approach rather than immediately searching for another villain capable of destroying half the universe.

And Marvel now appears to have an enormous opportunity to do exactly that.

The studio's announced post-Secret Wars plans include the new X-Men movie, which is scheduled for May 5, 2028, followed by Ghost Rider and Black Panther 3 later that year.

That means the next era does not need to begin with another giant crossover.

It can begin with characters.

Build the X-Men. Build the new Avengers. Build Nova. Build the cosmic universe. Establish Magneto. Introduce the next generation of villains. Give audiences reasons to care about these characters individually.

Then let those worlds collide.

The Ideal Post-Secret Wars MCU

If Marvel wanted to build another decade-long saga after the Multiverse Saga, the blueprint could look something like this.

Phase One — The Mutant Era

The X-Men could establish the new mutant generation and introduce audiences to the people who will eventually become the centre of the MCU's mutant mythology. A Wolverine project could then expand the mutant world through one of Marvel's most recognisable characters, while New Avengers could establish the heroes protecting the rebuilt Marvel Universe.

A Magneto project could explore the ideological conflict at the heart of mutant politics, followed by House of M, which could dramatically change the relationship between mutants and humanity. All of that could eventually lead to Avengers vs. X-Men, transforming years of character development into the MCU's next major crossover.

Phase Two — The Dark Era

The next chapter could move away from cosmic spectacle and into political intrigue. Spider-Man could continue operating within an increasingly complicated superhero landscape, while Thunderbolts could explore morally ambiguous government-controlled heroes. From there, Dark Avengers could introduce a team that looks like the Avengers but is anything but heroic.

That could eventually build toward Secret Empire and finally Dark Reign, creating a story about power, propaganda, public trust and the corruption of superhero institutions.

Phase Three — The Cosmic Era

Once the Earth-based stories are firmly established, Marvel could expand outward with Nova, giving audiences a proper introduction to one of its most important cosmic heroes. A new Fantastic Four adventure could then deepen the cosmic mythology, followed by another Guardians of the Galaxy story that explores a much larger universe.

All of that could eventually culminate in Annihilation, allowing Marvel to bring its cosmic heroes together against a threat that spans the galaxy.

If that succeeds, Annihilation: Conquest could follow, bringing Ultron, the Phalanx, Nova, Star-Lord and the Guardians into a completely different kind of cosmic conflict. Marvel's own material describes Annihilation: Conquest as the event that helped bring together the modern Guardians of the Galaxy, making it particularly valuable as a cinematic bridge between different generations of cosmic characters.

Phase Four — The War of Kings

The next chapter could finally connect these worlds on an even larger scale.

X-Men. Fantastic Four. Nova. Inhumans. Guardians of the Galaxy.

All of them could eventually be drawn into War of Kings, transforming the MCU's cosmic corner into a fully developed political and interstellar ecosystem.

Instead of simply travelling through space, Marvel's heroes would find themselves caught in a conflict between civilizations, empires and competing visions for the future of the galaxy.

The Ultimate Event

And eventually, after years of building these characters and worlds, Marvel could arrive at its next truly massive event:

Onslaught

The Avengers.

The X-Men.

The Fantastic Four.

The cosmic heroes.

Street-level heroes.

Mutants.

Humans.

All of them facing a threat born from the darkest parts of Marvel's own mythology.

That would give Marvel something that another Thanos-style villain simply could not provide: a threat that is deeply connected to the history of the characters themselves.

Marvel Doesn't Need Another Infinity Saga

The most exciting thing about Secret Wars should not be wondering who the next Thanos will be.

It should be wondering what the MCU looks like after the dust settles.

Marvel has spent almost two decades building a cinematic universe around the Avengers. After Secret Wars, it finally has the opportunity to build something much larger: an Avengers universe, an X-Men universe, a Fantastic Four universe, a cosmic universe and a street-level Marvel universe, all existing simultaneously.

And then, when the time is right, Marvel can bring those worlds together.

That is the biggest opportunity Secret Wars creates.

The next great Marvel saga should not try to recreate the Infinity Saga.

It should create something completely different.

Secret Wars can be the ending.

The Mutant Saga, Dark Reign and Annihilation could be the beginning of Marvel's next golden age.