TheMarvel Cinematic Universehas been dominating cinemas and pop culture as a whole for nearly two decades now. So far, the franchise has produced over 30 feature films, in addition to nearly a dozen canon streaming series and countless other tangentially related shows, comics and more. It’s far-and-away the most successful film franchise of all time, but the last couple of years have proven that even the MCU isn’t invulnerable.
The MCU, led by Kevin Feige and Marvel Studios, has found itself standing on unsteady ground recently. There have been substantial failures, both critically and at the box office, with films likeAnt-Man and the Wasp: QuantumaniaandThe Marvels, while the never-ending stream of new shows on Disney+ has done nothing but water down the once-pristine reputation of the franchise. These days, it’s common for even die-hard MCU fans to have skipped at least a few projects here and there, whether it be shows likeSecret InvasionandMoon Knightor movies likeThor: Love and ThunderandEternals.
With all of that said, Disney and Marvel Studios are more than aware of the situation the franchise is in. During the most recent earnings call for Disney investors, CEO Bob Iger directly stated thatthe increased output of new contentresulted in the studio losing focus on quality. He then stated, “So the first step that we’ve taken is that we’ve reduced volume, we reduced output, particularly in Marvel.” While the gears at a studio like Disney can grind slowly, this reduced output appears to be a temporary fix at best. The MCU is taking a bit of a step back this year, but the franchise is currently slated to return with the same over-the-top level of output next year, as there are four MCU feature films set to release in 2025.
The MCU Is Taking a Breather This Year… Sort of
Looking at Marvel Studios’ release schedule for this year, it is noticeably less than usual. Whereas the MCU has consistently released three or four new films per year since 2017, that is not the case this year. There is only one core MCU film set to release in 2024, and that is the thirdDeadpoolfilm, titledDeadpool & Wolverine. While the new trailer for that film clearly establishes that it will tie directly into the MCU, the basis of the movie is stillbuilding off the first twoDeadpoolfilms, which existed separately from the major franchise. In that way, evenDeadpool & Wolverine, the one MCU movie this year, doesn’t really feel all that much like a traditional release from Marvel Studios.
Deadpool & Wolverineis not the only new release that Marvel Studios will have in 2024 though. There are a handful of new series that are set to be released on Disney+. There has already beenEcho, which debuted in early January. Beyond that, there are shows likeAgatha: Darkhold Diaries(a spin-off ofWandaVision) andEyes of Wakanda, though neither have been given firm release dates beyond “sometime in 2024.” There are also the animated showsX-Men ’97,Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man,andMarvel Zombies, though they are set firmly outside the continuity of the MCU.
Though Marvel Studios will have a small presence in theaters this year, 2024 is still set to bring a lot of new Marvel movies. As far as films go, Sony Pictures is releasing three new movies as part of itsSpider-Man-adjacent franchise that doesn’t actually feature Spider-Man. The first of these in 2024 wasMadame Web, which just hit theaters, and it will be followed byKraven the Hunterin August andVenom 3in November.
While these films aren’t technically MCU releases, they sure do a lot of work to disguise themselves as such, with some fans speculating that even the cast in these films didn’t realize these weren’t MCU films until it was too late. To many viewers, it’s all the same; Marvel is Marvel, whether it comes from Marvel Studios or from Sony Pictures. Because of that, even though Marvel Studios is stepping back from theaters this year, it’s likely not going to feel any different for casual viewers, as there are still a total of four new movies with the Marvel name on them.
Deadpool & Wolverine
A follow-up to the highly successful Deadpool and Deadpool 2 films starring Ryan Reynolds as the Merc with a Mouth. The third film will be the first in the franchise to be developed under the Marvel Studios banner following Disney’s acquisition of 20th Century Fox.
Related:Why Bringing Andrew Garfield or Tobey Maguire Back as Spider-Man Again in the MCU is a Bad Idea
The 2025 Release Schedule
The release schedule for Marvel in 2024 looks pretty hefty, but it’s nothing compared to what we are currently set to receive in 2025. Marvel Studios has four feature films set to release in 2025, and that’s in addition to another deluge of new shows on Disney+ and whatever Sony decides to put out. As far as Marvel Studios and the MCU proper goes, here’s what you may expect next year:
Captain America: Brave New World – Jun 17, 2025
Captain America: Brave New World
Captain America: Brave New World (formerly titledNew World Order)marks Sam Wilson’s first MCU big-screen appearance as Steve Rogers' successor after receiving the suit and shield in Phase 4’s The Falcon and the Winter Soldier. Anthony Mackie returns as the titular Avenger alongside Danny Ramirez as Joaquin Torres, Carl Lumby as Isaiah Bradley, and Tim Blake Nelson as The Incredible Hulk’s former ally Samuel Sterns. Harrison Ford makes his MCU debut replacing the late William Hurt as Thaddeus Ross.
