Destin Daniel Cretton had some exciting things mapped out for Avengers 5.
Following the success of Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings, Cretton was tapped for the next Avengers movie, which was originally subtitled The Kang Dynastyand was set to follow the eponymous Marvel Cinematic Universe team facing off against the multiversal threat of Jonathan Majors’ Kang. After the Emmy nominee was arrested and accused of assault, Cretton would step down from directing in late 2023, while Majors would be fired the following month, with Marvel reworking their plans into Robert Downey Jr.’s Doomsday.
Now, in an interview with ScreenRant‘s Liam Crowley for our Spider-Man: Brand New Day cover story, Cretton reflected on his exit from Avengers 5. The filmmaker confessed that his attachment to the film “didn’t work out for many reasons,” explaining that he and Marvel boss Kevin Feige had a conversation towards the end of his involvement in development about “the reasons why I didn’t feel like the right fit for the story that they were chasing.”
In a subsequent interview with Brandon Davisfor his new MCU film, Cretton shared that he “had a great time” working on the next Avengers movie while he did, describing the experience as “really fun.” He also confirmed that they “mapped out” a full document for what the Kang-centric story would’ve explored, and “would have been a really fun movie.” That said, while the director is “sad it didn’t happen,” the blessing in disguise is his departure gave him the ability to make Spider-Man: Brand New Day, and therefore he is “not complaining.”
Cretton’s initial attachment to direct Avengers 5 was originally part of his first-look deal with Marvel that carried over from his Shang-Chi success. Other projects part of the deal included the long-gestating sequel to the Simu Liu film, which they’ve both reiterated is still in development, and the Disney+ series Wonder Man, which garnered rave reviews from critics and was successful enough to score a rare season 2 renewal. However, said decision was recently reversed, while reports say Yahya Abdul-Mateen II and Ben Kingsley could return for other projects.
Following Cretton’s exit from the director’s chair, Marvel immediately began the search for someone new for Avengers 5, even while they shifted away from Kang’s story. Shawn Levy was reportedly being courted to take over thanks to the record-breaking success of Deadpool & Wolverine, though scheduling conflicts with Star Wars: Starfighter and other projects would take him out of the running. Levy has since teamed back up with Marvel for the Ryan Gosling-fronted Ghost Rider reboot, which is slated for a 2028 release.
S.H.I.E.L.D. · Clearance Assessment How Well Do You Know The Avengers?
🌏OriginsAssembled
☠VillainsInevitable
⚡BattlesEndgame
🛡TeamInitiative
💫LegacyForever
01
The Avengers first assembled in Marvel Comics in 1963. In the original comic, the team formed to battle a villain who had been manipulated by his adopted brother. Which villain brought the original Avengers together?
✓ Correct! In Avengers #1 (September 1963), Loki manipulated the Hulk into going on a rampage, which led Iron Man, Thor, Ant-Man, and the Wasp to band together. They defeated Loki and decided to form a permanent team — the Avengers were born.
✗ Even the Hulk couldn’t smash that answer! The correct answer is Loki. In the original 1963 comic, Loki tricked the Hulk into a rampage, which brought together Iron Man, Thor, Ant-Man, and the Wasp. Ultron came later, Thanos is a cosmic threat, and Kang is a time-traveling villain.
02
In the MCU, Tony Stark famously declared “I am Iron Man” at a press conference, breaking the superhero tradition of secret identities. In which year’s MCU film did Tony Stark first appear as Iron Man?
✓ Correct! Iron Man (2008) launched the Marvel Cinematic Universe and starred Robert Downey Jr. as Tony Stark. The film’s post-credits scene with Nick Fury teased the Avengers Initiative, kicking off the most successful film franchise in history.
✗ Even the Hulk couldn’t smash that answer! The correct answer is 2008. Iron Man premiered on May 2, 2008, directed by Jon Favreau and starring Robert Downey Jr. It was the first film in the MCU and set the stage for everything that followed.
03
Thanos, the Mad Titan, sought to collect all six Infinity Stones to achieve his genocidal goal. In Avengers: Infinity War, he succeeded in his plan. What did Thanos do with the completed Infinity Gauntlet?
✓ Correct! With a single snap of his fingers, Thanos wiped out half of all living creatures in the universe. Known as “The Blip,” this devastating act erased trillions of lives and set the stage for the Avengers’ desperate time heist in Endgame to undo the damage.
✗ Even the Hulk couldn’t smash that answer! The correct answer is that Thanos snapped away half of all life in the universe. His twisted philosophy of “balance” drove him to commit universal genocide with a single snap, making it one of the most shocking moments in cinema history.
