Marvel Cinematic Universe: Phase Six
Group of superhero films and television series From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Phase Six of the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) is a group of American superhero films and television series to be produced by Marvel Studios based on characters that appear in publications by Marvel Comics. Phase Six features all of the Marvel Studios productions set to be released starting from mid-2025 to mid-2027, with Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures distributing the films, while the series release on Disney+. Live-action series are released under Marvel Studios' "Marvel Television" label. The first film in the phase will be The Fantastic Four: First Steps, scheduled for release in July 2025. The release schedule of Phase Six was changed several times due to the 2023 Hollywood labor disputes. Kevin Feige produces every film and executive produces every television series in this phase, alongside Anthony and Joe Russo for Avengers: Doomsday and Avengers: Secret Wars, and Amy Pascal for the untitled Spider-Man: No Way Home sequel.
| Phase Six | |
|---|---|
| Based on | Characters published by Marvel Comics |
| Produced by |
|
| Starring | See below |
Production companies |
|
| Distributed by | |
Release date | 2025–2027 |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Marvel Cinematic Universe Phases | |
|---|---|
| |
| |
| |
The films of the phase include the ensembles The Fantastic Four: First Steps, Avengers: Doomsday, the untitled Spider-Man: No Way Home sequel from Sony Pictures Releasing with Tom Holland returning as Peter Parker / Spider-Man, and the ensemble Avengers: Secret Wars, as well as Blade, starring Mahershala Ali. Two unannounced films are set for release in 2026. The Disney+ television series of the phase include the animated Eyes of Wakanda and Marvel Zombies; Wonder Man starring Yahya Abdul-Mateen II; and Vision Quest starring Paul Bettany. Phase Six, along with Phase Four and Phase Five, constitutes "The Multiverse Saga".
By April 2014, Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige said that additional storylines for their media franchise and shared universe, the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) were planned through 2028.[1] During Marvel Studios' panel at San Diego Comic-Con in July 2019, Feige announced several films and Disney+ television series in development for Phase Four of the MCU,[2] before revealing the film Blade and a Fantastic Four film were also in development.[3][4] After the panel, Feige confirmed that Blade was not part of the Phase Four slate at the time, and that what was announced was the full Phase Four slate at that point, despite Marvel already developing further projects at that time.[5] Fantastic Four was formally confirmed in December 2020;[6][7] the film was believed to be a part of Phase Four at that time.[8]
By June 2021, in addition to What If...?, Marvel Studios was developing a slate of at least three more animated series.[9][10] During the Disney+ Day event in November 2021, Marvel Studios officially announced the What If...?–related Marvel Zombies.[11] By the end of November 2021, Marvel Studios was planning at least three more Spider-Man films starring Tom Holland with Sony Pictures,[12] and the following month, Marvel Studios and Sony were actively beginning to develop the story for the fourth MCU Spider-Man film.[13] Also in December, Destin Daniel Cretton was revealed to be developing a comedy series through his company Family Owned,[14][15] as part of his overall deal with Marvel Studios to develop television projects for the studio for Disney+ in addition to returning to write and direct a sequel to Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings (2021).[14] In April 2022, Feige said he and Marvel Studios were on a creative retreat to plan and discuss the MCU films for the following 10 years,[16] and in June 2022, said information on the next saga of the MCU would be provided in the following months, with Marvel Studios being a "little more direct" on their future plans to provide audiences with "the bigger picture [so they] can see a tiny, tiny bit more of the roadmap" following the clues included during Phase Four.[17] Cretton's series was also revealed to be Wonder Man that month.[18]
