Spoiler Warning: This article contains spoilers for the MCU up til now.Ever since the incredible ending of the final Avengers film, Avengers: Endgame, there has been a lot of talk about how the Marvel Cinematic Universe will move forward. With the death of Iron Man and Black Widow, along with Captain America going to live a normal life and heroes like The Hulk, Thor, and Hawkeye taking on mentorship roles in the MCU it left the door wide open for other characters to carry the Marvel torch into the future. When Phase 4 was announced, it contrasted with other MCU Phases by not culminating in an Avengers film, and the MCU projects have left the status of the team up in the air and if they factor in at all.

Update September 12, 2022: MCU and Avengers fans, this article has been updated regarding the news following the announcements at San Diego Comic-Con regarding Avengers: The Kang Dynasty and Avengers: Secret Wars.

There are valid arguments for making additional Avengers films, as well as stopping where they are currently at. With such an established name, any future movie with the word Avengers in the title could likely make over a billion dollars when factoring in worldwide box-office sales, streaming rights, merchandise sales, etc. Making another Avengers movie would easily be justified from a financial standpoint alone — it is, after all, one of the highest-grossing movie franchises of all time.

That being said, from a story perspective, how could Marvel top the sacrifices of Tony Stark, Natasha Romanoff, Vision, and others to stop Thanos and return the missing half of life in the universe during The Blip? Avengers: Endgame united a universe, so how does one top that? Hence the question on the minds of fans everywhere: will there be another MCU Avengers movie?

While many wondered what the MCU plan was for Phase 4 and onward, and the status of future Avengers movies, Kevin Feige announced at San Diego Comic-Con 2022 that two Avengers films are set for release in 2025. First is Avengers: The Kang Dynasty which will open in theaters on May 2, 2025, and Avengers: Secret Wars on November 7, 2025. With these major announcements, what does this mean for the future of The Avengers franchise in the MCU?

Will There Be an Avengers 5?

Yes, not only will there be an Avengers 5 but an Avengers 6 as well. Avengers: The Kang Dynasty will be the fifth Avengers film, with its immediate follow-up Avengers: Secret Wars being the sixth film in the series. Like the previous three phases where each one concluded with an Avengers film, Kevin Feige has said that each saga will now conclude with an Avengers film, with these two films marking the end of the Multiverse Saga.

Avengers: The Kang Dynasty will feature the classic Avengers villain Kang the Conqueror (Jonathan Majors) and is set to be directed by Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings director Destin Daniel Cretton meaning that film's titular hero and elements from that film will likely be a major factor in Avengers: The Kang Dynasty. Avengers: Secret Wars remains a little more of an unknown property. The film draws its title from two comic book storylines of the same name and is known for being a massive crossover event.

Who the New Avengers Team Could Be

Various MCU projects since Avengers: Endgame has established that The Avengers as an organization does not exist in the MCU. Spider-Man: Far From Home has one of the students ask if The Avengers is still a thing, and while there are still elements of the universe like Avengers Con seen in Ms. Marvel and in Eternals where it is asked who will lead The Avengers, no team roster has been unveiled. The closest answer audiences have is in the mid-credits scene of Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings, Shang-Chi has a conversation with Bruce Banner (Hulk), Captain Marvel, and Wong.

There are multiple existing characters in the MCU that could make up the team. Both Thor, Hulk, and Hawkeye still are around as are Sam Wilson's Captain America, Ant-Man, Wasp, Doctor Strange, Captain Marvel, War Machine, Spider-Man, whoever takes on the mantle of Black Panther, and now a revived Vision that could make up the team.

Related: Simu Liu Has Ideas of Where He Wants Shang-Chi Sequel to Go

In addition, many new heroes have joined the MCU, from Shang-Chi, Moon Knight, Ms. Marvel, She-Hulk, Daredevil, Monica Rambeau, and the various members of the Eternals. There are also a number of heroes who have yet to make their first appearance but are set to debut soon including Blade, Ironheart, Werewolf by Night, Wonder Man, and Man-Thing all of which could make for important members of the Avengers. In addition, the MCU after-credit scenes have also introduced classic Marvel heroes like Starfox, Clea, and Hercules which could hint at potential Avengers recruits. The universe is filling up with potential heroes to unite as Earth's mightiest heroes.

Other MCU Teams Forming

With so many characters now existing in the MCU, there is more than a need for one superhero team. In addition to The Avengers, the MCU already has the Guardians of the Galaxy and Eternals. The studio is also set to introduce The Fantastic Four, which will kick off Phase 6 of the MCU. Seeing as how Doctor Doom is the central villain in both versions of the comic Secret Wars that Avengers: Secret Wars is probably drawing from, the team will likely be very important in the final Avengers film.

The announcement of the Thunderbolts roster made it clear that characters like Yelena Belova and Winter Soldier will not be a part of The Avengers and instead lead the team of villains that have been forming in the background of various MCU projects by Valentina Allegra de Fontaine. The team will be joined by Red Guardian and John Walker's US Agent alongside villains Ghost and Taskmaster.

Related: Explained: How the MCU Appears to Be Assembling the Young Avengers

No official announcement has been made, but one recurring trend in the MCU Phase 4 has been the addition of various young heroes joining the MCU with the possible indication they are building up to the Young Avengers. Young Avengers heroes that have already appeared include Speed and Wiccan (WandaVision and Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness), Eli Bradley (The Falcon and the Winter Soldier), Kid Loki (Loki), Kate Bishop (Hawkeye), America Chavez (Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness), and Cassie Lang (the Ant-Man films). This seems to imply in addition to The Avengers, the Young Avengers will join the MCU.

What Avengers Clues Have Been Laid?

With Phase 4 set to conclude with the release of Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, audiences are now one-third the way through the Multiverse Saga meaning a slight picture can be formed about where the series is going. Right now the biggest overall threat has been that of Kang the Conqueror who was first teased in Loki. Kang the Conqueror will be the main villain in Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania, which will be the beginning of Phase 5. At D23 it was confirmed that Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania will lead directly into Avengers: The Kang Dynasty. Kang's real name is Nathaniel Richards, making him the descendant of Reed Richards and Sue Storm of The Fantastic Four making a further connection between the various projects.

The other major hint was laid out in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness when it was revealed that incursions are a threat to the multiverse. Incursions were a major part of the Secret Wars comic, which is the main source of inspiration for Avengers: Secret Wars. With the multiverse put in danger in Loki and Spider-Man: No Way Home, a potential invasion from an interdimensional race in Ms. Marvel, and Wong's comments in She-Hulk: Attorney At Law revealing how easy it is to threaten the multiverse, it is likely the rest of the Marvel heroes from the cosmic space adventures of Captain Marvel to the supernatural hero Moon Knight will begin to feel these ramifications.

While there is a six-year gap in time between Avengers: Endgame and Avengers: The Kang Dynasty, it is worth noting that it's the same amount of time from the release of Doctor Strange in 2016 and his sequel in 2022, and the character still managed to make appearances in other films, so audiences may get more teases of this potential Avengers roster. When it comes to Marvel, you learn to never say never. In fact, it’s best to be patient and let things play out.

Marvel has slowly been putting their various heroes into place. Ant-Man, Wasp, Shang-Chi, and She-Hulk all reside in California; Thor, Hulk, The Guardians of the Galaxy, Captain Marvel, and Eternals are all off in space, and the MCU is putting their chess pieces into position. Marvel has an excellent track record thus far, and it’s unlikely they’ll disappoint, no matter which direction they ultimately go.