Marvel Phase 5: every MCU movie and TV show release date for 2023 and beyond
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Marvel Phase 5 has arrived. Or, rather, Marvel Studios’ line-up of movies and TV shows for its next phase has arrived.
MCU Phase 4 isn’t over yet but, with The Guardians of the Galaxy’s Holiday Special – on Disney Plus, no less – set to bring the curtain down on the current phase, it’s high time Marvel Studios revealed what’s next for its cinematic universe. Thankfully, Marvel did just that at its San Diego Comic-Con 2022 panel; the studio revealing the full line-up for its next batch of live-action and animated projects.
If you missed those announcements, or simply want more information on them, we’re here to help. Below, we’ll run you through Marvel’s latest slate of projects. Additionally, we’ll provide you with more details on every upcoming MCU movie and Disney Plus show, starting with Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania and ending with Thunderbolts. That is, unless Spider-Man: Freshman Year or Marvel Zombies launch post-Thunderbolts.
Here, then, is everything you need to know about Marvel Phase 5.
Marvel Phase 5: every movie and TV show
Here’s the full Marvel Phase 5 line-up:
- Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania (February 17, 2023)
- What If…? season 2 (TV show, early 2023)
- Secret Invasion (TV show, early 2023)
- Guardians of the Galaxy Volume 3 (May 5, 2023)
- Echo (TV show, mid-2023)
- Loki season 2 (TV show, mid-2023)
- The Marvels (July 28, 2023)
- Ironheart (TV show, late 2023)
- X-Men 97 (animated TV show, late 2023)
- Blade (November 3, 2023)
- Agatha: Coven of Chaos (TV show, late 2023/early 2024)
- Daredevil: Born Again (TV show, early 2024)
- Captain America: New World Order (May 3, 2024)
- Thunderbolts (July 26, 2024)
- Spider-Man: Freshman Year (animated TV show, 2024)
- Marvel Zombies (animated TV show, 2024)
Marvel Phase 5 movies
Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania
Release date: February 17, 2023
Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania is set to properly introduce us to the MCU’s next big bad, i.e. Kang the Conqueror. The time traveling genius will be played by Jonathan Majors, who portrayed one of Kang’s time variants – He Who Remains – in Loki season 1.
His official arrival could have huge repercussions for the MCU, with Doctor Strange 2 and Loki season 1 head writer Michael Waldron teasing as much (via Murphy’s Multiverse (opens in new tab)). Per MCU insiders Grace Randolph (opens in new tab) and CineStealth (opens in new tab), fans shouldn’t expect Kang’s MCU arc to be “linear”, either, with multiple Kang variants cropping up across various Marvel Phase 5 and Phase 6 projects.
Ant-Man 3 will also see the return of Scott Lang (Paul Rudd), Hope van Dyne (Evangeline Lilly), Hank Pym (Michael Douglas), Janey van Dyne (Michelle Pfeiffer), and Cassie Lang (Kathryn Newton). Samuel L Jackson has seemingly revealed that Nick Fury will appear, too, while the Quantum Realm will be a key location in the movie.
Meanwhile, legendary actor Bill Murray has teased that he may be a bad guy alongside Majors’ Kang, with reports suggesting he’s someone called Krylar. Corey Stoll, who played Yellowjacket in 2015’s Ant-Man,will feature as another Marvel supervillain in MODOK.
Peyton Reed directs, marking his third MCU (and Ant-Man) movie. Principal photography wrapped in November 2021 and, while reshoots took place in San Francisco earlier this year, the film shouldn’t be delayed. Additionally, a teaser was shown at Comic-Con 2022, but isn’t likely to be released online for a while.
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3
Release date: May 5, 2023
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 will bring the curtain down on the trilogy James Gunn has helmed since 2014. It’ll be set after Thor: Love and Thunder and the Guardians’ forthcoming Disney Plus Holiday special.
Outside of some potential line-up changes post-Guardians 3 – Dave Bautista won’t return as Drax, while Gunn has teased some major character deaths in the threequel – we don’t know much about this one. Cast wise, though, Will Poulter will play Adam Warlock, whose appearance was teased in Guardians 2’s post-credits scene. Deadline has reported that Borat 2 star Maria Bakalova (opens in new tab) (expected to be voicing Cosmo the Space Dog), The Suicide Squad’s Daniela Melchior (opens in new tab), and Crazy Rich Asians’ Nico Santos (opens in new tab) have also apparently been cast.
