The film Avengers: Endgame marked the beginning of a brand new generation of Marvel films trickling out over the next several years. We’ve got a list of all upcoming Marvel movies in order of release with all the info we know so far about the MCU phase 4 and beyond. From Black Widow to Blade, each entry promises to expand the franchise in bold new directions. As the studio takes a half-year hiatus to build hype, start marking your schedule. What’s the next Marvel movie? Look no further, here’s a list for your convenience.

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THE NEXT MARVEL MOVIE HITTING THEATERS

1. Black Widow (2020)

Official Teaser Trailer

After years of leading the Avengers franchise from the posters alone, Natasha Romanoff (Scarlett Johansson) is finally getting her own headlining role — and it’s kicking off Marvel Phase 4.

Black Widow follows the super spy as she returns to Budapest to face her cryptic past. Florence Pugh, David Harbour, and Rachel Weisz round off the cast, and it looks like director Cate Shortland will be guiding them through a thriller of Winter Soldier proportions. 

Of course, the elephant in the room is that Black Widow perished in Avengers: Endgame. The film purportedly takes place between Captain America: Civil War and Avengers: Infinity War, but some trailer footage of a de-aged General Ross indicates that we may see even more of her deadly origin story.

We hope this one will honor the character with a retrospective that Endgame didn't have quite enough time to do, allowing us to take on the rest of the MCU phase 4 with closure.

IN CONCLUSION

BLACK WIDOW

  • Director: Cate Shortland
  • Release Date: May 1st, 2020
  • Phase 4.1 — 24th Overall

MARVEL PHASE 4 GOES COSMIC

2. Eternals (2020)

Origin of The Eternals

After grounding itself with Black Widow, Marvel Phase 4 will take to the stars once again in Eternals. And there are a lot of stars here. Angelina Jolie, Kumail Nanjiani, Kit Harington, and Salma Hayek are just a few of the leads filling out this ensemble, directed by Chloé Zhao. 

She's an intriguing choice for the role of director. The upcoming Marvel movies keep getting bigger, flashier, and more surreal. This film even promises to introduce the Celestials — an ancient, planet-sized race of beings that was teased in Guardians of the Galaxy.

In contrast, Zhao’s previous films, Songs My Brothers Taught Me and The Rider, are culturally-driven, dramatic westerns. With that perspective, maybe she'll be able to ground the otherworldliness of this alien team in something human and terrestrial.

IN CONCLUSION

ETERNALS

  • Director: Chloé Zhao
  • Release Date: November 6th, 2020
  • Phase 4.2 — 25th Overall

UPCOMING MARVEL MOVIES COMING OUT IN 2021

3. Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings (2021)

Marvel's Shang-Chi Movie Explained

Many of the upcoming Marvel movies have ties to the past. For those viewers who missed the Marvel One-Shot All Hail the King, that short revealed that the phony Mandarin in Iron Man 3 was inspired by a real terrorist of the same name.

Shang-Chi enters the MCU phase 4 to deal with that terrorist. Even though it's a brand new cinematic IP, it's finely nested in the established lore. 

Canadian actor Simu Liu leads as the title hero Shang-Chi, who is known from the comics as a master of kung-fu who is sometimes able to duplicate his own body. Given his sense of humor, Liu will no doubt become one of the favored faces of Marvel Phase 4 and beyond.

It'll be exciting to see which facets of the character director Destin Daniel Cretton (Short Term 12) brings to life. Allegedly, the studio has been working much more closely with the comic book creators than they have in the past, which should reassure fans that the project is in good hands.

This could be the martial arts entry that Iron Fist never turned out to be.

IN CONCLUSION

SHANG-CHI AND THE LEGEND OF THE TEN RINGS

  • Director: Destin Daniel Cretton
  • Release Date: February 12th, 2021
  • Phase 4.3 — 26th Overall

MADNESS IN THE MCU PHASE 4

4. Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness (2021)

Phase 4's Most Crucial Film?

Scott Derrickson is well-known for his work in the horror genre: Deliver Us from Evil, Sinister, and The Exorcism of Emily Rose. It was only natural when he revealed that his next Marvel movie would integrate some scary, gothic elements. 

The title alone evokes literary Lovecraftian fear, so here's hoping for some Mandy-caliber insanity. This time around, the script will be penned by up-and-coming dark comedy/horror writer Jade Bartlett.

Multiverse of Madness may also be the thread that ties all of Marvel Phase 4 together. It directly connects to the Disney+ series WandaVision and Loki, featuring Scarlet Witch (Elizabeth Olsen) in a leading role. 

Strange spent some time surfing the multiverse in Infinity War; who knows what he saw there. Whatever it was, it must be truly maddening if it requires such an O.P. team up to overcome.