At Marvel Studios' San Diego Comic-Con panel in July 2022, Feige announced that Fantastic Four would be the first film of Phase Six. He also announced that the phase would conclude with two ensemble films, Avengers: The Kang Dynasty and Avengers: Secret Wars, both to be released in 2025, and that Phase Six, along with Phase Four and Phase Five, would be part of "The Multiverse Saga".[19] The films were respectively inspired by "Kang Dynasty", a 2001 comic book storyline written by Kurt Busiek in which Kang the Conqueror travels through time to enslave humanity, and Secret Wars, the name of a 1984–85 comic written by Jim Shooter and a 2015–16 comic written by Jonathan Hickman that both follow various Marvel characters who converge on the planet Battleworld.[20] Feige noted that while not all projects in Phase Six or the previous two phases would directly tie into the larger multiverse storyline, the various storylines that would weave together leading into Secret Wars was "a whole new aspect to the MCU".[21] At the panel, Feige also confirmed the film Blade for Phase Five.[19] Following Marvel Studios' SDCC panel, Disney announced a third season of What If...?.[22] In October, Marvel Studios delayed Blade to September 2024 and pushed back the releases of Fantastic Four and Avengers: Secret Wars as a result.[23] In early February 2023, Disney CEO Bob Iger announced that the company would be re-evaluating the volume of content it outputs as a way to cut costs over the next few years.[24] Shortly after, when reflecting on the amount of Disney+ content released for Phase Four in a short time frame, Feige anticipated that Marvel Studios would look to space out the releases of the Phase Five and Six Disney+ series or put fewer out each year "so they can each get a chance to shine".[21]
The start of the 2023 Writers Guild of America strike in May 2023 was not expected to impact the MCU projects in production, or preparing to begin production, at that time, namely Wonder Man and Fantastic Four, with Marvel Studios reportedly planning to shoot what they could during principal photography and make any necessary writing adjustments during each project's already scheduled reshoots.[25] Production on Wonder Man was shut down by the end of the month, with plans to resume filming when the strike concluded.[26] In June, Disney delayed Fantastic Four to May 2, 2025, Avengers: The Kang Dynasty to May 1, 2026, and Avengers: Secret Wars to May 7, 2027,[27] in part due to the writers' strike and Disney's intentions to improve the quality of MCU content from writing through post-production, after disappointing reception and lower box office earnings for several recently released films following the COVID-19 pandemic.[28] The following month, Iger stated the company would be reducing spending and creation of Marvel content, admitting that Marvel Studios' expansion into Disney+ series and more films had "diluted focus and attention" after a number of underachieving films at the box office in Phases Four and Five.[29][30] In early September 2023, Marvel Studios announced Wonder Man had an undetermined release, in part because of the ongoing Hollywood labor disputes and a desire to slow down their content output and make each of their titles "an event".[31] Following the conclusion of the 2023 SAG-AFTRA strike in November 2023, Disney delayed several films to accommodate the resumption of production, including moving Blade to November 7, 2025,[32] with it now set for release during Phase Six.[33] By December 2023, Marvel Studios had begun to internally refer to The Kang Dynasty as Avengers 5, which was amidst Jonathan Majors being fired from his role as Kang the Conqueror, who had been set to be the main antagonist of the Multiverse Saga.[34] Additionally, Marvel Studios Animation announced the series Eyes of Wakanda,[35] which was planned to be released in 2024.[36]
Fantastic Four was retitled The Fantastic Four in February 2024, when its release date was moved to July 25, 2025, swapping with the Phase Five film Thunderbolts*.[37][38] In May 2024, Iger said Disney planned to release two, or at most three, Marvel films and two Marvel series a year moving forward. This was down from up to four films and around four series being released in some recent years, and was part of the company's larger strategy to reduce its content output and focus on quality; at that time, four films were still planned to be released in 2026. He said Marvel content would continue to balance sequels with new franchises.[39] Later that month, Vision Quest, a series centered on the character Vision and a spin-off series to WandaVision (2021), was revealed to be in development for release in 2026;[40][41][42][43] it had previously been in development by Jac Schaeffer.