# Marvel Cinematic Universe: Phase Six

Phase Six of the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) is a group of American superhero films and television series produced by Marvel Studios based on characters that appear in publications by Marvel Comics. Phase Six features all of the Marvel Studios productions set to be released starting from mid-2025 to mid-2027, with Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures distributing the films, while the series release on Disney+. Live-action series are released under Marvel Studios' "Marvel Television" label, while animation in the phase was produced by Marvel Studios Animation. Television specials are marketed as "Marvel Studios Special Presentations". The first film in the phase will be The Fantastic Four: First Steps, scheduled for release in July 2025, with the first series in the phase being the animated Eyes of Wakanda, set for release in August 2025. The release schedule of Phase Six was changed several times due to the 2023 Hollywood labor disputes. Kevin Feige produces every film and executive produces every television series in this phase, alongside producers Anthony and Joe Russo for Avengers: Doomsday and Avengers: Secret Wars, and Amy Pascal for the untitled Spider-Man: No Way Home sequel.
The films of the phase include the ensembles The Fantastic Four: First Steps, Avengers: Doomsday, the Spider-Man: No Way Home sequel from Sony Pictures Releasing with Tom Holland returning as Peter Parker / Spider-Man, and the ensemble Avengers: Secret Wars. Two unannounced films are set for release in 2026. The Disney+ television series of the phase include the animated ensemble series Eyes of Wakanda and Marvel Zombies; Wonder Man starring Yahya Abdul-Mateen II; the second season of Daredevil: Born Again starring Charlie Cox; Vision Quest starring Paul Bettany; and the second season of the animated Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man starring Hudson Thames. The Special Presentation television special the untitled Punisher television special, starring Jon Bernthal, is also included in the phase. Phase Six, along with Phase Four and Phase Five, constitutes "The Multiverse Saga".

