The Marvel Cinematic Universe is a media franchise and shared universe that is the setting of superhero films produced by Marvel Studios, based on characters that appear in Marvel Comics publications. Phases One, Two, and Three, were known as "The Infinity Saga", featuring many franchises and their sequels, and the first four Avengers crossover films. [1] [2] Phase Four features four sequels to earlier films and three new film properties, [3] with Phase Five set to include four sequels and two new properties, [4] and Phase Six intended to feature two sequels and two new properties, including the crossover films Avengers: Doomsday (2026) and Avengers: Secret Wars (2027). [5] [6] Phases Four, Five, and Six comprise "The Multiverse Saga". [6]
As the franchise is composed of films adapted from a variety of Marvel Comics properties, there are multiple lead actors. Chris Hemsworth headlined as Thor in the Thor films in the Infinity Saga and again in Thor: Love and Thunder (2022); Chris Pratt portrays the lead character, Peter Quill / Star-Lord, in the Guardians of the Galaxy films and returns for its sequel Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 (2023) and joined Hemsworth in Thor: Love and Thunder; Paul Rudd stars as Scott Lang / Ant-Man and Evangeline Lilly co-stars as Hope van Dyne / Wasp in the Ant-Man films, with both actors returning for Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania (2023); Benedict Cumberbatch portrays Stephen Strange and appears again in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness (2022); Tom Holland portrays Peter Parker / Spider-Man in the Spider-Man films and returns in Spider-Man: No Way Home (2021) where he is joined by Cumberbatch; and Brie Larson portrays Carol Danvers / Captain Marvel and appears again in The Marvels (2023), along with Iman Vellani as Kamala Khan / Ms. Marvel and Teyonah Parris as Monica Rambeau.
After appearing in supporting roles in the Infinity Saga, Scarlett Johansson stars as Natasha Romanoff / Black Widow in Black Widow (2021), Letitia Wright stars as Shuri / Black Panther in Black Panther: Wakanda Forever (2022), Anthony Mackie will headline Captain America: Brave New World (2025) as Sam Wilson / Captain America, Sebastian Stan will lead the ensemble film Thunderbolts* (2025) as Bucky Barnes, and Don Cheadle will star as James Rhodes / War Machine in Armor Wars . Simu Liu stars as Shang-Chi in Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings (2021), while Gemma Chan headlines as Sersi in the ensemble film Eternals (2021). Ryan Reynolds stars as Wade Wilson / Deadpool and Hugh Jackman co-stars as James "Logan" Howlett / Wolverine in Deadpool & Wolverine (2024), both reprising their roles from the X-Men film series produced by 20th Century Fox. Pedro Pascal is set to lead the ensemble film The Fantastic Four: First Steps (2025) as Reed Richards / Mister Fantastic, and Mahershala Ali is set to headline Blade as Blade. Pascal is also set to appear in Avengers: Doomsday and Avengers: Secret Wars.
Multiple other cast members recur across multiple films and series within the franchise, while the Multiverse Saga prominently features several actors reprising their roles from prior non-MCU Marvel films produced by Fox, New Line Cinema, and Sony Pictures. In addition to Reynolds and Jackman, these include Tobey Maguire, Willem Dafoe, Alfred Molina, Thomas Haden Church, Andrew Garfield, Rhys Ifans, Jamie Foxx, and Tom Hardy in No Way Home, Patrick Stewart in Multiverse of Madness, Kelsey Grammer in The Marvels, and Morena Baccarin, Rob Delaney, Chris Evans, Jennifer Garner, Brianna Hildebrand, Stefan Kapičić, Dafne Keen, Shioli Kutsuna, Tyler Mane, Wesley Snipes, Karan Soni, Aaron Stanford, Lewis Tan, and Leslie Uggams in Deadpool & Wolverine. The list below is sorted by film and the character's surname, as some characters have been portrayed by multiple actors. All characters that have made appearances in other MCU media, such as the short films, television series, or digital series, are noted.
