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 | |
---|---|
| |
| |
| |
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.
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 ensemble series 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 during Phase Six. [51] [52]
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 [53] | Jeff Kaplan & Ian Springer and Josh Friedman and Cameron Squires and Eric Pearson and Peter Cameron [54] [55] | Kevin Feige | Post-production |
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 [56] | 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 [57] | Kevin Feige |
In July 2019, Kevin Feige said Marvel Studios was developing an MCU Fantastic Four film. [4] Jon Watts was announced as the director in December 2020, [6] but he stepped down in April 2022 to take a break from superhero projects. [58] Matt Shakman, who directed Marvel Studios' Disney+ series WandaVision (2021), was confirmed to direct the film that September, [53] when 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, [55] Eric Pearson, [61] and Peter Cameron also contributing to the script. [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] Filming began at the end of July, [62] at Pinewood Studios in London, [63] and wrapped at the end of November. [64] The Fantastic Four: First Steps is scheduled to be released on July 25, 2025. [33]
Marvel Studios announced Avengers: The Kang Dynasty at San Diego Comic-Con (SDCC) in July 2022, [19] Destin Daniel Cretton was confirmed to direct shortly after, [65] and Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania (2023) writer Jeff Loveness was revealed in September to be writing the screenplay. [66] Cretton exited the film in November 2023, [67] when Loki (2021–23) creator and Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness (2022) writer Michael Waldron was hired to replace Loveness as writer. [68] 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 SDCC, 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] [69] Filming is scheduled to begin in second quarter of 2025 in London. [70] [71] 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]
A fourth MCU Spider-Man film was reportedly in development by August 2019 alongside Spider-Man: No Way Home (2021). [72] In November 2021, producer Amy Pascal said Sony and Marvel Studios planned to make at least three more Spider-Man films starring Tom Holland as Peter Parker / Spider-Man, [12] and they were actively developing the fourth film's story the next month. [13] Chris McKenna and Erik Sommers began writing the script in February 2023, [21] [56] but development was put on hold by the 2023 Writers Guild of America strike that May and was set to resume after the strike ended. [73] [74] Destin Daniel Cretton was hired to direct by October 2024 when Holland was confirmed to star. [48] Filming is expected to last from June to October 2025. [75] The film is scheduled to be released on July 24, 2026. [48]
Marvel Studios announced Avengers: Secret Wars at the July 2022 SDCC, [19] and Waldron was revealed to be writing the screenplay that October. [76] Majors was attached to return as Kang until his firing in December 2023. [77] [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] [69] 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]
Following New Line Cinema's Blade film series (1998–2004), Marvel Studios regained the film rights to the character Blade and had a working script for a new version by May 2013. [78] [79] Mahershala Ali, who played Cornell "Cottonmouth" Stokes in Marvel Television's Luke Cage (2016–18), approached Marvel Studios in February 2019 about starring in a new Blade film, which Feige announced at SDCC that July with Ali as Blade; [3] Ali first had an uncredited voice cameo in Eternals (2021). [80] Development began in 2020 and multiple filmmakers were attached in the following years, including directors Bassam Tariq and Yann Demange, while the production experienced several delays. [81] [82] Pearson was rewriting the script by June 2024, when Marvel was searching for a new director, [57] and Blade was removed from the release schedule in October 2024. [47]
The series in Phase Six will be released on Disney+. [52]
Series | Season | Episodes | Originally released | Head writer / showrunner [a] | Director(s) | Status | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
First released | Last released | |||||||
Eyes of Wakanda | 1 | 4 [85] | August 6, 2025 [51] | TBA | TBA | Todd Harris [86] | In production | |
Marvel Zombies | 1 | 4 [87] | October 3, 2025 [88] | TBA | Zeb Wells [11] | Bryan Andrews [11] | ||
Wonder Man [b] | 1 | 8–10 [89] [90] | December 2025 [51] | TBA | Andrew Guest [84] | Destin Daniel Cretton, Stella Meghie, James Ponsoldt, and Tiffany Johnson [84] [91] [92] [93] | Post-production | |
Vision Quest [41] [42] | 1 | TBA | 2026[40] | TBA | Terry Matalas [40] | TBA | In development |
The Hatut Zaraze, Wakandan warriors, carry out dangerous missions around the world to retrieve vibranium artifacts throughout history. [94]
Eyes of Wakanda 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. [95] [96] [86] Eyes of Wakanda is scheduled to premiere on Disney+ on August 6, 2025, [51] and will consist of four episodes. [85]
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 . [97] 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. [98] Marvel Zombies is scheduled to premiere on Disney+ on October 3, 2025, [88] and will consist of four episodes. [87]
Several actors reprise their MCU roles in Marvel Zombies, including Awkwafina as Katy, David Harbour as Alexei Shostakov / Red Guardian, Simu Liu as Xu Shang-Chi, Elizabeth Olsen as Wanda Maximoff / Scarlet Witch, Randall Park as Jimmy Woo, Florence Pugh as Yelena Belova, Hailee Steinfeld as Kate Bishop, Dominique Thorne as Riri Williams / Ironheart, and Iman Vellani as Kamala Khan / Ms. Marvel. [88]
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 Wonder Man, centered on the character Simon Williams / Wonder Man, with Andrew Guest joining to develop the series and serve as head writer; [18] Guest later became showrunner. [84] In October, Yahya Abdul-Mateen II was cast as the title character. [99] Filming began in April 2023 in Los Angeles, [100] and occurred at Radford Studio Center, [101] with Cretton, Stella Meghie, [84] [91] James Ponsoldt, [92] [102] and Tiffany Johnson directing episodes of the series. [93] Onyx Collective co-produces the series. [103] [14] Filming resumed in early January 2024, [104] and concluded by April 2024. [105] Wonder Man is scheduled to premiere on Disney+ in December 2025, [51] and is expected to consist of eight to ten episodes. [89] [90] It will be part of the "Marvel Spotlight" banner. [84]
Ben Kingsley reprises his MCU role as Trevor Slattery. [106]
In October 2022, a second spin-off from WandaVision 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]
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.
