Every Marvel Movie & Show Missing From Phase 5 & 6

Marvel Studios presented their huge movie and television pipeline at San Diego Comic-Con 2022, but several confirmed and rumored superhero projects have missed out on a spot in the MCU Phase 5 and Phase 6. At SDCC 2022, Phases 4 to 6 were officially named “The Multiverse Saga” and will revolve around Kang the Conquerer, the multiverse traveling villain who appeared in Loki and has replaced Thanos as the MCU’s big bad. Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige unveiled three years’ worth of upcoming content that will build up to new Avengers movies, but some MCU headliners were notable in their absence.

Phase 5 of the MCU will run from early 2023 to mid-2024. Six movies and seven shows were confirmed to be part of Phase 5 at SDCC 2022, including Ant-Man And The Wasp: Quantumania, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, Secret Invasion, and season two of Loki. Realistically, there likely isn’t any room for additional projects to be added to Phase 5 because the schedule is packed, with new MCU movies and shows set to be available almost every week.

There is plenty of space for movies and shows to be added to Phase 6 of the MCU though. Only three movies were confirmed for Phase 6 at SDCC 2022, but they were all major announcements. The Fantastic Four will finally debut in the MCU in late 2024, and two Avengers movies will wrap up The Multiverse Saga in 2025, where the latest version of Earth’s Mightiest Heroes will take on Kang the Conquerer. Marvel Studios will need to build up Avengers: The Kang Dynasty and Avengers: Secret Wars ahead of their release, and they have plenty of stories to tell ahead of that. Here’s a look at all of the confirmed and rumored MCU movies and shows that were missing from Phase 5 and Phase 6 of the Marvel SDCC 2022 announcements, and where and when they could release.

Confirmed Marvel Movies & Shows Missing From Phase 5 & 6

Armor Wars

In December 2020, Marvel confirmed that Don Cheadle would reprise his role as James Rhodes/War Machine in Armor Wars. Adapted from the comic book series of the same name, Armor Wars will be a Disney+ TV series that will focus on War Machine dealing with the consequences of Stark Industries technology falling into the wrong hands. Some MCU fans were concerned about Armor Wars’ future given it missed out on an SDCC 2022 announcement, but lead writer Yassir Lester took to social media to ease nerves and confirm that series is still coming out. Armor Wars is set to start production in the fall of 2022, so will likely play a part in Phase 6 of the MCU in either late 2024 or 2025.

Deadpool 3

In January 2021, Kevin Fiege confirmed that Ryan Reynolds’ Deadpool would join the MCU and that Deadpool 3 would be R-rated even though it is now a Disney property. Although a release date has not been confirmed, Deadpool 3 is in development with Shawn Levy, who collaborated with Ryan Reynolds on Free Guy and The Adam Project, set to direct it. Plot details are currently unknown, but there’s every chance that Deadpool will finally get to potentially meet some of his close comic book acquaintances now that he is part of the MCU, including Spider-Man.

Shang-Chi 2

Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings was one of the MCU’s biggest Phase 4 hits, performing impressively well both critically and at the box office. The end credits of Shang-Chi confirmed that the superhero would return, and in December 2021 Marvel Studios announced that Shang-Chi 2 was in development, with Destin Daniel Cretton set to return to write and direct the sequel. While the first movie was largely a standalone movie, Shang-Chi 2 is set to explore Shang-Chi’s place in the wider MCU now that Bruce Banner and Carol Danvers have taken an interest in the ten rings. Given prominent Avengers are now involved with Shang-Chi, Shang-Chi 2 could become part of Phase 6 in the build-up to Avengers: The Kang Dynasty.

Okoye Show/Wakanda Show

In 2021, Danai Gurira reportedly agreed to reprise her role as Okoye, general of Wakanda’s Dora Milaje, in an MCU original Disney+ TV show. Previously it was announced that Ryan Coogler was developing a series that would focus on Wakanda, and reports suggest that it will be a separate show to Okoye’s spinoff. Little more is known about either series at the time of writing but Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, which will hit theaters in November 2022, could set up the two future Wakanda projects that could plausibly be part of MCU Phase 5 or Phase 6.

Werewolf By Night

Out of the confirmed MCU movies and shows not yet announced for Phase 5 or Phase 6, Werewolf by Night is the only one that is not a sequel or spinoff – and may indeed release before Phase 5 if current scheduling is to be believed. Set to be a Halloween special for Disney+, Werewolf By Night will bring Marvel Comics resident werewolf to life with Coco‘s Gael García Bernal in line to play the titular hero. The supernatural story should make a refreshing change from the current multiverse-focused MCU product given that Werewolf by Night is an obscure character who will be unknown to the casual Marvel audience. Filming of the special took place from March to April 2022, and Werewolf by Night is scheduled to be released in October 2022, making it part of Phase 4 – but there is chance that the lack of announcement for the show at the SDCC is reflective of potential changes being made to where Werewolf by Night fits in the MCU Phase timeline.

