MCU Phase Four (Five and Six): All Films

The Marvel Cinematic Universe has big plans for the future. To keep all of the upcoming Marvel movies straight, we’ve laid out the next few years’ worth of Marvel Studios films in this feature, which will take you through all of the official titles announced for Phases 4, 5, and 6 – as well as the unscheduled superhero movies that are currently in development.

Marvel Phase 4 banner

MARVEL PHASE 4
Black Panther: Wakanda Forever logo

(Image credit: Marvel Studios)
BLACK PANTHER: WAKANDA FOREVER – NOVEMBER 11, 2022
In August 2020, people around the globe were rocked by the news that Chadwick Boseman had past. The actor had been dealing with a cancer diagnosis for four years, and while he was able to maintain it as a secret while making big blockbusters like Black Panther, Avengers: Infinity War, and Avengers: Endgame, he passed away at the age of 43 before having a chance to start working on the developing Black Panther 2.

Where this leaves the upcoming blockbuster as far as story is unclear. Ryan Coogler is directing Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, and has also written the script. The film will see the return of Lupita Nyong’o, Danai Gurira, Letitia Wright, Winston Duke, Angela Bassett, and Martin Freeman in their respective roles from the first film, and Tenoch Huerta has been cast as Namor The Submariner – and in the process the movie will be introducing the world of Tlālōcān to the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

Marvel Phase 5 banner

MARVEL PHASE 5
Ant-Man and the Wasp:

(Image credit: Marvel Studios)
ANT-MAN AND THE WASP: QUANTUMANIA – FEBRUARY 17, 2023
The future of the Ant-Man And The Wasp series was maintained as a mystery for a surprisingly long time. The two characters weren’t mentioned at all during the presentations at San Diego Comic-Con 2019 and D23 Expo 2019, and there was no clear indication that the second sequel was something that Marvel Studios was interested in pursuing. Fortunately, that conversation changed in a big way in April 2020, as it was finally revealed that the follow-up to Ant-Man And The Wasp is in the works.

Ant-Man And The Wasp: Quantumania is all set to be released in February 2023, the first Marvel Studios release of the year.and the first film of Phase 5. Peyton Reed, who helmed Ant-Man and Ant-Man And The Wasp, is back in the director’s chair, and Rick and Morty writer and co-producer Jeff Loveness has written the script. We will see the return of Paul Rudd and Evangeline Lilly as the leads, with Michael Douglas and Michelle Pfeiffer once again playing Dr. Hank Pym and Janet van Dyne, respectively. Jonathan Majors, star of The Last Black Man In San Francisco, Da 5 Bloods, and Lovecraft Country is aboard to play the villainous Kang The Conquerer following his stunning MCU debut as “He Who Remains” in Loki, and Kathryn Newton will now play the role of Cassie Lang.

Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3

(Image credit: Marvel Studios)
GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY VOL. 3 – MAY 5, 2023
The road to making Guardians Of The Galaxy Vol. 3 has been an odd one so far. Initially it looked like the film was going to be one of the earliest titles released as part of Marvel Phase 4, but then all hell broke loose when James Gunn lost the directing gig thanks to offensive Tweets he wrote nearly a decade ago. After that whole ordeal the filmmaker decided to make a move over to the DC Extended Universe – agreeing to script and helm The Suicide Squad – but now everything appears to be mostly back on track, as Gunn has been reinstated and is now making the conclusion to his Guardians Of The Galaxy trilogy.

James Gunn has always said that the next sequel in the Guardians franchise will bring an end to the story of THIS version of the Guardians team, which includes Star-Lord (Chris Pratt), Gamora (Zoe Saldana), Drax (Dave Bautista), Rocket (Bradley Cooper), Groot (Vin Diesel), Nebula (Karen Gillan) and Mantis (Pom Klementieff). It’s not entirely clear how the tale will be concluded, but to say that our excitement is at maximum about the project’s latest developments would be an understatement. Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 will be in theaters on May 5, 2023, which is exactly six years to the day after the release of Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2.

The Marvels logo

THE MARVELS – JULY 28, 2023
Given that Captain Marvel was Marvel Studios’ first billion dollar hit in 2019, Captain Marvel 2 has long been predictable as a future project for the franchise, but similar to Black Panther 2 it doesn’t look like the company is rushing things at all. While it probably wouldn’t have surprised anybody to see Brie Larson’s Carol Danvers showing up again as the star of one of the first Phase 4 movies, it turns out we’ll have to wait until 2023 before the heroine returns in her next solo adventure – and it sounds like it will be more of a team-up story.

Following some shuffling in the schedule, it has been confirmed that The Marvels will be the Marvel Cinematic Universe release of 2023, and at the helm of the project will be Nia DaCosta, fresh off her excellent Candyman sequel. Story details have not been confirmed, but Teyonah Parris will return as Monica Rambeau following her stint on the Disney+ series WandaVision, and it’s been confirmed that Iman Vellani, star of Disney+’s Ms. Marvel upcoming series, will have a supporting role in the blockbuster as well.