Phase One of the franchise includes six films, featuring four different superhero properties, leading up to a crossover in the 2012 film Marvel's The Avengers . The franchise's Phase Two features three sequels to Phase One films, as well as two new film properties, and the crossover Avengers: Age of Ultron , which released in 2015. Phase Three features four sequels to earlier films, and four new film properties, as well as the crossover films Avengers: Infinity War (2018) and Avengers: Endgame (2019). [7] The films from Phase One through Phase Three are collectively known as "The Infinity Saga". [1] [2]
The Infinity Saga saw multiple lead actors: Robert Downey Jr. stars as Tony Stark / Iron Man; [8] Edward Norton headlined The Incredible Hulk (2008), playing Bruce Banner / Hulk, [9] but did not reprise the role in the future films, being replaced by Mark Ruffalo for all subsequent films involving the character; [10] Chris Evans portrays Steve Rogers / Captain America; [11] Chris Hemsworth plays Thor; [12] Chris Pratt portrays Peter Quill / Star-Lord; [13] Paul Rudd co-stars as Scott Lang / Ant-Man with Evangeline Lilly as Hope van Dyne / Wasp; [14] Benedict Cumberbatch portrays Stephen Strange; [15] Tom Holland portrays Peter Parker / Spider-Man; [16] Chadwick Boseman portrayed T'Challa / Black Panther; [17] and Brie Larson portrays Carol Danvers / Captain Marvel. [18]
Samuel L. Jackson had cameo and supporting appearances as Nick Fury in several of the early films in the franchise, before co-starring in The Avengers; he would continue to have supporting roles in later films as well. [19] Multiple other cast members recur across multiple films within the saga.
This section includes characters who will appear in films in the Phase.
Character | 2025 | 2026 | 2027 | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
The Fantastic Four: First Steps | Blade | Avengers: Doomsday | Avengers: Secret Wars | ||||
Introduced in The Infinity Saga | |||||||
Clint Barton Hawkeye | Jeremy Renner [195] | ||||||
Stephen Strange | Benedict Cumberbatch [196] | ||||||
Introduced in Phase Four | |||||||
Blade | Mahershala Ali [197] | ||||||
Introduced in The Fantastic Four: First Steps | |||||||
Galactus | Ralph Ineson [198] | ||||||
Ben Grimm Thing | Ebon Moss-Bachrach [199] | Ebon Moss-Bachrach [200] | |||||
Reed Richards Mister Fantastic | Pedro Pascal [199] | Pedro Pascal [200] | |||||
Shalla-Bal Silver Surfer | Julia Garner [201] | ||||||
Johnny Storm Human Torch | Joseph Quinn [199] | Joseph Quinn [200] | |||||
Susan Storm Invisible Woman | Vanessa Kirby [199] | Vanessa Kirby [200] | |||||
Victor von Doom Doctor Doom | Robert Downey Jr. [202] | Robert Downey Jr. [203] | |||||
Introduced in Blade | |||||||
Lilith | Mia Goth [204] | ||||||
This section includes characters who will appear in films in the future.
Character | TBA | |||
---|---|---|---|---|
Armor Wars | Untitled Spider-Man: No Way Home sequel | Untitled Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings sequel | ||
Introduced in The Infinity Saga | ||||
Sonny Burch | Walton Goggins [205] | |||
Michelle "MJ" Jones-Watson | Zendaya [206] | |||
Peter Parker Spider-Man | Tom Holland [207] | |||
James "Rhodey" Rhodes War Machine | Don Cheadle [208] | |||
Introduced in The Multiverse Saga | ||||
Riri Williams Ironheart MS | Dominique Thorne [209] | |||
Xu Shang-Chi | Simu Liu [210] | |||
Marvel Studios, LLC, formerly known as Marvel Films, is an American film and television production company. Marvel Studios is the creator of the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU), a media franchise and shared universe of films and television series produced by the studio, based on characters that appear in Marvel Comics publications. The studio was founded in 1993 by Avi Arad as part of Marvel Entertainment and has been led by producer Kevin Feige, who serves as its president, since 2007. The studio originally licensed the film rights to several Marvel characters before beginning to produce its own films in 2004, and has since regained many of those rights. The Walt Disney Company acquired the studio in 2009, along with the rest of Marvel, and transferred it in August 2015 to become a subsidiary of Walt Disney Studios, where it is part of Disney Entertainment. Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures has distributed most of the studio's films since The Avengers (2012).
The X-Men are a fictional superhero team created by Marvel Comics that appear in comic books and other forms of media.
The Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) is an American media franchise and shared universe centered on a series of superhero films produced by Marvel Studios. The films are based on characters that appear in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The franchise also includes television series, short films, digital series, and literature. The shared universe, much like the original Marvel Universe in comic books, was established by crossing over common plot elements, settings, cast, and characters.
Deadpool & Wolverine is a 2024 American superhero film based on Marvel Comics featuring the characters Deadpool and Wolverine. Produced by Marvel Studios, Maximum Effort, and 21 Laps Entertainment, and distributed by Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures, it is the 34th film in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) and the sequel to Deadpool (2016) and Deadpool 2 (2018). The film was directed by Shawn Levy from a screenplay he wrote with Ryan Reynolds, Rhett Reese, Paul Wernick, and Zeb Wells. Reynolds and Hugh Jackman respectively star as Wade Wilson / Deadpool and Logan / Wolverine, alongside Emma Corrin, Morena Baccarin, Rob Delaney, Leslie Uggams, Aaron Stanford, and Matthew Macfadyen. In the film, Deadpool learns that the Time Variance Authority is set to destroy his home universe and works with a reluctant Wolverine from another universe to stop them.
Avengers Campus is a Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU)–themed area located at Disney California Adventure and Walt Disney Studios Park in Disneyland Paris, and being developed for Hong Kong Disneyland under the name Stark Expo. The Marvel-themed areas or "lands" are being developed simultaneously at the three parks and inspired by the MCU. However, they instead take place in the "Marvel Theme Park Universe", an alternate universe parallel to it within the MCU multiverse, in which the Blip, introduced in Avengers: Infinity War (2018), and subsequent events did not occur. They are designed by Walt Disney Imagineering, in collaboration with Marvel Studios and Marvel Themed Entertainment.
The following outline serves as an overview of and topical guide to the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU), an American media franchise and shared universe created by Marvel Studios and owned by the Walt Disney Company. The franchise began in 2008 with the release of the film Iron Man and has since expanded to include various superhero films and television series produced by Marvel Studios, television series from Marvel Television, short films, digital series, literature, and other media. These are based on characters appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige produces every film and series from that studio for the MCU. The shared universe, much like the original Marvel Universe in comic books, was established by crossing over common plot elements, settings, cast, and characters.
Loki is an American television series created by Michael Waldron for the streaming service Disney+, based on Marvel Comics featuring the character of the same name. It is the third television series in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) produced by Marvel Studios, sharing continuity with the films of the franchise. The series takes place after the events of the film Avengers: Endgame (2019), in which an alternate version of Loki created a new timeline. Waldron served as head writer and Kate Herron directed the first season, with Eric Martin and the duo Justin Benson and Aaron Moorhead serving as head writer and leading the directing team for the second season, respectively.
Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness is a 2022 American superhero film based on Marvel Comics featuring the character Doctor Strange. Produced by Marvel Studios and distributed by Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures, it is the sequel to Doctor Strange (2016) and the 28th film in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU). The film was directed by Sam Raimi, written by Michael Waldron, and stars Benedict Cumberbatch as Stephen Strange, alongside Elizabeth Olsen, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Benedict Wong, Xochitl Gomez, Michael Stuhlbarg, and Rachel McAdams. In the film, Strange must protect America Chavez (Gomez), a teenager capable of traveling the multiverse, from the Scarlet Witch (Olsen).
What If...? is an American animated anthology television series created by A. C. Bradley for the streaming service Disney+ based on the Marvel Comics series of the same name. It is the fourth television series in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) produced by Marvel Studios, and the studio's first animated series from Marvel Studios Animation. The series explores alternate timelines in the multiverse that show what would happen if major moments from the MCU films occurred differently. Bradley serves as head writer for the first two seasons, with Matthew Chauncey for the third, and Bryan Andrews as the lead director.
Phase Four of the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) is a group of American superhero films and television series produced by Marvel Studios based on characters that appear in publications by Marvel Comics. Phase Four features all the Marvel Studios productions released from 2021 through 2022. It is the first phase in the franchise to include television series, alongside television specials marketed as "Marvel Studios Special Presentations", with Marvel Studios developing several event series for the streaming service Disney+ in addition to the feature films that it was already set to produce. Animation in the phase was produced by Marvel Studios Animation. Phase Four began with the series WandaVision, which premiered in January 2021, while the first theatrical film in this phase is Black Widow, which was released in July 2021 by Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures. The phase concluded with the television special The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special in November 2022. The release schedule of Phase Four was changed several times due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Kevin Feige produced every film and executive produced every series and special in this phase, alongside producers Jonathan Schwartz for Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings, Nate Moore for Eternals and Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, Amy Pascal for Spider-Man: No Way Home, and Brad Winderbaum for Thor: Love and Thunder.