## Development

By April 2014, Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige said that additional storylines for their media franchise and shared universe, the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) were planned through 2028. During Marvel Studios' panel at San Diego Comic-Con in July 2019, Feige announced several films and Disney+ television series in development for Phase Four of the MCU, before revealing the film Blade and a Fantastic Four film were also in development. After the panel, Feige confirmed that Blade was not part of the Phase Four slate at the time, and that what was announced was the full Phase Four slate at that point, despite Marvel already developing further projects at that time. Fantastic Four was formally confirmed in December 2020; the film was believed to be a part of Phase Four at that time.
By June 2021, in addition to What If...?, Marvel Studios was developing a slate of at least three more animated series. During the Disney+ Day event in November 2021, Marvel Studios announced the What If...? spin-off series Marvel Zombies. By the end of November 2021, producer Amy Pascal said that Marvel Studios was planning at least three more Spider-Man films starring Tom Holland with Sony Pictures after Spider-Man: No Way Home (2021), and the following month, Marvel Studios and Sony were actively beginning to develop the story for the fourth MCU Spider-Man film. Also in December, Destin Daniel Cretton was revealed to be developing a comedy series through his company Family Owned, as part of his overall deal with Marvel Studios to develop television projects for the studio for Disney+ in addition to returning to write and direct a sequel to Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings (2021). In April 2022, Feige said he and Marvel Studios were on a creative retreat to plan and discuss the MCU films for the following 10 years, and in June 2022, said information on the next saga of the MCU would be provided in the following months, with Marvel Studios being a "little more direct" on their future plans to provide audiences with "the bigger picture [so they] can see a tiny, tiny bit more of the roadmap" following the clues included during Phase Four. Cretton's series was also revealed to be Wonder Man that month.
At Marvel Studios' San Diego Comic-Con panel in July 2022, Feige announced that Fantastic Four would be the first film of Phase Six. He also announced that the phase would conclude with two ensemble films, Avengers: The Kang Dynasty and Avengers: Secret Wars, both to be released in 2025, and that Phase Six, along with Phase Four and Phase Five, would be part of "The Multiverse Saga". The films were respectively inspired by "Kang Dynasty", a 2001 comic book storyline written by Kurt Busiek in which Kang the Conqueror travels through time to enslave humanity, and Secret Wars, the name of a 1984–85 comic written by Jim Shooter and a 2015–16 comic written by Jonathan Hickman that both follow various Marvel characters who converge on the planet Battleworld. Feige noted that while not all projects in Phase Six or the previous two phases would directly tie into the larger multiverse storyline, the various storylines that would weave together leading into Secret Wars was "a whole new aspect to the MCU". At the panel, Feige also confirmed the film Blade for Phase Five. Following Marvel Studios' SDCC panel, Disney announced a third season of What If...? and a second season of Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man, then titled Spider-Man: Sophomore Year. In October, Marvel Studios delayed Blade to September 2024 and pushed back the releases of Fantastic Four and Avengers: Secret Wars as a result. In early February 2023, Disney CEO Bob Iger announced that the company would be re-evaluating the volume of content it outputs as a way to cut costs over the next few years. Shortly after, when reflecting on the amount of Disney+ content released for Phase Four in a short time frame, Feige anticipated that Marvel Studios would look to space out the releases of the Disney+ series in Phase Five and Six or put fewer out each year "so they can each get a chance to shine".
The start of the 2023 Writers Guild of America strike in May 2023 was not expected to impact the MCU projects in production, or preparing to begin production, at that time, namely Wonder Man and Fantastic Four, with Marvel Studios reportedly planning to shoot what they could during principal photography and make any necessary writing adjustments during each project's already scheduled reshoots. Production on Wonder Man was shut down by the end of the month, with plans to resume filming when the strike concluded. In June, Disney delayed Fantastic Four to May 2, 2025, Avengers: The Kang Dynasty to May 1, 2026, and Avengers: Secret Wars to May 7, 2027, in part due to the writers' strike and Disney's intentions to improve the quality of MCU content from writing through post-production, after disappointing reception and lower box office earnings for several recently released films following the COVID-19 pandemic. The following month, Iger stated the company would be reducing spending and creation of Marvel content, admitting that Marvel Studios' expansion into Disney+ series and more films had "diluted focus and attention" after a number of underachieving films at the box office in Phases Four and Five. In early September 2023, Marvel Studios announced Wonder Man had an undetermined release, due to the 2023 Hollywood labor disputes and a desire to slow down their content output and make each of their titles "an event".
When the 2023 SAG-AFTRA strike ended that November, Disney delayed several films to accommodate the resumption of production, including moving Blade to November 7, 2025, with it now set for release during Phase Six. Also that month, it was reported that Marvel Studios executives had discussed potentially bringing back the original Avengers cast, including Robert Downey Jr. as Tony Stark / Iron Man, as well as alternative plans for the Multiverse Saga due to Kang the Conqueror actor Jonathan Majors's legal issues surrounding assault allegations from earlier that year, including pivoting to focus on another comic book antagonist such as Doctor Doom. The following month, Disney and Marvel Studios fired Majors after he was found guilty of harassment and reckless assault in the third degree. His character had been set to be the main antagonist of the Multiverse Saga, particularly The Kang Dynasty. By then, Marvel Studios had begun to internally refer to that film as Avengers 5. Additionally, Marvel Studios Animation announced the series Eyes of Wakanda, which was planned to be released in 2024.
Fantastic Four was retitled The Fantastic Four in February 2024, when its release date was moved to July 25, 2025, swapping with the Phase Five film Thunderbolts*. In May 2024, Iger said Disney planned to release two, or at most three, Marvel films and two Marvel series a year moving forward. This was down from up to four films and around four series being released in some recent years, and was part of the company's larger strategy to reduce its content output and focus on quality; at that time, four films were still planned to be released in 2026. He said Marvel content would continue to balance sequels with new franchises. Later that month, Vision Quest, a spin-off series from WandaVision (2021) centered on the character Vision, was revealed to be in development for release in 2026; it was previously being developed by WandaVision creator Jac Schaeffer. In July 2024, The Fantastic Four was further retitled The Fantastic Four: First Steps, while Avengers 5 was titled Avengers: Doomsday along with the announcement of Downey playing a new villain, Victor von Doom / Doctor Doom, in that film and Secret Wars. At Disney's D23 convention in August, Feige confirmed that Daredevil: Born Again would have a second season, which would consist of eight episodes carried over from the originally announced 18-episode first season following the series' creative overhaul. In October, Disney removed Blade from its release calendar, while Sony scheduled the untitled Spider-Man: No Way Home sequel for release on July 24, 2026, during Phase Six. This filled a date that Disney had previously scheduled for an unspecified Marvel Studios film. Later that month, Marvel Studios announced the release dates for their Disney+ projects through the end of 2024 and 2025, including Eyes of Wakanda, Marvel Zombies, and Wonder Man during Phase Six. In February 2025, Sony pushed the release of the fourth Spider-Man film back a week to July 31, 2026, while a Marvel Studios Special Presentation starring Jon Bernthal as Frank Castle / Punisher was revealed to be in development for release in 2026, alongside the second season of Daredevil: Born Again.
Disney has scheduled additional release dates for unannounced Marvel Studios films on February 13 and November 6, 2026.

