The death of Iron Man ended an era for the Marvel Cinematic Universe: Perhaps the biggest franchise of the 2010s reached its peak. Since then, the MCU's image has gone downhill rapidly: there have been less and less highlights, more and more flops at the box office and ever more complaints from viewers. Messy conditions behind the scenes and a frequently noted "superhero fatigue" among audiences added to the problem. So, many are right to ask: Can the MCU still be saved?

It's up to you to decide: In this article, we give you a complete overview of the upcoming movies of the MCU!

Phase 5

The so-called multiverse saga covers Phases 4, 5 and 6 of the MCU - we are currently in the middle of Phase 5. The beginning has already been rather rocky, with flops such as "Ant-Man 3" and "The Marvels", but there were also strong releases such as the third "Guardians of the Galaxy" and the second season of "Loki". Sadly, the next projects also seem to promise a rather mixed experience. However, there are two particularly promising ones.

Deadpool & Wolverine

Like so many other fans, we are eagerly awaiting the ultimate highlight of Phase 5, "Deadpool & Wolverine", which will finally see the long-anticipated crossover between Ryan Reynolds' and Hugh Jackman's iconic characters. Fans have been excited and looking forward to the premiere for years. The trailers already show off the well-known strengths of the series and a let-down seems highly unlikely. The film will be released in cinemas on July 26, 2024.

Captain America: Brave New World

So far, the run up to the final movie of the 5th phase of the MCU hasn't been going well: "Captain America: Brave New World" is already raising a lot of skepticism among fans many months before its release. Some things about the project do sound promising tho: it is set to be a relatively down-to-earth, political action thriller, similar to the second movie in the series, "The Winter Soldier" - which is, after all, one of the most popular MCU movies ever. It is also an open secret that we will finally meet the mighty Red Hulk in the film, an appearance that many comic fans have been eagerly awaiting for a long time.

However, many viewers are struggling to accept Sam Wilson as the new captain. Many mourn Chris Evans' character Steve Rogers too much and have so far been unconvinced by Anthony Mackie's Sam Wilson as a substitute - despite a whole series in the form of "The Falcon and the Winter Soldier" to ease the transition. "Captain America: Brave New World" will hit theaters on February 14, 2025.

Phase 6

Kick-off for Phase 6: In the next major phase of the MCU, we can expect five more movies beginning in 2025 - at least according to current plans. Disney boss Bob Iger recently announced that the company wants to focus more on quality than quantity in the future. The company is aiming for a maximum of three movies per year and a maximum of two series. We shall see how this will impact the release of the new projects.

Thunderbolts*

The first big theatrical event in Phase 6 will be the film "Thunderbolts". The group of the same name is made up of a bunch of anti-heroes who must reluctantly save the world - a kind of counterpart to DC's "Suicide Squad". The Thunderbolts are led by Valentina Allegra de Fontaine, played by Julia Louis-Dreyfus. John Walker, played by Wyatt Russell, is also part of the team, as is Sebastian Stan as Bucky Barnes. All three previously worked together in "The Falcon and the Winter Soldier".

Known from "Black Widow" are Yelena Belova, played by Florence Pugh; Red Guardian, played by David Harbour; and Taskmaster, played by Olga Kurylenko. Meanwhile, Hannah John-Kamen is back as Ghost - she was previously seen in "Ant-Man and the Wasp". Steven Yeun was also involved in the movie at some point and was rumored for the role of Sentry - however, he announced his departure from the project in early 2024. "Thunderbolts" is scheduled to be released in cinemas on May 2, 2025.

The Fantastic Four

A classic superhero team is ready to give it another go: "The Fantastic Four" marks the debut of the well-known characters in the MCU after the last film adaptation in 2015 flopped miserably. This time, Pedro Pascal as Mister Fantastic, Vanessa Kirby as Invisible Woman, Joseph Quinn as Human Torch and Ebon Moss-Bachrach as The Thing will try to make a strong impression. On the opposing side, we can expect Julia Garner as Silver Surfer Shalla-Bal as well as Ralph Ineson as Galactus, among others. Many fans are still hoping for a reunion with Dr. Doom, but so far there's no information on this. Unlike the previous movie adaptations, "The Fantastic Four" is set in the 1960s, the origin of the comic original. The movie will be released on July 25, 2025.