IN CONCLUSION

DOCTOR STRANGE IN THE MULTIVERSE OF MADNESS

  • Director: Scott Derrickson
  • Release Date: May 7th, 2021
  • Phase 4.4 — 27th Overall

SPIDEY IS BACK ON THE MARVEL MOVIE SCHEDULE

5. Untitled Third Spider-Man Film (2021)

What To Expect In Marvel's Spider-Man 3

The first time a Spider-Man movie series made it to three entries, it didn't pan out so well. For a minute there, it looked like history would repeat itself and Sony would create a weird, non-MCU-but-still-MCU Spider-Man film without Marvel Studios’ involvement. 

We've now learned Tom Holland's drunken phone call with Bob Iger saved us from that fate, so Spidey is back for his next Marvel movie.

Far From Home was a nice capstone to Peter and Tony's relationship, but the setup to this third installment will permit Spider-Man to be his own hero again. 

In the last film's mid-credits scene, Mysterio exposed Peter’s secret identity on live television. This film can explore that aftermath with a brand new storyline that won’t fall in the same traps as Spider-Man 3—provided there’s no dancing.

IN CONCLUSION

UNTITLED THIRD SPIDER-MAN FILM

  • Director: Jon Watts
  • Release Date: July 16th, 2021
  • Phase 4.5 — 28th Overall

THOR FOUR IN MARVEL PHASE 4

6. Thor: Love and Thunder (2021)

Thor 4 Breakdown

Appropriately finishing off the MCU phase 4 is Thor: Love and Thunder—the fourth film in 2021 and the fourth installment in the longest-running franchise. In the days of The Dark World, no one could have predicted this would be one of the most anticipated of the upcoming Marvel movies.

When we left Thor in Endgame, he was hitching a ride into space with the Guardians of the Galaxy, but his next Marvel movie sees him reuniting with the people of Asgard once more. Mjolnir has found a new worthy wielder in Jane Foster, played by Natalie Portman. 

Portman skipped Ragnarok (and who could blame her after her last appearance) but now she strikes back, taking up the mantle of the Mighty Thor. Add director Taika Waititi and Tessa Thompson's Valkyrie to the mix, and you've got a thunderous ensemble.

Since this is the current conclusion to Marvel Phase 4, we're wondering what kind of climatic event will close it out. Maybe this is the true end of Chris Hemsworth's godly tenure?

IN CONCLUSION

THOR: LOVE AND THUNDER

  • Director: Taika Waititi
  • Release Date: November 5th, 2021
  • Phase 4.6 — 29th Overall

UPCOMING MARVEL MOVIES COMING OUT IN 2022

7. Black Panther 2 (2022)

Black Panther 2 Announcement

After the success of the first Black Panther, there was no way that there wouldn’t be a follow up. It won’t be here in time for Marvel Phase 4, but it’s looking to be one of the first chapters in the next leg of films.

There has been a myriad of rumors regarding what will be in that sequel: the return of Michael B. Jordan, the introduction of Doctor Doom, or maybe a new villain played by Donald Glover. 

The only thing that's confirmed as of now, though, is that Ryan Coogler is back at the helm. That's the most important ingredient since it was his vision that made Black Panther so iconic in the first place.

If Coogler follows up on the original film's ending, we'll finally see what difference Wakanda has made in the world in the many years since they revealed themselves.

IN CONCLUSION

BLACK PANTHER 2

  • Director: Ryan Coogler
  • Release Date: May 6th, 2022
  • Phase 5+

FUTURE MARVEL MOVIES COMING OUT

8. Guardians of the Galaxy, Vol. 3 (TBD)

GOTG3 SCRIPT DETAILS and RELEASE DATE

Though we’ve known about it for a while, Guardians 3 isn’t on the Marvel movie schedule just yet. The wait is longer than anticipated thanks to Disney's firing and rehiring of James Gunn.

He picked up a different comic book film about a ragtag team of anti-heroes, The Suicide Squad, during his absence. So, he’ll get rolling on this as soon as he's done with that.

As for the plot, there are some possibilities. The ending of Guardians 2 teased the arrival of Adam Warlock, a super-powerful artificial lifeform made by the Sovereigns. 

We know from the comics that he has a campaign with the Infinity Stones, but those have already been destroyed in the film canon. We can only guess what he’ll do now.

Not to mention that Endgame set up an “Asgardians of the Galaxy” team-up with Thor, as well as a conflict with the alternate universe's Gamora. Clearly, Gunn has a lot to cover in his next Marvel movie and we can't wait for him to get back to this labor of love.

IN CONCLUSION

GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY, VOL. 3

  • Director: James Gunn
  • Release Date: TBD
  • Phase 5+

ANT-MAN’S NEXT MARVEL MOVIE

9. Ant-Man 3 (TBD)

Nando Pitches Ant-Man and The Wasp 2

Paul Rudd is a treat as Ant-Man, but I always figured he’d continue the role as a guest in the upcoming Marvel movies — just as Mark Ruffalo did as Hulk. 