Phase Five of the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) is a group of American superhero films and television series produced by Marvel Studios based on characters that appear in publications by Marvel Comics. Phase Five features all of the Marvel Studios productions set to be released starting from 2023 to mid-2025, with Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures distributing the films, while the series release on Disney+. Starting with Agatha All Along in late 2024, live-action series were released under Marvel Studios' "Marvel Television" label, while animation in the phase was produced by Marvel Studios Animation. The first film in the phase is Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania, which was released in February 2023, while the first series in the phase, Secret Invasion, premiered in June 2023. The release schedule of Phase Five was changed several times due to the 2023 Hollywood labor disputes. Kevin Feige produces every film and serves as executive producer of every series in this phase, alongside producers Stephen Broussard for Quantumania; Lauren Shuler Donner, Ryan Reynolds, and Shawn Levy for Deadpool & Wolverine; and Nate Moore for Captain America: Brave New World.
The Avengers are a team of fictional superheroes and the protagonists of the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) media franchise, based on the Marvel Comics team of the same name created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby in 1963. Founded by S.H.I.E.L.D. Director Nick Fury, the team is a United States-based organization composed primarily of superpowered and gifted individuals, described as "Earth's Mightiest Heroes", who are committed to the world's protection from a variety of threats. The Avengers are depicted as operating in the state of New York: originally from the Avengers Tower in Midtown Manhattan and subsequently in the Avengers Compound in Upstate New York. Arranged as an ensemble of core MCU characters originally consisting of Tony Stark / Iron Man, Steve Rogers / Captain America, Thor, Bruce Banner / Hulk, Natasha Romanoff / Black Widow, and Clint Barton / Hawkeye, it later expands to include 16 total members. Regarded as an important part of the franchise, they are central to the MCU's first 23 films, collectively known as the Infinity Saga. The Avengers from alternate universes were depicted in subsequent MCU properties across the Multiverse Saga, including appearances in the Disney+ animated series What If...? (2021–present) and Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness (2022). The Avengers are set to return in Avengers: Doomsday (2026) and Avengers: Secret Wars (2027). Both films will be part of the MCU's Phase Six, concluding the Multiverse Saga.
Wade Winston Wilson, also known as Deadpool, is a character portrayed by Ryan Reynolds in 20th Century Fox's X-Men film series and later the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) media franchise produced by Marvel Studios. Based on the Marvel Comics character of the same name by Rob Liefeld and Fabian Nicieza, he was loosely adapted for his first appearance in X-Men Origins: Wolverine (2009), in which he is depicted as a member of Major William Stryker's Team X who is transformed into a genetically altered mutant killer known as Weapon XI, before being defeated by his former teammate Wolverine. This iteration of the character was negatively received by both critics and fans alike for deviating from the source material.
The multiverse is a fictional setting within the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) media franchise. Based on the setting of the same name from the Marvel Comics, it is a collection of infinitely many alternate realities and dimensions. First explored in the film Doctor Strange (2016), it is revisited in the film Avengers: Endgame (2019) before playing a key role in Phases Four, Five, and Six of the MCU, which constitute "The Multiverse Saga". The MCU's multiverse centers on a single universe called the "Sacred Timeline", which the Time Variance Authority (TVA) works to prevent any branching universes from forming. "He Who Remains", the Sacred Timeline's secret overseer, dies at the hands of Sylvie, following which the multiverse is freed and an infinite number of universes are formed.
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.
The fictional timeline of the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) media franchise and shared universe is the continuity of events for several feature films, television series, television specials, short films, and the I Am Groot shorts, which are produced by Marvel Studios, and the group of Netflix series produced by Marvel Television.
She'll next be seen on the big screen in Denis Villenueve's Dune adaptation, and she'll reprise her Spider-Man role in a third Sony-Marvel film.