Marvel Phase 5: what’s new?
Tom Power, entertainment reporter
With news that a new Spider-Man MCU movie could be on the way, we’ve added a Spider-Man 4 entry to the movie release dates section of this guide. Meanwhile, we’ve updated every other entry with the latest news and rumors concerning their cast, storylines, and more.
Welcome to Marvel Phase 5, everyone! With the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) bidding farewell to Phase 4, it’s time to start looking ahead to what’s coming next for the cinematic juggernaut.
There are a whole host of Marvel movies and Disney Plus shows on the way, with Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania officially kicking things off in February 2023. After that, you can expect another six to eight new superhero movies. That final figure depends on whether Deadpool 3 fits into MCU Phase 5 or Phase 6, as well as the possibility that a rumored Spider-Man 4 film could arrive sometime in 2024.
Meanwhile, Marvel Phase 5 will also comprise 10 TV series (at least), seemingly starting with What If…? season 2 in early 2024. Although, some of these shows could be repurposed into a Special Presentation, just as Werewolf by Night and The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special were.
But we digress. Below, you’ll learn more about every forthcoming MCU Phase 5 project, including their release dates, trailers, and more. So, hop to it!
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)
- 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)
- Blade (September 6, 2024)
- Deadpool 3 (November 8, 2024)
- Spider-Man: Freshman Year (animated TV show, 2024)
- Marvel Zombies (animated TV show, 2024)
- Armor Wars (movie, TBA)
Marvel Phase 5 movies
Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania
Release date: February 17, 2023
Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania kickstarts Phase 5 in early 2023. Peyton Reed directs his third MCU (and Ant-Man) movie, which – based on its first teaser – will be the darkest and most foreboding Ant-Man solo film yet.
The threequel sees the return of Scott Lang/Ant-Man (Paul Rudd), Hope van Dyne/Wasp (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, while Randall Park’s Jimmy Woo and David Dastmalchian’s Kurt are set to cameo, too.
Ant-Man 3 will also formally 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. Legendary actor Bill Murray has teased that he’s playing a bad guy called Krylar, while Corey Stoll, who played Yellowjacket in 2015’s Ant-Man, will feature as another Marvel supervillain in MODOK. Lastly, The Good Place’s Willian Jackson Harper has been cast in an undisclosed role, though rumors he’s playing Reed Richards are reportedly wide of the mark.
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3
Release date: May 5, 2023
This Marvel Phase 5 flick brings the curtain down on the MCU trilogy James Gunn has helmed since 2014. It’s set after Thor: Love and Thunder and the Guardians’ Disney Plus Holiday special.
Outside of 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 from a plot perspective.
Cast wise, Will Poulter will play Adam Warlock, whose appearance was teased in Guardians 2’s post-credits scene. Meanwhile, Chukwudi Iwuji (Peacemaker) will play the villainous High Evolutionary and Maria Bakalova (Borat 2, Bodies Bodies Bodies) reprises her role as Cosmo the Spacedog from the Guardians’ Holiday Special. Daniela Melchior (The Suicide Squad), and Nico Santos (Crazy Rich Asians) are also part of the cast.
A teaser trailer was shown at Comic-Con 2022, but Gunn says it won’t make its way online until he’s happy with its VFX (opens in new tab). Gunn has also teased an “incredible emotional” and “heavy” end (opens in new tab) to this one. Get your tissues ready, folks.
The Marvels
Release date: July 28, 2023
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. Well, if you discount the all-female ensemble during Avengers: Endgame’s climactic battle.
Brie Larson’s Carol Danvers reunites with Teyonah Parris’ Monica Rambeau, the daughter of Danvers’ best friend Maria (Lashana Lynch) from 2018’s Captain Marvel. The last time we saw Rambeau, aka Photon, was 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 starring in her own TV show.
Zawe Ashton (Velvet Buzzsaw) has been cast as the movie’s villain, while Park Seo-joon (Parasite) will play an as-yet-unnamed character. Samuel L Jackson’s Nick Fury will also show up. A teaser was shown at D23 Expo 2022, but it’ll be some time before we get to see it.