As confirmed at Comic-Con, Chukwudi Iwuji (Peacemaker) will play the villainous High Evolutionary. It seems he has a history with Rocket, too, so expect plenty of tearjerking moments with our favorite anthropomorphic raccoon.
A teaser trailer was shown during Marvel’s Comic-Con presentation, but Gunn says it won’t make its way online until he’s happy with its VFX (opens in new tab). So we could be waiting a while for that delicious Marvel Phase 5 movie footage to arrive.
The Marvels
Release date: July 28, 2023
While technically a Captain Marvel sequel, this Nia DaCosta-directed film will see a female superhero-only team up on the big screen for the first time. That is, if you discount Avengers: Endgame’s all-female ensemble during the climactic battle against Thanos’ forces.
Brie Larson’s Carol Danvers will reunite with Teyonah Parris’ Monica Rambeau, the daughter of Danvers’ best friend Maria (Lashana Lynch) from the first movie. The last time we saw Rambeau, aka Photon, she’d acquired her own superpowers in WandaVision, so expect an awkward and superpowered family-style reunion between the pair. Iman Vellani’s Ms. Marvel will also make her movie debut after she starred in her own TV show.
Elsewhere, Zawe Ashton (Velvet Buzzsaw) has also been cast as the movie’s villain, while Park Seo-joon (Parasite) will play an as-yet-unnamed character. Samuel L Jackson has suggested that Nick Fury will be part of the cast, too. Finally, per Greatphase (opens in new tab), Marvel may introduce some Inhuman elements to the MCU in The Marvels.
Principal photography wrapped in late 2022 but, as Variety (opens in new tab) reports, its launch date was pushed back as Ant-Man 3 is further along in the production process. Reshoots are currently taking place – Jackson confirmed as much to Jimmy Kimmel (opens in new tab) – hence the delay.
Blade
Release date: November 3, 2023
After his off-screen cameo in Eternals, Blade is getting his own solo MCU movie. There’s no word on when filming will start, but reports suggest that it won’t begin until late 2022.
It’ll star Mahershala Ali as the titular vampire hunter. Delroy Lindo (Da 5 Bloods, The Harder They Fall) has joined the cast – MCU leaker Greatphase (opens in new tab) claims he’s playing Jamal Afari – while Milan Ray (The Wonder Years) has reportedly signed on to play a supporting role, according to The Direct (opens in new tab).
Crew wise, Bassam Tariq (Mogul Mowgli) is its director, while Stacy Osei-Kuffour (Watchmen, Hunters) is penning the script. Narcos: Mexico cinematographer Damian Garcia has reportedly joined the project (per Murphy’s Multiverse (opens in new tab)), too.
Murphy’s Multiverse (opens in new tab) has also alleged that Blade is looking to build a vampire-hunting team as part of the movie’s plot, while Marvel scooper Grace Randolph (opens in new tab) claims the film will follow Eternals’ lead and be set across multiple time periods. Greatphase (opens in new tab) has heard similar rumors, but suggests we’ll get a Blade film that’s largely set in the present day.
According to a Marvel VFX supervisor, Blade may team up with Kit Harington’s Black Knight (per CBR (opens in new tab)), while Moon Knight star Oscar Isaac also wants a Midnight Sons team-up with Blade. Given that Moon Knight producer Grant Curtis exclusively told TechRadar that the vigilante could turn up all over the MCU, that’s certainly a possibility.
Captain America: New World Order
Release date: May 3, 2024
A new Captain America film starring Anthony Mackie’s Sam Wilson is in development for Marvel Phase 5.
Malcolm Spellman (Falcon and the Winter Soldier (FATWS)) is penning the script (per The Hollywood Reporter (opens in new tab)), while Julius Onah (The Cloverfield Paradox) is said to be directing it (again, via THR (opens in new tab)). Little else is known about the movie at this point, but Marvel producer Nate Moore suggests it’ll be an underdog-style flick (opens in new tab), which asks how Wilson’s Cap will continue to fare in a world without the Avengers following the events of FATWS.
Former Captain America star Chris Evans has refuted suggestions he’ll play a supporting role (opens in new tab) (despite MCU insider Greatphase (opens in new tab) claiming as much). Meanwhile, there’s no word on whether Sebastian Stan’s Winter Soldier will be back, though he’s expressed interest in featuring in some capacity (via Extra TV (opens in new tab)).
Thunderbolts
Release date: July 26, 2024
Billed as an anti-hero Avengers-style film, Marvel is developing a Thunderbolts movie. Paper Towns director Jake Schreier has been tapped to direct (per Deadline (opens in new tab)), but no writer or cast details have been revealed yet.