## Films

Films of Phase Six :
| Film | U.S. release date | Director(s) | Screenwriter(s) | Producer(s) | Status |
| The Fantastic Four: First Steps | July 25, 2025 (2025-7-25) | Matt Shakman | Jeff Kaplan & Ian Springer and Josh Friedman and Cameron Squires and Eric Pearson and Peter Cameron | Kevin Feige | Post-production |
| Avengers: Doomsday | May 1, 2026 (2026-5-1) | Anthony and Joe Russo | Michael Waldron and Stephen McFeely | Kevin Feige, Anthony Russo, and Joe Russo | Pre-production |
| Untitled Spider-Man: No Way Home sequel | July 31, 2026 (2026-7-31) | Destin Daniel Cretton | Chris McKenna & Erik Sommers | Kevin Feige and Amy Pascal | Pre-production |
| Avengers: Secret Wars | May 7, 2027 (2027-5-7) | Anthony and Joe Russo | Michael Waldron and Stephen McFeely | Kevin Feige, Anthony Russo, and Joe Russo | In development |

### The Fantastic Four: First Steps (2025)

The Fantastic Four must protect their 1960s-inspired retro-futuristic world from being devoured by the cosmic being Galactus.
Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige said they were developing an MCU Fantastic Four film in July 2019. Jon Watts was announced as the director in December 2020, but he stepped down in April 2022. Matt Shakman took over as director that September, when Jeff Kaplan and Ian Springer were writing the script. Josh Friedman was rewriting the script by March 2023, with Cameron Squires, Eric Pearson, and Peter Cameron also contributing to it. The titular team's cast was confirmed in February 2024, consisting of Pedro Pascal as Reed Richards / Mister Fantastic, Vanessa Kirby as Sue Storm / Invisible Woman, Joseph Quinn as Johnny Storm / Human Torch, and Ebon Moss-Bachrach as Ben Grimm / The Thing. The title was announced at the end of July 2024, when filming began at Pinewood Studios in London, and wrapped at the end of November. The Fantastic Four: First Steps is scheduled to be released on July 25, 2025.

### Avengers: Doomsday (2026)

Marvel Studios announced Avengers: The Kang Dynasty at San Diego Comic-Con (SDCC) in July 2022, with Destin Daniel Cretton directing, and Jeff Loveness was writing the script by September. They both left by November 2023 when Michael Waldron joined as writer. Kang the Conqueror actor Jonathan Majors was fired the next month. At the July 2024 SDCC, Marvel Studios announced the film's new title, Robert Downey Jr.'s casting as the film's new antagonist Victor von Doom / Doctor Doom (after previously portraying Tony Stark / Iron Man in the MCU), Anthony and Joe Russo as the directors and producers through their production company AGBO, and Stephen McFeely as the new writer. Filming is scheduled to last from April to August 2025 in London. Avengers: Doomsday is scheduled to be released on May 1, 2026.
The film will feature the Fantastic Four, with Pascal, Kirby, Quinn, and Moss-Bachrach reprising their roles.

### Untitled Spider-Man: No Way Home sequel (2026)

A fourth MCU Spider-Man film was reportedly in development by August 2019 alongside Spider-Man: No Way Home (2021). By December 2021, Sony and Marvel Studios planned to make at least three more films, including the fourth, starring Tom Holland as Peter Parker / Spider-Man. Chris McKenna and Erik Sommers began writing the script in February 2023, but work was soon put on hold by the 2023 Writers Guild of America strike. Destin Daniel Cretton was hired to direct by October 2024 when Holland was confirmed to star. Filming is expected to last from June to October 2025, in London. The film is scheduled to be released on July 31, 2026.

### Avengers: Secret Wars (2027)

Marvel Studios announced Avengers: Secret Wars at the July 2022 SDCC, with Waldron writing the script that October. The Russo brothers were announced in July 2024 as the directors and producers through AGBO, along with McFeely as the new writer and Downey's casting as Doctor Doom. Filming is scheduled to begin in mid-2026 in London. Avengers: Secret Wars is scheduled to be released on May 7, 2027.
The main Fantastic Four cast will be returning from Doomsday in the film.

