Only a few things are certain in life: death, taxes, and that the MCU will continue to press on. 2023 was a rough year for the franchise juggernaut with two of their three films underperforming. In need of a desperate reset, Marvel Studios has pushed the majority of their films back to allow more time to bring back the standard of consistently good films they were once known for. This is a much-needed shift in focus back to quality over quantity now that Disney isn’t mandating them to push out as much content as possible, and could mark a whole new era for the universe.
With the MCU knee-deep in Phase 5, there are still many more huge movies coming soon that’ll no doubt shake things up for the franchise. New characters are set to finally make their MCU debut, while familiar ones return and take center stage. While the slate of projects changes so often, it seems like things have settled to where they are now. Here is every upcoming confirmed MCU film on the way in order of release date.
Deadpool & Wolverine
July 26, 2024
The only film releasing this year is arguably the MCU’s biggest gamble in years. Deadpool & Wolverine is set to be the first R-rated movie produced by Marvel Studios and is one that will push the universe forward in bold new directions. The excitement is high for this one as Marvel looks to do their biggest multiverse movie yet. The first trailer broke records to become the most viewed in less than 24 hours, shattering that of Spider-Man: No Way Home with 355.5 million views. People are clearly interested in the film as Marvel looks to bring Deadpool into the MCU along with the highly anticipated return of Hugh Jackman’s Wolverine.
A few years ago, it seemed like a movie like this would never happen. Now, it’s only a few months away from release with the world wondering what the Merc with a Mouth is up to this time. Rumors and the trailer itself have heavily implied that Deadpool will almost be on a trip down memory lane throughout the Fox universe, allowing for one final sendoff to the franchise that helped popularize comic book movies before the MCU introduces their own X-Men. Fans are looking forward to a meta-movie filled with callbacks and the bloody action Deadpool is known for in a film that has a lot of stakes for the MCU.
Captain America: Brave New World
February 14, 2025
After several release date changes, pushbacks, and reshoots, the next installment in the Captain America series, Captain America: Brave New World, is set to release on Valentine’s Day of next year. For the first time ever, Sam Wilson will be leading the movie as the brand-new Captain America. As a Black man wearing the Stars and Stripes, Sam will feel the pressure as he takes on a new level of responsibility. On top of all that, he’s going to be at odds with President “Thunderbolt” Ross, now played by Harrison Ford.
It’s going to be exciting to see Ford play in the MCU’s sandbox and potentially even transform into the Red Hulk. Joining him will be the return of Tim Blake Nelson, a genius turned supervillain after his blood was mixed with that of the Hulk. Plot details are still being kept under lock and key, but from what Marvel has let fans know thus far, it’s certain to be an exciting event. The film is set to be a huge one as it establishes one of the faces of the universe going forward as the star he is.
Thunderbolts
May 2, 2025
Set to be the final film in Phase 5, Thunderbolts is an ambitious team-up movie that brings together some of Marvel’s morally ambiguous characters. In the comics, the Thunderbolts have served many different purposes. At first, they were a team of supervillains in disguise trying to gain the public’s trust.
In more recent times, the team has become akin to Marvel’s version of the Suicide Squad. While they aren’t full-blown criminals, the characters are doing contract work for the government and are viewed as expendable. With a star-studded cast consisting of the likes of Florence Pugh, Sebastian Stan, and David Harbour, the movie looks to bring Marvel’s gritter characters together in one of the more exciting movies on the slate.
Thunderbolts First Look Revealed by Florence Pugh in BTS Sneak Peek at MCU Outing
Florence Pugh covertly reveals our first look at the upcoming MCU movie, Thunderbolts, and shows off her new superhero costume.
Unlike other projects, Thunderbolts is seemingly an original story, not taking much inspiration from the comics. This all revolves around the heavily rumored and all but confirmed inclusion of The Sentry. The all-powerful hero is cursed with an alternate personality known as The Void, a force of pure evil that is forever bonded to him. It seems like the team is going to have to take down one of the most powerful characters in the Marvel Universe, and given that most of them are just super-soldiers, things immediately become interesting seeing how doomed they are from the start.
