The Marvel Cinematic Universe Phase 6 is set to conclude with two Avengers films: Avengers: The Kang Dynasty and Avengers: Secret Wars. Both films were announced at San Diego Comic-Con 2022, and shortly after, it was confirmed that Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings director Destin Daniel Cretton would helm Avengers: The Kang Dynasty.
Unlike Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers: Endgame, which were both helmed by the Russo Brothers, the upcoming two Avengers films will be helmed by separate filmmakers. This decision is likely down to the massive scale of both projects. Instead, Marvel Studios is hiring two separate directors for each project who will work closely together on development.
Update September 7, 2023: With rumors circulating around the director for Avengers: Secret Wars, this article has been updated with even more directors and to further reflect recent developments in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
Screenwriter Michael Waldron, who wrote Loki season one and Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, has signed on to pen the script for Avengers: Secret Wars. While little is known about the plot of the movie, it draws its name from two comic books: 1984's Marvel Super Heroes Secret Wars and 2015's Secret Wars, both of which are famous for being massive crossover events between many heroes and villains.
With Marvel Studios hiring a director from one of their prior films for Avengers: The Kang Dynasty, it is safe to assume they will also want another filmmaker familiar with how the studio works to helm their big, massive conclusion film. Marvel Studios luckily has a long list of talented directors they worked with in the past, and these are the five best choices for Avengers: Secret Wars.
The Russo Brothers
As the duo who directed the previous two Avengers movies, it makes a certain amount of sense to bring the Russo Brothers back for Avengers: Secret Wars. In the past, the Russo's have teased they would want to helm an adaptation of Secret Wars, although they seem to be more interested in the original 1984 storyline as opposed to the recent 2015 event comic.
However, it is because the Russo Brothers have done two Avengers movies that might be what works against them. While they did a great job on their MCU projects, the Avengers need some new creative blood to guide the franchise. This is similar to the same way the Russo's stepped in for Joss Whedon after The Avengers and Avengers: Age of Ultron. The Russo Brothers have also moved on and have started making new projects, and likely want to stay in their own creative world than return to Marvel.
Chloé Zhao
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Marvel Studios lucked out with Chloé Zhao. When she was first hired to do Eternals, she was a critically acclaimed director with low-budget movies under her belt, like many of their recent picks. Yet due to the COVID-19 pandemic delaying Eternals, by the time the movie was released, Zhao's other film, the indie Nomadland, had won the Academy Award for Best Picture and Best Director. It was the first time an MCU movie had been directed by an Oscar-winning filmmaker. While the reviews for Eternals were mixed, it was a film that showed Marvel Studios was willing to swing for the fences. It was a gamble, and in terms of making a visually distinctive and unique MCU film, Zhao delivered.
Having an Academy Award-winner directing Avengers: Secret Wars would never be considered a bad call. Zhao seemed to have a great time working with Marvel Studios, and Marvel Studios President Kevin Feige spoke highly of working with Zhao, so she seems like a perfect candidate. With Destin Daniel Cretton directing Avengers: The Kang Dynasty, it would seem appropriate for Zhao to helm Avengers: Secret Wars, letting the culmination of the Multiverse Saga be directed by the two filmmakers who introduced two new franchises into the MCU at the beginning of Phase 4.
Adi & Bilall
Adil El Arbi and Bilall Fallah, known together as Adil & Bilall, have an interesting career. Their films Image, Black, and Gangsta generated a lot of attention. Following their blockbuster Bad Boys for Life, they were in a unique position. They were filmmakers directing both a Marvel and DC project. They directed two episodes of Ms. Marvel before moving on to direct Batgirl.
Sadly, Batgirl was canceled by Warner Bros. Discovery and unreleased, so it could be a tax write-off. While the duo is working on Bad Boys 4, it feels like a real injustice was done to them for all of their work on Batgirl to never be seen. Marvel Studios could generate a lot of goodwill by not only hiring the directing duo for a superhero film but also for one of their biggest movies. Having a directing duo would certainly help manage a film of this scale, similar to the Russo Brothers on Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers: Endgame.
Ryan Coogler
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When it comes to filmmakers working within the MCU, it is arguably safe to say that Ryan Coogler is the best one working at the studio. Even before the job for Black Panther, he was already an acclaimed filmmaker for his work on Fruitvale Station and Creed. With Black Panther, Coogler directed the first MCU film to earn a nomination for Best Picture at the Academy Awards.