Captain America: New World Order
Release date: May 3, 2024
A new Captain America film starring Anthony Mackie’s Sam Wilson is on the way. Malcolm Spellman (Falcon and the Winter Soldier (FATWS)) is penning the script, while Julius Onah (The Cloverfield Paradox) is on directorial duties. Filming is due to begin in early 2023 (opens in new tab).
Little is known about the movie’s plot, but Marvel producer Nate Moore suggests it’ll be an underdog-style flick (opens in new tab). Meanwhile, at D23 Expo 2022, Onah described it as a “paranoid thriller”.
Danny Ramirez and Carl Lumbly will reprise their roles as Joaquin Torress and Isaiah Bradley from FATWS. Tim Blake Nelson’s Samuel Sterns/The Leader will make his first MCU appearance since 2008’s The Incredible Hulk, too. Shira Haas (Unorthodox) will play Israeli superheroine Sabra, who may provide another link to mutants existing in the MCU. There’s no official word on whether Chris Evans’ Steve Rogers will cameo, though Evans has refuted suggestions he will.
Finally, legendary actor Harrison Ford is heavily rumored to be playing General Thaddeus ‘Thunderbolt’ Ross – that role having been held by William Hurt before his death in March 2022.
Thunderbolts
Release date: July 26, 2024
Billed as an anti-hero Avengers-style film, Marvel’s Thunderbolts is being helmed by Paper Towns director Jake Schreier.
Bucky Barnes/The Winter Soldier (Sebastien Stan), Yelena Belova (Florence Pugh), Red Guardian (David Harbour), US Agent (Wyatt Russell), Ghost (Hannah John-Kamen), Taskmaster (Olga Kurylenko), and Valentina Allegra de Fontaine (Julia Louis-Dreyfus) have all been confirmed as part of its line-up.
Anthony Mackie hasn’t ruled out Captain America potentially cameo-ing, while Harrison Ford’s General Thaddeus ‘Thunderbolt’ Ross is widely expected to feature. Baron Helmut Zemo (Daniel Brühl) could also appear, although Marvel hasn’t confirmed this.
Plot details are sparse, but Harbour has teased what we can expect in several interviews – the Stranger Things season 5 star saying Thunderbolts will drop a metaphorical “bomb” (opens in new tab) on the MCU, the film will introduce a “vital thing” (opens in new tab) to Marvel’s cinematic universe, and that it’ll be infused with “lots of action and comedy” (opens in new tab).
Filming is rumored to begin in June 2023, but MCU insiders suggest the script is being rewritten, so that production start date might be pushed back.
Blade
Release date: September 6, 2024
After his off-screen cameo in Eternals, Blade is getting his own solo MCU movie. However, Blade was hit by multiple development issues, including director Bassim Tariq’s departure and Beau DeMayo (The Witcher, Moon Knight) boarding to rewrite Stacy Osei-Kuffour’s initial script. Now, Lovecraft Country’s Yann Demange is reportedly in the director’s chair (opens in new tab) and filming is due to begin in July 2023.
Mahershala Ali will star as the titular vampire hunter. Delroy Lindo (Da 5 Bloods, The Harder They Fall) has joined the cast, while Milan Ray (The Wonder Years) and Joshua Mikel (The Walking Dead) have also reportedly signed on.
According to a Marvel VFX supervisor, Blade may join forces with Kit Harington’s Black Knight, while Moon Knight star Oscar Isaac also wants a Midnight Sons team-up with Blade. Moon Knight producer Grant Curtis told TechRadar that the vigilante could turn up all over the MCU, so that’s certainly a possibility. With Blade undergoing rewrites, though, those story elements could be tweaked.
Deadpool 3
Release date: November , 2024
We already knew Deadpool 3 was happening and would be part of the MCU. However, it’s officially in development now – and, delightfully, Hugh Jackman is reprising his iconic role as Wolverine for the final time.
