The MCU currently has a perfect setup for one seriously powerful Marvel hero to debut – but I genuinely don’t know if it will be able to introduce said character despite all this. With the MCU’s Avengers: Doomsday movie only a year from release – and Avengers: Secret Wars set to finish off the Multiverse Saga a year after – the way the MCU intends to build its interconnected story for these colossal crossover movies is the topic of some not inconsiderable discussion. It’s also, understandably, the topic of some concern, since these will be the next Avengers movies after Avengers: Endgame.

Doctor Doom is on the way for Avengers: Doomsday – or even earlier, if the theories that Robert Downey Jr will appear in the story of The Fantastic Four: First Steps turn out to bear fruit – and he’s by no means the only character it seems the franchise will debut in the final chapters of the Multiverse Saga. However, there’s one incredibly powerful hero that the MCU’s story perfectly ties into introducing, and yet who seems to be so immensely challenging for the franchise to actually bring in that I’m genuinely not sure if we’ll ever see them make an appearance.

Hyperion’s Marvel Origin Story Has Already Been Set Up By The MCU

A host of Marvel characters seem set to have an MCU debut thanks to the Multiverse Saga, since it has tapped into a series of alternate universes for the franchise, as is shown in releases like ᴅᴇᴀᴅpool & Wolverine and The Fantastic Four: First Steps. However, introducing and explaining concepts surrounding the multiverse has also made the debut of Marvel’s Hyperion possible in a different sense – especially after Doctor Strange and the Multiverse of Madness officially brought the concept of universe-destroying incursions into the MCU – since the hero’s backstory is inherently tied to the multiverse.

In the comics, Hyperion’s story is very much linked to both the multiverse and the concept of its impending destruction. Hyperion’s home world is destroyed in an incursion that sees him pulled into the main Marvel comic universe, with him then going on to work as one of the world’s Avengers, eventually sacrificing himself alongside Thor in an epic battle that shows his ability to absorb radiation and use it to enhance himself to its fullest. This takes place during Marvel’s Time Runs Out event, which notably leads into the 2015 Secret Wars story.

With the MCU having already leaned into the concept of incursions, and seemingly also looking to adapt at least some of the 2015 Secret Wars – given they’ve set up Doctor Doom to also be a core component of the MCU’s on-screen version of Secret Wars – everything seems primed for Hyperion’s arrival at this chapter of the MCU. That said, while everything is set up nicely for the powerful hero to appear in epic fashion, the real-world timeline at play makes this seem like something of a challenge.

The MCU Seemingly Only Has A Few Years To Use Its Hyperion Setup

Logistically, it makes sense to introduce Hyperion in the Multiverse Saga – first and foremost because it ties to his own story and Marvel introduction so naturally, but also because introducing him in the next Saga would feel odd given how linked to the Multiverse Saga his comic origins are, potentially hampering whatever chapter comes next for the MCU timeline. With that said, this would mean the MCU only has until Avengers: Secret Wars to potentially introduce Hyperion to the world, giving it 2 years for this task if Hyperion is indeed set to appear.

Two years sounds like a long time, but this isn’t two years on a blank canvas, where there’s ample potential for a swathe of characters to emerge without complication. The path to Secret Wars is in no small part already paved, with Thunderbolts* and The Fantastic Four: First Steps left to release in 2025, and Spider-Man 4 and Avengers: Doomsday set to release in 2026. Only Doomsday seems like it could potentially bring Hyperion in, and even then only at the sacrifice of some of the many other major heroes who looked like they could be key players in the fifth Avengers movie.

While there is always the chance that unannounced movies for 2026 or 2027 before Secret Wars could emerge and be the useful introduction point that Hyperion seems to need, it’s hard to say how likely this is given the repeated emphasis on slowing down the number of releases coming out yearly that has been discussed in regards to the MCU. Similarly, while either of the presumably multiversal-focused Avengers films offer an opportunity to bring Hyperion in, it’s hard to say if they’d be able to pull this off given just how many other existing storylines arguably are more of a priority currently.

I’m Genuinely Not Sure Whether The MCU Has Room To Introduce Hyperion In The Multiverse Saga

One of the biggest complaints about the Multiverse Saga is that there have been too many characters introduced without any sustained focus, which – when combined with the lack of clarity about who the next Avengers roaster will be – has led to a sense of there being less focus in the franchise. As such, the priority for Avengers: Doomsday and Avengers: Secret Wars appears to be bringing a sense of focus back to the MCU, and showing who will be the focal characters for it for at least the immediate future.

With such a delicate balancing act to be undertaken, I think introducing Hyperion seems like a risk the MCU may not be willing to take. While this would be a shame given the way the franchise is perfectly teed up to have him debut, it’s also hard to say it wouldn’t be a fair and perhaps even necessary sacrifice in order to ensure everything is on the right track.

This is doubly true when it any time dedicated to him could be time taken away from key moves for the franchise that audiences have been expressing major desires too see. Things like establishing the next Avengers team, building villains like Doctor Doom as threats, and paying off now years-old twists and teases from movies that have yet to be capitalized on seem more crucial for the franchise now than ever, meaning they make be more important than bringing another familiar face for comic fans into the fray.

However, there may be some potential in taking a more pared-down approach with the character that still lets him appear on-screen, like making him part of the multiversal hero team seemingly teased in Captain America: Brave New World, or simply having him appear as a more background friend or foe who also finds themselves having to deal with the increasingly dire looking situation the MCU multiverse appears to find itself in. Ultimately, though, the current layout of things means it’ll be almost impossible to tell whether Hyperion is inbound or not until either he debuts, or the Multiverse Saga ends.

Upcoming MCU Movies

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  Thunderbolts*

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  May 2, 2025
  

  
  
  
  

  
  

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  The Fantastic Four: First Steps

  Release Date

  
  July 25, 2025
  

  
  
  
  

  
  

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  Avengers: Doomsday (2026)

  
  
  
  
  

  
  

  
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  Spider-Man Homecoming 4

  Release Date

  
  July 24, 2026
  

  
  
  
  

  
  

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  Avengers: Secret Wars

  Release Date

  
  May 7, 2027
  

  
  
  
  

  
  

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