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All your Marvel MCU Phase 5 and Phase 6 Questions Answered

Here is what you need to know in advance of what's coming over the next few years.

Mark Serrels Editorial Director
Mark Serrels is an award-winning Senior Editorial Director focused on all things culture. He covers TV, movies, anime, video games and whatever weird things are happening on the internet. He especially likes to write about the hardships of being a parent in the age of memes, Minecraft and Fortnite. Definitely don't follow him on Twitter.
Mark Serrels
4 min read
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Things are getting a little confusing.

Marvel

At San Diego Comic-Con in July, Marvel revealed not just footage of upcoming movies like Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, but also its entire upcoming slate of TV shows and movies. Marvel announced so much that it almost felt overwhelming, particularly if you can't automatically recall the details and order of every show and movie already out.

We're here to help. Here are some answers to questions you might have after discovering Marvel is releasing a million different movies and TV shows in the next three or so years.

What is The Multiverse Saga?

In addition to announcing not one, but two new upcoming Avengers movies -- Avengers: The Kang Dynasty, set for release on May 2, 2025, and Avengers: Secret Wars, set for release in Nov. 7, 2025 -- Marvel also announced the title of the Marvel Cinematic Universe tale that stretches through phases 4 to 6. 

That name is The Multiverse Saga. But what does it mean?

Well, Marvel is very into dividing its release schedule into phases. The first phase of the Marvel Cinematic Universe kicked off with movies like the first Iron Man and the third phase ended with movies like Avengers: Endgame and Spider-Man: Far From Home. Marvel referred to the first three phases of its Marvel Cinematic Universe stories as The Infinity Saga.
The Multiverse Saga is simply Marvel's name for the movies and TV shows featured in phases 4 through 6. That starts with movies like Black Widow and Shang-Chi and The Legend of The Ten Rings and will presumably end with upcoming phase 6 movies like Avengers: Secret Wars.

Who is Kang?

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A version of Kang, featured in Loki.

Chuck Zlotnick/Marvel Studios

Kang is a Marvel supervillain who is set to become a huge focus in Marvel movies in Phases 5 and 6. He's making his debut in the upcoming movie Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania. The next Avengers movie, Avengers: The Kang Dynasty, has his name in the title, so you know he's stepping up.

Kang is played by Jonathan Majors and is a time traveler with multiple aliases in different Marvel universes, so expect that to play into the whole multiverse aspect of movies and shows in The Multiverse Saga. Fun fact: The character Kang has already appeared in a Marvel show. He's an alternate version of He Who Remains, who featured in the Loki finale back in July 2021.

What are the Secret Wars?

The fifth Avengers movie, Avengers: Secret Wars, is almost certainly going to be somewhat based on The Secret Wars, a super-successful 12-issue crossover series of Marvel comics released from 1984 to 1985. It featured a broad set of heroes from the Avengers, the X-Men and the Fantastic Four, as well as individual heroes like Spider-Man. In short: Everyone played a part in the secret wars. Villains in the series included folks like Doctor Doom and -- yep -- Kang.

Connecting the dots here, this means Avengers: Secret Wars will most likely tie in upcoming movies like the new Fantastic Four movie, which Marvel announced as being part of the Phase 6 rollout. Fantastic Four is set for release on Nov. 8, 2024, before the two new Avengers movies, which are currently scheduled for release in 2025.

There is a second Secret Wars comic book series, which was released in 2015. As always the MCU does its own unique thing, but most likely the upcoming movies will feature elements of all these comics. Still, some believe the more recent Secret Wars series is better suited for adaptation in the current form the MCU seems to be taking.

What's happening with Fantastic Four?

Fantastic Four, alongside the two newly announced Avengers movies, are the only Phase 6 movies or shows announced so far. As mentioned above, it's set for release on Nov. 8, 2024 and will potentially set the scene for those Avengers movies.

No casting or director has been announced as of yet, but fans have been clamoring for John Krasinski in the role. We reckon that would be a good choice. It's worth noting that Krasinski already made a cameo as Reed Richards, the leader of the Fantastic Four, in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness.

What's the full release schedule for Phase 5 and Phase 6 so far?

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Secret Wars will hit cinemas in 2025.

Marvel

This list comes with the caveat that there are still a few more movies coming that have dates but no names yet -- and some announcements of movies with names but no specific release date yet.

For example, we know that Deadpool 3 is in the works, with Ryan Reynolds teaming up with director Shawn Levy. We also know Armor Wars, a TV series starring Don Cheadle is coming. We just don't know when it'll arrive.
More interestingly, there are slots for unnamed Marvel movies in Phase 6: one on Feb. 14, 2025, and one on July 25, 2025. 

Here's the latest list of films and TV shows:

Phase 5

  • Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania -- Feb. 17, 2023
  • Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 -- May. 5, 2023
  • Secret Invasion -- Spring 2023
  • Echo -- Summer 2023
  • The Marvels -- July 28, 2023
  • Loki Season 2 -- Summer 2023
  • Blade -- Nov. 3, 2023
  • Ironheart -- Fall 2023
  • Agatha: Coven of Chaos -- Winter 2023
  • Captain America: New World Order -- May 3, 2024
  • Daredevil: Born Again -- Spring 2024
  • Thunderbolts -- Jul. 26, 2024

Phase 6

  • Fantastic Four -- Nov. 8, 2024
  • Avengers: The Kang Dynasty -- May 2, 2025
  • Avengers: Secret Wars -- Nov. 7, 2025

Read more: Marvel Cinematic Universe Phase 4: The Full List of Release Dates

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