Why Avengers: Secret Wars Is Perfect For MCU Phase 4

8. Retaining The Main MCU Timeline

Though having the "blue-chip" properties of X-Men and The Fantastic Four back in the MCU might be a huge deal, but it can't be enough of one to scrap the groundwork that has been established over the past ten years. That would be disrespectful to the fans, the material and to every performance that has gone into making the MCU so popular.

The value of a story like Secret Wars, which will drop new characters into the existing MCU rather than rebooting to accommodate them, is that there's no need to compromise on any of that groundwork. And it's one of the only ways we could get a satisfactory explanation for the mutant question without a major retcon that could threaten to piss fans off.

The fact that Infinity War and Avengers 4 are promising to mess with the Marvel universe already means that the new characters could be added into a franchise in flux but which is still - crucially - the same brand we've all invested in for ten years. There might be big changes, but the bones will be the same, and that is very much key.