A new report has surfaced claiming that the role once inhabited by Hollywood actor Samuel L. Jackson will now be taken up by someone else.
Samuel L. Jackson arrived in Kevin Feige’s Marvel Cinematic Universe in 2008 in Jon Favreau’s Iron Man. In the first-ever MCU movie, Jackson’s Nick Fury appears in the post-credits scene, telling Robert Downey Jr.’s Tony Stark that he is “not the only superhero in the world” and has come to discuss the “Avengers Initiative.”
Of course, fans now know what that Avengers Initiative looked like, thanks to 16 years of cinematic comic book storytelling, but at the time, Nick Fury’s confirmation of the Avengers was an exhilarating moment.
That exhilaration and the franchise dedication that followed–Avengers: Endgame (2019) was, for a short time, the highest-grossing movie in history–has decreased over time. Ever since Endgame and Spider-Man: Far From Home (2019) closed out Phase Three, the superhero giant has found itself on the back foot.
But 2025 is only six months away, and four highly anticipated movies will debut in 2025—one of which may see Samuel L. Jackson’s Nick Fury replaced by another tenured MCU actor.
Per a report from Comic Book, Benedict Wong’s Sorcerer Supreme Wong looks set to become the new organizer of the Avengers and is said to join Anthony Mackie’s Sam Wilson—AKA the franchise’s new Captain America—in rebuilding the Avengers.
The Avengers have not been seen together since the Russo Brothers’ billion-dollar smash hit. Still, the squad’s return is inevitable, considering 2026 and 2027 will include new Avengers movies, Avengers 5 (formerly Avengers: The Kang Dynasty) and Avengers: Secret Wars.
But why Sorcerer Wong? New (now deleted) set photos out of Atlanta (via Atlanta Filming) have confirmed that Benedict Wong is part of the upcoming Captain America: Brave New World (2025) production.
Team that with the film footage from CinemaCon 2024, which revealed that Harrison Ford’s President Thaddeus “Thunderbolt” Ross wants Sam Wilson (Mackie) to rebuild the Avengers.
Captain America: Brave New World is currently undergoing reshoots. In addition to Benedict Wong, the film has added Giancarlo Esposito (Breaking Bad, The Mandalorian) to the mystery villain role.
While it’s unclear how long Esposito will be in the franchise (the actor has also been rumored to play Kang the Conqueror and Professor X in the past), Benedict Wong is seemingly more integral to the future of the MCU than anyone perhaps thought.
“Wong has been one of the only through points to link multiple projects in The [Multiverse] Saga,” writes Comic Book. “In fact, his presence might be the one thread that has done the most work in bridging the gaps between these movies and shows.”
As the outlet points out, Benedict Wong’s character has appeared in multiple Phase Four and Phase Five projects. The character was featured in the movies Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings (2021), Spider-Man: No Way Home (2021), and Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness (2022), while also appearing in the Disney+ show She-Hulk: Attorney at Law.
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In the post-credits scene of Daniel Destin Cretton’s Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings, Shang-Chi (Simu Liu) and Katy (Awkwafina) meet with Wong, Carol Danvers (Brie Larson), and Bruce Banner (Mark Ruffalo) to discuss the titular rings.
Wong’s inclusion across these movies could suggest that the new Avengers line-up currently includes Captain Marvel, Hulk, Shang-Chi, Captain America, and potentially She-Hulk (Tatiana Maslany) and Doctor Strange (Benedict Cumberbatch).
This makes sense for the most part when considering new rumors surrounding Captain Marvel’s future in the franchise and the fact that Captain America: Brave New World is obviously a precursor to the events of Thunderbolts* (2025).
The addition of the asterisk seems to be somehow connected to the future of the Avengers squad, with Marvel Studios adding it long after the movie had been confirmed in Hall H at San Diego ComicCon in 2022. Kevin Feige told the crowd at CinemaCon 2024 that it would only make sense after the film had debuted in May next year.
So, with Nick Fury running S.A.B.E.R. and dealing with the global fallout seen in Secret Invasion, it seems that a new coordinator of the Avengers has taken over his historic role. Wong is the thread and could be the one that pulls the shaky Phase Four and Five back together.
This, of course, comes after Shawn Levy’s Deadpool & Wolverine (2024), which is all but confirmed to be soft rebooting the cinematic universe when it debuts this July.
Related: “Avengers Assemble” Reboot Confirmed as Classic Squad Reunited at Marvel
While the aforementioned reports suggest a new Avengers squad is all but put together, recent rumored information claims that Avengers 5 will be a true ensemble affair and feature over 60 MCU characters. At the same time, it was shared that Shawn Levy is reportedly in talks to helm the upcoming Avengers movie, replacing Destin Daniel Cretton, who exited the project last year.
Whoever it includes, the new squad’s line-up will be a far cry from the original six that fought at the Battle of New York in 2012.
Do you think Wong will bring together the new Avengers? Let us know in the comments down below!
