From ‘Thor: Love and Thunder’ to ‘Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3’, we’ve got all the Phase 4 updates you need.
After a momentous finale with Avengers: Endgame, Marvel Studios capped off a 22-film series titled The Infinity Saga, but the question on everyone’s mind, even before there were any signs of an oncoming pandemic, was, “Can Marvel capture lightning in a bottle?” At San Diego Comic-Con 2019, Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige took the stage and pulled back the curtain on the first two years of films in Marvel’s Phase 4, and we got a clearer idea of what the Marvel Cinematic Universe would look like in a post-Endgame world. At San Diego Comic-Con 2022, after undergoing massive shifts during the pandemic, Feige announced that this new group of phases would be called The Multiverse Saga.
Feige also announced when Phase 4 would end and the entire slate for Phase 5 and a glimpse at Phase 6. With that in mind, we’ve put together a complete list of all the upcoming Marvel movies that we know are in the works, along with the cast and filming details that are currently confirmed.
Black Panther: Wakanda Forever
Release Date: November 11, 2022
Phase Four
Status: In post-production
Director/Writer: Ryan Coogler
Cast: Lupita Nyong’o, Danai Gurira, Martin Freeman, Daniel Kaluuya, Letitia Wright, Winston Duke, Angela Bassett, Dominique Thorne, Tenoch Huerta, Michaela Coel
What We Know So Far: In August 2019, Coogler turned in his treatment and spent the following year writing the script for Black Panther2, only for star Chadwick Boseman to tragically pass away on August 28th. Filming was tentatively slated to begin in 2021, but no one at Marvel knew the extent of Boseman’s illness. Kevin Feige revealed in December 2020 that the role of T’Challa will not be recast. The film’s title was revealed on May 3, 2021, to be Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, and Feige subsequently confirmed that all the main cast from Black Panther would be returning as filming quietly began in July 2021 in Atlanta and wrapped in March 2022. Tenoch Huerta has been announced as Namor the Submariner. At Comic-Con 2022, Wakanda Forever was announced as the final film of Phase Four.
Want to Know More?: Click here
Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania
Release Date: February 17, 2023
Phase Five
Status: In post-production
Director: Peyton Reed
Cast: Paul Rudd, Evangeline Lilly, Michael Douglas, Michelle Pfeiffer, Jonathan Majors,and Kathryn Newton
What We Know So Far: In November 2019, Marvel Studios announced that Peyton Reed would return to direct a third Ant-Man movie. Rick and Morty screenwriter Jeff Loveless was subsequently hired to write the script, and Kathryn Newton has joined the cast as an older version of Scott Lang’s daughter Cassie while Jonathan Majors will play the villain Kang the Conqueror, a variant of whom first popped up in Loki.
Filming began in February 2021, but it had a troubled production. Principal photography ended in November 2021 and the film has entered post-production. The movie swapped places with The Marvels and the title plus the inclusion of Kang implies we will be in store for more confusing in-universe timeline shenanigans. This movie marks the first movie of Phase Five.
Want to Know More?: Click here
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3
Release Date: May 5, 2023
Phase Five
Status: In post-production
Director/Writer: James Gunn
Cast: Chris Pratt, Zoe Saldaña, Dave Bautista, Vin Diesel, Bradley Cooper, Karen Gillan, Pom Klementieff, Sean Gunn, Chukwudi Iwuji, Will Poulter, and Maria Bakalova
What We Know So Far: The third Guardians of the Galaxy movie was originally supposed to start production in early 2019, but writer/director James Gunn was fired off the film last fall following the resurfacing of some bad jokes he made on Twitter years ago. Unbeknownst to the public, Gunn continued to meet with executives at Disney in the interim period, after he took a job writing and directing The Suicide Squad for DC, and it was announced in March 2019 that Gunn was being re-hired to direct the film. The intended 2020 release date was pushed back, and production won’t begin until after Gunn finishes The Suicide Squad, but through all the turmoil Marvel Studios kept Gunn’s completed script. So he’ll get to close out the trilogy as he originally intended. Filming began in November 2021 and wrapped May 2022. Additional cast revealed include The Suicide Squad‘s Daniela Melchior in an unspecified role.
