Well over a dozen new movies, TV shows, and video games releasing next year are set to add to the greater Marvel universe both in and out of the MCU.
While the MCU took center stage once again in 2022 with three movies, three Disney+ series and Marvel Studios' first two Special Presentations, the red brand brought new material from all corners of entertainment over the past twelve months. Even moving past low moments like Sony Pictures' Morbius, incredible success came with Black Panther: Wakanda Forever and Werewolf by Night, amongst others, setting the stage for another incredible year of Marvel content.
On top of the MCU's Phase 5 slate beginning in February, Sony Pictures will bring two new Spider-Man features, and fans also have a couple of exciting new video games and a thrilling documentary to look forward to.
That being said, here are the 15 projects from across the greater Marvel Universe that will premiere in 2023.
Marvel's 2023 Theatrical Releases
Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania - February 17
Paul Rudd and Evangeline Lilly will kick off Phase 5 of the MCU with their third solo outing, Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania, as Scott Lang and Hope Van Dyne take their deepest dive yet into the Quantum Realm. Featuring a stellar cast and another brand new superhero in Kathryn Newton's Cassie Lang, this movie will also truly introduce the prime Variant of one of the Multiverse Saga's biggest villains, Jonathan Majors' Kang the Conqueror.
The first trailer for this threequel hit the internet in late October 2022, teasing just how big the Quantum Realm truly is while showing fans how much trouble Team Ant-Man is in as they come face-to-face with Kang. This film could bring some of the biggest ramifications yet for the tiniest Avengers, putting them in the thick of the Multiversal madness, as Kang shows the first signs of his true power.
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 - May 5
After an extended six-year wait, the MCU's most famous team of misfits will be back in their latest solo outing with Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 hitting theaters. This movie will set the Guardians on a mission to find the 2014 Variant of Gamora from Avengers: Endgame while they face off against Chukwudi Iwuji's terrifying new villain, the High Evolutionary.
This threequel will also be a highly emotional one, as director James Gunn confirmed it will be the final time MCU fans see this version of the team together. And if the movie's first trailer is anything to go off of, tears and cheers will both be in store as the galaxy's protectors take on their latest solo story.
Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse - June 2
Finally coming to theaters after multiple long delays, Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse will serve as the second exciting story for Shamiek Moore's Miles Morales and Hailee Steinfeld's Spider-Gwen. After 2018's Into the Spider-Verse became one of the most successful animated movies ever, fans and crew members alike are hoping that this sequel will bring the same level of acclaim and praise as the original did.
Miles and Gwen will have their hands full with Jason Schwartzman's The Spot in this new movie while the plot shines a light on dozens of new Spider-Man Variants from countless alternate realities. Throw in a stellar voice cast that includes Oscar Isaac in his first full run as Spider-Man 2099, and the recipe is there for Sony to provide another thrilling adventure far beyond the borders of Miles' New York City.
The Marvels - July 28
Brie Larson's solo sequel will pit Carol Danvers on a wild intergalactic journey as she teams up with Iman Vellani's Ms. Marvel and Teyonah Parris' Monica Rambeau for the first time. The first plot details for The Marvels tease an exciting journey for Carol Danvers as she handles "a destabilized universe," all while dealing with some emotional reunions as she has to come face to face with Monica again after Maria Rambeau lost her cancer battle.
Although the core plot is largely a mystery, The Marvels is rumored to have some major ties to the Multiversal storyline evolving in the Multiverse Saga, largely connecting back to Kamala Khan's superpowered bangle. And after that item transported Carol to Kamala's bedroom in the post-credits scene from Ms. Marvel, curiosity is high to see how powerful that item truly is.
Kraven the Hunter - October 6
Sony will deliver its latest live-action solo Spider-Man Universe movie with Aaron Taylor-Johnson's Kraven the Hunter, the studio's first efforts in that medium since the all-around failure that was Morbius. This will give Taylor-Johnson his second Marvel role after playing Quicksilver in Avengers: Age of Ultron as he teams up with Thor: Love and Thunder's Russell Crowe and West Side Story's Ariana DeBose as part of another high-profile cast for Sony Pictures.
