Every Upcoming Marvel Cinematic Universe Movie

The Marvel Cinematic Universe saw some pandemic-related delays throughout 2020 and 2021, but the MCU’s Phase 4 is now steaming ahead with full strength and is already working to set up long-term villains that will likely survive into Phase 5. While Avengers: Endgame and the ending of The Infinity Saga set a high bar for all that follows, the MCU has consistently found new ways to rise to that challenge. Apart from many upcoming MCU movies, the debut of the MCU’s Disney+ TV shows has helped to add a new dimension to the franchise at the same time as the 2021 releases seemed designed to help improve Disney and Marvel’s long history of poor representation.

While the pandemic forced the MCU to release Black Widow to streaming only, the studio has since returned to full theatrical releases for Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings, Eternals, Spider-Man: No Way Home, and Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness. Even with the return to theaters, Marvel is still facing long-standing delays due to pandemic-related production issues, and in October 2021 were forced to push back the release dates for five MCU movies set for release in 2022 and 2023. These various delays have shaken up the intended MCU release order, with WandaVision ending up being the first installment of Phase 4 released. Yet, this helped cement the importance of the Disney+ TV shows to continuing the MCU, and audiences have flocked to them to help fill in the gaps between the movies.

Related: Marvel’s Phase 4 Slate Has A Big Problem That’s Only Going To Get Worse

While Marvel’s release schedule hints at movies planned as far in the future as 2027, the studio has only shared details on the movies coming out between now and late 2023. Still, the studio is beginning to unveil plans beyond that, such as the Wonder Man series in development for Disney+. The MCU’s Phase 4 is expected to only last for two years, meaning that any Marvel movie releasing beyond 2023 likely won’t have many details released anytime soon as they could spoil the direction of the Phase 4 late game. Here are all the upcoming Marvel Cinematic Universe movie releases that you can expect to see in theaters through 2021 and beyond.

Thor: Love and Thunder – July 8, 2022

Thor: Love and Thunder marks the first time that a solo film series in the Marvel Cinematic Universe has received a fourth installment. After the success of Thor: Ragnarok, Taika Waititi returned to write and direct Love and Thunder, which not only brings back Chris Hemsworth as Thor and Tessa Thompson as Valkyrie (who is also now the MCU’s first LGBTQ superhero) but also Natalie Portman as Jane Foster. Portman is playing the Mighty Thor in the new sequel, which is confirmed to take place before the events of Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, and it will feature members of the Guardians team. In addition, the Thor sequel will welcome Christian Bale as Gorr the God Butcher and Russell Crowe in the role of Zeus. The movie doesn’t come out until July 8, 2022, but filming has already wrapped following various pandemic-related delays.

Black Panther: Wakanda Forever – November 11, 2022

Black Panther: Wakanda Forever is confirmed to be happening, and if the schedule holds, it will mark the 30th film in the MCU. Black Panther broke a number of box office records when it was released, and the fact that it was the first superhero movie to be nominated for Best Picture at the Oscars made a sequel inevitable. Ryan Coogler is coming back to write and direct the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s Black Panther 2,  which is said to dive deeper into the Wakandan culture as returning characters share the spotlight. In the wake of Chadwick Boseman’s tragic death from colon cancer in August 2020, the sequel will now be focused on other characters in Wakanda like Lupita Nyong’o’s Nakia, Letitia Wright’s Shuri, and Danai Gurira’s Okoye as Marvel has rightfully opted not to recast T’Challa. Martin Freeman is also returning to reprise his role as Everett K. Ross.

Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania – February 17, 2023

Not much is known about Ant-Man 3 so far, but Paul Rudd is returning as Scott Lang, as is Evangeline Lilly as Hope Van Dyne, a.k.a. The Wasp. Michael Douglas and Michelle Pfeiffer are also returning as Hank Pym and Janet Van Dyne, respectively. Joining them is Lovecraft Country star Jonathan Majors as Kang the Conqueror, the time-traveling villain from Marvel comics, who officially made his Marvel Cinematic Universe debut when the Loki season 1 finale released. Then there’s Kathryn Newton, who is taking over the role of Scott’s teenage daughter, Cassie Lang, replacing Emma Fuhrmann. Peyton Reed is also back as director, with Rick & Morty writer Jeff Loveness set to pen the script for the threequel. The film, officially titled Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania, is set for release on February 17, 2023, after switching dates with the Captain Marvel sequel.

