Marvel legend declines, Avengers 5 director withdraws from project

Filmmaker Destin Daniel Cretton has stepped down as director of Marvel Studios' Avengers: Reign of Kang, reportedly to prioritize his work on other Marvel projects. The decision has been described as an "amicable separation," and some details about Cretton's continued work with Marvel Studios have now been revealed.

Cretton is currently focusing on the Marvel Studios/Disney+ series Wonder Man, a collaboration with showrunner Andrew Guest. The series operates independently under Marvel Spotlight, separate from the Marvel Cinematic Universe as a whole. Cretton's involvement extends beyond producer, as he will also direct the first two episodes. Wonder Man will resume filming after Thanksgiving.

Avengers: Reign of Kang is set to hit theaters on May 1, 2026, and will still feature heavily in the upcoming release schedule. It will precede Avengers: Secret Wars, which will be released on May 7, 2027, and will conclude Phase 6 of the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

In June, Marvel announced that Avengers: Reign of Kang and Secret Wars would both be delayed by a year.