Guardians of The Galaxy Holiday Special

James Gunn returns as the writer and director of Guardians Of The Galaxy Holiday Special, which he has described as one of his favorite stories ever that he has wanted to make since the first Guardians Of The Galaxy movie. The Guardians holiday special will be set between the events of Thor: Love and Thunder and Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, with all the main cast, including Chris Pratt’s Star-Lord, confirmed to reappear. Filming concluded in April 2022, and The Guardians Of The Galaxy Holiday Special will be released on Disney+ in December 2022, marking it either as the end of Phase 4, or the start of Phase 5.

Heavily Rumored MCU Movies Missing From Phase 5 & 6

Doctor Strange 3

Sam Raimi’s Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness ended with Strange developing a third eye and then following Charlize Theron’s debuting Clea into the mysterious Dark Dimension. Clearly, Doctor Strange’s story isn’t over, and with Phases 4 to 6 officially being titled ‘The Multiverse Saga’ the powerful sorcerer will continue to be a key player in the MCU. Doctor Strange’s return was confirmed after the credits of The Multiverse of Madness, but whether that will be to complete his trilogy or not is unknown. Given that Doctor Strange 2 made close to $1 billion at the global box office, Doctor Strange 3 is more likely to happen than not, but it’s likely Benedict Cumberbatch’s next appearance will be in a different Phase 5 project.

Eternals 2

Eternals brought to life another classic group of Marvel Comics superheroes, and while reviews were mixed the movie did set up a sequel. The ending of Eternals saw Sersi, Phastos, and Kingo get pulled into space by Arishem, Dane about to yield the Ebony Blade as a mysterious voice questions him, and Harry Styles’ debut as Thanos’s brother Eros. Despite that, Eternals 2 has not been confirmed and Marvel Studios have been quiet about the future of the group. If Eternals 2 is given the green light, it’s most likely to come out around 2025 at the earliest as part of the MCU’s Phase 6.

Thor 5

Thor: Love and Thunder set Chris Hemsworth’s Thor in an unexpected, new direction as he is now the father figure of Gorr The God Butcher’s daughter, Love. Taika Waititi’s Love And Thunder has been met with mixed reviews thanks to its, at times, silly humor, but there is still an appetite for more Thor stories. The credits of Love And Thunder end with a title card confirming Thor will return in the MCU, but like other heroes, it’s not clear whether that will be in Thor 5 or as part of other projects. The Love and Thunder Hercules cameo suggests that Thor will get another solo outing, which at the earliest would be released in 2025, but it is more likely that the God of Thunder’s next appearance will be either in the Phase 5 Guardians Of The Galaxy Vol. 3, or the Phase 6 Avengers: The Kang Dynasty.

Spider-Man 4

Following the global success of Spider-Man: No Way Home there have been mixed reports as to whether Tom Holland will continue as Peter Parker after he stated that it was his last MCU contracted movie. In December 2021, Kevin Fiege confirmed that he and Amy Pascal, Chairperson of Sony Pictures who own the rights to the Spider-Man character in movies, were developing Spider-Man 4. Given everyone has forgotten who Peter Parker is thanks to Doctor Strange’s memory-wiping spell, it makes sense that Spidey’s next appearance would be in a standalone movie where finds his new place in the MCU universe, though realistically that would not be released until 2025 at the earliest. Alternatively, Spider-Man could appear in Phase 5’s Daredevil: Born Again following Matt Murdoch’s cameo role in No Way Home.

Nova

Reportedly, Sabir Pirzada, writer and producer for Moon Knight and Ms. Marvel, is set to lead the MCU’s Nova movie. Nova is one of the better-known Marvel characters to have not appeared on screen and would add another cosmic hero to the MCU. In the Marvel comics, Nova is part of the Nova Corps, who in the MCU were destroyed by Thanos in Guardians Of The Galaxy. It’s unclear then how Marvel Studios will introduce Nova, but with rumors of a Disney+ TV series on the horizon, he could play an important role in Phase 6.

World War Hulk

World War Hulk has long been hoped for by many MCU viewers, and rumors of its development and potential Phase 5 or Phase 6 release are ongoing. Based on the comic storyline of the same name, “World War Hulk” sees various Marvel superheroes, including Doctor Strange and Mr. Fantastic, send Hulk to space where he can no longer harm anyone, but not all goes to plan as he seeks to destroy those who sent him away following his wife’s death. It’s questionable whether this World War Hulk will ever happen, given the current version of Bruce Banner’s alter ego is “Smart Hulk”, rather than the gladiator-like giant in Thor: Ragnorok. Still, with the MCU’s multiverse variants of characters, and the chance to tell untold stories in What If…? there is still a chance that this incarnation of Hulk could appear in the Multiverse Saga or beyond.