Blade logo marvel studios

BLADE – NOVEMBER 3, 2023
Marvel Studios has held the rights to Blade for a number of years now, but it was only during San Diego Comic-Con 2019 that they announced that they are finally doing something with it. At that time, the studio didn’t officially say when the movie was going to be released, but three years later at the same event it was revealed that the film will be the fourth MCU feature to hit theaters in 2023.

Two-time Oscar winner Mahershala Ali is playing Blade in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, having just made his first appearance in the franchise during the end credits of Eternals (where we only hear him; we don’t actually see him). Hardcore MCU fans will remember that Ali notably played Cornell “Cottonmouth” Stokes in the first season of the Netflix series Luke Cage, but we’ll all just have to put that in the back of our minds while watching him hunting vampires. Basam Tariq has come aboard to direct the upcoming solo film, extending the franchise’s track record of giving young, talented filmmakers their first opportunity to make a blockbuster.

Captain America: New World Order 

CAPTAIN AMERICA: NEW WORLD ORDER – MAY 3, 2024
The Marvel Cinematic Universe has a new Captain America, and soon he will be at the center of his very own movie. Steve Rogers (Chris Evans) first bequeathed his star-spangled shield to Sam Wilson (Anthony Mackie) at the end of Avengers: Endgame, but it was only through the course of events that play out in the Disney+ series The Falcon And The Winter Soldier that Sam has finally come to terms with taking on the mantle. Wearing a whole new Vibranium costume that still allows him to fly, his next adventure will see him soaring into theaters in Captain America: New World Order.

Malcolm Spellman, who was the Head Writer on The Falcon And The Winter Soldier, is penning the script for Captain America: New World Order, and Anthony Mackie finalized his deal to star in August 2021. Unfortunately, we have no idea what the movie will actually be about (plot-wise or theme-wise), but we do know that it will be directed by Julius Onah and hit theaters in May 2024.

Thunderbolts logo

THUNDERBOLTS – JULY 26, 2024
Marvel Cinematic Universe movies have spent more than a decade focusing on heroes as protagonists, but the franchise will be mixing things up in that department in the near future with the development of a Thunderbolts movie. It was reported in June 2022 that the project is in the works, and the production has already made two key hires: Eric Pearson, screenwriter behind Black Widow and Thor: Ragnarok has been hired to pen the script, and Robert & Frank’s Jake Schreier has been brought on to direct.

The assumption is that the film will adapt the basic premise of the team from the comics, which sees the ensemble include notable villains who pretend to be heroes. One expects that it will be a key part of the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s big picture plans, as it was announced at San Diego Comic-Con that it would be the film that would conclude Phase 5.

Marvel Phase 6 banner

MARVEL PHASE 6
Fantastic Four logo

FANTASTIC FOUR – NOVEMBER 8, 2024
With the Disney-Fox merger complete, it was only a matter of time before we finally get to see the Marvel Cinematic Universe version of the Fantastic Four – though those hoping that a new version of the team would fittingly debut as part of the franchise’s Phase 4 plans were left disappointed by the slate news that was dropped at San Diego Comic-Con 2019. While Marvel’s First Family was name-dropped by Marvel Studios President Kevin Feige, no concrete details about their developing next feature were offered. But now we know that the film will be kicking off Phase 6 with a release date in November 2024.

During the Disney Investor Day in December 2020 it was revealed that Jon Watts, director of the MCU Spider-Man trilogy, had come aboard to direct the reboot of Fantastic Four, but he stepped away from the film in April 2022. We still don’t have any clue as to how the franchise will approach the legendary characters, let alone who will be playing them, but you can be sure they are details we are hungry to see revealed.

Avengers: The Kang Dynasty logo

AVENGERS: THE KANG DYNASTY – MAY 2, 2025
Many Marvel fans were left

UNSCHEDULED MARVEL PROJECTS
X-Men: The Animated Series promotional artwork of Wolverine, Gambit and Rogue

(Image credit: Marvel)
X-MEN
The X-Men franchise that existed for nearly two decades has ended, and fans worldwide are over-the-top excited for their chance to finally see the legendary mutant characters make their debut in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. The hitch is that introducing mutants to the expansive franchise is no small undertaking… so Marvel Studios is playing things smart by not rushing things.

Like with the Fantastic Four, Kevin Feige name-dropped “the mutants” during the Marvel Studios Hall H panel at San Diego Comic-Con 2019, but he didn’t offer any actual information regarding when we’ll get to see them. There’s a good chance it won’t happen before 2025.

