Chris McKenna Teases a Truly Massive Character Roster for ‘Avengers: Secret Wars’
Few movie events have been built up as patiently as the next two ‘Avengers‘ films. Marvel has spent years guiding the Multiverse Saga toward a giant finale, and every new update about ‘Avengers: Secret Wars’ gets fans speculating about who might show up. With that much history to draw on, the biggest question has always been how many heroes and villains one movie can hold.
The road to the film has not been simple. Both ‘Avengers: Doomsday’ and ‘Avengers: Secret Wars’ were pushed from spring dates to December because of their growing scope, with ‘Doomsday’ now set for Dec. 18 and ‘Secret Wars’ following on Dec. 17 of next year. The Russo brothers are directing both, and Robert Downey Jr. is playing Doctor Doom.
Now one of the writers has offered a glimpse of just how big the finale is getting. Chris McKenna, who is writing ‘Secret Wars,’ says the writers’ room is crowded with possibilities. Speaking on The Bulwark Goes to Hollywood, he said, “We have basically, like, hundreds of the characters up on the wall.” The team is still working out which characters fit into which story.
McKenna described a recent visit from ‘Community’ actor Danny Pudi, who saw the wall of characters in the room in London. Pudi jokingly noticed that his minor ‘Captain America: The Winter Soldier’ character was missing. McKenna joked that the character might make it into ‘Secret Wars’ after all.
The anecdote is a fun reminder of how far Marvel’s world has stretched. After more than a decade of films and series, the studio has a huge pool of heroes, villains and supporting players to choose from. Fitting them into a coherent story is a very different challenge than filling a poster.
McKenna and his writing partner Erik Sommers are best known for their work on the Tom Holland ‘Spider-Man’ films. Director Destin Daniel Cretton has said they left ‘Spider-Man: Brand New Day’ mid-production because they were needed on the two new ‘Avengers’ movies. Justin Kuritzkes then stepped in to help finish the Spider-Man film.
They now join Michael Waldron and Stephen McFeely on the screenplays for both films. McKenna said he helped a little on ‘Doomsday,’ and he also noted that he is working alongside Kevin Feige, Louis D’Esposito and the Russo brothers, whom he first met on ‘Community.’ He was also enthusiastic about McFeely’s idea for ‘Doomsday,’ saying it combines fun elements with emotional weight.
‘Secret Wars’ is the final chapter of the Multiverse Saga, and it is expected to draw inspiration from the 2015 comics about the collapse of the multiverse through Incursions. Doctor Doom and Molecule Man are among the characters linked to that storyline. Filming was scheduled to begin in mid-2026 at Pinewood Studios in England, and Noah Jupe has reportedly been cast in a key role.
The original 1984 ‘Secret Wars’ comic featured an enormous line-up as well, including the Avengers, the Fantastic Four, the X-Men and Spider-Man. That history makes McKenna’s comments feel even more fitting. A story built around a battle of heroes and villains naturally calls for a huge cast.
He used to be different.
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The size of the roster raises the stakes for everything else. ‘Doomsday’ already features a giant ensemble that includes Marvel veterans and actors from the X-Men films, so ‘Secret Wars’ has to top that. The writers will need to give major characters real moments while leaving room for surprising appearances.
McKenna’s comments suggest the team is aware of that challenge. They are not just adding names to the film, but deciding where each character can matter. That approach could help the finale feel earned rather than crowded.
Which character do you most want to see in Avengers: Secret Wars?
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