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.
During D23 2022, Marvel Studios shared a wonderful trailer for the streaming series Ironheart, which at the time was slated to hit Disney Plus in the Fall of 2023. However, as the studio began to reconsider its streaming output, the project’s release date was put on hold. Almost 3 years after the trailer was shared with attendees in Anaheim, the studio has still not officially shared anything with the public…but now, we know when to expect the first trailer and that the studio is coming out swinging when the series debuts on June 24th.
Set after the events of Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, Marvel Television’s Ironheart pits technology against magic when Riri Williams (Dominique Thorne)—a young, genius inventor determined to make her mark on the world—returns to her hometown of Chicago. Her unique take on building iron suits is brilliant, but in pursuit of her ambitions, she finds herself wrapped up with the mysterious yet charming Parker Parker Robbins aka “The Hood” (Anthony Ramos).
-Official Synopsis for Marvel Television’s Ironheart
Via social media, the studio revealed that the first trailer for Ironheart will debut on May 14th and that the series, produced by Ryan Coogler, will open with a three-episode premiere.
Online rumors suggest that Marvel will release the final three episodes of Ironheart the following week, giving the series a two-week window.
Marvel Television’s Ironheart stars Dominique Thorne, Anthony Ramos, Lyric Ross, Alden Ehrenreich, Regan Aliyah, Manny Montana, Matthew Elam and Anji White.
After a nearly two-year delay, Marvel Television’s Ironheart will debut on Disney Plus on June 24th. Originally intended to stream in 2023, the project will feature Dominique Thorne‘s Riri Williams as she returns to Chicago after being swept up in the war between Talokan and Wakanda. The six-episode series will introduce Parker Robbins, aka The Hood, played by Anthony Ramos, and Sacha Baron Cohen’s “mystery man”, believed to be Mephisto.
We’re getting to see her in her element, which is quite literally the opposite of what we saw of her in Wakanda Forever. We’ll get more time to see what the other colors are and to see how she leads her life, rather than how she is when life is leading her.
-Dominique Thorne
The second of three live-action Marvel series set to hit D+ this year, Ironheart looks to veer significantly from the source material as it will see Riri’s formidable mind and technological genius up against dark magic. In order to prepare audiences around the globe for the show, we present to you THE ULTIMATE LIST OF WHAT TO WATCH BEFORE IRONHEART!!
As is always the case with an Ultimate List, Tier One projects are considered “must see.” In this case, it’s pretty straightforward.
The first appearance of Riri Williams, 2022’s Black Panther: Wakanda Forever introduced Dominique Thorne‘s character to the MCU and immediately traumatized her by throwing her into the middle of the Talokanil-Wakandan War. Set after the events of the Black Panther sequel, Ironheart will follow Riri as she attempts to navigate an entirely different type of conflict.
Riri is carrying the experience that she had in [Black Panther: Wakanda Forever]back home to MIT & there’s some interesting repercussions to her adventures that will set her on a fun course.
-Marvel Studios Parliament member Nate Moore
If Tier One projects are essential, Tier Two projects are supplemental. Any important events from Tier Two projects are likely to be covered in the body of the film, making watching/rewatching those projects non-essential; however, seeing them in their original context is always better than having them explained to you from someone else’s perspective. In this case, you get to treat yourself to the movie that started it all and remains one of the best the MCU has to offer.
She’s dumpster-diving, whereas Tony Stark [was] this bajillionaire. What she’s able to accomplish is remarkable.
-Dominique Thorne
Who knew Obidiah Stane had a son? Solo: A Star Wars Story star Alden Ehrenreich joins the MCU as Ezekiel “Zeke” Stane, who, in the pages of Marvel Comics, was raised to hate anything related to Tony Stark. Should Ironheart follow that path, it will be incredibly interesting to see what Zeke’s take on the Duel of Los Angeles might be, given that it resulted in his father’s death. Whatever the case, Jeff Bridges‘ performance as Obidiah Stane is always worthy of a watch and Iron Man, the film that launched the MCU, remains one of the best films in the series as its 20th anniversary draws nearer.
