Phase Six of the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) is a group of American
Phase Six of the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) is a group of American
Kevin Feige is producing every film in the phase, with Amy Pascal, Avi Arad, and Rachel O'Connor also producing Spider-Man: Brand New Day (2026)—a co-production between Marvel Studios and Columbia Pictures—and directors Anthony and Joe Russo also producing the crossover films Avengers: Doomsday (2026) and Secret Wars. The films star Pedro Pascal as Reed Richards / Mister Fantastic in First Steps and Tom Holland as Peter Parker / Spider-Man in Brand New Day. Many actors from previous Marvel projects return for Doomsday and Secret Wars. Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures is distributing the films except for Brand New Day, which is being released by Sony Pictures Releasing.
The phase's series are released under different labels: "Marvel Animation" for the animated series; "Marvel Spotlight" for the more standalone series Wonder Man (2026); and "Marvel Television" for other live-action series. The television series star ensemble casts for the animated miniseries Eyes of Wakanda and the first season of the animated series Marvel Zombies (both 2025), Yahya Abdul-Mateen II as Simon Williams / Wonder Man in the first season of Wonder Man, Charlie Cox as Matt Murdock / Daredevil in the second and third seasons of Daredevil: Born Again (2026–27), Paul Bettany as Vision in VisionQuest (2026), and Hudson Thames as Peter Parker / Spider-Man in the second season of the animated Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man (2026).
In addition to the feature films and television series, the phase also includes the television special The Punisher: One Last Kill (2026), starring Jon Bernthal as Frank Castle / Punisher. Some tie-in comic books are also included. Additionally, the second and third seasons of the Marvel Studios Animation series X-Men '97 are set to be released on Disney+ alongside Phase Six as part of the Multiverse Saga.
By April 2014, Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige said that additional storylines for their media franchise and shared universe, the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU), were planned through 2028. During Marvel Studios' panel at San Diego Comic-Con in July 2019, Feige announced several films and Disney+ television series in development for Phase Four of the MCU, before revealing the film Blade and a Fantastic Four film were also in development. After the panel, Feige confirmed that Blade was not part of the Phase Four slate at the time, and that what was announced was the full Phase Four slate at that point, despite Marvel already developing further projects at that time. Fantastic Four was formally confirmed in December 2020; the film was believed to be a part of Phase Four at that time.
By June 2021, in addition to What If...?, Marvel Studios was developing a slate of at least three more animated series. During the Disney+ Day event in November 2021, Marvel Studios announced the What If...? spin-off series Marvel Zombies. By the end of November 2021, producer Amy Pascal said that Marvel Studios was planning at least three more Spider-Man films starring Tom Holland with Sony Pictures after Spider-Man: No Way Home (2021), and the following month, Marvel Studios and Sony were actively beginning to develop the story for the fourth MCU Spider-Man film. Also in December, Destin Daniel Cretton was revealed to be developing a comedy series through his company Family Owned, as part of his overall deal with Marvel Studios to develop television projects for the studio for Disney+ in addition to returning to write and direct a sequel to Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings (2021). In April 2022, Feige said he and Marvel Studios were on a creative retreat to plan and discuss the MCU films for the following 10 years, and in June 2022, said information on the next saga of the MCU would be provided in the following months, with Marvel Studios being a "little more direct" on their future plans to provide audiences with "the bigger picture [so they] can see a tiny, tiny bit more of the roadmap" following the clues included during Phase Four. Cretton's series was also revealed to be Wonder Man that month.
At Marvel Studios' San Diego Comic-Con panel in July 2022, Feige announced that Fantastic Four would be the first film of Phase Six. He also announced that the phase would conclude with two ensemble films, Avengers: The Kang Dynasty and Avengers: Secret Wars, both to be released in 2025, and that Phase Six, along with Phase Four and Phase Five, would be part of "The Multiverse Saga". The films were respectively inspired by "Kang Dynasty", a 2001 comic book storyline written by Kurt Busiek in which Kang the Conqueror travels through time to enslave humanity, and Secret Wars, the name of a 1984–85 comic written by Jim Shooter and a 2015–16 comic written by Jonathan Hickman that both follow various Marvel characters who converge on the planet Battleworld. Feige noted that while not all projects in Phase Six or the previous two phases would directly tie into the larger multiverse storyline, the various storylines that would weave together leading into Secret Wars was "a whole new aspect to the MCU". At the panel, Feige also confirmed the film Blade for Phase Five. Following Marvel Studios' SDCC panel, Disney announced a third season of What If...? and a second season of Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man, then titled Spider-Man: Sophomore Year. In October, Marvel Studios delayed Blade to September 2024 and pushed back the releases of Fantastic Four and Avengers: Secret Wars as a result.