After Thor: Love and Thunder, we know that the gang includes Star-Lord, Drax, Groot, Rocket, Nebula, Mantis, and Kraglin, but before the official movie drops, there is a holiday special at the end of this year. Gunn has said that the special, taking place between Love and Thunder and Vol. 3, will be essential viewing for the current MCU saga. The special takes place between Love and Thunder and Vol. 3. During Comic-Con 2022, Chukwudi Iwuji was announced as the villain for the film, the High Evolutionary, and Maria Bakalova as the voice for Cosmo the Spacedog.
Want to Know More?:Click here
The Marvels
Release Date: July 28, 2023
Phase Five
Status: In post-production
Director: Nia DaCosta
Cast: Brie Larson, Iman Vellani, Teyonah Parris, Samuel L. Jackson, Zawe Ashton, and Park Seo-joon.
What We Know So Far: Captain Marvel2, officially titled The Marvels, will be set in present-day, but directors Anna Boden and Ryan Fleck are not returning behind the camera. Marvel subsequently enlisted Nia DaCosta, director of the Candymanremake, to take the helm. Iman Vellani, who will play Ms. Marvel in her own Disney+ series, will have a supporting role in the film while Teyonah Parris will reprise her role as the adult Monica Rambeau, first debuting in the Disney+ series WandaVision. The film’s villain will be played by Zawe Ashton.
Filming for The Marvels began May 2021 and wrapped May 2022.
Want to Know More?: Click here
Blade
Release Date: November 3, 2023
Phase Five
Status: In pre-production
Director: Bassam Tariq
Cast: Mahershala Ali
What We Know So Far: Oscar-winning Moonlight and Green Book actor Mahershala Ali was the surprise guest at Marvel’s Comic-Con 2019 panel, announced as the new Blade with no further details revealed. Mogul Mowgli director Bassam Tariq signed on to direct in July 2021, with Stacy Osei-Kuffour writing the script. Filming is scheduled to begin in October 2022.
After hearing Ali’s voice at the end of Eternals speaking to Kit Harington‘s Dane Whitman, the likelihood of us seeing Harington in Blade is high.
Want to Know More?: Click here
Captain America 4
Release Date: May 3, 2024
Phase Five
Status: In development
Director: Julius Onah
Cast: Anthony Mackie
Officially announced at San Diego Comic-Con 2022, this continuation of the Captain America storyline now places Anthony Mackie as the lead, having assumed the title after his storyline in The Falcon and the Winter Soldier. The Falcon and the Winter Soldier showrunner Malcolm Spellman is co-writing the script with fellow Falcon and the Winter Soldier writer Dalan Musson.
In July 2022, Julius Onah was hired as the director. His previous work includes The Cloverfield Pardox and Luce.
Thunderbolts
Release Date: July 26, 2024
Phase Five
Status: In development
Director: Jake Schreier
Cast: TBD
Not much is known about the Thunderbolts movie. As far as premises go, it’s a familiar one. A group of villain types and anti-heroes band together and go on missions for the government. It’s got a bit of a Suicide Squad vibe. In June 2022, the movie entered into development, with Jake Schreier (Paper Towns) attached as a director and Eric Pearson penning the script. Pearson notably also wrote screenplays for Thor: Ragnarok and Black Widow.
Filming is expected to begin mid-2023. Who is on the cast? We don’t know, but if it’s anything like the comics we could see a bunch of fan favorites. This includes Baron Zemo (Daniel Brühl), Abomination (Tim Roth), Taskmaster (Olga Kurylenko), US Agent (Wyatt Russell), and even new fan-favorite Yelena Belova (Florence Pugh). The release day is set for July 26, 2024 and Thunderbolts is expected to be the final movie of Phase Five.
Fantastic Four
Release Date: November 8, 2024
Phase Six
Status: In development
Director: TBA
Cast: TBA
What We Know So Far: In December 2020, Marvel announced that Jon Watts — who directed Spider-Man: Homecoming, Spider-Man: Far from Home, and the upcoming third Spider-Man movie, will be directing a brand-new reboot of Fantastic Four to introduce the characters into the MCU. While we did get a look at John Krasinski as Reed Richards in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, it’s still up in the air on who could play the 616 Reed Richards.