Ironheart stands as a unique project at this point in the 17-year history of the MCU in that it really is not deeply connected to much of what has come before it. However, the series will delve into the realm of magic, which means some connections to prior projects, either set in the mystical corner of the MCU or featuring magic, might be worth a look. However, Tier Three projects are intended for completists only, so don’t sweat it if you can’t fit them in.
Asgard existed blend of magic and technology and many Asgaridans, such as Frigga and Loki, were known to be powerful magic weilders. The Thor films included multiple weapons, relics and other assorted artifacts that are enchanted via spells by Odin and, perhaps, others as well. With Anthony Ramos‘ Parker Robbins known to be sporting an enchanted cloak and Ironheart‘s central conflict billed as a battle between technology and magic and dealing with ancient forces, their may be some value to taking a peek at the Thor franchise.
Your ancestors called it magic and you call it science. Well, I come from a place where they are one and the same thing.
-Thor
As explained to Stephen Strange by the Ancient One, the Masters of the Mystic Arts simply utilize extra-dimensional energy to “make magic.” Given that her statement is the foundation for the understanding of magic in the MCU, it’s possible–perhaps even likely–that Riri Williams’ survival may depend on using her own technology to disrupt or take advantage of that energy flow.
The language of the Mystic Arts is as old as civilization. The sorcerers of antiquity called the use of this language ‘spells,’ but if that word offends your modern sensibilities, you can call it a program; the source code that shapes reality. We harness energy drawn from other dimensions of the Multiverse to cast spells, to conjure shields and weapons, to make magic.
-The Ancient One
Possibly the last project one might expect to see on this list, Episodes 3, 4 and 9 of She-Hulk: Attorney At Law see Wong, the Sorcerer Supreme, target Donny Blaze, a former student of Kamar-Taj who was expelled and now works as a stage magician. Wong crossed Blaze’s path when the latter opened a portal and sent Madisynn King to another dimension where she met a demon named Jake…and in Ironheart, there be demons.
Marvel Television’s Ironheart stars Dominique Thorne, Anthony Ramos, Lyric Ross, Alden Ehrenreich, Regan Aliyah, Manny Montana, Matthew Elam and Anji White.
Set after the events of Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, Marvel Television’s Ironheart pits technology against magic when Riri Williams (Dominique Thorne)—a young, genius inventor determined to make her mark on the world—returns to her hometown of Chicago. Her unique take on building iron suits is brilliant, but in pursuit of her ambitions, she finds herself wrapped up with the mysterious yet charming Parker Robbins aka “The Hood” (Anthony Ramos).
-Official Synopsis for Marvel Studios Ironheart
Ironheart was created by Chinaka Hodge, directed by Sam Bailey and Angela Barnes and produced by Kevin Feige, Louis D’Esposito, Brad Winderbaum, Zoie Nagelhout, Chinaka Hodge, Ryan Coogler, Sev Ohanian and Zinzi Coogler.
Assembled by Thanos as he massacred half of the inhabitants of each planet he conquered, the Black Order served the Mad Titan in his efforts to collect the Infinity Stones. Also referred to as The Children of Thanos, Ebony Maw, Proxima Midnight, Corvus Glaive and Cull Obsidian appeared in Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers: Endgame, while thier “siblings”, Gamora and Nebula, played larger roles in the Infinity Saga and beyond.
Thanos’ children were adopted (read abducted) orphans (read trophies) from the civilizations he conquered. Given his status as one of the most feared and powerful beings in the universe, it would be foolish to believe that he only conquered six planets and took only six trophies. Indeed Avengers: Endgame briefly showed Nebula and Gamora’s attack of the planet Korbin; assuming Thanos is a creature of habit, it would follow that at least one Korbinite could be counted among his “children.” And as much as I wish this was an article about Beta Ray Bill, it isn’t; it is, however, about a pair of characters who served Thanos in the pages of Marvel Comics and may just be set to appear in the Marvel Television Streaming series Ironheart.
Created by Jim Starlin and first appearing in Iron Man #55, Roclite siblings Gh’Ree and R’Hos Blood–better known as the Blood Brothers–are massive aliens who originally worked for Thanos. The duo evolved over the years and were interesting enough to make 71 appearances but are still certainly considered minor characters that might not be on many fans radars…but what if they should be?
