Avengers 5 hasn't had the smoothest development and we're still not even close to the next Avengers movie being filmed.
In February 2024, it was reported that Marvel was reworking the movie and it will no longer be called Avengers: The Kang Dynasty. Jonathan Majors was dropped by Marvel on December 18, 2023 after being found guilty of assault and harassment.
However, it was added that Majors's character Kang was already being minimised before his conviction after the underperformance of Ant-Man and The Wasp: Quantumania. Marvel has yet to officially comment.
It's not just with Kang that there have been changes. Director Destin Daniel Cretton left the movie in November 2023, while Michael Waldron – who is already writing Avengers: Secret Wars – joined the movie as a writer taking over from Jeff Loveness.
We still don't know who will take over from Cretton as director as of April 2024.
The next Avengers movie is half of a double-bill that will bring The Multiverse Saga to a close, but before we can even start thinking of Secret Wars, there's a lot that needs to be done with Avengers 5.
Here's everything you need to know about Avengers 5.
Avengers 5 release date: When can we expect Avengers 5?
In June 2023, Avengers 5 was delayed by Marvel and will now hit cinemas on May 1, 2026.
That's a move of one year from its initial release date of May 2, 2025 and has also led to Avengers: Secret Wars being moved from May 5, 2026 to May 7, 2027.
We still don't know when filming will take place or whether the behind-the-scenes changes will result in another delay for the movie.
Avengers 5 cast: Who could be in Avengers 5?
As mentioned above, Jonathan Majors has officially been dropped by Marvel so he won't be reprising his role as Kang the Conqueror.
Majors played the character (or Variants of him) in both seasons of Loki and also in Ant-Man and The Wasp: Quantumania. Kang was being set up as the new Big Bad of the MCU, but it's unclear what happens next.
Marvel might recast the character or it's possible that Kang will be no more in the MCU and another villain takes his place.
The original Avengers team has been almost completely deconstructed – Black Widow and Iron Man are dead, Captain America is an old man and Thor has jetted off into space with the Guardians.
But it's well established in movies and comics that the Avengers line-up is fluid. Practically any MCU hero could be drafted at any point.
If Brie Larson's Captain Marvel is going to take the lead of the MCU as suggested – assuming Marvel can work out what to do with her other than send her across the galaxy intermittently – then she's going to need a team to lead.
If not the Avengers, who? (Don't say the Defenders, please.)
Sam Wilson is Falcon no longer, having taken up the mantle of Captain America, while Hawkeye and Hulk make up the remaining heroes from the original line-up.
Other heroes like Spider-Man, Valkyrie, War Machine, Winter Soldier and Doctor Strange are still about in the MCU, but there are plenty of candidates for a new version of the team.
There have been rumours that films based on New Avengers, Young Avengers and the evil version of the team, the Dark Avengers, are in development. Marvel could go with the West Coast Avengers, or even the satirical Great Lakes Avengers.
Any of these would offer an opportunity to continue and refresh the Avengers legacy. In particular, introducing the Young Avengers would be a positive step in the continued path towards representation Marvel has long struggled with.
America Chavez comes out as lesbian in Young Avengers vol 15. Wiccan, one of Scarlet Witch's kids, also comes out as gay and dates another young Avenger, Hulkling. The group also consists of Prodigy, a bisexual hero of African American origin and Nor-Varr, a 'not completely straight' character who dates Kate Bishop.
To include these characters in the MCU would begin to shape an accurate reflection of society today – letting people of all backgrounds see themselves as superheroes.
Kate Bishop joined the MCU in the Disney+ show Hawkeye and since the TV shows are now part of the universe in a bigger way than before, it could mean they're all paving the way for the Young Avengers to be introduced.
She reprised her role at the end of The Marvels and Kamala Khan certainly looked to be setting up the Young Avengers, so they could well have a part to play in the next Avengers movie.
It sounds like Chris Hemsworth's Thor will appear in some capacity, at least. Unless his interview with Wired in June 2022 contained a slip of the tongue.
Discussing the early days of the franchise, Hemsworth catapulted himself into the future. "I didn't really know, none of us did, if it was gonna work, or if there was gonna be an extension beyond that first film into Thor 2, 3, 4 or Avengers 1, 2, 3, 4, 5," Hemsworth said.
"It was all just an idea and a dream. And one that I was on board with."
Yeah, sounds like he's signed up for it to us.
Avengers 5 plot: What will Avengers 5 be about?
Originally, it looked like Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania was setting up just why Kang would be a dangerous villain going forward.
The Kang we met in the Quantum Realm, who was attempting to escape back into normal-sized reality, was seemingly crushed to death.
But, the film's mid-credit scene revealed an entire council of Kangs, including the real big bad, Immortus, who, having summoned 'all of us' Kangs, rallies them by saying: "They will take everything we built, so let's stop wasting time."
We had thought this was what the new movie would build from, but with the exit of Majors, it's unclear whether Kang is still the villain.
Avengers 5 trailer: Any Avengers 5 footage yet?
With the release date delay, it also means it'll be even longer before we see anything from Avengers 5, probably not until at least 2025.
Sorry about that.
Avengers 5 is released in cinemas on May 1, 2026.
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Movies Editor, Digital Spy Ian has more than 10 years of movies journalism experience as a writer and editor. Starting out as an intern at trade bible Screen International, he was promoted to report and analyse UK box-office results, as well as carving his own niche with horror movies, attending genre festivals around the world. After moving to Digital Spy, initially as a TV writer, he was nominated for New Digital Talent of the Year at the PPA Digital Awards. He became Movies Editor in 2019, in which role he has interviewed 100s of stars, including Chris Hemsworth, Florence Pugh, Keanu Reeves, Idris Elba and Olivia Colman, become a human encyclopedia for Marvel and appeared as an expert guest on BBC News and on-stage at MCM Comic-Con. Where he can, he continues to push his horror agenda – whether his editor likes it or not.
