The Marvel industrial complex crunches on, and there ain't a damn thing we can do to stop it. Over the course of the last year, we've been drip-fed info about what the studio's current fifth phase of films and Disney+ series look like, with Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania kicking off the era with more of a whimper than a bang. Though liable to change, especially given recent reports that Paul Feig is looking to slash the amount of Marvel properties coming out each year to fight fatigue, the MCU roadmap is currently outlined through to 2025, when one of the biggest event storylines from the comic books is set to make its screen debut in Avengers: Secret Wars.
Whatever the case, it’s a lot to keep up with. With “phase four” drawing to a close, here’s GQ’s handy guide to all things future MCU — from Daredevil: Born Again, right through to Avengers: Secret Wars, the Endgame to end all Endgames.
UPCOMING FILMS
The Marvels
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Feature film (theatrical)
Release date: 28 July 2023
Nia DiCosta, best known for her recent “requel” to classic horror Candyman, will helm the sequel to 2019’s Captain Marvel — and, in doing so, become the first Black woman to direct for the MCU. Shooting began late last year, with Brie Larson returning to her role as Carol Danvers, one of the titular Marvels. Iman Vellani joins as Kamala Khan, moniker Ms. Marvel, after making her debut in the Disney+ series of the same name, while Teyonah Parris will return as Monica Rambeau after making her debut in WandaVision. Plot details are still fairly sparse, but the film will be an interesting exercise for Marvel in finding out whether a film can be a big success if it's necessary to be familiar with two of the leads from pre-existing series.
UPCOMING TV
Secret Invasion
TV (Disney Plus)
Release date: June 21 2023
“Secret Invasion” is one of the most popular event series in the original Marvel comics, covering the — yep — secret invasion of the human race by a band of alien shapeshifters known as Skrulls. (The green fellas we've seen before in movies like Captain Marvel.) Here's the official synopsis: “This series stars Samuel L. Jackson as Nick Fury and Ben Mendelsohn as the Skrull Talos – characters who first met in Captain Marvel. The crossover comic event series showcases a faction of shape-shifting Skrulls who have been infiltrating Earth for years.”
Fans at D23 were shown a scene from the show, with a first trailer debuting to the public in April. It opens with Nick Fury's return to earth after some time off-world, debuting a gnarly new look sans eyepatch (truth be told, it looks like he's seen better days). He very much seems to be the main guy, with the series following his quest to prevent an insidious full-scale Skrull takeover. We also get a first look at Olivia Colman's devilish new character — a villain? Catch that rouge overcoat — plus a dozen or so Kingsley Ben-Adirs.
Loki (Season 2)
TV (Disney Plus)
Release date: 6 October
OK, so, Loki season one was arguably the best Disney Plus MCU project so far and ended with Loki's adventures with the Time Variance Authority in something of a mess, the multiverse blowing up and the titular anti-hero being stuck in an alternate dimension. He Who Remains (the variant of Jonathan Majors' “Thanos-level threat,” Kang the Conqueror, we see in Loki season one) has taken over the TVA, and yeah, the shit has hit the proverbial fan and smeared all over the place.
Theories abound as to what'll happen next, but we have little in the way of solid know-how. Asked about it all, star Tom Hiddleston told Total Film: “Loki's almost more unstable, and as turbulent and passionate and chaotic as he's ever been. And maybe some of that needs resolution. There's stuff to unpack.” While we had big hopes that the series would replicate for summer, we'll have to wait until a bit later in the year to get its second offering.
Echo
TV (Disney Plus)
Release date: 29 November
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What do you call the spin-off of a spin-off? We're heading into the reeds with Echo, the spin-off of 2021's Hawkeye, itself an off-shoot of Jeremy Renner's character from the Avengers cohort. Echo will focus on Maya Lopez (Alaqua Cox), who is deaf, and whose behaviour in New York in Hawkeye is catching up to her as she heads back to her hometown. While there, she'll reconnect with her Native American roots and try to get back in touch with her family and community, especially after working at the hands of the Tracksuit Mafia and Wilson Fisk.
The release of Echo will deviate from past Disney Plus releases, as it will be dropping all at once rather than operating on a weekly schedule. As Disney keeps announcing new plans on how to approach their hoard of MCU offerings, this could be their way of trying to separate out their content more.
ANNOUNCED (2023-)
What If…? (Season 2)
TV (Disney Plus)
Release date: Spring 2023
Once a fun thought experiment off-shoot from the MCU, allowing franchise creators to let their imaginations run wild on “what could've been” had certain lore events played out differently — if Killmonger was a Guardian of the Galaxy, for example, or if the world was overrun by super-zombies — What If…? has become embedded in the Marvel series proper. How? For one, What If…? characters like Supreme Strange and Captain Carter appeared in Doctor Strange: Multiverse of Madness.
X-Men ‘97
TV (Disney Plus)
Release date: Autumn 2023
Boasting one of the quintessential cartoon themes of the ‘90s, X-Men: The Animated Series is deeply embedded into the nostalgic impulses of an entire generation of comic nuts. Revival X-Men ‘97, one of the more surprising projects pioneered by Disney+, continues the plot of the original series, with most of the surviving ensemble members reprising their roles. Unlike the other titles listed here, X-Men ‘97 doesn’t exist within the continuity of the company’s Marvel Cinematic Universe — however, a version of Patrick Stewart's Professor X based on his animated likeness appeared in Doctor Strange 2, accompanied by that familiar guitar riff, so y'never know…
Ironheart
TV (Disney Plus)
Release date: Autumn 2023
Set to be introduced in Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, newcomer Dominique Thorne portrays Riri Williams aka Ironheart, a genius inventor who, per the official synopsis, “creates the most advanced suit of armour since Iron Man". So, if anyone thought that Tom Holland's Spider-Man was gonna be the guy to pick up the Stark mantle, there might be a new contender for the throne…
An early look at the show was given to fans at D23 by executive producer Ryan Coogler, confirming that the events of the series pick up in the wake of Black Panther: Wakanda Forever. “Her unique take on building iron suits is both brilliant and flawed, and Ironheart delves into the dynamics of tech versus magic,” reads a Disney bulletin released after the Expo.