Ryan Reynolds in Deadpool

(Image credit: 20th Century Fox)
Deadpool 3
DEADPOOL 3
While nothing has been confirmed, there is a lot of expectation that the Marvel Cinematic Universe will eventually recast the vast majority of mutant characters who have appeared in the existing X-Men movies. If that does happen, however, Ryan Reynolds as Deadpool will be an exception. The higher-ups at Marvel and Disney have acknowledged the incredible popularity of the Merc With The Mouth, and have assured fans not only that Reynolds will be brought back, but that Deadpool 3 is a project in active development.

There are a lot of lingering questions about how exactly Deadpool 3 will fit into the Marvel Cinematic Universe, including ones about the R-rating and whether or not it will maintain established canon, but we unfortunately don’t have any answers at the present moment. Lizzie Molyneux-Logelin and Wendy Molyneux, filmmakers best known for their work on Bob’s Burgers and The Great North, have come aboard to write the script, and Shawn Levy is attached to direct, but we still don’t know when the movie will actually go into production.

Simu Liu in Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings

(Image credit: Marvel Studios)
SHANG-CHI 2
At the very end of Destin Daniel Cretton’s Shang-Chi And The Legend Of The Ten Rings, there is a message that announces that the titular criminal organization would be making a return in the Marvel Cinematic Universe – but there was no such affirmative declaration regarding the hero played by Simu Liu. The lack of news about a sequel continued for weeks after the film turned out to be a big box office hit, becoming one of the biggest success stories of the year, but finally things changed in December 2021. Now it’s been officially announced that Shang-Chi 2 is officially in the works, and Daniel Cretton will once again be back at the helm.

What we don’t know right now is either a) when the sequel will actually be made, or b) what it will be about. It seems fair to assume that Shang-Chi 2 will not only see the return of Simu Liu as the eponymous master of kung-fu, but also Awkwafina as his number one pal, Katy. Hopefully more information about the upcoming movie will be announced soon.

Tom Holland as Spider-Man in Spider-Man No Way Home

(Image credit: Sony Pictures)
SPIDER-MAN 4
In the wake of Spider-Man: No Way Home, Tom Holland’s Peter Parker is in real trouble. Having made mistakes while messing with the multiverse, he now lives in a reality where everyone he has ever known and cared about has wholly forgotten about him – and it seems that he plans to keep it that way for a while as a means of protecting them from his life as Spider-Man. Exactly what the future holds for the character is unclear, but at the very least what we do know is that his adventures will continue on the big screen.

We know extremely little about Spider-Man 4 at present (we don’t even know if Jon Watts will be back to direct after making the last three webslinger movies), but it has been confirmed that Tom Holland’s contract has been extended, and that the collaboration between Marvel Studios and Sony will continue. Will we soon get to see an MCU version of Venom? Maybe a showdown with Vincent D’Onofrio’s Kingpin? How about live-action debuts for Scorpion (having already been introduced to Michael Mando’s Mac Gargan) and/or Felicia Hardy a.k.a. Black Cat? Only time will tell.

And that covers all of the upcoming Marvel movies lined up for the future. Now let’s take a look back at the previous phases of the MCU…

Past Releases MCU Banner

(Image credit: Marvel Studios)
PAST MARVEL RELEASES
The Infinity Saga logo

(Image credit: Marvel Studios)
Phase 1 banner

(Image credit: CinemaBlend)
MARVEL PHASE 1
Iron Man (2008)
The Incredible Hulk (2008)
Iron Man 2 (2010)
Thor (2011)
Captain America: The First Avenger (2011)
The Avengers (2012)

Phase 2 banner

(Image credit: CinemaBlend)
MARVEL PHASE 2
Iron Man 3 (2013)
Thor: The Dark World (2013)
Captain America: The Winter Soldier (2014)
Guardians Of The Galaxy (2014)
The Avengers: Age of Ultron (2015)
Ant-Man (2015)

Phase 3 banner

(Image credit: CinemaBlend)
MARVEL PHASE 3
Captain America: CivilDoctor Strange (2016)
Guardians Of The Galaxy Vol. 2 (2017)
Spider-Man: Homecoming (2017)
Thor: Ragnarok (2017)
Black Panther (2018)
Avengers: Infinity War (2018)
Ant-Man And The Wasp (2018)
Captain Marvel (2019)
Avengers: Endgame (2019)
Spider-Man: Far From Home (2019)

The Multiverse Saga logo Marvel Cinematic Universe

(Image credit: Marvel Studios)
Phase 4 banner

(Image credit: CinemaBlend)
MARVEL PHASE 4
Black Widow (2021)
Shang-Chi And The Legend Of The Ten Rings (2021)
Eternals (2021)
Spider-Man: No Way Home (2021)
Doctor Strange In The Multiverse Of Madness (2022)
Thor: Love And Thunder (2022)

Read our definitive ranking of every Marvel movies in the MCU. And see how to watch the Marvel movies in order chronologically.