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 [107] [48] | |||
Victor von Doom Doctor Doom | Robert Downey Jr. [46] | Robert Downey Jr. [46] |
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 Group 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. In 2009, the Walt Disney Company acquired Marvel Studios' parent company Marvel Entertainment, and in 2015, they transferred Marvel Studios to the Walt Disney Studios, which has been a part of the Disney Entertainment division since 2023. Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures has distributed most of the studio's films since The Avengers (2012).
The superhero team Fantastic Four featured in Marvel Comics publication has appeared in four live-action films since its inception. The plots deal with four main characters, known formally as Reed Richards, Susan Storm, Ben Grimm and Johnny Storm, and how they adapt to the superpowers they attain.
Kevin Feige is an American film and television producer. He has been the president of Marvel Studios and the primary producer of the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) franchise since 2007. The films he has produced have a combined worldwide box office gross of over $31 billion, making him the highest grossing producer of all time, with Avengers: Endgame (2019) becoming the highest-grossing film at the time of its release.
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 several 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.
Destin Yori Daniel Cretton is an American filmmaker. He is best known for directing the drama films Short Term 12 (2013), The Glass Castle (2017), Just Mercy (2019) as well as the Marvel Studios film Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings (2021).
Spider-Man: No Way Home is a 2021 American superhero film based on the Marvel Comics character Spider-Man, co-produced by Columbia Pictures and Marvel Studios, and distributed by Sony Pictures Releasing. It is the sequel to Spider-Man: Homecoming (2017) and Spider-Man: Far From Home (2019), and the 27th film in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU). The film was directed by Jon Watts and written by Chris McKenna and Erik Sommers. It stars Tom Holland as Peter Parker / Spider-Man alongside Zendaya, Benedict Cumberbatch, Jacob Batalon, Jon Favreau, Jamie Foxx, Willem Dafoe, Alfred Molina, Benedict Wong, Tony Revolori, Marisa Tomei, Andrew Garfield, and Tobey Maguire. In the film, Parker asks Dr. Stephen Strange (Cumberbatch) to use magic to make his identity as Spider-Man a secret again after this was revealed to the world at the end of Far From Home. When the spell goes wrong because of Parker's actions, the multiverse is broken open and several visitors from alternate realities are brought into Parker's universe.
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.
Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings is a 2021 American superhero film based on Marvel Comics featuring the character Shang-Chi. Produced by Marvel Studios and distributed by Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures, it is the 25th film in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU). The film was directed by Destin Daniel Cretton from a screenplay he wrote with Dave Callaham and Andrew Lanham, and stars Simu Liu as Shang-Chi alongside Awkwafina, Meng'er Zhang, Fala Chen, Florian Munteanu, Benedict Wong, Yuen Wah, Michelle Yeoh, Ben Kingsley, and Tony Leung. In the film, Shang-Chi is forced to confront his past when his father Wenwu (Leung), the leader of the Ten Rings terrorist organization, draws Shang-Chi and his sister Xialing (Zhang) into a search for a mythical village.
Phase Three of the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) is a group of American superhero films produced by Marvel Studios based on characters that appear in publications by Marvel Comics. The phase began in 2016 with the release of Captain America: Civil War and concluded in 2019 with the release of Spider-Man: Far From Home. It includes the crossover films Avengers: Infinity War, released in 2018, and its sequel Avengers: Endgame, released in 2019. Kevin Feige produced every film in the phase, alongside Amy Pascal for Spider-Man: Homecoming and Spider-Man: Far From Home, and Stephen Broussard for Ant-Man and the Wasp. The eleven films of the phase grossed over US$13.5 billion at the global box office and received generally positive critical and public response. Upon release, Avengers: Endgame became the highest-grossing film of all time.
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.
The Fantastic Four: First Steps is an upcoming American superhero film based on the Marvel Comics superhero team the Fantastic Four. Produced by Marvel Studios and distributed by Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures, it is intended to be the 37th film in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) and the second reboot of the Fantastic Four film series. The film is being directed by Matt Shakman from a screenplay by the writing team of Jeff Kaplan and Ian Springer, Josh Friedman, Cameron Squires, Eric Pearson, and Peter Cameron. It features an ensemble cast including Pedro Pascal, Vanessa Kirby, Joseph Quinn, and Ebon Moss-Bachrach as the titular team, alongside Ralph Ineson, Julia Garner, Paul Walter Hauser, John Malkovich, Natasha Lyonne, and Sarah Niles. In the film, the Fantastic Four must protect their Earth, a 1960s-inspired retro-futuristic world, from being devoured by the cosmic being Galactus.
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 Odinson, 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). A new incarnation of 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.
Wonder Man is an upcoming American television miniseries created by Destin Daniel Cretton and Andrew Guest for the streaming service Disney+, based on the Marvel Comics character of the same name. It is intended to be the 17th television series in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) produced by Marvel Studios, via its Marvel Television label, sharing continuity with the films of the franchise. Guest serves as showrunner. The series is also produced by Family Owned and Onyx Collective.
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 universe called the "Sacred Timeline". Alternative universes are generally "pruned" by the Time Variance Authority (TVA), until Sylvie kills TVA's leader, "He Who Remains", allowing new universes to form.
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, as well as a group of Netflix series produced by Marvel Television.