It's surprising that they're making a third Ant-Man at all. The movies don't fare especially well at the box office — at least not compared to their peers. That's not stopping Rudd from sneaking onto the Marvel movie schedule.

Since Peyton Reed is signed on to return as director, we can expect something in the same vein as the previous two films. In Endgame, Scott Lang vanished into the Quantum Realm for five years, so there's some housekeeping and hijinks to cover with his teenage daughter. 

Now that films like Eternals and Captain Marvel are going intergalactic in scale, that may give Ant-Man 3 the freedom to downsize to a more personal plotline like this.

IN CONCLUSION

ANT-MAN 3

  • Director: Peyton Reed
  • Release Date: TBD
  • Phase 5+

FUTURE MARVEL MOVIES GO DARK

10. Blade (TBD)

New Rockstars on Blade reboot

Following Spider-Man, Blade is the second superhero to be readapted after already having a film franchise. Wesley Snipes starred as the Daywalker starting way back in 1998 in one of Marvel’s premiere films.

All we know for now is that he will be played by Mahershala Ali, and besides that bit of inspired casting, we're in the dark. The big question is: will Marvel Studios dare to make an R-rated movie? 

Of course, financially, they have nothing to be concerned about. Joker, Deadpool, and Logan all grossed hefty numbers with mature audiences. 

It's a question of "family-friendly" brand integrity. Only time will tell if that's something Disney is willing to compromise to recapture the belovedness of the Wesley Snipes joints.

IN CONCLUSION

BLADE

  • Director: TBD
  • Release Date: TBD
  • Phase 5+

Upcoming Captain Marvel Sequel

11. Captain Marvel 2 (TBD)

What to expect in Captain Marvel 2

Captain Marvel had a bit of a bumpy entry into the MCU. Her first film was a financial hit, but not entirely loved by critics, and then she took a back seat role for Avengers: Endgame. As far as we know, she won’t be in any of the upcoming Marvel movies for at least 2 years.

With Captain Marvel 2, the pressure is off for the character to course-correct. We saw it happen with the Captain America and Thor franchises and we can see it again. There’s a lot to get excited about here.

The credits scene of Spider-Man: Far From Home revealed that Nick Fury is up in space with the Skrulls working on some secret project. There were also references to Kree sleeper cells, so evidently there is still unrest between the two factions decades later.

That's solid material for Captain Marvel 2 to work with, especially if Marvel wants to take on the revered Secret Invasion storyline.

IN CONCLUSION

CAPTAIN MARVEL 2

  • Director: TBD
  • Release Date: TBD
  • Phase 5+

FUTURE MARVEL MOVIES ON THE HORIZON

12. Untitled Fantastic Four Project (TBD)

Looper speculates about F4

The Disney-Fox merger is markedly bad for the entertainment industry as a whole—but it did bring the Fantastic Four back home to Marvel Studios, so at least we'll have some fun movies to watch under Disney's monopolistic reign!

It'll be a long time before Marvel’s first family gets a film of their own, but at the D23 Expo, Kevin Feige revealed that it is at least in the works.

Under Fox, the franchise received three films and none of them were strong installments. Josh Trank's dark 2015 relaunch is particularly lambasted, actually souring some people to the brand name.

Just as the MCU fixed Spider-Man, it could restore the Fantastic Four back to their golden age glory. We just need a release date.

IN CONCLUSION

UNTITLED FANTASTIC FOUR PROJECT

  • Director: TBD
  • Release Date: TBD
  • Phase 5+

UPCOMING MARVEL MOVIES TIMELINE

13. Untitled Mutants Project (TBD)

Nerdist’s X-Men theories

Like Fantastic Four, the current "mutants" project has almost no information about it other than the sheer fact of its existence. But nevertheless, it does exist on the upcoming Marvel movies timeline.

Worth noting that Kevin Feige used the term "mutants" instead of "X-Men." Or, maybe they're just interchangeable references. 

But he did promise that the MCU's approach would be different than that of the Fox films. It wouldn't be surprising to see multiple films that build-up to the "X-Men" title gradually. 

With Avengers: Endgame acting as a de facto finale to that IP, Marvel Studios needs a new crossover event. This might be how they pull it off. 

There’s history to consider. Whether the lukewarm reception to Dark Phoenix worked for or against their plan is anyone's guess.

IN CONCLUSION

UNTITLED X-MEN PROJECT

  • Director: TBD
  • Release Date: TBD
  • Phase 5+

Up Next

More from Marvel

The depth and complexity of the Marvel Cinematic Universe cannot be understated. There is so much content to read, watch, analyze, theorize and we've collected it all here. If you want to know about all the upcoming Marvel releases or see the MCU in order of release date or in story order, look no further. Or perhaps you're curious about our idea for the best order to watch the MCU: The Pegasus Order. 

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  • David R. Olsson is a writer and editor based in Los Angeles. He earned his B.S. in TV and Business from Hofstra University in New York. He also writes for Channel Frederator and Cinematica on YouTube.

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