Headlining the article “Connecting Imaginary Dots” speaks for itself and I’ll let socmed and message boards have their fun; however, an IMDB listing for Ironheart is interesting enough to ponder if the Blood Brothers might somehow have found their way into the upcoming D+ series.
Zoe Terakes, who joined the cast of Ironheart in 2022, is listed on IMDB as “Blood Sibling.” That’s it. That’s the evidence. But it’s certainly worth considering if the MCU’s iteration of the Blood Brothers may play a role in Riri Williams’ origin story.
While it’s true that the majority of Ironheart will take place post-Riri’s appearance in Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, it will also dip into her origins, including (probably) why she was building a Stark-esque suit in the first place.
Set after the events of Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, Marvel Television’s Ironheart pits technology against magic when Riri Williams (Dominique Thorne)—a young, genius inventor determined to make her mark on the world—returns to her hometown of Chicago. Her unique take on building iron suits is brilliant, but in pursuit of her ambitions, she finds herself wrapped up with the mysterious yet charming Parker Robbins aka “The Hood” (Anthony Ramos).
-Official Synopsis for Marvel Television’s Ironheart
Ironheart boasts an incredibly impressive cast. Alden Ehrenreich is widely believed to have been cast as Ezekiel Stane, the son of Jeff Bridges‘ Iron Man villain, Obadiah Stane. Manny Montana (Cousin John) and Shea Couleé (Slug) look to be members of the crew of Anthony Ramos’ Parker Robins with Couleé likely a version of Marvel Comics Ulysses Lugman and Montana a version of John King, the actual cousin of Robbins. And then there’s Lyric Ross, who looks to be taking on the role of Riri’s best friend, Natalie, who, in the comics, was shot and killed in front of Riri when she was 13. But, what if…she wasn’t shot in the MCU but rather killed by the Children of Thanos as they invaded Earth?.
Sure, Thanos’ invasion of Earth was all about getting the Time Stone from Doctor Strange but it’s absolutely worth remembering that Chicago was home to Victor Timely for a period of time in the 1860s and might otherwise, for myriad reasons, be a place an alien looking to conquer Earth might send some bad ass Blood Siblings.
As always, if you’re betting, take the field over this theory. This isn’t inside info; it’s not a rumor worth spreading; it’s just tossing out an idea based on limited info. And even if the Blood Brothers do appear in Ironheart as the Blood Siblings, there are plenty of other options for why and how they are there. So the moral of the story is…Mephisto.
Ironheart is set to debut (finally) on D+ on June 24th.
With Bob Iger‘s return to the Disney throne came a mandate that the company’s largest production studios take a hard look at their project pipelines. During a May conference call with investors, the big boss made it clear that the studios were to scale back the number of streaming projects being developed and that the ones that did make their way to Disney Plus needed to be of the quality customers had come to expect, adding the mandate was “particularly true with Marvel.” Following a three-year run in which both theatrical and streaming projects failed to land with audiences, Iger pumped the brakes on the monster Multiverse Saga slate Marvel Studios One Above All, Kevin Feige, revealed at SDCC ’22 in which Phase 6 alone was comprised of 11 projects.
We’re slowly going to decrease volume and go to probably about two TV series a year instead of what had become four and reduce our film output from maybe four a year to two, or a maximum of three. And we’re working hard on what that path is.
Bob Iger
While there’s no reason to doubt that Iger fully intends to accomplish the plan he laid out in May, it would seem as though the decrease in volume will indeed be a slow process. With a backlog of projects, both animated and live-action, already in the can and ready to roll out, Marvel Studios has officially revealed its 2025 Disney Plus slate and it is one of its most ambitious yet with six series on the way next year.
A leaked sizzle reel that was likely intended to launch online following the two-episode finale of Agatha All Along revealed both the slate and first looks at each of the projects.
The inclusion of Wonder Man on the 2025 slate opens up an intriguing, although perhaps too early, conversation about the studio’s 2026 plans. With the Paul Bettany-led untitled Vision series filming next year along with Season 2 of Daredevi: Born Again, it seems as though Marvel may have a surprise or two in store for fans.
For the next few days, New York City will be the center of the pop culture world as NYCC ’24 gets underway. Though it’s typically not been used to deliver major breaking news about upcoming Marvel or DC projects, both studios have certainly promoted films and series in the past and will do so again this year.
