Marvel Phase 6 release dates, news, leaks, rumors, and more
Here's everything we know about Marvel Phase 6
Marvel Phase 6 hasn't yet kicked off, with the MCU still deep in Phase 5. The current era is all about the multiverse, thanks to the likes of Loki, Doctor Strange and The Marvels, while the upcoming chapter is set to usher in a new season of mutants. We can hardly wait.
Despite being a little way off, we know a heck of a lot about Marvel Phase 6, due to Disney's habit of staking claim on certain release dates years in advance, interviews, and the most recent San Diego Comic-Con (welcome back, Robert Downey Jr.). We've got The Fantastic Four: First Steps, Avengers: Doomsday, and more to look forward to – not Blade though, sadly, since the Mahershala Ali-led vampire flick has been delayed indefinitely.
With so many untitled projects on the horizon, things can get a little confusing, so, in order to help you get to grips with what's coming up, we've compiled the below guide to all of the major Phase 6 projects. And for a more comprehensive of every MCU title heading our way, check out our guide to all of the upcoming Marvel movies and shows.
Marvel Phase 6 release dates
As revealed by Kevin Feige way back at San Diego Comic-Con 2022, there are a fair few entries in Marvel Phase 6 to come – although there have been some delays and changes since then. The confirmed release dates are as follows:
- The Fantastic Four: First Steps – July 25, 2025
- Untitled Marvel Movie One – February 13, 2026
- Avengers: Doomsday – May 1, 2026
- Untitled Marvel Movie Two – July 24, 2026
- Untitled Marvel Movie Three – November 6, 2026
- Avengers: Secret Wars – May 7, 2027
- Untitled Marvel movie – February 18, 2028
- Untitled Marvel movie – May 5, 2028
- Untitled Marvel movie – November 10, 2028
During Marvel's panel at San Diego Comic-Con 2024, it was revealed that three additional movies to the three already set would be happening. And in October 2024, Deadline shared how another three movies were also in the works for 2028. There is currently no word on what five of those six movies are but it has been revealed that the film in the July 24, 2026 slot will be Spider-Man 4 – with Tom Holland back as Peter Parker.
Below, we've gone into detail on the three that are set in stone while we wait for more information.
Fantastic Four
Release date: July 25, 2025
Sign up for the Total Film Newsletter
Bringing all the latest movie news, features, and reviews to your inbox
Flame on! The MCU's take on Fantastic Four, titled The Fantastic Four: First Steps, is dropping in July 2025 and marks the first entry in Marvel Phase 6. The super-powered group's casting was officially announced in February 2024 – on Valentine's Day, no less, with a cute retro Valentine's card. The Last of Us' Pedro Pascal is Reed Richards, Mission: Impossible's Vanessa Kirby is Sue Storm, The Bear's Ebon Moss-Bachrach is Ben Grimm (AKA The Thing), and Stranger Things' Joseph Quinn is Johnny Storm (AKA Human Torch).
We also know that Ozark's Julia Garner will be playing the Silver Surfer. Rather than playing original Silver Surfer Norrin Radd, however, she'll reportedly be playing a version of the character based on Shalla-Bal, Norrin Radd's lover and the ruler of the planet Zenn-La. Ralph Ineson is set to play the big bad Galactus.
The movie was first announced at D23 with Feige introducing Matt Shakman as the man in charge. Shakman can count WandaVision among dozens of high-profile TV directing credits and will be the man behind the camera. Principal photography wrapped at London's Pinewood Studio in late July, and ticked off additional filming in Oviedo, Spain in November.
Avengers: Doomsday
Release date: May 1, 2026
If you thought we'd seen the last of the Avengers in Endgame, think again. We have to wait a while, though, until Avengers 5, now named Avengers: Doomsday, arrives. Details pertaining to the movie's plot and cast are pretty scarce right now. But during San Diego Comic-Con 2024, it was announced that the Russo brothers will be directing the project and that Robert Downey Jr has been cast as Doctor Doom.
Originally, Avengers 5 was focused on the Marvel villain Kang the Conqueror. However, Marvel Studios has been reworking the project for some time now, away from the Loki villain. This is due to the fact that Marvel dropped Kang actor Jonathan Majors from the role after the star was found guilty of reckless assault in the third degree and harassment in December 2023.
Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness writer Michael Waldron will pen the script. We also know that the Fantastic Four and Thunderbolts will appear in the upcoming film. It’s all very exciting, and we can’t wait to see how Marvel will set up Doctor Doom’s appearance throughout Marvel Phase 6.