The start of the 2023 Writers Guild of America strike in May 2023 was not expected to impact the MCU projects in production, or preparing to begin production, at that time, namely Wonder Man and Fantastic Four, with Marvel Studios reportedly planning to shoot what they could during principal photography and make any necessary writing adjustments during each project's already scheduled reshoots. Production on Wonder Man was shut down by the end of the month, with plans to resume filming when the strike concluded. In June, Disney delayed Fantastic Four to May 2, 2025, Avengers: The Kang Dynasty to May 1, 2026, and Avengers: Secret Wars to May 7, 2027, in part due to the writers' strike and Disney's intentions to improve the quality of MCU content from writing through post-production, after disappointing reception and lower box office earnings for several recently released films following the COVID-19 pandemic. The following month, Iger stated the company would be reducing spending and creation of Marvel content, admitting that Marvel Studios' expansion into Disney+ series and more films had "diluted focus and attention" after a number of underachieving films at the box office in Phases Four and Five. In early September 2023, Marvel Studios announced Wonder Man had an undetermined release, due to the 2023 Hollywood labor disputes and a desire to slow down their content output and make each of their titles "an event".
When the 2023 SAG-AFTRA strike ended that November, Disney delayed several films to accommodate the resumption of production, including moving Blade to November 7, 2025, making it part of the Phase Six slate. Also that month, it was reported that Marvel Studios executives had discussed potentially bringing back the original Avengers cast, including Robert Downey Jr. as Tony Stark / Iron Man, as well as alternative plans for the Multiverse Saga due to Kang the Conqueror actor Jonathan Majors's legal issues surrounding assault allegations from earlier that year, including pivoting to focus on another comic book antagonist such as Doctor Doom. The following month, Disney and Marvel Studios fired Majors after he was found guilty of harassment and reckless assault in the third degree. His character had been set to be the main antagonist of the Multiverse Saga, particularly The Kang Dynasty. By then, Marvel Studios had begun to internally refer to that film as Avengers 5. Additionally, Marvel Studios Animation announced the series Eyes of Wakanda, which was planned to be released in 2024. Fantastic Four was retitled The Fantastic Four in February 2024, when its release date was moved to July 25, 2025, swapping with the Phase Five film Thunderbolts*.
In May 2024, Iger said Disney planned to release two, or at most three, Marvel films and two Marvel series a year moving forward. This was down from up to four films and around four series being released in some recent years, and was part of the company's larger strategy to reduce its content output and focus on quality; at that time, four films were still planned to be released in 2026. He said Marvel content would continue to balance sequels with new franchises. Later that month, VisionQuest, a spin-off series from WandaVision (2021) centered on the character Vision, was revealed to be in development for release in 2026; it concludes a trilogy of series that includes WandaVision and Agatha All Along (2024), and was previously being developed by those series' creator Jac Schaeffer. In July 2024, The Fantastic Four was further retitled The Fantastic Four: First Steps, while Avengers 5 was titled Avengers: Doomsday along with the announcement of Downey playing a new villain, Victor von Doom / Doctor Doom, in that film and Secret Wars.
At Disney's D23 convention in August 2025, Feige confirmed that Daredevil: Born Again would have a second season, which would consist of eight episodes carried over from the originally announced 18-episode first season following the series' creative overhaul. In October, Disney removed Blade from its release calendar, while Sony scheduled Spider-Man: Brand New Day for release on July 24, 2026. This filled a date that Disney had previously scheduled for an unspecified Marvel Studios film. Later that month, Marvel Studios announced the release dates for their Disney+ projects through the end of 2024 and 2025, including Eyes of Wakanda, Marvel Zombies, and Wonder Man. In February 2025, Sony pushed the release of the fourth Spider-Man film back a week to July 31, 2026, while a Special Presentation television special starring Jon Bernthal as Frank Castle / Punisher, The Punisher: One Last Kill, was revealed to be in development for release in May 2026, following the release of Born Again season 2 from March to May 2026. In May 2025, Disney delayed the release of Doomsday and Secret Wars to December 18, 2026, and December 17, 2027, respectively, to allow more time for production to be completed. In September 2025, Born Again was renewed for a third season, and the next month, Wonder Man was pushed back to January 2026.