Related: How Zombie Thanos Could Have Overtaken Wakanda

Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 – May 5, 2023

Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 is happening, though it’ll release much later than originally expected. Shortly after submitting his script draft to Marvel, James Gunn was reportedly scheduled to begin production on Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 by early 2019 with a goal of making a late-2020 release date. But due to Disney firing Gunn and then rehiring him a short time later, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3‘s development was pushed back. Gunn was then scheduled to make The Suicide Squad for DC Films, which he completed, before moving onto Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3. The MCU sequel is now set for a May 5, 2023 release date. Aside from that, all the original cast members — Chris Pratt, Zoe Saldana, Karen Gillan, Dave Bautista, Bradley Cooper, Vin Diesel, and Pom Klementieff — are expected to return.

 The Marvels – July 28, 2023

Captain Marvel 2 (officially called The Marvels) is in the works and is set for July 28, 2023 release. Brie Larson will reprise her role as Carol Danvers/Captain Marvel in a story set in the present day of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Captain Marvel co-directors Anna Boden and Ryan Fleck aren’t coming back. Taking the helm of the sequel is Candyman director Nia DaCosta, who will direct from a screenplay by WandaVision writer Megan McDonnell. Joining Larson will be Teyonah Parris as Monica Rambeau and Iman Vellani as Ms. Marvel, which is fitting because the movie will tie into WandaVision and Disney+’s upcoming series, Ms. Marvel. Zawe Ashton has also been cast in the role of villain for the movie that commenced filming in August 2021.

Fantastic Four – TBA

A Fantastic Four movie is coming to the MCU, but it’s still in the early stages of development despite being announced in December 2020. The Disney-Fox deal was completed in March 2019, but Marvel Studios likely needs ample time before implementing Mr. Fantastic, Invisible Woman, Human Torch, and The Thing into the MCU. Jon Watts is still attached to direct the MCU’s Fantastic Four movie, which is considered a part of the Marvel Cinematic Universe Phase 4.

Blade – TBA

Blade is one of the more surprising additions to the MCU slate. Previously played by Wesley Snipes, the actor isn’t returning to play Blade. Instead, two-time Academy Award winner Mahershala Ali has been cast as Blade for the MCU title. Even though Ali is attached to the project, Blade is projected as a Phase 5 movie, which means it likely won’t be released until late 2023 or early 2024 at the earliest. However, Marvel has developed a fondness for introducing new characters before they get their first solo outings. While theories were suggesting that Blade might make his first appearance in the Moon Knight TV series, he actually made his appearance earlier than expected, with Mahershala Ali’s voice speaking to Dane Whitman’s Black Knight as Blade in the Eternals post-credits scene. Stacy Osei-Kuffour (Watchmen) is set to write the film, but there is currently no director attached.

Related: MCU Nova & Fantastic 4 Movies Support Avengers 5 Crossover Theory

X-Men – TBA

An X-Men movie is also coming to the MCU, similar to Fantastic Four. However, it seems the X-Men movie is going to be second-in-line behind Marvel’s First Family. Marvel Studios’ tease of X-Men was by referring to them as “mutants.” Details on the X-Men and mutants in the MCU may not be revealed for quite some time, but it’s a project that many avid fans have been waiting for forever since Disney acquired Fox properties. In any case, X-Men is likely to see the light of day by the time MCU Phase 5 starts hitting theaters and streaming. Notably, Doctor Strange 2‘s Professor X cameo confirms that the X-Men exist in some form within the MCU.

Deadpool 3 – TBA

While plans for an X-Force film seem to have died when Disney bought Fox, former Disney boss Bob Iger previously confirmed that Ryan Reynolds’ Deadpool franchise would live on at Marvel Studios. In December 2019, Reynolds confirmed that Deadpool 3 was in development. It was announced that Lizzie Molyneux-Loeglin and Wendy Molyneux were working on the script and that the film would at least maintain its R-rating within the existing MCU universe. Filming on the third installment, however, won’t begin until late 2022 at the earliest, so fans will have to wait a bit longer to see the film. That said, Reynolds reprised his role as Wade Wilson alongside Taika Waititi’s Korg for a Free Guy marketing campaign, allowing the figure to interact with a known MCU character.