It’s expected, though, that multiple MCU characters with questionable morals will be part of the team’s line-up. Black Widow pair Yelena Belova and Taskmaster, Falcon and the Winter Soldier duo Barom Zemo and US Agent, and Tim Roth’s Abomination (who is set to appear in She-Hulk: Attorney at Law) are said to be part of the cast.
For his part, US Agent actor Russell Wyatt has expressed interest in appearing (per The Digital Fix (opens in new tab)), while Greatphase (opens in new tab) suggests Marvel will introduce a new character from the comics – Dallas Riordan – as the group’s anti-hero answer to The Suicide Squad’s Rick Flag.
Marvel Phase 5 TV shows
What If…? season 2
Release date: early 2023
What If…? season 2 is already in development. According to head writer A.C. Bradley and director Bryan Andrew, one episode is ready to go (a Tony Stark and Gamora-centric episode that didn’t make it into season 1), some are nearing completion and others require more work. DiscussingFilm (opens in new tab) has reportedly revealed a few more basic episodic plot points, but we won’t ruin the surprises here.
Scarlet Witch actor Elizabeth Olsen will lend her voice to the character’s animated version (via One Take News (opens in new tab)), despite not doing so in season 1. Meanwhile, at Comic-Con 2022, Marvel executive Brad Winderbaum revealed (opens in new tab) that season 2 will “dig into” what makes The Watcher tick, as well as showing more “of his humanity”. A third season has also been greenlit.
Secret Invasion
Release date: spring 2023
Secret Invasion will focus on the Skrulls, as seen in Captain Marvel, with Ben Mendelsohn’s Talos and Samuel L Jackson’s Nick Fury being the show’s leads. The show will arrive in early 2023, with Marvel confirming as much at Comic-Con, and be the MCU’s first crossover event. The show is currently undergoing reshoots in London.
Kingsley Ben-Adir (One Night in Miami), Olivia Colman (The Favorite), and Emilia Clarke (Game of Thrones) are among the MCU’s newcomers, while Martin Freeman confirmed (per Radio Times (opens in new tab)) that his character Everett K. Ross will feature. Meanwhile, as shown during a Comic-Con only teaser, Don Cheadle’s War Machine and Cobie Smulders’ Maria Hill will also cameo.
Plot wise, speaking during a roundtable for The Hollywood Reporter (opens in new tab), Jackson revealed that we’ll see more of Fury’s life away from all the superhero stuff in Secret Invasion. Everything else is being firmly kept under wraps, although Smulders revealed that the series will be much darker in tone than we expect (per Entertainment Weekly (opens in new tab)).
Kyle Bradstreet (Mr Robot) has penned the series, although a new writer has also been brought on board to help make the scripts better. Meanwhile, Thomas Bezucha (Let Him Go) and Ali Selim (Condor) are on directorial duties.
Echo
Release date: mid-2023
Fresh from her supporting role in Hawkeye, Alaqua Cox’s Maya Lopez/Echo is getting her own show, which is being helmed by Sydney Freeland (Navajo) and Catriona McKenzie (Gunaikurnai).
Zach McClarnon, who played Lopez’s father in Hawkeye, is also returning. Vincent D’Onofrio’s Wilson Fisk and Charlie Cox’s Matt Murdock/Daredevil are also expected to have key supporting roles (per The Hollywood Reporter (opens in new tab)).
Chaske Spencer (Wild Indian), Tantoo Cardinal (Killers of the Flower Moon), Dervery Jacobs (Reservation Dogs), Cody Lightning (Hey, Viktor!), and Graham Greene (1883), have officially been cast in undisclosed roles. Model Braydee Cardinal has also reportedly joined the cast (thanks to Reddit (opens in new tab) for the find), while Marvel leaker Daniel RPK (via Nação Marvel (opens in new tab)) suggests Jesse James Keitel and Morningstar Angeline have also signed on. Additionally, Greatphase (opens in new tab) suggests that two female villains haven’t been revealed yet – could Keitel and Angeline be the actors behind these antagonists?
Another Marvel insider called CanWeGetSomeToast (opens in new tab) claims there’ll be supernatural/mystical elements in the show, which will be based around Echo’s Native American ancestry. Finally, filming is expected to end in August 2022.
Loki season 2
Release date: summer 2023
The trickster god’s return was teased during the season 1 finale and, finally, its next installment is filming ahead of a mid-2023 release. Parts of the Marvel Phase 5 TV show look like they’ll take place in the 1960s or 1970s, too, based on fan footage (opens in new tab) from around the TV show’s London-based sets and locations.