The Fantastic Four
July 25, 2025
Arguably the most anticipated upcoming MCU film, The Fantastic Four is finally set to introduce Marvel’s first family next summer. After being announced all the way back in 2019, the film had been teased for years with small updates surrounding it. Then, this past Valentine’s Day, Marvel casually dropped the big news of their casting online to get fans excited for the film. The Mandalorian‘s Pedro Pascal would be Mister Fantastic, while The Crown‘s Vanessa Kirby would play his better half, the Invisible Woman. Joining them is Stranger Things‘ Joseph Quinn as the Human Torch alongside The Bear‘s Ebon Moss-Bachrach as The Thing.
The cast is set to start shooting the film later this year as they finally bring the team to life. All the promotional material thus far has teased the movie taking place in a different time period (or universe) with a swinging sixties aesthetic, which would be a breath of fresh air for the MCU. It gives Shakman an opportunity to tell a story without the restraints of the modern-day MCU with an artistic vision that really makes it stand out.
Blade
November 7, 2025
Of all the movies on this list, Blade is the one we know the least about. It has been over five years since Academy Award-winning actor Mahershala Ali’s surprise appearance at San Diego Comic-Con to announce the film. Ali personally approached Feige about playing the character and is largely responsible for this reboot being made in the first place. Despite kicking off the comic book movie genre, the Wesley Snipes Blade trilogy rarely ever gets the credit it deserves.
Blade has gone through two cinematographers, two directors, and four writers since the announcement back in 2019 due to the numerous schedule changes and creative overhauls to make this movie work. It’s been a journey to get to where it is today, but Blade is finally in a good place and preparing to shoot in the fall of this year. It’s also been confirmed to be R-rated, meaning that Marvel can make the vampire slasher as bloody and violent as they need. It’ll be an exciting step into the supernatural world of monsters starring Marvel’s coolest character and is sure to be one to watch out for.
Avengers 5
May 1, 2026
Seven years after the release of Avengers: Endgame comes the next installment in the most successful film series of all time, the recently unnamed Avengers 5. Originally subtitled “The Kang Dynasty”, the film was set to loosely adapt the comic of the same name. Marvel Studios had bet the house on the character of Kang and planned for him to be a huge reoccurring threat throughout the saga as it all builds up to this movie here, and it seemed like they made a smart move. However, actor Jonathan Majors was found guilty of two misdemeanor charges in a domestic violence case. He was quickly dropped by the studio as they’d gone into crisis mode trying to figure out what to do with their big tentpole movie.
It seems the solution will be a recast, but Marvel isn’t in a rush to find a new actor to take on the title role. It’s smart to keep the character around as they’ve already spent a lot of time laying the groundwork for this event. The entirety of the Loki series established him as a terrifying threat and while Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania unceremoniously killed him off, they heavily teased at the end that he’d be back in a much bigger way. It’s best to find a new actor who can do the character justice and continue with their plans.
X-Men Could Replace The Avengers as Marvel’s Main Franchise
With the premiere of X-Men ’97, it might be time for the X-Men to reclaim their spot as Marvel’s top team from The Avengers.
Avengers: Secret Wars
May 7, 2027
Almost 20 years since the MCU began, it will reach the big climax it’s been building up to. There is no greater event in comics than that of Secret Wars, so it only made sense for Marvel to culminate the Multiverse Saga with it. The multiverse-spanning catastrophe takes place as incursions destroy universes one by one until none remain, trapping the survivors on a planet known as Battleworld. There are two different versions of the story, the first one from 1984 which was largely done in an attempt to sell more toys, and the 2015 reboot which recontextualized everything into a personal story for Reed Richards and Doctor Doom. It’s likely that the MCU will adapt both versions to honor their legacy and welcome the future.
Loki: Has Marvel Gone Too Far With the Multiverse Concept?
The exciting conclusion of Loki’s second season had its high points, but the question regarding the overuse of the multiverse arises once more.
The MCU is going to continue, no matter what, with some of their biggest movies yet in the works. These next two years look to be the most pivotal for the juggernaut as they look to prove doubters wrong and get people back on board. This list doesn’t even include movies that have yet to be announced and dated by Marvel, like Shang-Chi 2 and Spider-Man 4. Despite the people involved confirming those movies are in the works, nothing has been made official by Marvel yet. After a rocky year, hopefully, Marvel has learned the right lessons and is able to get back to making the fun movies they were known for.