Blade

The year will be concluded with the new movie adaptation of "Blade", the vampire hunter. The film series featuring Wesley Snipes enjoys cult status - which makes fans all the more wary of the new version with Mahershala Ali. Production has been turbulent thus far and the script has been revised time and again. At the moment, though, the project seems to be slowly getting back on track and director Yann Demange has at least promised to aim for a bloody R-rating. After various postponements, the release is now scheduled for November 7, 2025.

Avengers

The "Avengers" movies, in which the many heroes gathered for a major threat after their solo appearances, were always a huge event in the individual MCU phases. This hasn't happened anymore since "Endgame" and the prospects for the upcoming event movies are far from positive.

At first, everything was focused on the new main villain Kang, as indicated by the original title of the next film: "Avengers: The Kang Dynasty". But then the shock: the actor playing the antagonist, Jonathan Majors, was fired by Disney after being convicted of domestic violence. And now, basically no one knows how exactly things will move forward, perhaps not even those responsible themselves.

That's why new scripts are currently being worked upon: Will there be another villain, perhaps the popular Dr. Doom? Or will Kang simply be cast with a different actor? No matter how you look at it: One of the secrets of the MCU's success used to be that the many films fitted together like pieces of a puzzle to form a big whole. However, the recent setbacks seem chaotic - the audience can tell that no stringent plan is being followed. This also makes the upcoming "Avengers" movies seem oddly arbitrary. Whatever the next movie ends up being about, there's not much opportunity left to work towards it with other films: "Avengers 5" is set to be released on May 1, 2026.

One year later, the next big finale is expected to follow with "Avengers: Secret Wars". The only thing that is clear so far is that the last Avengers from the "Infinity Saga" will say their goodbyes in this movie at the latest. In the comics, the remaining Avengers find themselves in the decisive final battle for the multiverse on Battleworld - the only world that still exists in the multiverse. It is made up of fragments of the various realities and is ruled by Dr. Doom. The planned release date for the grand finale is May 7, 2027, although a lot can still happen in the meantime.

Further MCU Movies

There are a number of additional movies planned for the MCU that are not currently assigned to a specific phase. It cannot be ruled out that these will be added to Phase 6 depending on their theatrical release - after all, apart from the two Avengers movies in 2026 and 2027, no other MCU movies have been scheduled as of yet.

Spider-Man 4

Most people are surely hopeful that the fourth "Spider-Man" movie with Tom Holland will prove to be a highlight. Little is known about the project so far, Sony and Marvel have not really been able to agree on a script. The main question is whether it will be a wacky multiverse adventure or a more grounded story about New York. Despite everything, it currently looks as though filming could start this fall, so a 2026 release before the upcoming Avengers film would certainly be possible.

X-Men

Another franchise is set to make its big debut in the MCU: the X-Men. The series has been a little quiet as of late and the latest movies have not been able to build on the former achievements. A new orientation within the MCU could come at just the right time. Recently, a screenwriter was finally found for the new movie, which means that production is progressing. We are excited about the cast and hope for a release in Phase 6 - perhaps the X-Men will bring some much-needed momentum to the multiverse saga.

Shang-Chi 2

What should please most MCU fans is the announced sequel to "Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings". After all, the first film starring Simu Liu grossed around 430 million dollars at the box office in spite of the pandemic. Judging by its post-credits scene, the 10 rings will once more be at the center of the plot. Perhaps we will finally find out what kind of signals the rings are sending out and, above all, to whom. However, it is not known when exactly we will be able to enjoy the film in cinemas - only a release in 2026 is being envisaged. As with its predecessor, Destin Daniel Cretton will be directing the movie.

Armor Wars

An upcoming MCU film that is probably not on many people's radar is "Armor Wars". It will focus on Tony Stark's friend Colonel James Rhodes aka Rhodey aka War Machine. "Armor Wars" was originally intended to be shot as a series, but is now set to become a movie. It was actually supposed to be released before "Captain America: Brave New World", yet this plan has also been shelved. Nothing is known about the plot at the moment. However, the film is said to be based on Marvel's "Star Wars" comics from 1987 and 1988. There, Tony Stark had all kinds of sensitive technology stolen in order to use it against him. Currently, there is no fixed release date.