Avengers: Secret Wars
Release date: May 7, 2027
Not a lot has been confirmed about Avengers: Secret Wars just yet. However, Hulk actor Mark Ruffalo has teased that the movie will "go out with a bang." In the comics, the Secret Wars saw Marvel's most powerful superheroes face off against the universe's most powerful villains, so whatever goes down is bound to be pretty explosive.
No major casting information has been announced yet, but the 2015 Secret Wars comic book storyline included Thor, Spider-Man, Wolverine, Captain America, She-Hulk, and the Fantastic Four. As for villains, we know that Doctor Doom will be the main bag guy, with Robert Downey Jr taking charge as the character. Like Avengers: Doomsday, the Russo brothers are also directing Secret Wars and have teased the inclusion of the Fantastic Four and the Thunderbolts in the upcoming flick.
Potential Marvel Phase 6 movies and TV shows
And that's not all. There are multiple undated or unknown projects coming as part of Marvel Phase 6 throughout the next few years.
Vision
Vision, a spin-off of WandaVision that's set to follow Paul Bettany's synthezoid hero, is slated to air on Disney Plus in 2026. Star Trek: Picard EP Terry Matalas will serve as showrunner.
The new series will take place after the events of the WandaVision finale, and likely follow the all-white, rebuilt Vision as he finds a new purpose after being given a second chance at life.
In October 2024, Bettany told The Hollywood Reporter that they're "cooking up something that I'm really excited about" with Vision, before cutting himself off with a smile and "snitches end up in ditches." Filming is set to kick off in 2025.
Wonder Man
Wonder Man is on its way to Disney Plus as a new miniseries under the 'Marvel Spotlight' banner, joining Echo as a street-level, character-driven project from the MCU.
In the comics, Wonder Man is Simon Williams, the son of a failed Tony Stark-like industrialist who was once given superpowers by Baron Zemo. After eventually joining forces with the Avengers, Williams plied his trade in Hollywood as both an actor and stuntman.
Variety suggests that Wonder Man will be a "Hollywood satire." Sir Ben Kingsley will reprise his role as 'the toast of Croydon' Trevor Slattery for the Disney Plus series. Curiously, Nathan Fillion portrayed the character in a scene cut from Guardians of the Galaxy 2, but none other than Yahya Abdul-Mateen II is playing Wonder Man in this project.
Shang-Chi director Destin Daniel Cretton and Hawkeye producer Andrew Guest are on board as showrunners, and filming on the 10-part series had wrapped as of April 2024 after disruptions caused by the SAG-AFTRA actors' strike. The series doesn't have a release date yet.
Nova
Marvel has yet to confirm a Nova project is actually happening, but reports signalled its development. At this stage, it's not clear if Nova will be a movie or Disney Plus show, and there's no casting information, though Ryan Gosling has ruled himself out. It's possible that Nova could come after Phase 6, since it seems to be in the very early stages, but with Marvel getting more and more cosmic, Phase 6 is also a natural place to see Nova's first solo project.
Shang-Chi 2
A Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings sequel is officially in the works, with Simu Liu and director Destin Daniel Cretton both returning. Surprisingly, though, the film isn't part of Marvel's Phase 5 lineup. That means we won't be seeing the follow-up until Phase 6 at the earliest.
Updates have been thin on the ground, but Liu promised fans that the long-awaited follow-up was still happening in August 2024.
Doctor Strange 3
Doctor Strange 3 hasn't been confirmed, but after Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness' first post-credits scene showed Strange meeting Clea and heading through an interdimensional portal, we can assume we'll be seeing more from the sorcerer sooner rather than later. Strange is also all tied up with the multiverse, and since this stage of the MCU is named the Multiverse Saga, it would make sense for his third movie to fall within Phase 6.
Thor 5
Thor 5 hasn't been officially announced, but Thor: Love and Thunder certainly leaves the way open for a continuation. For one thing, there are those post-credits scenes that introduce Brett Goldstein's Hercules and reveal Idris Elba's Heimdall and Natalie Portman's Jane Foster are both in Valhalla. Then there's the introduction of Love, Gorr the God Butcher's daughter, now in the care of Thor. If a fivequel does materialize, then, it'll most likely be in Phase 6 of the MCU.