The first new film from Marvel Studios next year will beCaptain America: Brave New World, directed by Julius Onah. The fourthCaptain Americafilm will build directly off the hit Disney+ seriesThe Falcon and the Winter Solider, which saw Anthony Mackie’s Sam Wilson taking up the mantle of Captain America.Brave New Worldwill be the first full movie that Mackie’s Captain America will appear in, and it will also mix in many elements from 2008’sThe Incredible Hulk.
Tim Blake Nelson and Liv Tyler are confirmed to reprise their roles from that film, in a story that will reportedly see Thaddeus “Thunderbolt” Ross (now played by Harrison Ford following the death of William Hurt)becoming the Red Hulk.Captain America: Brave New Worldis currently set to hit theaters just under a year from now, on Valentine’s Day in 2025.
Thunderbolts – June 18, 2025
Thunderbolts*
The next film on Marvel Studios’ schedule for 2025 isThunderbolts, directed by Jake Schreier. The film is set to open on May 2, filling Marvel’s usual first weekend of May release window. The film will operate as a sequel to 2021’sBlack Widowin some ways, as characters like Florence Pugh’s Yelena Bolova, David Harbour’s Red Guardian, Olga Kurylenko’s Taskmaster, Rachel Weisz’s Melina, and Julia Louis-Dreyfus’ Valentina are all set to return.
Thunderboltswill essentially be Marvel’s version ofThe Suicide Squad, as it centers on a government-operated team of superheroes and antiheroes that are sent on a secret mission. Also joining the cast are Sebastian Stan as the Winter Soldier, Hannah John-Kame as Ghost, Wyatt Russell as U.S. Agent, Laurence Fishburne as Bill Foster, and Harrison Ford as “Thunderbolt” Ross.
The Fantastic Four – August 01, 2025
Fantastic Four
Later that summer, Marvel Studios will be debuting its latest major title,The Fantastic Four, on July 25. The film will be directed byWandaVision’s Matt Shakman and its cast was recently unveiled to include Pedro Pascal as Reed Richards, Vanessa Kirby as Sue Storm, Joseph Quinn as Johnny Storm, and Ebon Moss-Bachrach as Ben Grimm.
This will be a new reboot ofThe Fantastic Fourset within the MCU, following the failures of 2015’sFantastic Four, directed by Josh Trank, and the two Tim Story-directed films from the mid-2000s. Very little is known about the actual story of this newFantastic Fourfilm as of now, though it will be reportedly set (at least partially) in the 1960s with Galactus as the central antagonist (rumored to be played by Javier Bardem or Antonio Banderas).
Related:MCU Fantastic Four Art Reveals Setting, Characters & Other Clues
Blade – Jul 18, 2025
Finally, the last MCU film set to release in 2025 isBlade, directed by Yann Demange. The film will be a reboot of the famousBladeseries, which previously featured Wesley Snipes as the titular vampire-hunting hero. Marvel Studios’ new version ofBladewas first announced in the summer of 2019, with Mahershala Ali set to portray the lead character.
The movie has had a bit of a tumultuous development, as a few directors have joined and subsequently left the project, and it has also gone through numerous re-writes by a handful of different screenwriters. This allseems to be smoothing out now, though, asBladeis expected to start shooting soon. The film is currently set to be released on Nov. 7. There is a lot of time between now and then, but if any of these movies are going to end up being delayed to 2026, it’ll likely beBlade.
Disney+ and Sony Releases
Looking beyond the theatrical releases from Marvel Studios, there are a handful of other Marvel projects that will be released in 2025. In the core MCU, there are a few different series that will debut on Disney+. Likely the most anticipated of these shows isDaredevil: Born Again, which is currently in production. This show will serve as the proper introduction of Charlie Cox’s Matt Murdock into the MCU, after appearing briefly inSpider-Man: No Way Home,She-Hulk: Attorney at Law,and the newEchoseries.
Then, there is alsoIronheart, a spin-off series centered on Dominique Throne’s Riri Williams, who was introduced inBlack Panther: Wakanda Forever. That series has already completed filming, so it’s also possible that it will end up being released in 2024. Finally, there’sWonder Wan, a new comedic limited series from Destin Daniel Cretton that will star Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, which is currently filming as well.
As for the SonySpider-Manuniverse, there are currently no films officially set to release next year (which is likely a relief to Feige and Marvel Studios). However, there are a handful of projects that are in active development, ranging from aSpider-Womanproject from Olivia Wilde to aHypno-Hustlermovie with Donald Glover and anEl Muertofilm that once had Bad Bunny attached to star.
Any of those projects could wind up coming together quickly for a release sometime in the latter half of 2025. The only certainty, at this point, seems to be that the third animatedSpider-Versefilm,Spider-Man: Beyond the Spider-Verse, will hit theaters sometime in 2025.