Ahead of the start of Phase Six with the release of First Steps in July 2025, Feige called Phase Six "the most focused phase" after Phases Four and Five were used by Marvel Studios to "experiment". He explained, "We used it to evolve and then we used it to expand – too much. Secret Wars, as in the comics, is as much about bringing certain storylines to a close as it is about launching a new one, and that's what's very exciting."
<section begin=Films />
The Fantastic Four must protect their 1960s-inspired retro-futuristic world from the planet-devouring cosmic being Galactus.
Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige said they were developing an MCU Fantastic Four film in July 2019. Jon Watts was announced as the director in December 2020, but he stepped down in April 2022. Matt Shakman took over as director that September,[1] when Jeff Kaplan and Ian Springer were writing the script. Josh Friedman was rewriting the script by March 2023, with Eric Pearson also contributing to it. Friedman, Pearson, Kaplan, and Springer were all credited for the film's screenplay, with Pearson, Kaplan, Springer, and Kat Wood receiving story credits.[2][3] The titular team's cast was confirmed in February 2024, consisting of Pedro Pascal as Reed Richards / Mister Fantastic, Vanessa Kirby as Sue Storm / Invisible Woman, Joseph Quinn as Johnny Storm / Human Torch, and Ebon Moss-Bachrach as Ben Grimm / The Thing. The title was announced at the end of July 2024, when filming began at Pinewood Studios in England, and wrapped at the end of November. The Fantastic Four: First Steps premiered at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion on July 21, 2025, and was released in the United States on July 25.
The Fantastic Four: First Steps is set on Earth-828, an alternate universe from the main MCU "Sacred Timeline", in 1964. Because of this, Shakman said there would be no "Easter eggs" to the larger MCU. Robert Downey Jr. makes a cameo appearance as Victor von Doom / Doctor Doom in the mid-credits scene.
Peter Parker anonymously protects New York City as the hero Spider-Man and investigates a powerful new threat while his superpowers undergo a surprising and potentially dangerous evolution.
A fourth MCU Spider-Man film was reportedly in development by August 2019 alongside Spider-Man: No Way Home (2021). By December 2021, Sony and Marvel Studios planned to make at least three more films, including the fourth, starring Tom Holland as Peter Parker / Spider-Man. Chris McKenna and Erik Sommers began writing the script in February 2023,[6] but work was soon put on hold by the 2023 Writers Guild of America strike. Destin Daniel Cretton was hired to direct by October 2024 when Holland was confirmed to star,[5] and the title was revealed in March 2025 as Spider-Man: Brand New Day.[4] Avi Arad and Rachel O'Connor also produce the film. Filming began in August 2025 in
Groups of heroes from three different universes—the Avengers, Wakandans, and New Avengers from Earth-616; the Fantastic Four from Earth-828; and the "original" X-Men from a separate universe—converge to face the existential threat of Doctor Doom.
Marvel Studios originally announced the fifth Avengers film as Avengers: The Kang Dynasty at San Diego Comic-Con (SDCC) in July 2022, to be directed by Destin Daniel Cretton, while Jeff Loveness was writing the script by September. They both left by November 2023 when Michael Waldron joined as writer. Kang the Conqueror actor Jonathan Majors was attached to star in the film until he was fired the next month following an assault conviction. At the July 2024 SDCC, Marvel Studios announced the film's new title, Robert Downey Jr.'s casting as the film's new antagonist Victor von Doom / Doctor Doom (after previously portraying Tony Stark / Iron Man in the MCU), Anthony and Joe Russo as the directors and producers through their production company AGBO, and Stephen McFeely as the new writer,[7] working with Waldron.[8]
Marvel Studios announced Avengers: Secret Wars at the July 2022 SDCC, with Waldron writing the script that October. The Russo brothers were announced in July 2024 as the directors and producers through AGBO, along with McFeely as the new writer and Downey's casting as Doctor Doom.[7] Filming is scheduled to begin in mid-2026 at Pinewood Studios in England. and is expected to last for approximately six months. Avengers: Secret Wars is scheduled to be released on December 17, 2027.[9]
The series in Phase Six will be or are being released on Disney+.