In Marvel’s case, fans will be able to take visit a booth with a display of costumes from Marvel Television’s upcoming streaming series, Daredevil: Born Again. And while anything more may have seemed like wishful thinking, early arrivals at the event caught the first glimpse of a brand new Marvel logo that includes the first look at multiple characters expected to appear in upcoming projects.
The new logo, which is starting to pop up all over social media, not only gives fans great, new looks at Harrison Ford‘s Red Hulk, Anthony Mackie‘s Captain America and a few characters from the 2025 film Thunderbolts* but also a great shot of H.E.R.B.I.E., Jeff the Shark and Galacta, the daughter of Galactus.
Though it’s not been confirmed, it is incredibly likely that Jeff and Galacta are simply part of Marvel Comics’ presentation or their video game presentation. On the other hand, the logo also includes close up looks at Daredevil, Wilson Fisk from Daredevil: Born Again and the Human Torch who, along with H.E.R.B I.E., will be seen in 2025’s The Fantastic Four: First Steps. Additionally, the inclusion of characters from What If…? in the logo all but guarantees the third season of the canonical animated adventure will hit Disney Plus in 2025. As it stands, the studio’s 2025 slate currently includes:
Just two weeks after Marvel Studios made a splash at SDCC ’24 by announcing Robert Downey Jr. and the Russos were returning to the MCU in Avengers: Doomsday, Kevin Feige will be back on stage with more to share at D23. Marvel will have two chances to wow D23 attendees this weekend with a portion of Disney’s Entertainment Showcase carved out for their live-action slate and a separate panel dedicated to Marvel Animation.
Before the festivities get started, let’s take a look at what’s likely to go down in Anaheim.
On Saturday afternoon, the newly formed Marvel Animation studio will have its first D23 solo panel. There’s not much guesswork to be done here in terms of what to expect because Disney already paid it out on the official D23 website.
Eyes of Wakanda and Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man were included on the studio’s 2024 slate as shared by Disney in late 2023 and there’s still plenty of time for both projects to steam, especially since Eyes of Wakanda only consists of four episodes. Teaser trailers will almost certainly be debuted for both and will likely also make their way online.
Given the success of X-Men ’97, the hour-long panel will certainly feature a heavy dose of news on Season 2. With the second season already well into production, a teaser isn’t out of the question nor is a release date. Like Season 2 of X-Men ’97, Season 3 of What If…? is deep into production if not already complete. “What If…? Season Three is — that might be the one that comes out next, in terms of animation,” said Marvel exec Brad Winderbaum in May 2024. The studio already rolled out a teaser for Season 3 following Season 2’s streaming finale, so there’s no reason to think they won’t AT LEAST show that to the audience.
We’re actually close to completing that one, and it really feels like you’ve gone through this amazing emotional experience with Uatu, in a way that’s… What’s great about The Watcher is that he presents himself as uncaring, and cold, and just an observer, but he cares more than everybody [and] anybody. That is on full display in that third season.
-Brad Winderbaum on What If…? Season 3
Outside of what’s promised in the description, only Marvel Zombies is known to be far enough down the road to be included in the panel; however, more than any other type of project, animated projects are far, far easier to keep under wraps so it’s entirely in the realm of possibilities that the folks at Marvel Animation have some tricks up their sleeve for their first big panel.
Friday night’s Entertainment Showcase is a two-hour-long presentation that will feature projects from across all of Disney’s major studios. That means Pixar, Lucasfilm, 20th Century Studios and Walt Disney Animation Studios will all join Marvel Studios in showcasing their upcoming theatrical and streaming slates. So while Kevin Feige won’t have an hour to himself like he did in San Diego, he’ll have a big chunk of time and since it’s Disney’s event, he’ll actually have as much time as he wants (in 2022 the two-hour panel took longer than two hours). Marvel Television will take the spotlight, especially after not being included in Feige’s hour-long SDCC panel but that doesn’t mean there might not be some update on the film slate. Here’s what to expect:
Kathryn Hahn‘s WandaVision spinoff is on deck for the studio and no insider information is necessary to know that Agatha All Along will be a focal point of Marvel’s portion of the panel. With the two-episode premiere just six weeks away, a new trailer for the streaming series is due. It’s likely a good chunk of the cast will be on hand to bow, wave and, more importantly, do the press line following the panel.