Stefan Kapicic has seemingly revealed he’ll be back as Colossus (per Deadpool 3’s most popular Twitter fan account (opens in new tab)), while Zazie Beetz could be back as Domino (via DanielRPK (opens in new tab)). Marvel insiders suggest Deadpool 2’s Shatterstar (opens in new tab) (played by Lewis Tan), Fox’s defunct X-Men teams, and even Channing Tatum’s Gambit could appear as part of its multiverse-spanning plot.
Little else is known about the movie, but other MCU leakers claim Loki season 2 will have a hand in Deadpool’s MCU arrival. Principal photography is slated to begin in early 2023 in the UK. Lastly, it’s unclear if Deadpool 3 will cap Marvel Phase 5 or open Phase 6. Once we know for sure, we’ll update this section accordingly.
Armor Wars
Release date: TBA
Originally billed as a TV show, Armor Wars will now be released as a movie – Marvel producer Nate Moore revealing it was “cost prohibitive (opens in new tab)” to keep it as a Disney Plus series. Yassir Lester, who was set to act as showrunner, will write the script, with the film’s story picking up after Secret Invasion.
Production on the Marvel Phase 5 project will begin in Atlanta in early 2023. The series will follow Cheadle’s James Rhodes/War Machine as he pursues criminals who have acquired some old Tony Stark technology to use for nefarious means. The Department for Damage Control, seen in projects including She-Hulk, Ms Marvel, and Spider-Man’s MCU trilogy, are thought to be part of proceedings.
Per Collider (opens in new tab), Cheadle says the film will “take the [comic book] mythology, tip it on its head a little bit, and come up with different ways to tell the story”, adding it would act as a “rebirth” for Rhodey (per Entertainment Weekly (opens in new tab)).
Spider-Man 4
Release date: TBA
File this one under “unlikely” for now, but there’s growing speculation that a fourth Spider-Man MCU movie will be part of Marvel Phase 5 – and that it’ll be released in July 2024.
Marvel and Sony are yet to officially announce (or even comment on) these rumors. However, if they are true, Tom Holland and Zendaya could return as Peter Parker and MJ respectively. The live-action debut of Miles Morales (another Spider-Man) could be part of the plot, too, but Jon Watts – director on Spidey’s three other solo Marvel films – isn’t likely to sign on to helm it.
Marvel Phase 5 TV shows
What If…? season 2
Release date: early 2023
What If…? season 2 is expected to be the first Marvel Phase 5 TV show, though no first release date has been revealed. Marvel executive Brad Winderbaum has confirmed, though, that season 2 will dig into what makes The Watcher tick, as well as showing more of his humanity. Speaking to Deadline, Andrews also said season 2 will be “a little bit wilder” than its predecessor. Finally, a third season has already been greenlit.
Scarlet Witch actor Elizabeth Olsen will reportedly lend her voice to the character’s animated version, despite not doing so in season 1, and Cate Blanchett is back to voice Hela for a Thor: Ragnarok-set episode (opens in new tab). Other entries include the unused Gamora-Iron Man team-up, which was supposed to be part of season 1, and a supposed Marvel 1602 set installment.
Secret Invasion
Release date: early 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 and be the MCU’s first crossover event.
Kingsley Ben-Adir (One Night in Miami), Olivia Colman (The Favorite), and Emilia Clarke (Game of Thrones) are among the MCU’s newcomers. Martin Freeman’s Everett K. Ross, Don Cheadle’s James Rhodes/War Machine, and Cobie Smulders’ Maria Hill will also feature.
Jackson has revealed that we’ll see more of Fury’s life away from all the superhero stuff. Everything else is being firmly kept under wraps, although Smulders has also teased the series will be much darker than we expect. The series’ first teaser was unveiled at D23 Expo 2022, giving us a flavor of the espionage thriller tone and aesthetic we can expect from this Marvel Phase 5 property.
Kyle Bradstreet (Mr Robot) has penned the series, but a unnamed writer was also reportedly 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, returns. Vincent D’Onofrio’s Wilson Fisk and Charlie Cox’s Matt Murdock/Daredevil are also set to feature. 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.
Filming wrapped in August 2022, which means Echo is still on track to meet its mid-2023 release. That’s unless rumored production issues don’t cause it to be delayed (opens in new tab), however.
