By Gary Symons
TLL Editor in Chief
Between pandemics, economic meltdowns, writer and actor strikes, and the impact of streaming on film licensing, it seems almost impossible to keep track of when the latest Marvel films and series are coming out.
Essentially, due to the factors above, Marvel’s Multiverse Saga has been pushed back by at least a year, and it’s sounding like many more changes are coming down the tracks. One of the biggest rumors out right now is that Marvel may in fact be pulling away from the character Kang as its major bad guy, with some sources saying Marvel is bringing in the classic character Dr. Doom as the supreme villain for the upcoming Phase 6 and perhaps beyond.
Despite the constant shuffling of the deck, however, as one of the largest licensing companies in the world (and owned by the largest bar none), knowing what Marvel is releasing and when is kinda hella important.
With the end of the year coming up, we’ve tracked down all the current Marvel release dates—so you don’t have to!
The quick list below will give you the confirmed dates for films and series where possible, and at the end a list of those projects who still don’t have a release date.
MCU Phase 5
What If…? season 2 | Dec. 22, 2023
This animated show on Disney+ gives its viewers an alternate view of the Marvel Universe, and is based on a series of ‘What If …’ comics that first launched in 1977. The idea was essentially to explore what would have happened in the lives of various characters if certain events had played out differently.
There has been one season on Disney+ so far, and Season 2 starts just before Christmas as The Watcher (Jeffrey Wright) returns to take us on another tour through the multiverse.
As in Season 1, fans will see variants of familiar heroes and villains as they lead increasingly unfamiliar lives in their alternate realities. There will be nine episodes in season 2, and some of the live-action actors from the films will return to voice their characters.
Echo | Jan. 10, 2024
Fans of the ‘Hawkeye’ series will remember Echo as the boss of the so-called Tracksuit Mafia, an anti-hero who first appears as a villain battling the former Avenger.
Now the protagonist in her own series, Echo (aka Maya Lopez, played by Alaqua Cox) is on the run from the criminal gang run by Kingpin, played again by Vincent D’Onofrio in the role he made famous in the ‘Daredevil’ series.
Deadpool 3 (Untitled) | July 26, 2024
The debut of Deadpool within the MCU for the first time may make this the most anticipated film in the entire slate for Marvel. The first two Deadpool films were not only huge hits, but developed their own cult following, much like the original comic book character, also known as the wisecracking ‘Merc With A Mouth’.
Add to that the fact Deadpool (Ryan Reynolds) will be teaming up with his rival and sometimes nemesis Wolverine (Hugh Jackman), and the audience anticipation is already approaching viral levels.
Bonus: Wolverine will appear in his original yellow, stretchy outfit from the classic X-Men comics, creating an additional lure for Marvel purists.
Captain America: Brave New World | Feb. 14, 2025
We’ll be interested to see how this film plays out, as it’s the first box office release to feature the character Sam Wilson (aka Falcon) as the new Captain America. With Steve Rogers officially retired, not to mention sent back in time, Wilson has picked up the familiar adamantium shield, and keeps his wings and jetpack.
Newish characters are expected to enter the MCU as well, with Harrison Ford playing the role of General Thaddeus ‘Thunderbolt’ Ross, and with the expectation that his alter ego of the ‘Red Hulk’ to appear in this film for the first time. As well, Tim Blake Nelson returns in his role as ‘The Leader’, a gamma ray powered bad guy who was seen in The Incredible Hulk.
Now that Steve Rogers (Chris Evans) has officially retired, Sam Wilson (Anthony Mackie) is picking up the shield in his place as the new Captain America. Tim Blake Nelson will reprise his role from The Incredible Hulk as Samuel Sterns, aka The Leader, while none other than Harrison Ford will replace the late William Hurt as Thaddeus ”Thunderbolt” Ross.
MCU Phase 6
Fantastic Four | May 2, 2025
This is probably the most anticipated, and yet the most risky, addition to the MCU.
