With so many things in flux at Marvel Studios, there’s news that Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings director Destin Daniel Cretton has departed the director’s chair of Avengers: The Kang Dynasty. A move that leaves us speculating about the crossover film’s future, if anything.
The story from Deadline reports that Cretton “has decided to step away as director of Marvel Studios’ Avengers: Kang Dynasty to focus on his other Marvel projects,” describing the exit as “amicable” and that “Cretton remains fully in the Marvel Studios family.” The filmmaker is slated to continue work on his other Marvel Studios projects, which includes the Disney+ series Wonder Man as well as future Shang-Chi films.
Marvel Studios also remains in talks with Cretton about directing future movies, Deadline affirmed. Yet, when it comes to Kang Dynasty, we can’t help but wonder if this is a sign of things to come with Jonathan Majors’ future as the originally proposed big bad Kang the Conqueror and his legion of multiversal variants. Whether that plan is being scrapped entirely, given that the actor is set to go to trial for allegations of domestic abuse, remains to be seen.
With the ending of Loki season two propelling major changes to the Marvel timeline, there’s also a possibility that the MCU’s next Avengers film might not be about Kang specifically. That film was scheduled far in advance—it’s slated for May 1, 2026—while the MCU’s current popularity rests on a handful of characters like Loki and Ms. Marvel alongside Black Panther and Shang-Chi mainstays. With the possibility of OG Avengers returning, plus that Marvels reveal, there’s plenty still up in the air right now—so whatever Marvel’s cooking, the Kang Dynasty may no longer be on the menu.
As for Cretton, Wonder Man resumes shooting after Thanksgiving as part of Marvel Spotlight, a new banner of projects that don’t necessarily require audiences to be fully caught up with all the ongoings of the MCU. And there’s also that Shang-Chi sequel in the works to look forward to.
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