Loki season 2
Release date: mid-2023
The next installment in Loki’s TV series is coming in Q2 2023. According to the show’s crew, filming wrapped on the sequel in mid-October.
Tom Hiddleston will reprise his role as Loki, while Owen Wilson, Sophia Di Martino, and Gugu Mbatha-Raw are all back for Loki season 2 as Agent Mobius, Sylvie, and Revanna Renslayer. Wunmi Mosaku’s Hunter B-15 could also return, while Ke Huy Quan (Indiana Jones, Everything Everywhere All at Once) has joined the cast in an undisclosed role.
Season 1 head writer Michael Waldron is 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)), while Moon Knight directing duo Aaron Moorhead and Justin Benson have co-directed the series’ next entry
Speaking at D23 Expo 2022, Kevin Feige revealed Loki season 2 “directly connects” to all three Phases in the Multiverse Saga. A brief teaser was also shown to attendees, which hints at a far creepier, time-jumping installment.
Ironheart
Release date: late 2023
Ironheart (opens in new tab) will star Dominique Thorne as Riri Williams, who made her live-action debut in Black Panther: Wakanda Forever. The series – a direct sequel to Black Panther 2 – has been written by Chinaka Hodge (Snowpiercer), with Angela Barnes (Killing It) and Samantha Bailey (Dear White People) on directing duties. Black Panther director Ryan Coogler is also on board and filming reportedly wrapped in early November.
In The Heights’ Anthony Ramos will portray antagonist Parker Robbins, aka The Hood, a “complex guy” who specializes in dark magic. Kevin Feige says it’ll be fascinating to see Ironheart’s tech approach go up against Robbins’ penchant for the mystic arts – a clash of opposing industries, which is a key selling point for the show.
Samuel L Jackson’s Nick Fury could make another MCU cameo appearance here. Meanwhile, there are serious rumors that Sacha Baron Cohen (Borat, Trial of the Chicago 7) will portray Mephisto, a previously rumored WandaVision villain, in Ironheart.
Elden Ehrenreich (Star Wars), Lyric Ross (This Is Us), Manny Montana (Good Girls), Zoe Terakes (Nine Perfect Strangers), Chaim Girafi (Waterworld), Shakira Barrera (GLOW), Rashida Olayiwola (Insecure), Sonia Denis (BoJack Horseman), Paul Calderon (Bosch), Cree Summers (Cosmic Love) and newcomer Harper Anthony are all believed to have signed on in undisclosed roles.
X-Men 97
Release date: late 2023
A revival of 1990s classic X-Men: The Animated Series, X-Men 97 will pick up right after the final episode of its predecessor’s original 1990s run. Beau DeMayo serves as head writer, 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). Additionally, most of the series’ original voice cast have signed on to reprise their iconic roles.
In X-Men 97, Magneto will apparently be the team’s new leader. Sunspot, Nightcrawler, Cable, and Bishop are among the team’s new members, but no story details have been unveiled yet. Rogue fans will have “plenty to be stoked about (opens in new tab)“, too, according to DeMayo.
The Marvel Phase 5 series will consist of 10 episodes and a second season has already been greenlit. 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 MCU debut.
Agatha: Coven of Chaos
Release date: late 2023/early 2024
A spin-off centered around the fan favorite WandaVision character Agatha Harkness, Coven of Chaos will see Kathryn Hahn reprise her role as the sinister witch in this Marvel Phase 5 live-action series. Hahn has confirmed filming was set to begin in November 2022 (opens in new tab), with it’s billed as a nine-episode limited series (opens in new tab).
Park and Recreation’s Amy Poehler, Ted Lasso‘s Hannah Waddingham, Heartstopper’s Joe Locke, The White Lotus’ Audrey Plaza, Raising Dion’s Ali Ahn, Tuca & Bertie’s Sasheer Zamata, and The Good Nurse‘s Maria Dizzia are all said to have joined the cast. Plaza is thought to be the villain, with Locke reportedly playing a grown up Billy Maximoff, aka Wiccan.