04
In Avengers: Endgame, Captain America proved worthy of wielding Thor’s enchanted hammer during the final battle against Thanos. What is the name of Thor’s hammer?
✓ Correct! Mjolnir, forged in the heart of a dying star, bears the inscription “Whosoever holds this hammer, if he be worthy, shall possess the power of Thor.” Captain America wielding it in Endgame was one of the most celebrated moments in MCU history.
✗ Even the Hulk couldn’t smash that answer! The correct answer is Mjolnir. Stormbreaker is the axe Thor forged in Infinity War, Gungnir is Odin’s spear, and Jarnbjorn is an axe Thor used in the comics before Mjolnir. Mjolnir is the iconic enchanted hammer.
05
Black Widow, born Natasha Romanoff, is one of the founding MCU Avengers. Before joining S.H.I.E.L.D., she was trained as an assassin in a secret Soviet program. What is the name of this program?
✓ Correct! The Red Room was a covert Soviet training facility that turned young girls into elite spies and assassins known as Black Widows. Natasha was subjected to brutal conditioning and sterilization. Her escape and defection to S.H.I.E.L.D. was explored in the 2021 Black Widow film.
✗ Even the Hulk couldn’t smash that answer! The correct answer is The Red Room. HYDRA is a separate evil organization, the Winter Soldier Program created Bucky Barnes, and Department X is from the comics. The Red Room is the infamous Soviet program that forged Natasha into Black Widow.
06
The Hulk was created when Dr. Bruce Banner was exposed to massive amounts of radiation during a weapons test. What type of radiation transformed Banner into the Hulk?
✓ Correct! Dr. Bruce Banner was caught in the blast of a gamma bomb he designed, absorbing a massive dose of gamma radiation. This transformed him into the Hulk — a being of near-limitless strength whose power increases with his rage. Gamma radiation remains central to the Hulk’s mythology.
✗ Even the Hulk couldn’t smash that answer! The correct answer is Gamma Radiation. Cosmic Rays gave the Fantastic Four their powers, Pym Particles are Ant-Man’s shrinking technology, and Terrigen Mist activates Inhuman abilities. Gamma radiation is what created the Incredible Hulk.
07
In the MCU, after Steve Rogers retired as Captain America, he passed his shield to a new hero to carry on the legacy. Who became the new Captain America?
✓ Correct! At the end of Avengers: Endgame, an elderly Steve Rogers chose Sam Wilson — the Falcon — to carry on the Captain America legacy. Sam’s journey to embrace the shield was explored in The Falcon and the Winter Soldier series, and he fully took up the mantle as Captain America.
✗ Even the Hulk couldn’t smash that answer! The correct answer is Sam Wilson. While Bucky Barnes was Captain America in the comics, Steve chose Sam in the MCU. John Walker was temporarily given the shield by the government, and Isaiah Bradley was a forgotten super soldier from the past.
08
Ultron is an artificial intelligence who becomes one of the Avengers’ deadliest enemies. In the MCU’s Avengers: Age of Ultron, which Avenger inadvertently created Ultron?
✓ Correct! Tony Stark created the Ultron program as a global peacekeeping AI, using technology from Loki’s scepter (which contained the Mind Stone). The AI became sentient and immediately decided humanity needed to be eradicated. In the comics, Hank Pym created Ultron, but the MCU shifted this to Stark.
✗ Even the Hulk couldn’t smash that answer! The correct answer is Tony Stark. While Hank Pym created Ultron in the comics, the MCU changed this to Tony Stark. Bruce Banner assisted but it was Tony’s initiative. Vision was actually created from Ultron’s technology, not the other way around.
Mission Debriefing Your Avengers Clearance Level
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Are you worthy of lifting Mjolnir — or still a S.H.I.E.L.D. trainee?
Marvel’s search would ultimately bring them back to the Russo brothers and rework the film into Avengers: Doomsday, notably bringing back Robert Downey Jr., albeit now as iconic villain Victor von Doom/Doctor Doom. The pair are also about to get to work on the franchise’s sixth film Secret Wars, which is slated for a December 2027 release date.
While Cretton and Avengers 5 may have ultimately shifted away from Kang, it does still seem as though Marvel has the character in their back pocket for more potential stories. The multiverse villain recently appeared in X-Men ’97 season 2, voiced by Star Trek‘s John De Lancie, and though the MCU’s Multiverse Saga is gearing up for a close, the soft reboot of Secret Wars could see the studio recast the live-action version of the character for something else in the future.