Blade
Feature film (theatrical)
Release date: 3 November 2023
It feels like 85 years since Mahershala Ali was announced as the new Blade, which has been plagued by delays (pandemic-related and otherwise). Ali technically made his Marvel movie debut as the titular vampire slayer in the post-credits scene of Eternals, his voice heard off-screen with Kit Harington’s Dane Whitman. Delroy Lindo is also confirmed to join the reboot in a yet-to-be-disclosed role, along with the 27-year-old breakout Aaron Pierre. Other than that, expect a whole lotta vampire killin’, and hopefully a blood rave or two.
Daredevil: Born Again
TV (Disney Plus)
Release date: Spring 2024
After a boot-knocking appearance in She-Hulk: Attorney at Law and his quick brick-catching cameo in Spider-Man: No Way Home, Charlie Cox's Daredevil will return once again for a standalone series — hopping from Netflix to Disney+ in Daredevil: Born Again. So fervent is the fan appetite for a new Daredevil show, Marvel is hedging its bets with a mega-packed season of eighteen episodes. Jon Bernthal will be returning as The Punisher, and Vincent D'Onofrio's chilling Kingpin will also be back with what fans assume will be some kind of mayoral run. However, there's sad news for fans of the Nelson and Murdock firm, as Deborah Ann Woll and Elden Henson, who played Karen Page and Foggy Nelson in the original Netflix series, won't be back for its relaunch.
Captain America: New World Order
Feature film (theatrical)
Release date: 3 May 2024
Sam Wilson aka The Falcon (Anthony Mackie) took over the Captain America moniker in the wake of Steve Rodgers' (Chris Evans) retirement post-Avengers: Endgame, but really struggled to come to terms with the weight of responsibility. Directed by Julius Onah of The Cloverfield Paradox fame (perhaps not the… right word), New World Order is set to address the question of “what makes somebody Captain America," placing The Falcon front and centre.
Thunderbolts
Feature film (theatrical)
Release date: 26 July 2024
Here's an exciting one for the comic book fans out there: per the original lore, the Thunderbolts are an Avengers-esque team of ne'erdowells, formed of “reformed supervillains”. Venom has been a member, as have Norman Osborn, Deadpool, Punisher and Ghost Rider — think of ‘em as Marvel’s answer to the Suicide Squad. Daniel Brühl's Baron Zemo had been expected to appear, as are a number of other Marvel ex-villains, with MCU execs having “been in touch with certain individuals who already are part of the [Marvel stable] to make sure to keep an opening in their schedules for next summer when it shoots,” per Deadline.
The team is a star-studded ensemble led by Florence Pugh's Yelena Belova. The rest of the gang is made up of Red Guardian (David Harbour), Valentina Allegra de Fontaine (Julia Louis-Dreyfus), Ghost (Hannah John-Kamen), Bucky Barnes (Sebastian Stan), Taskmaster (Olga Kurylenko) and, er, U.S. Agent (Wyatt Russell). Big names added to the fold are also Harrison Ford, in his MCU debut, as Thunderbolt Ross, and Daniel Bruhl and Steven Yeun, whose parts are still unknown.
It's set to be helmed by Robot & Frank director Jacob Schreier, who has made music videos for the likes of Kanye, Chance the Rapper, Benny Blanco and Baby Keem.
Fantastic Four
Feature film (theatrical)
Release date: 15 February 2025
With four comes six. As it's planned, the much-anticipated reboot of the Fantastic Four will usher in the MCU's sixth phase. The Fantastic Four was MCU soft-launched in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, with John Krasinski's Mr. Fantastic, a member of a multiversal committee called the Illuminati, shredded to grated cheese by the Scarlet Witch. (Don't forget his head was popped, too. Very satisfying. Like a zit.)
We still don't know what'll happen when Marvel's first family are introduced formally in late 2024 — for example: will Krasinski come back as Mr. Fantastic, or was that a one-off? Will the fan service go one step more, and get real-life wife Emily Blunt in as Susan Richards, née Storm? But hey, at least we know it's coming. Can't say the same for a certain band of mutants…
What's more, Matt Shakman — the guy behind every episode of WandaVision — was confirmed to be helming the movie at D23, following Jon Watts' amicable departure back in April. Recently, Josh Friedman, who was part writing team on James Cameron's Avatar sequels, will re-write the script.
Avengers: The Kang Dynasty
Feature film (theatrical)
Release date: 2 May 2025
That's right: per Marvel's panel at the San Diego Comic-Con in July, we're not just getting one Avengers movie in 2025, capping off the so-called “Infinity Saga”. After his scene-stealing proper introduction to the theatrical world of the MCU in Ant-Man and The Wasp: Quantumania, Jonathan Major's big bad Kang, who multiplied himself into variants, is set to be the star villain of this new piece bringing together the new generation of Avengers.
Avengers: Secret Wars
Feature film (theatrical)
Release date: 7 November 2025
That's right, two whole Avengers flicks in one year. And one of them, Secret Wars, is presumably based on one of the most popular Marvel comics storylines of all time, in which pretty much every superhero and villain ever have a massive fight. Cameos aplenty, lads. Just three years to go.