Tom Hiddleston will reprise his role as Loki, while Own Wilson, Sophia Di Martino, and Gugu Mbatha-Raw have confirmed they’ll be back for Loki season 2 as Agent Mobius, Sylvie, and Revanna Renslayer. Wunmi Mosaku’s Hunter B-15 could also return, while Greatphase (opens in new tab) suggests that a superhero group called Squadron Supreme may make their MCU debut. Frog Thor (opens in new tab) (Throg) and Kid Loki (opens in new tab) may also return from the first season, according to the same Marvel leaker.
Season 1 head writer Michael Waldron is only returning in an executive producing capacity. Eric Martin, a staff writer on three of season 1’s six entries, is the new head writer (per Deadline (opens in new tab)). Moon Knight directing duo Aaron Moorhead and Justin Benson are helming the series’ next entry.
Ironheart
Release date: late 2023
Ironheart will star Dominique Thorne as Riri Williams, who will make her live-action debut in Black Panther: Wakanda Forever. The six-episode TV show has been written by Chinaka Hodge (Snowpiercer), with Angela Barnes (Killing It) and Samantha Bailey (Dear White People) set to direct. Black Panther director Ryan Coogler is also on board.
In The Heights’ Anthony Ramos will star alongside Thorne, as will This Is Us’ Lyric Ross (per THR (opens in new tab)) and Good Girls alumnus Manny Montana (via Deadline (opens in new tab)). Productionlist.com (opens in new tab) has also confirmed that newcomer Harper Anthony will also appear in the series, while Star Wars alumnus Elden Ehrenreich is also on board (per Deadline (opens in new tab)).
Rumor wise, Black Panther’s Letitia Wright is rumored to feature (per Greatphase (opens in new tab)), while former Glow actress Shakira Barrera (per Murphy’s Multiverse (opens in new tab)) may have teased her involvement. Finally, Samuel L Jackson’s Nick Fury could show up (via the Ironheart News Twitter fan account (opens in new tab)).
Filming has begun in Chicago and, while things are leaking out from its production, no official details have been revealed by Marvel. CineStealth (opens in new tab) and The Illuminerdi claim The Hood will be the show’s main villain, while the latter says (opens in new tab) Obidiah Stane – the son of Tony Stark’s adversary in Iron Man 1 – will be part of the cast. File these as “unconfirmed” for now.
X-Men 97
Release date: late 2023
A revival of 1990s classic X-Men: The Animated Series, X-Men 97 will pick up events right after the final episode of its predecessor’s original run. Beau DeMayo (The Witcher: Nightmare of the Wolf) serves as head writer (per Polygon (opens in new tab)), while JB Ballard (Moon Knight, Shameless) is on board as script coordinator. The Newton Brothers (Midnight Mass, The Forever Purge) will compose the show’s new music (opens in new tab). Finally, most of the series’ original voice cast have signed on to reprise their iconic roles, too, as confirmed by Marvel Studios (opens in new tab).
In X-Men 97, Magneto will be the team’s new leader (per Brandon Davis (opens in new tab)). Sunspot, Nightcrawler, Cable, and Bishop are among the team’s new members (via DiscussingFilm (opens in new tab)). No other plot details have been revealed yet.
The series will consist of 10 episodes (per ComicBook.com (opens in new tab)) and a second season has already been greenlit (per THR (opens in new tab)). Given that X-Men: The Animated Series’ theme tune was used in Ms Marvel’s season finale, fingers crossed X-Men 97 is a pre-cursor for the mutants’ eventual live-action debut in the MCU.
Agatha: Coven of Chaos
Release date: late 2023/early 2024
A spin-off show centered around the fan favorite WandaVision character, Agatha: Coven of Chaos will see Kathryn Hahn reprise her role as the sinister witch, from the MCU’s first TV show, in this Marvel Phase 5 live-action series.
Prinicpal photography is rumored to begin in the UK (per Atlanta Filming (opens in new tab)) sometime in early 2023 (per Grace Randolph (opens in new tab) and DanielRPK (via The DisInsider (opens in new tab))). Additionally, Park and Recreation’s Amy Poehler (via KC Walsh (opens in new tab)) and Ted Lasso’s Hannah Waddingham are said to have joined the cast.