In April 2022, Watts stepped down as director leaving the circumstances of the movie in flux. With still no word on the director, we only know that the movie will be a part of Phase Six, which is leaving a huge gap of time in between from when it was first announced back in 2019 to its expected release date on November 8, 2024. Filming is expected to begin in 2023.
Avengers: The Kang Dynasty
Release Date: May 2, 2025
Phase Six
Status: In development
Director: Destin Daniel Cretton
Cast: TBA
What We Know So Far: Basically nothing. The title was announced during Comic-Con 2022 by Kevin Feige during the Marvel Studios Hall H panel. Other than a release date set for May 2, 2025, the only other information we know is that Shang-Chi director Destin Daniel Cretton would be returning to direct Avengers: The Kang Dynasty. From the title, we can assume that the film will include Jonathan Majors as Kang, but not much else is known.
Avengers: Secret Wars
Release Date: November 7, 2025
Phase Six
Status: In development
Director: TBA
Cast: TBA
What We Know So Far: Even less than what we know about The Kang Dynasty. From what we know from the comics run of Secret Wars, the film will likely involve Doctor Doom and the Fantastic Four along with the lead up from the Phase Five movies that set the stage for the Incursions that are central to Secret Wars. Other potential characters involved in this include Doctor Strange, Peter Parker, Carol Danvers, The Mighty Thor, Star-Lord, Cyclops with the Phoenix Force, Black Panther, and Reed Richards, along with Ultimate Universe Marvel characters like Miles Morales. Given how far away this movie is, the possibilities are endless and there is even ample time between The Kang Dynasty and Avengers: Secret Wars for many more big reveals.
Deadpool 3
Status: In development
Phase Unknown
Director:Shawn Levy
Cast: Ryan Reynolds
What We Know So Far: Deadpool will be officially coming to the MCU, and the franchise will be able to maintain its R-rating according to Kevin Feige. In November 2020, it was announced that Wendy Molyneux and Lizzie Molyneux-Logelin would be writing the screenplay alongside Rhett Reese and Paul Wernick, who wrote the first two Deadpool movies. In Mrch 2022, Shawn Levy was announced as the director for the sequel, having worked with Reynolds on Free Guy and The Adam Project. But, Levy also confirmed that the filming would not begin in 2022.
Want to Know More?: Click here
Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings 2
Release Date: TBA
Phase Unknown
Status: In development
Director: Destin Daniel Cretton
Cast: Simu Liu
What We Know So Far: The sequel to Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings was announced in December 2021, bringing back director Destin Daniel Cretton as the director and writer of the sequel. Not much is known about the story or where Shang-Chi will be going, though it’s implied from the post-credits that it might involve the origin of his father’s Ten Rings. Simu Liu is, of course, returning as the titular character. Although not confirmed, it’s likely we will see Meng’er Zhang return as Xu Xialing as well, now that she is the new leader of the Ten Rings organization.
Untitled Eternals Sequel
Release Date: TBA
Phase Unknown
Status: ???
Director: TBA
Cast: TBA
What We Know So Far: While Eternals was hardly the best-received Marvel movie, it feels inevitable that we will get a sequel. Not much is known about this at all (if it is even happening still), but Patton Oswalt said that he would be returning as Pip the Troll alongside Harry Styles‘ Starfox during The Today Show, saying that he would return and Chloe Zhao was set to direct the sequel, however, it is likely that he misspoke, so it is all up in the air.
Untitled Mutant-Centered Film
Release Date: TBA
Phase Unknown
Status: ???
Director: TBA
Cast: TBA
What We Know So Far: Kevin Feige announced back in 2019 that there would be a mutant-centered film with the X-Men, one that would be different from what we’ve seen from 20th Century Fox, but after the pandemic, Marvel remained largely silent on that front. However, the conclusion of Ms. Marvel revealed that Kamala Khan is likely a mutant, which differs from her comics origin as an Inhuman, so perhaps one of the movies of Phase Six will include a mutant-centered film.
Therese Lacson and Adam Chitwood contributed to this article.