In Agatha All Along, the infamous Agatha Harkness finds herself down and out of power after a suspicious goth Teen helps break her free from a distorted spell. Her interest is piqued when he begs her to take him on the legendary Witches’ Road, a magical gauntlet of trials that, if survived, rewards a witch with what they’re missing. Together, Agatha and this mysterious Teen pull together a desperate coven, and set off down, down, down The Road…
-Official Synopsis, Agatha All Along
Charlie Cox has already confirmed that he’ll be in Anaheim to promote Daredevil: Born Again and it would be shocking if co-star Vincent D’Onofrio weren’t there alongside him. With the 9-episode streaming series set to premiere in March 2025 and with production having wrapped several months ago, there’s certainly a trailer ready to roll. The question here is whether or not it’s a D23 exclusive for those in attendance or it the studio will release it to the public. Given the hype around the show, it would make quite a bit of sense to let it out into the wild but Disney isn’t always in the business of making sense.
Longtime rivals Matt Murdock (Charlie Cox) and Wilson Fisk (Vincent D’Onofrio) try to leave behind their darker alter-egos to serve the people of New York only to have their pasts catch up to them.
Synopsis, Daredevil: Born Again
First announced at Disney’s 2020 Investor Day, Ironheart has been in the can for a couple of years and still has no release window. Marvel Studios actually rolled out a first look at the project during Disney’s 2022 Entertainment Showcase at D23 and it looked like a lot of fun! At the time, Feige explained that the focus on “dark arts vs. technology” would be the “unique calling card” of the series which will pit Dominique Thorne‘s Riri Williams–introduced in Black Panther: Wakanda Forever–against Anthony Ramos‘s Parker Robbins, aka The Hood. “Parker believes truly that what he is doing is good,” Ramos shared at 2022’s D23. “He loves his people. I’m over-trying to dance around the plot because I can’t give you all the deets! Parker kicks ass. I don’t know if I can say that, but I said it already.” An in-person exclusive trailer is all but a sure thing and it wouldn’t be asking too much for Feige to reveal a release window for the series which had been targeting a September 2025 launch.
Charming teenage super genius Riri Williams (Dominique Thorne) returns from MIT to her hometown of Chicago in her iron suit and begins to unravel threads that bring danger and adventure to her doorstep.
-Synopsis, Ironheart
Despite having completed production earlier this year, some fans still doubt that Wonder Man truly exists. While Marvel Studios exec Stephen Broussard confirmed its existence earlier this year, Wonder Man has never been mentioned by Feige at any conventions so a simple logo reveal and release window would be great; however, given it’s been wrapped for some time, it’s quite possible a sizzle reel or teaser could be shown to those in attendance.
[Wonder Man will] be definitely influenced by the comics. One of the things that we’re excited about it is that it’s going to feel very unique. It’s not going to feel like anything you’ve quite seen in the MCU before. And the kind of stories we can tell on Disney+, which has been fun. Like streaming, serialized storytelling is a totally different muscle. So, we’re having a blast making that one.
–Stephen Broussard on Marvel Television’s Wonder Man
Likely to join Wonder Man on Disney Plus in 2026, the Paul Bettany-led WandaVision spinoff was recently confirmed by Feige. It is expected to start production this Fall, so a title treatment and a release window are about all we might get unless Bettany is on hand to do a little song and dance.
Five streaming series is probably about all the studio will have time to discuss during its portion of the panel. However, if the studio is ready to move ahead with the second season of Hawkeye, having Jeremy Renner step on stage to announce it would certainly bring down the house. Rumors have the sophomore season headed to D+ for Christmas 2026 which means it’s certainly not “too early” to confirm it’s in the works. With the Nova series not a top priority and Bob Iger‘s mandate to cut down on content now fully integrated into the way Marvel Studios does business, further announcement seem highly unlikely.