## Television series

The series in Phase Six will be released on Disney+.
Television series of Phase Six :
| Series | Season | Episodes | Episodes | Originally released | Originally released | Showrunner | Director(s) | Status |
| Series | Season | Episodes | Episodes | First released | Last released | Showrunner | Director(s) | Status |
| Eyes of Wakanda | 1 | 4 | 4 | August 6, 2025 (2025-8-6) | TBA | Todd Harris | Todd Harris | In production |
| Marvel Zombies | 1 | 4 | 4 | October 3, 2025 (2025-10-3) | TBA | Bryan Andrews | Bryan Andrews | In production |
| Wonder Man | 1 | 8 | 8 | December 2025 (2025-12) | TBA | Andrew Guest | Destin Daniel Cretton, Stella Meghie, James Ponsoldt, and Tiffany Johnson | Post-production |
| Daredevil: Born Again | 2 | 8 | 8 | Early-to-mid 2026 (2026) | TBA | Dario Scardapane | Justin Benson and Aaron Moorhead | Filming |
| Vision Quest | 1 | TBA | TBA | 2026 (2026) | TBA | Terry Matalas | Terry Matalas, Christopher J. Byrne, and Vincenzo Natali | Filming |
| Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man | 2 | TBA | TBA | 2026 (2026) | TBA | Jeff Trammell | TBA | In production |

### Eyes of Wakanda

The Hatut Zaraze, Wakandan warriors, carry out dangerous missions around the world to retrieve vibranium artifacts throughout history.
Eyes of Wakanda was announced from Marvel Studios Animation in December 2023, created in collaboration with Black Panther (2018) and Black Panther: Wakanda Forever (2022) director Ryan Coogler's production company Proximity Media. In May 2024, Todd Harris was revealed to have created the series, and he serves as the director and showrunner. He previously served as a storyboard artist at Marvel Studios. Eyes of Wakanda is scheduled to premiere on Disney+ on August 6, 2025, and will consist of four episodes.

### Marvel Zombies

A group of survivors fight against former heroes and villains that have been turned into zombies.
In November 2021, an animated series based on the comic book series Marvel Zombies was announced, with Bryan Andrews directing and Zeb Wells serving as head writer; Andrews was later revealed as showrunner. It is a continuation of the reality first introduced in the What If...? episode "What If... Zombies?!" and includes characters introduced in Phase Four of the MCU. Marvel Zombies is scheduled to premiere on Disney+ on October 3, 2025, and will consist of four episodes.
Several actors reprise their MCU roles in Marvel Zombies, including Awkwafina as Katy, David Harbour as Alexei Shostakov / Red Guardian, Simu Liu as Xu Shang-Chi, Elizabeth Olsen as Wanda Maximoff / Scarlet Witch, Randall Park as Jimmy Woo, Florence Pugh as Yelena Belova, Hailee Steinfeld as Kate Bishop, Dominique Thorne as Riri Williams / Ironheart, and Iman Vellani as Kamala Khan / Ms. Marvel.

### Wonder Man

In December 2021, Destin Daniel Cretton signed a multi-year deal with Marvel Studios to develop television projects for Disney+, with a comedy series already in development by then, through Cretton's company Family Owned, and Onyx Collective. In June 2022, the series was revealed to be Wonder Man, centered on the character Simon Williams / Wonder Man, with Andrew Guest joining to develop the series and serve as head writer; Guest later became showrunner. In October, Yahya Abdul-Mateen II was cast as the title character. Filming began in April 2023 in Los Angeles, with Cretton, Stella Meghie, James Ponsoldt, and Tiffany Johnson directing episodes of the series, but was shut down the next month because of the WGA strike. Filming resumed in January 2024, and concluded by that April. Wonder Man is scheduled to premiere on Disney+ in December 2025, as part of the "Marvel Spotlight" banner, and is expected to consist of eight episodes.
Ben Kingsley reprises his MCU role as Trevor Slattery.

### Daredevil: Born Again season 2

The first season of Daredevil: Born Again is scheduled to premiere in March 2025. The series was announced in July 2022 with an 18-episode first season, but following its creative overhaul in September 2023, this was split into two seasons. Showrunner Dario Scardapane and directors Justin Benson and Aaron Moorhead returned for the second season, which Scardapane described as the second part of the first season. Filming for the second season began at the end of February 2025 and is scheduled to last until that July. The season is scheduled to premiere on Disney+ in early-to-mid 2026, and is set to consist of eight episodes.

