Report: Actor Fired, Marvel Sets Stage to Replicate ‘Avengers: Endgame’

Marvel is reportedly planning to attempt the impossible with Avengers 5.

It’s no secret that the Marvel Cinematic Universe is on shaky ground right now. Since the earth-shattering success that was Avengers: Endgame (2019), the franchise has had a handful of box office hits – such as Spider-Man: No Way Home (2021) and Guardians of the Galaxy, Vol. 3 (2023) – but has also experienced its fair share of flops.

Related: This Is Why ‘The Marvels’ Was Destined To Flop

Last year, both Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania (2023) and The Marvels (2023) proved to be not-so-popular with both fans and critics. The latter scraped just $206.1 million at the global box office, making it Marvel’s biggest flop to date.

Marvel hasn’t taken these hits lightly. Both Disney CEO Bob Iger and Marvel President Kevin Feige have confirmed that the studio has reassessed and reangled its upcoming releases (both theatrical and those intended for Disney+) in order to focus more on quality over quantity.

One of the projects under the most scrutiny is Avengers 5. Like Avengers: Infinity War (2018) before it, this aims to set up the finale of the franchise’s current saga (the Multiverse Saga) with an epic showdown between the Avengers and… Well, someone.

Last year, Marvel faced another hurdle when Jonathan Majors—the actor portraying this saga’s intended “big bad,” Kang—was arrested for physically assaulting his ex-girlfriend Grace Jabbari. In December, he was found guilty of two misdemeanor counts of assault and harassment, with Marvel firing him from the franchise that same day.

That added yet another layer of pressure to Avengers 5. According to Deadline, Marvel is taking extra care to prep for the blockbuster and hopes to not only replicate but outdo the grandeur and scale of Avengers: Endgame – which served as an epic culmination of 10 years’ worth of characters and stories – in the process.

To make this possible, sources close to Avengers 5 apparently told the outlet that Marvel hopes to feature over 60 MCU characters in the film. This lineup will include Mark Ruffalo (Bruce Banner/The Hulk), Chris Hemsworth (Thor), Benedict Cumberbatch (Stephen Strange/Doctor Strange), Tom Hiddleston (Loki), Simu Liu (Shang-Chi), and Karen Gillian (Nebula).

The outlet also reports that, unlike Avengers: Endgame, the film won’t feature a core group of heroes but will be more of an ensemble effort.

Deadline also adds that Shawn Levy – who directs the upcoming Deadpool & Wolverine (2024) and is also a director and executive producer for Netflix’s Stranger Things – is being eyed to lead the project. Should he decline the offer, the studio is apparently meeting with other directors as backups.

While Avengers 5 (previously known as Avengers: Kang Dynasty) allegedly now has a script, it’s still unknown how Marvel will tackle its big villain problem. Earlier this week, it was reported that Luke James – the frontrunner to replace Majors as Kang – has no interest in the part.

What would you like to see from Avengers 5? Let us know in the comments!

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