Marvel Phase 6 release date, news, leaks, rumors, and more
Marvel Phase 6 is shaping up to be very exciting. Thanks to a stellar line-up unveiled at San Diego Comic-Con, we have a sense of where the Multiverse Saga is heading. We begin with the new Fantastic Four movie, which follows on from Phase 5 ending with Thunderbolts. Then we've got two new Avengers movies on the way, as well as several as-yet unannounced projects.
While there's still a lot to be confirmed, Kevin Feige's recent appearance at D23 provided a tiny bit more context on some projects, including Fantastic Four and Armor Wars. Although, we're still not sure where the latter falls in the MCU – it's not on the lists of Phase 5 dates, but Don Cheadle says it will follow on from Secret Invasion...
Then there's all of the rumored Marvel shows and movies on the way, from Doctor Strange 3 to the X-Men to consider. Below, we take a deep dive into the most likely candidates for these Marvel Phase 6 slots, and everything revealed about them so far. And based on these, one things for sure, it's going to be a dramatic end to the final Phase of the Multiverse Saga.
Marvel Phase 6 release dates
As revealed by Kevin Feige at San Diego Comic-Con 2022, there are a fair few entries in Marvel Phase 6 to come. We have rough release dates for various mystery Marvel projects, listed down below.
- Fall 2024 – TBA
- November 8, 2024 – Fantastic Four
- Fall 2024 – TBA
- Winter 2024 – TBA
- Winter 2025 – TBA
- Spring 2025 – TBA
- Spring 2025 – TBA
- May 2, 2025 – Avengers: The Kang Dynasty
- Summer 2025 – TBA
- Summer 2025 – TBA
- November 7, 2025 – Avengers: Secret Wars
Fantastic Four
Release date: November 8, 2024
Flame on! The MCU’s take on Fantastic Four is dropping on November 2024 and marks the first entry in Marvel Phase 6. The super-powered group – which consists of Reed Richards, Sue Storm, Ben Grimm (AKA The Thing) and Johnny Storm’s Human Torch – haven’t been cast yet, though a director has been confirmed.
The news was announced at D23 with Feige introducing Matt Shakman as the man in charge. Shakman can count WandaVision among dozens of high-profile TV directing credits, will be the man behind the camera. John Krasinski stepped into the stretchy boots of Reed Richards of Earth-838 for Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, though it remains to be seen if he’ll be the one cast in the lead role over on the MCU's Earth-616.
Despite some rumors, there was no more revealed about Fantastic Four at D23. This means we'll have to keep speculating about which stars could be appearing in the movie. Grain-of-salt casting rumors have tied Penn Badgley to the Reed Richards role, while the likes of Saoirse Ronan and Jodie Comer have been the names floating about on Reddit threads in recent weeks.
Avengers: The Kang Dynasty
Release date: May 5, 2025
If you thought we'd seen the last of the Avengers in Endgame, think again. We have to wait a while though until Avengers: The Kang Dynasty arrives. Details pertaining to the movie's plot and cast are pretty scarce right now. We can expect Jonathan Majors to reprise his MCU role as Kang, which he first played in Loki season 1 and will return to in Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania. D23 confirmed Kang will be appearing in Loki season 2 as well as the first-look at the new series was revealed.
As for the heroes he'll face off against, we'll have to wait and see. The new Avengers have yet to be confirmed, but they could include everyone from Shang-Chi to Ironheart.
Speaking of Shang-Chi, Legend of the Ten Rings helmer Deston Daniel Crettin will direct the movie.
Avengers: Secret Wars
Release date: November 8, 2025
Not a lot has been confirmed about Avengers: Secret Wars just yet. However, Hulk actor Mark Ruffalo has teased that the movie will "go out with a bang." In the comics, the Secret Wars saw Marvel's most powerful superheroes face off against the universe's most powerful villains, so whatever goes down is bound to be pretty explosive.
No casting information has been announced yet, but the 2015 Secret Wars comic book storyline included Thor, Spider-Man, Wolverine, Captain America, She-Hulk, and the Fantastic Four. As for villains, Kang, Doctor Doom, and Magneto were just some of the baddies facing off against the Avengers in the comics. The movie's director hasn't been announced yet, either, but it has been confirmed that Marvel is looking for a different filmmaker to take over the reins from Crettin after Avengers: The Kang Dynasty.
Potential Marvel Phase 6 movies
And that's not all. There are eight unknown projects coming as part of Marvel Phase 6 throughout 2024 and 2025.
Deadpool 3
The Merc with a Mouth is headed to the MCU in the franchise's first R-rated movie – though when it will come to cinemas remains a mystery. Free Guy's Shawn Levy directs with Ryan Reynolds back as the titular character, despite Deadpool having previously been a non-MCU entity. Reynolds previously indicated that the film is almost ready to begin shooting, so we can likely expect to see it form part of 2025's slate of Marvel movies.
Nova
Marvel has yet to confirm a Nova project is actually happening, but reports signalled it's development. At this stage, it's not clear if Nova will be a movie or Disney Plus show, and there's no casting information, though Ryan Gosling has ruled himself out. It's possible that Nova could come after Phase 6, since it seems to be in the very early stages, but with Marvel getting more and more cosmic, Phase 6 is also a natural place to see Nova's first solo project.