<section begin=TVSeriesTable />
<section end=TVSeriesTable />
The Hatut Zaraze, Wakandan warriors, carry out dangerous missions around the world to retrieve vibranium artifacts throughout history.
Eyes of Wakanda was announced from Marvel Studios Animation in December 2023, created in collaboration with Black Panther (2018) and Black Panther: Wakanda Forever (2022) director Ryan Coogler's production company Proximity Media. In May 2024, Todd Harris was revealed to have created the series, and he serves as the director and showrunner.[11] He previously served as a storyboard artist at Marvel Studios. John Fang also directs.[12] Eyes of Wakanda was released on August 1, 2025, and consist of four episodes.
Eyes of Wakanda is set in several past time periods, with its respective episodes set in 1260 BC Crete during the Bronze Age, 1200 BC during the Trojan War, 1400 AD China at the start of the Ming dynasty, and 1896 AD Ethiopia during the First Italo-Ethiopian War.[12]
A group of survivors fight against former heroes and villains that have been turned into zombies.
In November 2021, an animated series based on the comic book series Marvel Zombies was announced,[14] with Bryan Andrews directing and Zeb Wells serving as head writer;[14] Andrews was later revealed as showrunner.[11][13] It is a continuation of the reality first introduced in the What If...? episode "What If... Zombies?!" and includes characters introduced in Phase Four of the MCU. Marvel Zombies was released on Disney+ on September 24, 2025, and consists of four episodes.[13]
Struggling actor Simon Williams and actor Trevor Slattery try to earn roles in the remake of the superhero film Wonder Man.
In December 2021, Destin Daniel Cretton signed a multi-year deal with Marvel Studios to develop television projects for Disney+, with a comedy series already in development by then, through Cretton's company Family Owned. In June 2022, the series was revealed to be Wonder Man, centered on the character Simon Williams / Wonder Man, with Andrew Guest joining to develop the series and serve as head writer; Guest later became showrunner.[16] In October, Yahya Abdul-Mateen II was cast as the title character. Filming began in April 2023 in Los Angeles, with Cretton, James Ponsoldt, Tiffany Johnson, and Stella Meghie directing episodes of the series,[17] but was shut down the next month because of the WGA strike. Filming resumed in January 2024, and concluded by that April. The first season of Wonder Man was released in its entirety on Disney+ on January 27, 2026, as part of the "Marvel Spotlight" banner,[16]
In the second season, New York City mayor Wilson Fisk / Kingpin and his Anti-Vigilante Task Force (AVTF) are hunting Matt Murdock / Daredevil after Fisk's consolidation of power. Murdock goes underground and gathers allies to resist Fisk's corruption and the AVTF.
The first season of Daredevil: Born Again premiered in March 2025. The series was announced in July 2022 with an 18-episode first season, but following its creative overhaul in September 2023, this was split into two seasons, and the series was renewed for a third season in September 2025. Charlie Cox and Vincent D'Onofrio return to star as Murdock and Fisk, respectively, along with showrunner Dario Scardapane.[19][20] Directors Justin Benson and Aaron Moorhead returned for the second and third seasons,[23] with Iain B. MacDonald also directing in both seasons.[21][24]
A spin-off series from WandaVision centered on Paul Bettany's character Vision, titled Vision Quest, was in development by October 2022. Jac Schaeffer was set to return as head writer with Bettany starring, but Schaeffer was no longer developing it by May 2024 due to her focus on the first spin-off, Agatha All Along (2024), and Terry Matalas was hired to redevelop the series as its showrunner.[27] The series concludes a trilogy that also includes WandaVision and Agatha All Along. Filming had begun by March 2025 at Pinewood Studios in London, with Matalas, Christopher J. Byrne, Vincenzo Natali, and Gandja Monteiro directing episodes of the series,[28] and concluded in July 2025. VisionQuest is scheduled to debut on Disney+ in late 2026,[26] and will consist of eight episodes.[25]
VisionQuest is set after the events of WandaVision.[27]
The first season of Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man premiered in January 2025. A second season, initially titled Spider-Man: Sophomore Year, was announced in July 2022, continuing the naming convention of the series' original title, Spider-Man: Freshman Year. Jeff Trammell returned as head writer and showrunner from the first season, and said in January 2025 that the series was not limited to covering one school year per season.[30][10] The second season is expected to premiere in late 2026.[29] A third season is also in production.