X-Men
The mutant team is on its way to the MCU, though when it'll arrive is so far a complete mystery. Back in 2019, Kevin Feige hinted that we wouldn't be seeing the X-Men until 2025, which is coincidentally when Phase 6 is scheduled. We've already seen Patrick Stewart's Professor X in the MCU in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness and Wolverine return in Deadpool & Wolverine, so seeing the rest of the X-Men in Phase 6 doesn't seem like such a long shot.
Plus, the MCU introduced mutants with Ms. Marvel, and Black Panther: Wakanda Forever's Namor is also a mutant, so it would seem the X-Men could well be on the horizon.
Spider-Man 4
The future of Tom Holland's Spider-Man is a little uncertain – Sony producer Amy Pascal initially said three more movies on the way, which was played down by Sony insiders, then walked back by Pascal herself shortly afterwards. But, considering the success of Spider-Man: No Way Home, it's no surprise that a fourth movie is in the works. No Way Home left Spidey's story unfinished, with the world forgetting Peter Parker, so it would've been strange to end without some kind of resolution.
"Next summer, we start shooting. Everything's good to go. We're nearly there," Holland teased during an appearance on The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon.
Black Panther 3
Following Wakanda Forever, the story of the Black Panther is definitely left open for more with Shuri taking over the mantle and the introduction of T'Challa's son Toussaint.
Letitia Wright has suggested that the movie might already be in development, too. "I think it's already in the works," she told Variety in 2023. "We just had a terrific two years of bringing [Wakanda Forever] out… we need a little bit of a break. We need to regroup [director Ryan Coogler] needs to get back in the lab. It's gonna take a while, but I'm really excited for you guys to see that."
She was more cautious in 2024, though. "Let's just say, I would like to continue with Shuri," Wright teased on The View. "She's one of my favorite characters. Such a blessing, honestly, I kid you not. I'm so grateful for her." When asked about Black Panther 3, Wright answered: "There's a lot to, a lot to – a lot coming up."
Nothing has been confirmed yet, but if Black Panther 3 is made, Marvel Phase 6 would be a surprise. But, then again, there are release slots to fill, and Black Panther is a pivotal character and franchise.
Armor Wars
Originally a TV show, the movie about Don Cheadle's James "Rhodey" Rhodes seemed in limbo after being absent from Marvel's colossal Phase 5 line-up, but head writer Yassir Lester has assured fans that the project is still happening.
"I promise it is still coming out," he wrote on Instagram. It's likely we'll be seeing Armor Wars in Phase 6, then, following on from Ironheart's Phase 5 release – both shows that will likely tackle Tony Stark's legacy.
Cheadle was at D23 to briefly tease the upcoming project that will see Stark tech fall into the wrong hands. We also found out that the movie will follow on directly from what happens to Rhodey in Secret Invasion, which saw him revealed as replaced by a Skrull for quite some time.
Wakanda/Okoye spin-off
Black Panther director Ryan Coogler has been confirmed to be developing a Disney Plus series telling stories from Wakanda, while separate reports have suggested that a spin-off about the origins of Dora Milaje leader Okoye, played by Danai Gurrira, may also be in development. These two projects may overlap or they may be separate, but we'll let you know as soon as Marvel confirms more about the series.
Marvel producer Nate Moore has given a disappointing update on the Wakanda series, though. "Because of the amount of time and attention that went into [Black Panther: Wakanda Forever], and frankly the Ironheart show, that is probably not as far along as people want it to be," he told Collider. "But there are certainly great ideas that we're still talking to Ryan about. So, we'll see how far we can get with it."
Other potential sequels
Beyond the above, there are also a few other potential projects that could form part of Phase 6 that have not been announced but could well happen. Moon Knight season 2 and Hawkeye season 2 are all potential contenders – though we'll just have to wait and see which of our hopes end up becoming reality.
The Blade movie (which was originally part of Marvel Phase 6) has also now been delayed indefinitely. However, that doesn't mean that it has been scrapped. There is still hope that we'll see it as part of Phase 6, so fingers crossed.
Catch up on the MCU with our guide to watching the Marvel movies in order – and the good news is, almost everything is streaming on Disney Plus now.
I'm a Senior Entertainment Writer here at 12DOVE, covering all things film and TV for the site's Total Film and SFX sections. I previously worked on the Disney magazines team at Immediate Media, and also wrote on the CBeebies, MEGA!, and Star Wars Galaxy titles after graduating with a BA in English.
- Amy West
- Emily GarbuttEntertainment Writer
- Bradley Russell
- Emma-Jane BettsManaging Editor, Evergreens