### Vision Quest

A spin-off series from WandaVision centered on Paul Bettany's character Vision, titled Vision Quest, was in development by October 2022. Jac Schaeffer was set to return as head writer with Bettany starring, but Schaeffer was no longer developing it by May 2024 due to her focus on the first spin-off, Agatha All Along (2024), and Terry Matalas was hired to redevelop the series as its showrunner; Marvel Studios still referred to it as Vision Quest, but it was expected to have a different final title. The series is intended to conclude a trilogy of series that includes WandaVision and Agatha All Along. Filming had begun by March 2025 at Pinewood Studios in London, with Matalas, Christopher J. Byrne, and Vincenzo Natali directing episodes of the series. Vision Quest is scheduled to debut on Disney+ in 2026.
Reprising their MCU roles in the series are James Spader as Ultron from Avengers: Age of Ultron (2015) and Faran Tahir as Raza from Iron Man (2008).

### Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man season 2

The first season of Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man premiered in January 2025. A second season, initially titled Spider-Man: Sophomore Year, was announced in July 2022, continuing the naming convention of the series' original title, Spider-Man: Freshman Year. Jeff Trammell returned as head writer and showrunner for the second season, and said in January 2025 that the series was not limited to covering one school year per season. The second season is expected to premiere in 2026. A third season is also in development.

## Television specials

The specials in Phase Six will released on Disney+ and are marketed as "Marvel Studios Special Presentations".
Television specials of Marvel Cinematic Universe: Phase Six :
| Special | Release date | Director | Writers | Status |
| Untitled Punisher special | 2026 (2026) | Reinaldo Marcus Green | Reinaldo Marcus Green and Jon Bernthal | In development |

### Untitled Punisher special

In February 2025, a Special Presentation centered on Jon Bernthal's character Frank Castle / Punisher from Marvel's Netflix television series and Daredevil: Born Again was announced to be in development. Reinaldo Marcus Green was set to direct the special and was writing the script with Bernthal, after they worked together on the miniseries We Own This City (2022). The special is scheduled to be released on Disney+ in 2026.

## Recurring cast and characters

This section includes characters who will appear in multiple films within Phase Six of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, and have appeared in the billing block for at least one film.
* A dark grey cell indicates the character's presence in the films has not yet been announced.
Recurring cast and characters of Marvel Cinematic Universe: Phase Six :
| Character | 2025 | 2026 | 2026 | 2027 |
| Character | The Fantastic Four: First Steps | Avengers: Doomsday | Untitled fourth Spider-Man film | Avengers: Secret Wars |
| Ben Grimm The Thing | Ebon Moss-Bachrach | Ebon Moss-Bachrach | | Ebon Moss-Bachrach |
| Peter Parker Spider-Man | | Tom Holland | Tom Holland | |
| Reed Richards Mister Fantastic | Pedro Pascal | Pedro Pascal | | Pedro Pascal |
| Johnny Storm Human Torch | Joseph Quinn | Joseph Quinn | | Joseph Quinn |
| Sue Storm Invisible Woman | Vanessa Kirby | Vanessa Kirby | | Vanessa Kirby |
| Stephen Strange Doctor Strange | | Benedict Cumberbatch | | Benedict Cumberbatch |
| Victor von Doom Doctor Doom | | Robert Downey Jr. | | Robert Downey Jr. |
| Sam Wilson Captain America | | Anthony Mackie | | Anthony Mackie |

## Related

* X-Men '97 season 2: A continuation of X-Men: The Animated Series (1992–1997), produced by Marvel Studios via its Marvel Animation label. Beau DeMayo served as head writer, with Jake Castorena as supervising director and Chase Conley and Emi-Emmett Yonemura also directing. Many cast members from the original series returned to reprise their roles or voice new characters. X-Men '97 is not set in the Sacred Timeline of the MCU, though Feige did consider integrating the series with the MCU during development. Instead, X-Men '97 shares continuity with the original series and several other animated Marvel series that were released in the 1990s; within Marvel Comics' multiverse, X-Men: The Animated Series exists on Earth-92131. Despite existing outside the Sacred Timeline, the series is listed in the MCU's Multiverse Saga section on Disney+. The season is scheduled to premiere in 2026.