<section begin=TVSpecials />
Frank Castle tries to live a life without the need for revenge, only to be drawn into an unexpected conflict.
In February 2025, a Special Presentation centered on Jon Bernthal's character Frank Castle / Punisher from Marvel's Netflix series and Daredevil: Born Again was announced to be in development. Reinaldo Marcus Green was set to direct the special and was writing the script with Bernthal, after they worked together on the miniseries We Own This City (2022).[32] Filming began in mid-July 2025, in New York City, and wrapped in early August. In March 2026, the special was titled The Punisher: One Last Kill. It is scheduled to be released on Disney+ on May 12, 2026, one week after the Born Again season 2 finale.[31] It is marketed as a "Marvel Television Special Presentation".
One Last Kill is concurrent with the events of Born Again season 2. Jason R. Moore reprises his role as Curtis Hoyle from Marvel's Netflix series The Punisher (2017–2019).
Key:
Eyes of Wakanda is set in several past time periods, from 1260 BC to 1896 AD. Wonder Man spans multiple years, from around late 2025 until mid 2027. The second season of Born Again is set six months after the first season, and concurrent with the events of The Punisher: One Last Kill. Brand New Day is set four years after No Way Home in 2028. Doomsday will also be set in 2028, 14 months after the end of Thunderbolts*. VisionQuest is set after the events of WandaVision.[27] The Fantastic Four: First Steps is set on Earth-828 in 1964. Marvel Zombies is set in 2023 on the alternate reality from the What If...? episode "What If... Zombies?!" (2021), five years after those events.
Characters are listed alphabetically by last name, as applicable.
<section begin=TVResponse /><section end=TVResponse />
For the second season of Daredevil: Born Again, Marvel Television will launch the nine-episode Daredevil: Born Again Official Podcast on March 17, 2026. It will feature conversations with the cast, crew, and creatives, exploring the series so far and examining each episode of the second season. The Daredevil: Born Again Official Podcast will be available on Disney+ and YouTube, with an audio-only version available on various podcast platforms.
Brand New Day is set four years after No Way Home in 2028. Jon Bernthal, Mark Ruffalo, and Zabryna Guevara reprise their MCU roles as Frank Castle / Punisher, Bruce Banner / Hulk, and Sheila Rivera, respectively, while Charlie Cox is also expected to reprise his role as Matt Murdock / Daredevil.
Doomsday is set 14 months after Thunderbolts* (2025). Ian McKellen, Alan Cumming, Rebecca Romijn, and James Marsden reprise their respective roles as Erik Lehnsherr / Magneto, Kurt Wagner / Nightcrawler, Raven Darkhölme / Mystique, and Scott Summers / Cyclops from 20th Century Fox's X-Men film series.
Marvel Zombies is set in 2023, five years after the events of the What If...? episode. Over 15 actors reprise their MCU roles in Marvel Zombies, with several actors from What If...? also reprising their roles. Todd Williams voices Eric Brooks / Blade Knight in the series.[13]
Wonder Man spans multiple years, from around late 2025 until 2027. Ben Kingsley and Arian Moayed reprise their respective MCU roles of Trevor Slattery and Department of Damage Control agent P. Cleary.
The second season is set six months after the first season, and is concurrent with the events of The Punisher: One Last Kill (2026). For the second season, Krysten Ritter, Toby Leonard Moore, and Royce Johnson reprise their respective roles as Jessica Jones, James Wesley, and Brett Mahoney from Marvel's Netflix television series. In the third season, Ritter again reprises her role, and is joined by Mike Colter and Finn Jones reprising their respective Netflix series' roles as Luke Cage and Danny Rand / Iron Fist.