Category: What To Expect

  • Sentinels, Symbiotes, and Succession — What to Expect From Marvel Animation’s 2026 Slate

    Sentinels, Symbiotes, and Succession — What to Expect From Marvel Animation’s 2026 Slate

    While the live-action side of the MCU is currently dominating the headlines, Marvel’s streaming skipper, Brad Winderbaum, is quietly prepping the studio’s secret weapons.

    Following the massive critical acclaim of X-Men ’97 and the stylistic swing of Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man, Marvel Animation is dropping its sophomore seasons for both flagship shows back-to-back in the second half of 2026. If you thought the live-action slate looked heavy, the animated side is about to match it with sheer emotional devastation and high-stakes power struggles.

    Here is exactly what to expect from Marvel’s remaining 2026 animation slate.

    X-Men ’97 Season 2 — July 1, 2026 (Disney+)

    The mutants are coming back, and according to the cast, “a lot of people die.” Following the explosive, time-shattering finale of Season 1, the uncanny team has been split across the timestream. Marvel is kicking off the hype train with a world premiere event at New York’s Tribeca Festival in June 2026, paving the way for a full streaming debut later this summer.

    • The Timestream Split: The season will actively manage three distinct timelines.
    • The “Very Dark” Return: Voice actress Jennifer Hale (Jean Grey) has warned fans to brace themselves, noting that Disney greenlit an incredibly dark and mature narrative for the sophomore outing. With Bastion’s legacy still lingering, a new, massive cosmic entity is rumored to target the remaining mutants left in the present day.
    • The Comic Prelude: To bridge the gap, Marvel has launched an official X-Men ’97: Season Two comic prelude series, which lays the groundwork for how the remaining team members on Earth are operating without their core leadership.

    Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man Season 2 — Fall 2026 (Disney+)

    The alternate-universe Peter Parker, voiced by Hudson Thames, who caught everyone by surprise with his cell-shaded, retro style is sliding straight into his second year. Showrunner Jeff Trammell is expanding the writing room for a massive 56-page narrative arc that changes the entire power balance of this universe.

    • The Succession Dynamic: Winderbaum dropped a fascinating comparison for Season 2, stating that the character interactions and political power struggles within the Osborn-funded ecosystem will mirror the prestige drama Succession. Expect power scaling and intense psychological warfare as characters challenge Norman Osborn’s grip on the city.
    • Enter Gwen Stacy & Venom: The official casting roster for the fall return has officially confirmed the introduction of Gwen Stacy/Ghost-Spider and the arrival of Venom, bringing two of the most iconic pieces of the Spider-Verse into Peter’s localized, alternate MCU timeline.
    • The Returning Heavy Hitters: Charlie Cox’s Matt Murdock/Daredevil and Hugh Dancy’s Otto Octavius are both locked in for major roles, ensuring that the intersection of street-level vigilantes and high-tech supervillains continues to test Peter’s neighborhood loyalties.

    Marvel Animation is no longer treated as a side project; under Winderbaum’s new corporate umbrella, it is acting as the premier destination for long-form character drama. Whether you are looking for the devastating, apocalyptic opera of the X-Men this summer, or the corporate, street-level chess match of Spider-Man this fall, the animated slate is locked, loaded, and ready to dominate your screen.

  • What to Expect from the Future of The MCU and When to Expect It

    What to Expect from the Future of The MCU and When to Expect It

    What’s next for Marvel Studios? Who’s recently joined the cast of your most anticipated series or film? Where can you find the teasers and trailers? Look no further, true believers. Everything you need to know about the future of the MCU has been collected for you here. Click on each logo to learn what we currently know about the upcoming MCU projects.

  • What to Expect from Marvel Television and Animation at NYCC ’25

    What to Expect from Marvel Television and Animation at NYCC ’25

    After sitting out the summer convention circuit, Marvel Studios will have a presence in the Big Apple this weekend where Marvel Television and Marvel Animation will provide an update on their respective upcoming projects. Per the official NYCC website, Up Next From Marvel Television and Marvel Animation will take place on Saturday, October 11th at 1:30 PM EST and feature “special guests” who will give “a look behind the scenes at Marvel’s upcoming Disney+ shows from Marvel Television and Marvel Animation.” What can fans expect? What should they not expect? Let’s think it through.

    Marvel Animation

    Marvel Animation has been dropping bangers at a pretty high rate since Marvel rebranded its streaming projects under separate banners beginning in January 2024. The nostalgia-fueled X-Men ’97, possibly one of Marvel Studios’ best projects ever, launched the new banner and has been followed up by a third season of What If ..?, another hit in Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man, the sparsely-watched Eyes of Wakanda and, perhaps, its most surprising success, Marvel Zombies.

    Part of the rebranding was a signal to the general audience that we’re creating a lot of options, and you can follow your tastes within this brand. Some will be more comedic, some will be more dramatic, some will be animated, some will be live-action.

    -Brad Winderbaum

    With Marvel’s streaming boss, Brad Winderbaum, having recently said that the studio was looking at viewership numbers before unleashing a second season of Marvel Zombies, it’s very possible that announcement could come at NYCC. The TV-MA show has been a hit, all but ensuring a return to the world run by the Dead Queen.

    Speaking of second seasons, fans should certainly expect release windows and perhaps first looks at X-Men ’97 Season 2 and Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man Season 2, both expected to stream in 2026.

    We will have a Spider-Man season every year if I have anything to say about it. What usually happens, as you know, in animation, is that there’s a bigger gap between Season 1 and Season 2 than in subsequent seasons, and that’ll be similar in Friendly. We will have to wait a little bit more than a year for Season 2, but then after that, it should come out on an annual cadence, hopefully.