[44][45] In July 2024, Avengers 5 was titled Avengers: Doomsday along with the announcement of Robert Downey Jr. (who previously portrayed Tony Stark / Iron Man in the MCU) playing a new villain, Victor von Doom / Doctor Doom, in that film and Secret Wars.[46] The Fantastic Four was also further retitled The Fantastic Four: First Steps.[33] In October, Disney removed Blade from its release calendar,[47] while Sony scheduled the untitled Spider-Man: No Way Home sequel for release on July 24, 2026,[48] during Phase Six.[49] This filled a date that Disney had previously scheduled for an unspecified Marvel Studios film.[50][48] Later that month, Marvel Studios announced the release dates for their Disney+ projects through the end of 2024 and 2025, including Eyes of Wakanda, Marvel Zombies, and Wonder Man.[51]
Disney has scheduled additional release dates for unannounced Marvel Studios films on February 13 and November 6, 2026.[50]
| Film[33][46][49] | U.S. release date | Director(s) | Screenwriter(s) | Producer(s) | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Fantastic Four: First Steps | July 25, 2025[33] | Matt Shakman[52] | Jeff Kaplan & Ian Springer and Josh Friedman and Cameron Squires and Eric Pearson and Peter Cameron[53][54] | Kevin Feige | Filming |
| Avengers: Doomsday | May 1, 2026[46] | Anthony and Joe Russo[46] | Michael Waldron and Stephen McFeely[46] | Kevin Feige, Anthony and Joe Russo | Pre-production |
| Untitled Spider-Man: No Way Home sequel | July 24, 2026[48] | Destin Daniel Cretton[48] | Chris McKenna & Erik Sommers[55] | Kevin Feige and Amy Pascal | |
| Avengers: Secret Wars | May 7, 2027[46] | Anthony and Joe Russo[46] | Michael Waldron and Stephen McFeely[46] | Kevin Feige, Anthony and Joe Russo | In development |
| Blade | TBD[47] | TBA | Eric Pearson[56] | Kevin Feige |
The Fantastic Four: First Steps (2025)
At San Diego Comic-Con in July 2019, Kevin Feige announced Marvel Studios was developing a Fantastic Four film for the MCU,[4] with Jon Watts announced as the director in December 2020.[6][7] Watts stepped down in April 2022 to take a break from superhero projects.[57] By late August, Matt Shakman, who directed the Marvel Studios Disney+ series WandaVision (2021), was in early talks to direct the film,[58] with Feige confirming him as the director the following month at the D23 Expo.[52] Later in September, Jeff Kaplan and Ian Springer were revealed to be writing the screenplay.[59] Josh Friedman was rewriting the script by March 2023,[60] with Cameron Squires revealed as a co-writer in October.[54] The titular team was confirmed in February 2024, consisting of Pedro Pascal as Reed Richards / Mister Fantastic, Vanessa Kirby as Sue Storm / Invisible Woman, Joseph Quinn as Johnny Storm / Human Torch, and Ebon Moss-Bachrach as Ben Grimm / The Thing,[37] when Eric Pearson joined to polish the script.[61] That May, Peter Cameron had also provided writing for the film.[53] Filming began at the end of July 2024,[62] at Pinewood Studios in London.[63] The Fantastic Four: First Steps is scheduled to be released on July 25, 2025.[33]
Avengers: Doomsday (2026)
At San Diego Comic-Con in July 2022, Marvel Studios announced Avengers: The Kang Dynasty,[19] followed shortly after with the confirmation of Destin Daniel Cretton as director.[64] In September, Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania (2023) writer Jeff Loveness was revealed to be writing the screenplay.[65] Cretton exited the film in November 2023,[66] when Michael Waldron was hired to replace Loveness as writer, after previously serving as head writer for the first season of Loki (2021) and the writer of Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness (2022).[67] Jonathan Majors was attached to reprise his role as Kang the Conqueror in The Kang Dynasty before he was fired in December 2023, by which time Marvel was referring to the film internally as Avengers 5.[34] At the July 2024 San Diego Comic-Con, Marvel Studios announced the film's new title, Robert Downey Jr.'s casting as Victor von Doom / Doctor Doom (after previously portraying Tony Stark / Iron Man in the MCU) to replace Majors as the film's antagonist, Anthony and Joe Russo as the directors, and Stephen McFeely writing the script.[46] The Russo brothers also produce the film through their production company AGBO.[46][68] Filming is scheduled to begin in second quarter of 2025 in London.[69][70] Avengers: Doomsday is scheduled to be released on May 1, 2026.[46]