Former WandaVision writers including Peter Cameron, Cameron Squires, and Laura Donney are on board to pen the scripts, too (thanks to Reddit (opens in new tab) for the catch). Mary Livanos, WandaVision’s co-executive producer, will co-produce Coven of Chaos alongside Jac Schaeffer (opens in new tab), who served as head writer on Black Widow and WandaVision.
Daredevil: Born Again
Release date: early 2024
Almost four years after Daredevil’s Netflix series ended – the show is available to stream in its entirety on Disney Plus – the Man Without Fear is finally getting an MCU TV series. It’ll comprise 18 episodes, while Production Weekly (opens in new tab) states filming will begin in May 2023.
Variety (opens in new tab) claims that Matt Corman and Chris Ord (The Enemy Within, Covert Affairs) have been tapped to helm the series, which will see Charlie Cox and Vincent D’Onofrio reprise their roles as Matt Murdock/Daredevil and Wilson Fisk/Kingpin. The duo have already made cameos in Spider-Man: No Way Home and Hawkeye respectively in the MCU. Ayelet Zurer’s Vanessa is also believed to be part of the cast, according to DanielRPK (via Nação Marvel (opens in new tab)).
Meanwhile, Jessica Jones may play a supporting role (per MCU insider MyTimetoShineHello (opens in new tab)), with another Marvel leaker in Charles Murphy (opens in new tab) suggesting Krysten Ritter will return to play Jones once more. The series is said to be rated PG-13 (via MyTimetoShineHello (opens in new tab)), too.
Greatphase (opens in new tab) has suggested that the show will pick up after the events of Echo, but it’s unclear if Daredevil’s arrival in the MCU, or the addition of characters from Netflix’s defunct Marvel TV universe, will effectively make Netflix’s Daredevil series canon in Marvel’s Cinematic Universe.
Spider-Man: Freshman Year
Release date: 2024
An animated series that will follow Peter Parker during his college days and celebrate his early comic book roots will come to Disney Plus sometime in 2024. Tom Holland isn’t expected to lend his voice to the animated version of his MCU character (via The Illuminerdi (opens in new tab)), which isn’t surprising, what with this series apparently not being canon in the MCU (per ComicBook.com (opens in new tab)).
Per IGN (opens in new tab), Charlie Cox will be part of the voice cast, with Matt Murdock/Daredevil will feature heavily throughout. DiscussingFilm (opens in new tab) also confirmed that Harry Osborn, Amadeus Cho, and Runaways team member Nico Minuro will be part of Peter’s friendship group in the series. Norman Osborn will be Peter’s chief mentor in the show (via the Amazing Spider-Talk Twitter account (opens in new tab)), and there’ll be multiple villains for Spidey to deal with (per Total Film (opens in new tab)). That number includes Doc Ock, Chameleon, Scorpion, and Rhino.
Production has apparently wrapped on this Marvel Phase 5 project, with crew members reportedly receiving wrap gifts (via Li Cree (opens in new tab), 2D animator on the show). Finally, a second season, titled Spider-Man: Sophomore Year, is already in development.
Marvel Zombies
Release date: sometime in 2024
A spin-off show based on What If…?, Marvel Zombies will make MCU history when it lands in 2024. How so? It’ll be Marvel Studios’ first R-rated production, with IGN (opens in new tab) reporting that it’ll come drenched in “the gore and splatter you want from a zombie show”.
The series will pick up after the events of What If…? season 1 episode 5 – aka What If… Zombies!? – and it’ll see the MCU’s newer heroes face off against the ever growing superhero zombified threat. Shang-Chi, Ms Marvel, Kate Bishop, Yelena Belova, and Red Guardian will be among the heroes roster.
Meanwhile, we’ll also get a zombified version of Eternals’ Ikaris. Given the Eternals are human-robot hybrids, though, it’ll be interesting to see what role Ikaris will play in proceedings. Other zombified heroes will include Captain Marvel, Okoye, Ghost, Abomination, and Hawkeye.
Marvel Phase 6 movies and TV shows
While those Marvel Phase 5 plans took their rightful place in the spotlight at Comic-Con 2022, Marvel also announced the first projects in its Phase 6 slate.
Check out Phase 6’s first three movies below, including two new Avengers films and an official launch date for Marvel Studios’ Fantastic Four reboot:
- Fantastic Four (November 8, 2024)
- Avengers: The Kang Dynasty (May 2, 2025)
- Avengers: Secret Wars (November 7, 2025)
For more Marvel-based content, check out our Marvel movies in order guide, our X-Men movies in order article, and our rankings of every MCU movie to date.