Marvel Cinematic Universe | What’s Marvel’s release slate now after “Fantastic 4” announcement?

It was quite the Valentine’s Day gift from Marvel Studio yesterday; not only did we get a cast list for the third reboot attempt of “The Fantastic Four,” with Pedro Pascal, Vanessa Kirby, Ebon Moss-Bachrach and Joseph Quinn confirmed for the lead roles, but also a release date for the film.

That release date sees the film fit into Phase 6 of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, coming to cinemas on July 25 2025. But with such a sudden release date confirmed by the studio, has there been some reshuffling of the Marvel Cinematic Universe release slate? 

Not too much of a reshuffle, you’ll be pleased to know; the biggest change is that the “Thunderbolts” movie starring Florence Pugh and David Harbour, is set to be released early now on May 1 2025 leaving not too much of a gap between the conclusion of Phase 5 in film to the start of Phase 6. 

Only “Daredevil: Born Again,” which is currently scheduled for release “some time” in 2025, is the project that remains the final instalment in the, if we’re being honest, curse-riddled Phase 5 of the cinematic universe. Previous entries into the phase of the MCU have not done spectacularly well at the box office, with the last Phase 5 film, “The Marvels,” becoming the lowest-grossing MCU film in its history.

No doubt the surprise announcement of “The Fantastic Four” is Kevin Feige and company’s attempts to get cinemagoers reinvested in the franchise once again, with much discussion regarding theatrical releases being made about cinema entering a “post-franchise” era.

When is the next series of MCU films being released?

Phase 5

• “Deadpool vs Wolverine” - July 26 2024
• “Agatha: Darkhold Diaries” - Late 2024 (TV)
• “Eyes of Wakanda” - 2024 (TV)
• “Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man” - 2024 (TV)
• “Marvel Zomies” - 2024 (TV)
• “Captain American: Brave New World” - February 14 2025
• “Daredevil: Born Again” - 2025 (TV)

Phase 6

• “Thunderbolts” - May 2 2025
• “The Fantastic Four” - July 25 2025
• “Blade” - November 7 2025
• “Avengers 5” - May 1 2026
• “Avengers: Secret Wars” - May 7 2027

Have the plots of “Avengers 5” and “Avengers 6” changed now?

That would appear to be the case; originally, the fifth “Avengers” film was entitled “The Kang Dynasty,” however since the subsequent legal trouble Jonathan Majors (who played Kang in “Loki” and “Ant-Man and The Wasp: Quantumania”) it looks like Marvel Studio’s have pivoted to a new storyline.

"Secret Wars" was a major crossover storyline that occurred in Marvel Comics in 1984-1985, where the Beyonder, who observes the Marvel Universe, becomes fascinated with the conflict between its heroes and villains. The Beyonder then transports a group of superheroes and supervillains, along with a section of Earth, to a distant planet called Battleworld. On Battleworld, the heroes and villains are forced to confront each other in a series of battles orchestrated by the Beyonder.

Given the sudden announcement of “The Fantastic Four,” yesterday, a superteam who gained their powers after a failed space mission, could “The Beyonder” fit into the upcoming Pedro Pascal-led reboot of Marvel’s first family - and could The Beyonder take over the mantle of “big bad” that Jonathan Majors was set to play?

Where can I catch up with the first four phases of the Marvel Cinematic Universe?

The entire Marvel Cinematic Universe can be streamed in the United Kingdom on Disney+ (subscription required)