Star Alessandro Nivola has already teased some aspects of his villainous role in the story, although story details won't come until later in 2023. Sony is hoping that this solo outing will help build its Spider-Man Universe to new heights, even though this take on the classic Spider-Man villain will be unlike any iteration of Kraven that fans have ever seen before.
Disney+ Series/Documentaries
What If...? Season 2 - 2023
What If...? will be one of the first Disney+ projects from Marvel Studios to move into a second season, following up on the Guardians of the Multiverse in their next set of animated adventures. Fans saw their first footage from Season 2 during Marvel's presentation at San Diego Comic-Con, which confirmed nearly a dozen actors that are in line to reprise their live-action roles in the animated realm.
Thus far, fans know that a cut episode from Season 1 featuring Tony Stark and Gamora on Sakaar will premiere in Season 1, and Peggy Carter is already set to meet a revived Steve Rogers as he takes on a Winter Soldier-style story. Additionally, as confirmed exclusively with The Direct, one episode will focus on the 2021 Phase 4 movie Black Widow, although more details on the rest of the season are sure to come in the next few months.
Secret Invasion - Spring 2023
Marvel Studios will deliver its first-ever designated 'crossover event' with Secret Invasion in early 2023, which will center around Samuel L. Jackson's Nick Fury and Ben Mendelsohn's Talos. The two will tackle an invasion of rogue Skrulls that has infiltrated Earth with the real potential that any MCU character could be revealed as an imposter.
The show's first trailer didn't reveal a ton pertaining to plot details, although it highlighted an incredible cast of characters, including veterans like Don Cheadle's War Machine and newcomers like Emilia Clarke's unconfirmed Marvel player. And while Secret Invasion's release date remains unconfirmed, it appears to be the MCU's first live-action series in Phase 5 as it looks to be possibly the biggest Disney+ project yet from the MCU.
Loki Season 2 - Summer 2023
Loki will be the first live-action show to get a second season in the MCU as the God of Mischief makes his glorious return to the small screen alongside the Time Variance Authority. The entire cast from Season 1 will be back to reprise their roles in Season 2, which will push the boundaries of inter-dimensional storytelling further in the MCU than ever before with the Multiverse now fully unleashed.
While story details remain under wraps until the show's Summer 2023 debut, star Tom Hiddleston revealed that there will be no gap in time between the two seasons, with the story picking up right where it left off in Episode 6. With Kang the Conqueror quickly rising to power, and the Multiverse coming apart at the seams, Loki Season 2 could prove to be as vital as any streaming property to the overarching story building in the Multiverse Saga.
Ironheart - Fall 2023
After making her MCU debut in Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, Dominique Thorne will reprise her role as Riri Williams in her own solo Disney+ series, Ironheart. This series will allow her to expand on her brilliance as she furthers her skills by building new versions of her suit and enhancing her technology, all while some serious threats lurk in front of her.
Riri will find herself going up against The Hood, Anthony Ramos' main villain of the series, who is rumored to have ties back to Mephisto as Marvel's devil finally makes his own reported MCU debut in this series. Reports have teased an all-out war between science and magic, opening the doors to a potentially epic war featuring one of the MCU's youngest new heroines.
X-Men '97 - Fall 2023
Marvel Studios will bring its first official X-Men property to life by revisiting the classic '90s program, X-Men: The Animated Series, this time going under the title of X-Men '97. Using the same animation style as its predecessor and catching up from the very end of the original story, this series will provide the first taste of what the X-Men may be capable of under the MCU umbrella.
Speaking exclusively with The Direct, head writer Beau DeMayo shared that X-Men '97 will be in a much different place than it was 30 years ago, offering a look into how the world really is in the 2020s. And while it's still unclear whether this series will be canon with the MCU, especially considering its past seasons, the mutant experience is one that already has fans anxious about what happens.
Echo - Late 2023
Of every Disney+ series coming out in 2023, none have gone through the challenges that Echo has, even considering the exciting material it will add to the MCU. Alaqua Cox's solo series is set to bring back both Daredevil and Kingpin as the deaf heroine revisits her Native American roots, setting up an exciting new ground-level hero after her run in Hawkeye.