Spider-Man Sequel Trilogy

While some might have thought that Spider-Man: No Way Home was set to be Tom Holland’s last solo outing as the famed web-slinger, that is apparently not the case. Producer Amy Pascal has confirmed that Tom Holland is expected to return as Spider-Man in the MCU for an additional trilogy of Spider-Man movies. There are currently no confirmed plot details, nor is there a release date. However, given the movement happening in the Marvel Cinematic Universe and the Sony Spider-Man Villain Universe, it is certain that the landscape will have changed by the time Spider-Man 4 releases. It seems likely that one element that will be included in the new films is the introduction of additional heroes with the “spider” mantle beyond purely Peter Parker himself.

Thunderbolts – TBA

Marvel Comics’ Thunderbolts team-up is comprised of some of the most notorious villains and morally gray heroes in the franchise, and it might just be the crossover event needed to make Phase 5 of the MCU truly remarkable. Details are sparse about this upcoming MCU movie, but considering Thunderbolts‘ comic book origins, the team could conceivably bring together Yelena Belova, John Walker/US Agent, Clint Barton/Hawkeye, Baron Zemo, Bucky Barnes/Winter Soldier, Emil Blonsky/Abomination, and Contessa Valentina de Fontaine. Given the different iterations of the Thunderbolts in Marvel Comics, the movie could also feature characters such as Jack Duquesne/Swordsman, Trish Walker/Hellcat, Norman Osborn/Green Goblin, Wilson Fisk/Kingpin, Luke Cage, Deadpool, and maybe even a recast version of Thaddeus “Thunderbolt” Ross/Red Hulk. Although the Thunderbolts movie’s release date has not yet been finalized, anticipation is high for what is essentially Marvel’s Suicide Squad – villains working for an evil government but with potential redemption arcs. Thunderbolts will be directed by Jake Schreier, the brains behind the Sundance award-winning Robot & Frank and the FX runaway hit comedy, Dave. Meanwhile, Marvel Studios President Jon Feige will be producing Thunderbolts, while Black Widow‘s Eric Pearson will be the scriptwriter.

Related: Every Candidate To Be The MCU’s Thunderbolts Movie Villain

Confirmed Marvel TV Shows On Disney+

Along with their many planned movies coming in the MCU’s Phase 4, Marvel Studios has several TV shows releasing on Disney+ in 2022 and beyond, which will make up the rest of the new Phase. WandaVision first aired in January 2021, followed shortly by The Falcon and the Winter Soldier in March. Loki wasn’t too far behind, coming to Disney+ on June 11, 2021. Starring Tom Hiddleston, Loki followed the 2012 version of the character who escaped with the Tesseract in Avengers: Endgame.

August 2021 saw Marvel’s What If…? animated series airing on Disney+. By examining what certain MCU stories would’ve been like with certain things changed, What If…? capitalized on altering the MCU by bringing back 25 Marvel actors, in addition to introducing Jeffrey Wright as the Watcher. The next Disney+ Marvel TV show was Hawkeye, which closed out 2021 for the MCU and officially introduced Hailee Steinfeld’s Kate Bishop into the MCU.

In 2022, a wealth of additional TV shows are in the works for the MCU and set to arrive on Disney+, following the release of Moon Knight and Ms. Marvel. August 17, 2022, is the slated release date for She-Hulk with Tatiana Maslany. Meanwhile, Secret Invasion which will see the return of Nick Fury, and a The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special is scheduled for later in the year. Beyond 2022, Marvel Studios is also developing Ironheart, Armor Wars, I Am Groot, Wakanda, Echo, Agatha: House of Harkness, Spider-Man: Freshman Year, Marvel Zombies, and second seasons of both Loki and What If…?. There’s also the Wonder Man series coming from Shang-Chi director Destin Daniel Cretton. One thing is for certain: the Marvel Cinematic Universe is not slowing down with its release calendar.

More: Every Upcoming Marvel Studios Disney+ TV Show