The film will feature the Fantastic Four, with Pascal, Kirby, Quinn, and Moss-Bachrach reprising their roles.[33]
Untitled Spider-Man: No Way Home sequel (2026)
By August 2019, a fourth MCU Spider-Man film was reportedly in development alongside Spider-Man: No Way Home (2021).[71] In November 2021, producer Amy Pascal revealed that Sony and Marvel Studios were planning on making at least three more Spider-Man films starring Tom Holland as Peter Parker / Spider-Man, with work on the first of those films getting ready to begin.[12] Marvel Studios and Sony were actively developing the film's story the following month.[13] Writers Chris McKenna and Erik Sommers had begun work on the film in February 2023,[21][55] with Pascal confirming at the end of May that the film was still in development but that work was put on hold because of the 2023 Writers Guild of America strike that began earlier that month, and that work would resume after the strike concluded.[72] By that time, Holland reiterated that the film was in the early stages of development and that he had been involved in meetings about it, which were also put on hold because of the writers' strike.[73] Destin Daniel Cretton was in early talks to direct in September 2024,[55] and was hired by the next month when Holland was confirmed to star.[48] Filming is scheduled to begin in mid-2025.[74] The film is scheduled to be released on July 24, 2026.[48]
Avengers: Secret Wars (2027)
At San Diego Comic-Con in July 2022, Marvel Studios announced Avengers: Secret Wars.[19] In October, Waldron was revealed to be writing the screenplay.[75] Majors was attached to reprise his role as Kang until his firing in December 2023.[76][34] In July 2024, the Russo brothers were announced as the directors, along with McFeely as the writer and Downey's casting as Doctor Doom.[46] The Russo brothers will again produce the film through AGBO.[46][68] Avengers: Secret Wars is scheduled to be released on May 7, 2027.[46]
The main Fantastic Four cast will be returning from Doomsday in the film.[33]
Blade (TBA)
By May 2013, Marvel Studios had a working script for a new Blade film after regaining the rights following New Line Cinema's prior film series.[77][78] In February 2019, Mahershala Ali approached Marvel Studios about starring in a new film after previously portraying Cornell "Cottonmouth" Stokes in the first season of Marvel Television's Luke Cage (2016).[3] Feige officially announced the film with Ali in the title role that July at San Diego Comic-Con;[3][2] Ali first had an uncredited voice cameo as Blade in Eternals (2021).[79] In February 2021, Stacy Osei-Kuffour was hired to write the film,[80] with Bassam Tariq hired to direct by that September.[81][82][64] Tariq left a year later due to the film's production shifts and creative differences.[83][84] Yann Demange was set to direct in November 2022, when Michael Starrbury was rewriting the script,[84] while Nic Pizzolatto joined as another writer in April 2023,[85] and Michael Green was hired to write a new script by November.[86] Demange had exited the film by June 2024, when Pearson was rewriting the script.[56] Filming is expected to take place in Mexico,[87] the United Kingdom,[88] and at Trilith Studios in Atlanta.[89] In October 2024, Blade was removed from the release schedule.[47]
The series in Phase Six will be released on Disney+.[40]
| Series | Season | Episodes | Originally released | Head writer / showrunner[a] | Director(s) | Status | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Eyes of Wakanda | 1 | 4[92] | August 6, 2025[51] | TBA | TBA | Todd Harris[93] | In production | |
| Marvel Zombies | 1 | 4[94] | October 2025[51] | TBA | Zeb Wells[11] | Bryan Andrews[11] | ||
| Wonder Man[b] | 1 | 10[95] | December 2025[51] | TBA | Andrew Guest[91] | Destin Daniel Cretton, Stella Meghie, and James Ponsoldt[91][96][97] | Post-production | |
| Vision Quest[41][42] | 1 | TBA | 2026[40] | TBA | Terry Matalas[40] | TBA | In development | |
Eyes of Wakanda
The series tells the story of Wakandan warriors who, throughout history, have traveled the world to retrieve dangerous vibranium artifacts.[35]
The series was announced from Marvel Studios Animation in December 2023,[35] created in collaboration with Black Panther (2018) and Black Panther: Wakanda Forever (2022) director Ryan Coogler's production company Proximity Media. In May 2024, Todd Harris was revealed to have created the series, and he serves as the director. He previously served as a storyboard artist at Marvel Studios.[98][99][93] Eyes of Wakanda is scheduled to premiere on Disney+ on August 6, 2025,[51] and will consist of four episodes.[92]