Anticipation for Black Panther: Wakanda Forever was high, from the fact that it is a sequel to a beloved movie to the tragic real-world circumstance of star Chadwick Boseman's passing being an element the film has to work with. Yet Ryan Coogler is a strong director who the audience had faith in to deliver a quality movie with rich themes, and the movie more than lived up to that. Black Panther: Wakanda Forever is a movie that should not have worked due to all the real-life issues impacting it, but Coogler steered the ship to make a satisfying and moving sequel.
Coogler spoke about how he almost walked away from Black Panther: Wakanda Forever after Chadwick Boseman's passing. Yet he stayed on, inspired by Boseman, and has also become more involved with the MCU, acting as a producer on Ironheart and a Disney+ series based on Wakanda. While Coogler likely could step away for a bit after Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, a project like Avengers: Secret Wars requires a director with the skill and voice to pull its massive scale. Coogler has proved himself time and time again, and nobody would be disappointed if he was announced as the director of Avengers: Secret Wars.
Kenneth Branagh
Kenneth Branagh directed Thor back in 2011. It has been a long time since he was part of the MCU, although he did do a voice cameo in Avengers: Infinity War. Branagh has an interesting career, as he is known for directing his Shakespearean adaptations like Henry V, Much Ado About Nothing, and Hamlet. If Secret Wars is like the 2015 comic, that Shakespearian background would come in handy for the story.
Since Thor his career is filled with highs like Belfast and Cinderella and some serious lows like Artemis Fowl and Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit. This might seem like a gamble for Avengers: Secret Wars, but the MCU might need a gamble. Branagh's working history with the MCU, along with his recent success helming the Hercule Poirot trilogy, shows he knows how to handle a franchise film. Branagh also is notable for being nominated for eight Academy Awards in seven unique categories. He won the Best Original Screenplay for Belfast, so having an Oscar winner would not be something Marvel should count out.
Nia DaCosta
Nia DaCosta is the filmmaker with the next MCU film out, The Marvels. While the film is yet to be released, DaCosta has been one of the most exciting filmmakers to emerge within the past few years. Her debut film, Little Woods, is an underrated gem, and her 2021 horror film, Candyman, has become a modern classic. Marvel Studios clearly saw something in her to entrust her with a sequel to one of their biggest films.
The Marvels looks like a massive cosmic story, one that will be important in setting the stage for Avengers: Secret Wars. It would make sense for her to continue that storyline. With Captain Marvel being an important face in the MCU and Ms. Marvel being positioned as the new face of the franchise, the director who is uniting the duo for the first time should continue that storyline. Plus, she is a massive fan of Marvel comics, so that is always a safe bet.
Jon Favreau
Jon Favreau kicked off the MCU with Iron Man, and if rumors are true that Avengers: Secret Wars will be the culmination of the franchise, leading the way to a soft reboot, it would be fitting for Favreau to close out the series. Favreau is one of the most accomplished directors and has a strong working relationship with Disney. Not only has he worked as a director and actor on many Marvel projects, but he is one of the main creative voices behind their Disney+ Star Wars series.
Combined with the fact that he also directed two of the biggest live-action remakes, The Jungle Book and The Lion King, Disney would certainly feel comfortable letting Favreau helm a project the size of Avengers: Secret Wars. The real question is if Favreau would even have the time due to his commitments to the various Disney+ Star Wars projects.
Sam Raimi
One element of Marvel's Multiverse Saga has been not just a focus on the MCU but embracing the past legacy of all Marvel films. Spider-Man: No Way Home brought in both Tobey Maguire and Andrew Garfield to reprise their Spider-Man incarnations. Patrick Stewart reprised his role as Professor X in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness. Deadpool 3 has confirmed that Hugh Jackman will appear once more as Wolverine.
This could indicate that Avengers: Secret Wars will be not just the conclusion of Phase 6 but also a giant love letter to Marvel's rich cinematic history. With that in mind, one ideal filmmaker to direct Avengers: Secret Wars is Sam Raimi. Raimi not only directed the original Spider-Man trilogy, which helped launch the modern Marvel age of superheroes, but he directed Marvel Studios' Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness. Raimi and Kevin Feige seem to have a good working relationship, and Raimi has shown the ability to jump into a studio picture and not only give what the studio wants but also add his unique voice.
When Avengers: Secret Wars comes out, it will arrive 27 years after the release of Blade, which arguably kicked off the new era of superhero movies. If Avengers: Secret Wars is a big, grand multiversal epic that is meant to be a celebration of Marvel's film history, Raimi's past working both on a pre-MCU film and an MCU movie makes him a perfect candidate for what could be Marvel Studios' epic conclusion before a new beginning. This might be true, as recent rumors have indicated that Raimi is the studio's top choice to helm the highly anticipated film.