Shang-Chi 2
A Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings sequel is officially in the works, with Simu Liu and director Destin Daniel Cretton both returning. Surprisingly, though, the film isn't part of Marvel's Phase 5 lineup. That means we won't be seeing the follow-up until Phase 6 at the earliest. Considering the first Shang-Chi was released in 2021, Marvel won't want to leave this sequel too long. We say expect Shang-Chi 2 to arrive in 2025.
Doctor Strange 3
Doctor Strange 3 hasn't been confirmed, but after Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness' first post-credits scene showed Strange meeting Clea and heading through an interdimensional portal, we can assume we'll be seeing more from the sorcerer sooner rather than later. Strange is also all tied up with the multiverse, and since this stage of the MCU is named the Multiverse Saga, it would make sense for his third movie to fall within Phase 6.
Thor 5
Thor 5 hasn't been officially announced, but Thor: Love and Thunder certainly leaves the way open for a continuation. For one thing, there are those post-credits scenes that introduce Brett Goldstein's Hercules and reveal Idris Elba's Heimdall and Natalie Portman's Jane Foster are both in Valhalla. Then there's the introduction of Love, Gorr the God Butcher's daughter, now in the care of Thor. If a fivequel does materialize, then, it'll most likely be in Phase 6 of the MCU.
X-Men
The Mutants are on their way to the MCU, though when they'll arrive is so far a complete mystery. Back in 2019, Kevin Feige hinted that we wouldn't be seeing them until 2025, which is coincidentally when Phase 6 is scheduled. We've already seen Patrick Stewart's Professor X in the MCU in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, so seeing the rest of the X-Men in Phase 6 doesn't seem like such a long shot.
Spider-Man 4
Another Spider-Man trilogy with Tom Holland may or may not be in the works – Sony producer Amy Pascal initially said three more movies on the way, which was played down by Sony insiders, then walked back by Pascal herself shortly afterwards. But, considering the success of Spider-Man: No Way Home, we wouldn't be surprised if a fourth movie is in the works. No Way Home also left Spidey's story unfinished, with the world forgetting Peter Parker, so it would seem strange to end without some kind of resolution.
Blade 2
The MCU's take on Blade hasn't yet been released, but, if it follows the pattern of other MCU movies, it'll almost definitely have a sequel. While Phase 6 might be a bit too close to the film's 2023 release date, there's every chance that a second film might come out sooner than expected and arrive in 2025.
Black Panther 3
We'll have to wait until Black Panther: Wakanda Forever arrives to find out if the story of the Black Panther is left open for more, but we can probably safely expect a trilogy. If a threequel is made, Marvel Phase 6 would be a surprise considering its closeness to Wakanda Forever, but, then again, there are release slots to fill, and Black Panther's a pivotal character and franchise.
Armor Wars
The spin-off show about Don Cheadle's James "Rhodey" Rhodes seemed in limbo after being absent from Marvel's colossal Phase 5 line-up, but head writer Yassir Lester has assured fans that the show is still happening.
"I promise it is still coming out," he wrote on Instagram. It's likely we'll be seeing Armor Wars in Phase 6, then, following on from Ironheart's Phase 5 release – both shows that will likely tackle Tony Stark's legacy.
Cheadle was at D23 to briefly tease the upcoming show that will see Stark tech fall into the wrong hands. We also found it that the show will follow on directly from what happens to Rhodey in Secret Invasion. So we should get a better idea of what to expect when that's released in spring 2023.
Wonder Man
Wonder Man hasn’t been officially announced by Marvel – but it’s almost certainly happening if you believe the trades. In the comics, Wonder Man is Simon Williams, the son of a failed Tony Stark-like industrialist who was once given superpowers by Baron Zemo. After eventually joining forces with the Avengers, Williams plied his trade in Hollywood as both an actor and stuntman.
Variety suggests that Wonder Man will be a "Hollywood satire." Sir Ben Kingsley will reprise his role as 'the toast of Croydon' Trevor Slattery for the Disney Plus series. No one has been cast as Wonder Man yet though, curiously, Nathan Fillion portrayed the character in a scene cut from Guardians of the Galaxy 2.
Wakanda/Okoye spin-off
Black Panther director Ryan Coogler has been confirmed to be developing a Disney Plus series telling stories from Wakanda, while separate reports have suggested that a spin-off about the origins of Dora Milaje leader Okoye, played by Danai Gurrira, may also be in development. These two projects may overlap or they may be separate, but we'll let you know as soon as Marvel confirms more about the series.
Other potential sequels
Beyond the above, there are also a few other potential projects that could form part of Phase 6 that have not been announced but could well happen. Moon Knight season 2, Hawkeye season 2, a third season of Loki, and even a Scarlet Witch spin-off are all potential contenders – though we'll just have to wait and see which of our hopes end up becoming reality.
Catch up on the MCU with our guide to watching the Marvel movies in order – and the good news is, almost everything is streaming on Disney Plus now.
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