Echo's release has already been delayed to late 2023, and some rumors have even hinted that it might not actually hit Disney+ until early 2024 due to difficulties with production. Should everything work out for the best, however, Echo will be an exciting look into a tough new fighter that also sets up more of the groundwork for 2024's Daredevil: Born Again at the same time.
Agatha: Coven of Chaos - Winter 2023
After she became a fan-favorite in 2021's WandaVision, the MCU's flagship Disney+ program, Kathryn Hahn is now set to be the star of the show in her own right with Agatha: Coven of Chaos. She'll have an all-star supporting cast surrounding her in this effort with actors like Joe Locke, Aubrey Plaza and Emma Caulfield Ford as the witch formerly known as Agnes shows off her magical prowess.
Early plot details indicate that Coven of Chaos will directly follow the story from WandaVision, as a new coven of witches free Agatha from Wanda's spell and allow her to roam freely in Westview once more. And even with rumors pointing to the show potentially being delayed until early 2024, the promise of epic magic has fans eagerly anticipating more of Agatha Harkness in her MCU comeback.
Stan Lee Documentary - Unknown 2023
To celebrate the late Stan Lee's 100th birthday, Marvel Studios and Disney+ announced a new documentary honoring the Marvel creator's legacy that seems to be going under the simple title of Stan Lee. The trailer released on Disney+'s Twitter page showed a look back at a number of Lee's most famous MCU cameos, celebrating his memory as the ultimate cameo master.
The documentary will likely touch on parts of Lee's entire life as a comic creator, going back through 80 years of Marvel history on the pages and on the big and small screen alike. And while there are no indications of when it will debut, it will provide fans with a break from new in-universe content with a chance to highlight one of the most important creators that made it all happen.
Video Games
Marvel's Spider-Man 2 - Fall 2023
Marvel's Spider-Man became one of the most beloved video games in recent memory upon its release for PlayStation 4 in 2018, before the Spider-Man: Miles Morales spin-off had great success when it debuted alongside the PlayStation 5 console. Now, Spider-Man 2 looks to match that success, as Peter Parker and Miles Morales team up for the first time against two iconic web-slinger villains - Venom and Kraven the Hunter.
The first trailer for the game released in September 2021, only teasing a little bit of action from Miles and showing off Peter with his new four-armed suit inspired by Doctor Octopus. With the game now set for a Fall 2023 release date, it should be one that many fans look forward to playing once more specifics arrive.
Marvel World of Heroes - 2023
After creating the hit mobile game Pokémon Go, Niantic has teamed up with Marvel to introduce a new mobile game called Marvel World of Heroes, allowing gamers to get their own taste of superpowers from the Marvel Universe. Users will have the opportunity to create their own unique identities as a superhero complete with an origin story, patrolling neighborhoods for crimes and interacting with other heroes and threats they come across.
The game will feature heavy hitters from Marvel like Spider-Man, Wolverine, and Captain America, as users get a sense of what a world would be like with Marvel heroes as part of it. And while there's no release date set for the game yet, if Niantic is able to repeat its Pokémon Go success, this new outing should be quite the conversation starter as the Marvel Universe expands its boundaries.
What Does the Future Hold for Marvel?
2023 still holds plenty of mystery for the greater Marvel Universe, especially considering that not all of the MCU projects listed may actually debut before the year ends. For the time being, everything on this list outside of Echo and Agatha: Coven of Chaos seems to be safe to expect in the next 12 months, giving viewers something new to take in almost every month of the year once again.
This will only be the start of the mayhem for Marvel, particularly under the Marvel Studios umbrella, as 2024 looks to continue this same trend with exciting movies and TV shows. On top of the potential delays to the last two Disney+ shows of 2023, Daredevil: Born Again will give the Man Without Fear an 18-episode Disney+ run, all while theatrical movies come for Sam Wilson's Captain America, the Thunderbolts, and even Deadpool.
Looking at what's on the way, Marvel has fans covered from all angles as the comic-book giant looks to make its mark on 2023.