Disney loves marching out cast members during their big fan event. In 2022, the casts of Black Panther: Wakanda Forever and their two 2023 releases, Ant-Man and The Wasp: Quantumania, The Marvels all took the stage at D23. In addition, Feige used the big stage to announce the cast of what was then Captain America: New World Order, including the big surprise reveal that Tim Blake Nelson was returning to the MCU as Samuel Sterns.
The core cast of Thunderbolts was also trotted out on the stage by Feige with some fun concept art displayed on the big screen behind them. What’s of interest here is that both Cap 4 and Thunderbolts were first announced at SDCC ’22 but Marvel saved the big cast reveals for D23. The One Above All may make the same move here, using the closing moments of his time on stage to bring out the full casts of any or all of the studio’s upcoming projects such as The Fantastic Four: First Steps, Avengers: Doomsday and/or Avengers: Secret Wars. It’s also reasonable to think that Feige might make mention of the two 2026 Marvel Studios films that remain untitled.
Murphy’s Multiverse will be providing full coverage and recaps of both panels this weekend so count on us to deliver all the news you need!
Disney’s 2024 TV Upfront presentation had plenty of new of interest for fans of Marvel Studios. The studio used the platform to reveal a new title and premiere date for Kathryn Hahn‘s Agatha-centric WandaVision spinoff, Agatha All Along, and to roll out a new logo and a 2025 premiere window for Daredevil: Born Again. They didn’t stop there, however, as they also revealed a little bit of information about another series that fans have been waiting on for some time.
Thorne was on hand at the Upfront presentation along with co-star Anthony Ramos. Ramos is set to play the villain of the series, Parker Robbins, aka The Hood.
Ironheart joins Agatha All Along and Daredevil: Born Again as the first to be released under the studio’s new Marvel Television banner. Given recent comments by Disney CEO Bob Iger, it is reasonable to assume that Daredevil: Born Again and Ironheart will be the only two live-action series from Marvel Studios to hit Disney Plus in 2025.
Though there have been no official announcements by Marvel Studios, the outlook for 2025 may have changed significantly in the very short amount of time that has passed since we published The All-New, All-Different Hypothetical 2025 Marvel Studios Release Calendar, V1. And that means it’s time for an update!
New directors Justin Benson and Aaron Moorhead have completed taking stock of the footage that was shot last year and seem to have come away with a little less work to do than fans thought. The latest word is that the directing duo and showrunner Dario Scardapane were able to condense what was filmed into 6 episodes and that they’ll be getting to work on filming a new pilot episode and two additional episodes to complete Part One. However…
According to star Vincent D’Onofrio, this highly anticipated streaming series may no longer be 18 episodes…but will it be more or will it be less?
It seems like there are a few shows that could work with more episodes, then some that just need eight or 10 or six. Echo is like five. I think this show [Born Again] could definitely work with more episodes and I know that Charlie [Cox] is, and I am too, happy to do that.
-Vincent D’Onofrio on the Daredevil: Born Again episode count
Whatever the final total ends up being, it seems Part 1 is still on track for an early 2025 release.
The great release date shuffle may never end but a new round may start with Captain America: Brave New World. At one point in time, the studio set aside 5 months for additional photography to take place and brought in Matthew Ortman to script those scenes. While the hope is to start in mid-2024, we’ve heard cameras will not roll again until the powers that be are content with what’s been written rather than trying to course correct on the fly. Whether or not they actually film for 5 months, this project cannot afford to be a miss so expect them to take their time which may just mean it gets bumped off its February date and lands in May.
Steven Yeun dropped out of the film in early January and though the studio reportedly offered fellow TWD alum Austin Abrams the role of Sentry, the film is still without its Robert Reynolds as now. It’s not quite crunch time yet, however, as principal photography isn’t due to start for another 8-12 weeks. So–for now–this one stays here and can easily make its July release.
As was the prevailing belief, star Dominique Thorne confirmed that Ironheart has completed filming. That means it’s just sitting in the can waiting to be released at Marvel Studios’ pleasure. Given all the concern over many of the projects the last few years, that’s a welcome change. It sounds like a very safe bet that this will roll out in Fall 2025.