Marvel Zombies
A new generation of heroes battle against zombies.[11]
In November 2021, a Marvel Zombies animated series was announced, with Bryan Andrews directing and Zeb Wells serving as head writer,[11] and is based on the comic book series Marvel Zombies.[100] It is a continuation of the reality first introduced in the What If...? episode "What If... Zombies?!" and includes characters introduced in Phase Four of the MCU.[101] Marvel Zombies is scheduled to premiere on Disney+ in October 2025,[51] and will consist of four episodes.[94]
Wonder Man
In December 2021, Destin Daniel Cretton signed a multi-year deal with Marvel Studios to develop television projects for Disney+, with a comedy series already in development at that point, through Cretton's company Family Owned.[14][15] In June 2022, the series was revealed to be in early development and titled Wonder Man, centered on the character Simon Williams / Wonder Man, with Andrew Guest joining to develop the series along with serving as head writer;[18] Guest later became showrunner.[91] In October, Yahya Abdul-Mateen II was cast as the title character.[102] Filming began in April 2023 in Los Angeles,[103] and occurred at Radford Studio Center,[104] with Cretton, Stella Meghie,[91][96] and James Ponsoldt directing episodes of the series.[97][105] Onyx Collective co-produces the series.[106][14] Filming resumed in early January 2024,[107] and concluded by April 2024.[108] Wonder Man is scheduled to premiere on Disney+ in December 2025,[51] and is set to consist of 10 episodes.[95] It will be part of the "Marvel Spotlight" banner.[91]
Ben Kingsley reprises his MCU role as Trevor Slattery.[109]
Vision Quest
In October 2022, a second spin-off from WandaVision (2021) after Agatha All Along (2024) was revealed to be in development. Titled Vision Quest, it was centered on the character Vision.[44][45] Jac Schaeffer was set as head writer and executive producer, with Paul Bettany expected to reprise his role.[45] Schaeffer was no longer developing Vision Quest by May 2024, due to her focus on Agatha All Along, and Marvel Studios hired Terry Matalas to redevelop the series and serve as its showrunner; Bettany was confirmed to still be reprising his role.[40] Marvel still referred to the series as Vision Quest,[41][42] though this was reported to not be its final title.[43] The series is intended to conclude a trilogy of series that includes WandaVision and Agatha All Along.[43] Filming is expected to begin in early 2025 in England.[43] The series is scheduled to debut on Disney+ in 2026.[40]
James Spader is set to reprise his role of Ultron from Avengers: Age of Ultron (2015).[43]
List indicator
This section includes characters who will appear in multiple films within Phase Six of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, and have appeared in the billing block for at least one film.
- A dark grey cell indicates the character's presence in the films has not yet been announced.
| Character | 2025 | 2026 | 2027 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Fantastic Four: First Steps | Avengers: Doomsday | Untitled fourth Spider-Man film | Avengers: Secret Wars | |
| Ben Grimm The Thing |
Ebon Moss-Bachrach[33] | Ebon Moss-Bachrach[33] | ||
| Reed Richards Mister Fantastic |
Pedro Pascal[33] | Pedro Pascal[33] | ||
| Johnny Storm Human Torch |
Joseph Quinn[33] | Joseph Quinn[33] | ||
| Sue Storm Invisible Woman |
Vanessa Kirby[33] | Vanessa Kirby[33] | ||
| Peter Parker Spider-Man |
Tom Holland[110][48] | |||
| Victor von Doom Doctor Doom |
Robert Downey Jr.[46] | Robert Downey Jr.[46] | ||
- Beginning with Daredevil: Born Again (2025), Marvel Studios shifted their creative philosophy to a more traditional television development process, moving away from head writers and began to hire dedicated showrunners for their series.[90] The showrunner title applies to Andrew Guest on Wonder Man and Terry Matalas on Vision Quest.[91][40]
- Part of the "Marvel Spotlight" banner[91]
Wikiwand in your browser!
Seamless Wikipedia browsing. On steroids.
Every time you click a link to Wikipedia, Wiktionary or Wikiquote in your browser's search results, it will show the modern Wikiwand interface.
Wikiwand extension is a five stars, simple, with minimum permission required to keep your browsing private, safe and transparent.