The Fantastic Four are synonymous with Marvel Comics, as the titles was the first superhero comic ever published by the company in 1961, a year before The Hulk, Spider-Man and Thor arrived on the scene.
So, the Fantastic Four would seem an obvious candidate as a top hit from Marvel, but the super team’s fortunes have unfortunately been damaged by previous films that were not well received by the public. Marvel’s task, therefore, is to somehow create a compelling origin film that will break new ground and grip the public imagination, despite memories of the first unsuccessful attempts in 2005 and 2007, and a reboot in 2015.
The only actor confirmed for the film right now is Pedro Pascal, who will play lead character Reed Richards, and is hot off his successes in the Mandalorian and The Last Of Us.
One thing that hints at a big push from Marvel and Disney for this film is that, in the comics, Fantastic Four leader Richards played a major role in the storyline of the Secret Wars, which is intended as the climax of the Phase 6 storyline. For that reason, many believe Fantastic Four will be setting up the finale of the entire Multiverse Saga.
Thunderbolts | July 25, 2025
In a film that (perhaps wisely) is a little bit off the beaten track of the Multiverse Saga, Thunderbolts creates a team of anti-heroes as the CIA recruits a group of supervillains to go on missions for the US government. And yes, I know that was the plot of the Margot Robbie hit Suicide Squad in the DC Universe.
But never mind all that! This film will feature semi-reformed villains like Bucky Barnes (aka The Winter Soldier), the Red Guardian, Black Widow’s sister Yelena Belova, US Agent, and Taskmaster, among others. I’m personally wondering if Red Hulk might even make an appearance.
Blade | Nov. 7, 2025
The ‘Blade’ series of films was among Marvel’s early successes at the box office, although those films were licensed, not produced by Marvel.
The Hollywood rumor mill has revealed the film has had a fair bit of trouble getting underway, facing some rewrites and delays … but then, what doesn’t these days?
Good news is the actor Mahershala Ali is coming to the MCU as the title character in Blade, and he certainly has the acting chops to step into the big, black boots formerly worn by Wesley Snipes.
Avengers: The Kang Dynasty | May 1, 2026
The Avengers will assemble once more in 2026 in the first of two films that act as the climax of the Multiverse Saga. Seven years after they vanquished Thanos, a new set of Avengers will suit up to battle the character Kang, who is currently set to be played by Jonathan Majors.
However, it will be a very different set of Avengers this time out, with the original Captain America retired, Iron Man and Black Widow dead, and Hawkeye off somewhere freelancing.
The exact makeup of the Avengers isn’t known yet, but expect the characters from The Marvels to play a major part, as well as the new Captain America, Doctor Strange, likely Ant-Man, and very possibly Spider-Man. There are rumors that a version of Iron Man could return through the machinations of the multiverse, and if Deadpool isn’t in there somewhere, I’m asking for my money back.
Avengers: Secret Wars | May 7, 2027
As far as we know, the Multiverse Saga will come to an end with Avengers: Secret Wars, just as it did in the comics. Little is known about the film as yet, but I’m personally betting we’ll see the characters of the X-Men appearing in Secret Wars, and they will almost certainly be getting their own film between now and the release of Secret Wars.
Will Deadpool appear as well? Hard to imagine, but Deadpool did appear in a series called Deadpool’s Secret Secret Wars, so who knows?
Undated Marvel Releases
There are several Marvel films and series that have been pushed back, mainly due to the recent writers and actors strikes.
These include the Black Panther spinoff Ironheart, the much anticipated Wandavision spinoff Agatha: Coven of Chaos, the return of Charlie Cox’s character in Daredevil: Born Again, a show based on a limited comic series called Marvel Zombies, and a new animated X-Men series called X-Men ’97.
As well, Marvel says the film Armor Wars has been given the green light, and will star Don Cheadle in his longtime role as James Rhodes, better known as the superhero War Machine, created with an armor suit created by the original Iron Man, Tony Stark. In Armor Wars, Cheadle will be dealing with villains who are adopting Stark’s Iron Man technologies, and charged with trying to put that genie back into the bottle.