In an effort to accommodate the schedule of yet-to-be-announced-as-Reed-Richards star Pedro Pascal, it seems as though the start of production on Fantastic Four has been bumped into the second half of 2024. If that’s accurate, there’s absolutely no way this makes its May 2025 release date and there’s no need to rush it out in July when Thunderbolts SHOULD be completely ready to go. And so, the first family’s MCU debut will have to wait…perhaps until November. There should be no concern about WHEN MCU movies debut anymore (Doctor Strange, Thor: Ragnarok and Black Panther: Wakanda Forever all did very well at the box office in November) but rather that they release when they are ready to release. That might just mean Mahershal Ali’s Blade gets bumped to 2026 but that might just do the studio a favor as its one and only announced 2026 project might need some more time to cook anyway.
Bob Iger‘s return to Disney and a pair of strikes have rendered nearly everything we once thought we knew irrelevant. Movies once slated for 2023 or 2024 have been moved to 2025 and the domino effect has probably only just begun. With so much having changed since last we ventured into the waters of the hypothetical calendar, it’s high time to relaunch them anew…and adifferent.
Following a major creative overhaul, the first episodes of Daredevil: Born Again–which were originally slated to debut in the Spring of 2024–are now TENTATIVELY on track to drop in January 2025. Though they didn’t throw the baby out with the bath water, it sounds like showrunner Dario Scardapane and new directors Justin Benson and Aaron Moorhead are going to take their time and make sure the MCU’s first Daredevil project does the character justice and given Bob Iger‘s demands that the projects live up to the high standards previously set for Marvel Studios, that might mean this gets pushed even further. We’ll know more shortly after the first of the year as we’ve recently heard that production is meant to get underway in January.
Reports of significant reshoots on Cap 4 lined up with Disney’s decision to move the film into 2025. Those reports suggested that the film will undergo roughly 5 months of additional photography which is a longer period of time than the film was in production for the first time around. Now, the studio has brought on a brand new writer in Matthew Orton and though they are targeting a mid-2024 restart, production will not resume until his work on the script is done. Throw in the amount of time it’ll take to make the VFX hold up–especially with an appearance by the Red Hulk in the cards–and the February 2025 date makes all the sense in the world.
Fantastic Four was announced at SDCC ’19 and two long work stoppages have kept pushing it further and further down the road though it’s continually in the news cycle. At this point, all anyone wants is for the casting rumors around this project to come to an end and for cameras to roll. According to a relatively recent interview with director Matt Shakman, production should get underway next Spring and be ready to serve as the studio’s tentpole film for 2025 and launch the summer movie season…just as it should.
No project on this hypothetical calendar is more hypothetical than this one. If all the rumors are true, its release is partially dependent on Daredevil: Born Again–and that’s IF the creative threads that originally tied the two projects together stay in the series with the new showrunner taking over. Throw in that there’s been no official announcement from Sony about this project and that Tom Holland‘s “new deal” hasn’t been officially announced either and you’ve got even more reason to think this one may not happen in 2025 at all. However, a script has been in the works for most of the year, Sony has this date on the calendar for a Marvel film and, at the moment, doesn’t have any other projects that seem to fit the date. On the other hand, rumors persist that Jon Watts may be on board to direct and plans are being made to film next summer…
By the time production finally starts on this project, the entire plot will have been leaked online. Despite multiple creative retoolings and a revolving door of writers, Thunderbolts is ultimately only delayed by a year from its original July 26, 2024 release date. Production is currently set to get underway in the spring with a TENTATIVE April start on the books.
A project that has been in the can for quite some time, Ironheart is on track to release 2 full years after it was originally slated to hit Disney Plus. It’ll be interesting to see if Disney ever addresses exactly why this series took so long to release (not even VFX touch-ups and reshoots can explain away a 2-year move), especially when the footage shown at 2022’s D23 looked pretty fun.
Mahershala Ali has the patience of a saint. Ali is the driving force behind this project which, like Fantastic Four, was announced over 4 years ago, and is staying the course despite several changes to the creative team over the past year or so and the delays due to the strikes. As of now, Blade looks like it’ll actually start production in the second half of 2024 and be ready for theaters, complete with an R-rating, by November 2025!
All in all, this is a major revamp from the last time we rolled out a hypothetical 2025 calendar. With things at Disney never having been in flux more than they are now, it’ll be fun to see just how much of this holds true.