Elsewhere, Emma Caulfield Ford, who played Dottie in WandaVision, is part of the cast and Evan Peters’ Ralph Boener is also thought to be returning. There’s speculation Elizabeth Olsen’s Wanda could figure, but it’s unclear if there’s any substance to that rumor. That’s despite further conjecture that Coven of Chaos will adapt the Children’s Crusade storyline from Marvel comics (opens in new tab) and Wiccan’s apparent supporting role.
Former WandaVision writers including Peter Cameron, Cameron Squires, and Laura Donney are on board to pen the scripts, as is The Marvels’ Megan McDonnell. 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. Schaeffer will also direct the series (opens in new tab).
Daredevil: Born Again
Release date: early 2024
The Man Without Fear is finally getting an MCU TV series. It’ll comprise 18 episodes, production will reportedly begin in February 2023 in New York, and there are conflicting reports about whether it’ll be rated PG-13 or TV-MA.
Based on She-Hulk’s eighth episode, it seems that Netflix’s Daredevil series is now canon in the MCU. Meanwhile, Matt Corman and Chris Ord (The Enemy Within, Covert Affairs) are said to be helming the series.
Charlie Cox and Vincent D’Onofrio reprise their roles as Matt Murdock/Daredevil and Wilson Fisk/Kingpin – the duo having already made MCU cameos in Spider-Man: No Way Home and She-Hulk, and Hawkeye respectively.
Alaqua Cox’s Echo and Tatiana Maslany’s She-Hulk could cameo, returning the favor after Daredevil’s appearance in their shows. Ayelet Zurer, Elden Henson, and John Bernthal are rumored to be making the jump from Netflix’s Daredevil series to the MCU as Vanessa, Foggy Nelson, and The Punisher. Deborah Ann Woll, who played Karen Page in the Netflix show, says she hasn’t been contacted (opens in new tab) about appearing in the MCU revival.
Bullseye – the secondary villain in Daredevil’s third season on Netflix – might also return, according to insiders, though it’s unclear if Wilson Bethel has signed on to reprise that role. Lastly, White Tiger (aka Ava Ayala), a Puerta Rican superhero, could make their live-action debut in Born Again, if MCU leakers can be believed.
Spider-Man: Freshman Year
Release date: 2024
This animated series follows Peter Parker during his college days and will celebrate his early comic book roots. Tom Holland isn’t expected to lend his voice to this version of the character, which isn’t surprising, given that the show is apparently not canon (opens in new tab). Charlie Cox will, however, be part of the voice cast as Matt Murdock/Daredevil, which muddies the waters over its MCU canonicity.
Harry Osborn, Amadeus Cho, and Runaways team member Nico Minuro will all be part of Peter’s friendship group. Norman Osborn will be Peter’s chief mentor, and there’ll be multiple villains for Spidey to deal with, including Doc Ock, Chameleon, Scorpion, and Rhino.
Production has apparently wrapped on this Marvel Phase 5 project. A second season, titled Spider-Man: Sophomore Year, is thought to be in development, but apparent cost-cutting measures at Disney and Marvel mean Sophomore Year – and Freshman Year itself – are in serious trouble and could even be canceled at the last minute.
Marvel Zombies
Release date: sometime in 2024
A spin-off show of What If…?, Marvel Zombies will make MCU history when it lands in 2024 as it’ll be Marvel’s first R-rated production.
The series will pick up after the events of What If…? season 1 episode 5 – aka What If… Zombies!? – and comprises four episodes, according to series’ creator Zeb Wells (opens in new tab). It’ll see the MCU’s newer heroes face off against the ever growing superhero zombified threat, with Shang-Chi, Ms Marvel, Kate Bishop, Yelena Belova, and Red Guardian among that dwindling superhero roster.
We’ll also see 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
Those Marvel Phase 5 projects are the primary focus of this guide, but the first Phase 6 productions have also been revealed:
- Fantastic Four (February 14, 2025)
- Avengers: The Kang Dynasty (May 2, 2025)
- Avengers: Secret Wars (May 1, 2026)
For more Marvel-based content, check out our Marvel movies in order guide, X-Men movies in order article, Spider-Man movies in order guide, and our ranking of every MCU movie to date.
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