Summary
Marvel Studios may have just teased the perfect replacement for one of Marvel Comics' most important characters ahead of Phase 6’s upcomingAvengers: Secret Wars. Marvel boss Kevin Feige first announced the development ofAvengers: Secret Warsback in 2022. More recently, confirmation of the Russo brothers' return as directors andRobert Downey Jr.’s inclusion as Doctor Doomhave raised excitement for the much anticipated crossover movie. It now seems that currentMCUprojects, includingDeadpool & Wolverine, are also directly setting upSecret Wars.
Marvel Comics’Secret Warsevents from 1984 and 2015 have been revealed to be some of the Russo brothers' favorite stories. This impliesthe directing duo, who previously directedThe Winter Soldier, Civil War, Infinity WarandEndgame, will adaptSecret Wars’storyline as faithfully as possible. This means that some of the stories' most important characters will likely be featured in2027’sAvengers: Secret Wars, including those who haven’t yet debuted in the MCU. To that end, Marvel might have just teased the replacement of one of these significant cogs in theSecret Warsmachine.
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Deadpool & Wolverine Introduced Anchor Beings As A New & Important Multiverse Concept
Hugh Jackman’s Wolverine Was Revealed To Be Earth-10005’s Anchor Being
Since the beginning of the Multiverse Saga, many interesting and complex concepts have been introduced to the MCU, including the likes of the Sacred Timeline, incursions, Nexus Beings and Absolute Points in time.Deadpool & Wolverineintroduced yet another multiverse concept, as it revealedHugh Jackman’s Wolverine to be the Anchor Beingof Earth-10005, the official designation of Fox’sX-Menfranchise.Wolverine’s emotional death inLoganhence spurred the deterioration of his universe, which Ryan Reynolds' Deadpool successfully tried to stop in the MCU’s Phase 5.
SinceDeadpool & Wolverine’srelease, there has been some discussion about who could be the Anchor Being of the MCU’s primary Earth-616 timeline.Every universe has an Anchor Being, and these characters seem to be of some significance to the universe, just as Wolverine was in Fox’sX-Menfranchise. Some suggestions have included Tony Stark or Wanda Maximoff, but Earth-616 is not deteriorating, so theMCU’s Anchor Beingmust still be alive. Upcoming MCU projects could reveal exactly who this is, and could confirm the Anchor Beings' possibly prominent role inAvengers: Secret Wars.
Other MCU characters, such as Doctor Strange, Spider-Man and the Hulk have been speculated to be the MCU’s official Anchor Being.
Anchor Beings Fill The Role Of Marvel’s Molecule Man In The MCU
Owen Reece’s Molecule Man Is One Of Secret Wars' Most Important Characters
The idea ofAnchor Beings in the MCUseems to have borrowed a lot of the lore of Owen Reece, a.k.a. Molecule Man, from Marvel Comics. Originally introduced in 1963’sFantastic Four #20, Molecule Man was better developed in the lead-up to 2015’sSecret Warsevent, which revealed that him and his variants had actually been created by the otherworldly Beyonders.The Molecule Men were created as singularities across every reality, with the function of being a sort of bomb - if Owen Reece died, so would his universe.
If this sounds familiar, this is exactly the purpose of Anchor Beings in the live-action MCU. If an Anchor Being dies, such asWolverine inLogan, their respective reality begins to deteriorate. In Marvel Comics, a Molecule Man’s death sets off an incursion event that destroys their universe, and contributes to the massive incursions that ravage the multiverse in 2015’sSecret Wars.Deadpool & Wolverinecould have introduced one of the most pivotal aspects of theSecret Warsstoryline, as well as teasing a number of other connections.
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Deadpool & Wolverine Teased Many Connections To Secret Wars
Marvel Comics' Secret Wars #5 Was Seen In Deadpool & Wolverine’s First Teaser Trailer
Deadpool & Wolverineseemed to establish a clear connection to Marvel Studios’Avengers: Secret Warslong before the movie’s premiere in July 2024. InDeadpool & Wolverine’sfirst teaser trailer, an issue of Marvel Comics could be seen on the ground in the Void that looked like the cover ofSecret Wars #5.This issue, taking place primarily on Battleworld after incursions destroyed the multiverse, explored Doctor Doom taking the power of the Beyonders with the help of Molecule Man, and using it to build Battleworld.
Deadpool & Wolverinemade it possible forAvengers: Secret Wars’incursion to take place between Earth-616 and Earth-10005 (rather than Earth-1610 from Marvel Comics). The movie also contributed to theories that the Void at the End of Time would be transformed into Battleworld, while the return of classic Marvel movie characters, such as Elektra, Blade and X-23, reinforced speculation that several multiversalvariants will return inAvengers: Secret Wars.The introduction of Anchor Beings, replacing Molecule Man, is just the latest in a long line of clearSecret Warsset-up.
Anchor Beings Could Be Pivotal To Doctor Doom’s Plans In Avengers: Secret Wars
Doctor Doom Collected Molecule Men To Battle The Beyonders In Marvel Comics' Secret Wars
If Anchor Beings have been introduced to the MCU to replace Molecule Man inAvengers: Secret Wars,audiences might be about to meet many more Anchor Beings from across the multiverse, as they could be crucial to Doctor Doom’s plans. After learning the truth about Owen Reece and his variants in Marvel Comics, Doctor Doom set out to kill each Molecule Man to stop incursions, but realized this wasn’t the right course of action. Doom then decided to collect the Molecule Men instead, and used them as a weapon against the Beyonders, allowing him to steal the beings' power.
Robert Downey Jr. previously portrayed Tony Stark’s Iron Man in ten MCU movies between 2008’sIron Manand 2019’sAvengers: Endgame. His recasting as Doctor Doom has been controversial.
Anchor Beings appear to be those of great significance in the MCU, so it seems likely that they will be at the center of Robert Downey Jr.’s Doctor Doom’s plans inAvengers: Secret Wars.It’s possible Doom could travel the multiverse collecting Anchor Beings, which presents the perfect opportunity for Marvel Studios to bring back classic heroes and feature some exciting multiversal variants. These Anchor Beings may then be pivotal in helping Doctor Doom create theMCU’s own version of Battleworld, allowingAvengers: Secret Warsto be as comic-accurate as possible.
Avengers: Secret Wars
Cast
Avengers: Secret Wars is an anticipated installment in Phase 6 of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, serving as the finale of The Multiverse Saga. Scheduled for release in December 2027, the film’s plot remains under wraps, fueling curiosity about its role in the expansive Marvel narrative.