    -Brad Winderbaum

    Given that animated projects are far easier to keep under wraps longer than live-action, it’s also possible that the studio could unveil a surprise on its 2026 streaming slate. With the success of X-Men ’97, fans have been hoping for Marvel to green light Spider-Man ’98 as a revival of Spider-Man: The Animated Series, though Winderbaum has done his best to temper expectations on that front. Still, animation holds incredible potential for Marvel, which is just only starting to be explored.

    Marvel Television

    More than any other of the studio’s divisions, Marvel Television has become a different entity since the Great Rebrand of 2024. As Winderbaum explained in a February interview with Screen Rant, the studio’s “priorities have shifted,” with the studio looking to produce “shows that can exist as annual releases, more like television.”

    For now, that means plenty of Daredevil in the forseeable future which is why Charlie Cox, Vincent D’Onofrio, Krysten Ritter, Deborah Ann Woll and, most interestingly, Mike Colter, will all be in New York this weekend. Season 2 of Daredevil: Born Again, slated for a March 2026 release, will almost certainly be the centerpiece of Marvel Television’s portion of the panel, with a first look at the new batch of episodes almost a sure thing and some casting announcements very likely, especially with production on Season 3 scheduled for early next year.

    Unlike Daredevil: Born Again, the eight-episode Marvel Spotlight series Wonder Man won’t be an annual release but it is a near-lock to be a major part of the NYCC panel. Very little is known about the project, which stars Yahya Abdul-Mateen II and Sir Ben Kingsley and with it set to stream in December, fans should probably expect an updated logo to accompany a teaser trailer and a more defined release date. With its streaming debut 2-ish months away, the teaser may even be released online, allowing those not in attendance to catch a glimpse at what Winderbaum called “one of his favorite things ever.”

    Another project shrouded in mystery, the Paul Bettany-led Vision series, will also likely be included in the presentation. After wrapping principal photography in the UK earlier this year, the studio should be up for sharing an official title, logo, artwork, release window and maybe a first look at some footage from the show, which is shaping up to be weird in all the best ways.

    Marvel Television’s portion of the panel should also provide a logo, release window and synopsis for The Punisher Special Presentation that will serve as a bridge between Frank Castle’s last appearance in Daredevil: Born Again and his next appearance in Spider-Man: Brand New Day. The “shotgun blast of a story” was co-written by star Jon Bernthal and will be among the studio’s most highly-anticipated projects next year as it will likely feed the blood lust of the Netflixers.

  • ‘The Punisher’ Special Presentation

    ‘The Punisher’ Special Presentation

    Premiere: TBD 2026

    Officially announced by Marvel’s head of TV, streaming and animation, Brad Winderbaum, in February 2025, The Punisher Special Presentation will be filmed in 2025 and debut on D+ in 2026.

    Star Jon Bernthal will co-write the Special Presentation with Reinaldo Marcus Green, who will also direct it. 

    Cast

    • Jon Bernthal as Frank Castle/The Punisher
  • What To Expect From the Future of the Star Wars Universe and When to Expect It

    What To Expect From the Future of the Star Wars Universe and When to Expect It

    What’s next for Star Wars? Who’s recently joined the cast of your most anticipated series or film? Where can you find the teasers and trailers? Look no further, true believers. Everything you need to know about the future of the Star Wars universe has been collected for you here. Click on each logo to learn what we currently know about the upcoming Star Wars projects.

  • Midnight Sons

    Midnight Sons

    Premiere: TBD

    In early 2024, it was reported that Marvel Studios was moving ahead with a film adaptation of Midnight Sons and was interested in reteaming with Werewolf By Night director Michael Giacchino to helm it.

    Rumored Cast

    • Gael García Bernal as Jack Russell
    • Laura Donnelly as Elsa Bloodstone
    • Mahershala Ali as Blade
    • Oscar Isaac as Moon Knight
    • Unknown actor as Ghost Rider
  • Hawkeye Season 2

    Hawkeye Season 2

    Premiere: TBD

    In May 2024, multiple online scoopers reported that a second season of Hawkeye was in the works with a potential release date in 2026.

    Cast

    • Jeremy Renner as Clint Barton
    • Hailee Steinfeld as Kat Bishop
    • Unknown actor as Barney Barton
  • X-Men ’97 Season 2

    X-Men ’97 Season 2

    Premiere: Summer 2026

    Announced in 2022, the second season of X-Men ’97 was delayed following the firing of showrunner Beau DeMayo and will now debut Summer 2026 on D+

  • Teen Titans

    Teen Titans

    Premiere: TBD

    In March 2024, THR reported that Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow writer Ana Nogueira was drafting a script of Teen Titans for a live-action film.

    Cast

  • ‘Eyes of Wakanda’

    ‘Eyes of Wakanda’

    Premiere: August 6, 2025

    In March 2023, a report indicated that Ryan Coogler was developing an animated series for Disney Plus called The Golden City. In December 2023, at a press event for Season 2 of What If…?, head of streaming, television and animation for Marvel Studios, Brad Winderbaum, revealed that the series, now called Eyes of Wakanda, was set to stream in 2024.

    Throughout Wakandan history, brave warriors have been tasked to travel the world retrieving dangerous vibranium artifacts. This is their story

    -Official Synopsis for Eyes of Wakanda

    Eyes of Wakanda was pitched and developed by Todd Harris who had been working on the project since 2022, though it was unclear at the time exactly what the nature of the project was.