Before delving into why 2025 could go toe-to-toe with the MCU's prime years for its best slate yet, fans should first be familiar with what to expect next year.
Marvel's 2025 Movie & TV Slate Explained
Marvel Studios, Television, and Animation will collectively deliver nine projects across 2025 (three live-action series, three animated shows, and three movies), the full details of which are detailed below:
Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man (January 25)
Marvel will kick off 2025 with a new animated Disney+ series, Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man, which will take place in an alternate universe. The series sees Peter Parker meet a roster of Marvel icons such as Doctor Strange and Daredevil while going up against Doc Ock, Norman Osborn, and more in his first few years as the wall-crawler.
Captain America: Brave New World (February 14)
The first theatrical outing for Marvel Studios in 2025 will be Captain America: Brave New World, the first solo big-screen adventure for Anthony Mackie's Sam Wilson. This grounded political thriller will see Wilson face off with Harrison Ford's Red Hulk, along with Tim Blade Nelson's Leader and Giancarlo Esposito's Sidewinder.
Daredevil: Born Again (March 4)
The much-anticipated follow-up to Netflix's Daredevil premieres on Disney+ in March with Daredevil: Born Again. Charlie Cox returns as Matt Murdock alongside Vincent D'Onofrio's Kingpin, who is now beginning his venture into politics set up in Echo, running for Mayor of New York City.
Thunderbolts* (May 2)
The Avengers may not be assembling again until 2026, but the Thunderbolts are here to fill their place until then. Coming to theaters in May, Thunderbolts will assemble Yelena Belova, U.S. Agent, Red Guardian, Ghost, Bucky Barnes, and Taskmaster, while also introducing Lewis Pullman as the Marvel superhero Sentry.
Ironheart (June 24)
Tony Stark is not wandering around the MCU anymore, but following her debut in Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, Dominique Thorne will reprise her role as Riri William, aka Ironheart, in an eight-episode crime series. The Iron Man spin-off will thrust the leading young hero into a battle between magic and technology.
The Fantastic Four: First Steps (July 25)
Marvel's First Family finally comes to the MCU with The Fantastic Four: First Steps, starring Pedro Pascal, Vanessa Kirby, Joseph Quinn, and Ebon Mass-Bachrach. The July blockbuster will be set in a '60s retro-future-inspired universe where the team will encounter Galactus and the Silver Surfer.
Eyes of Wakanda (August 6)
From Black Panther director Ryan Coogler, the four-episode animated Eyes of Wakanda will explore Wakandan warriors throughout history going on missions around the world to retrieve vibranium artifacts. Rumors have claimed the series will also debut a version of Iron Fist along this Wakandan adventure.
Marvel Zombies (October)
Just in time for the spooky season in October, Marvel Animation will debut the four-episode Marvel Zombies series. Following What If...?'s undead antics in Season 1, Episode 5, Marvel Zombies will return to that world and feature many familiar faces, including Mahershala Ali's Blade (with a Moon Knight-infused twist).
Wonder Man (December)
Wonder Man introduces a new hero to the MCU in Yahya Abdul-Mateen II's Simon Williams, an actor who finds himself with superpowers. The eight-episode superhero comedy also brings back Ben Kingsley as Trevor Slattery, who last appeared in Shang-Chi (the director of which is on board for Wonder Man).
6 Reasons Why Marvel's 2025 Slate Is Its Best Yet
Marvel's Most Varied Year Yet
Offering three big-screen blockbusters, three high-budget live-action series, and three animated series, Marvel is spreading itself evenly across various mediums in 2025, which is bound to keep things fresh with a packed nine-project slate.
Even across these mediums, fans will be treated to numerous genres including horror, political thriller, comedy, crime, and sci-fi, making every project unique.
The studio is also doubling down on its R-rated movement which began with Deadpool & Wolverine, delivering two TV-MA shows (the television equivalent to an R rating) with Daredevil: Born Again and Marvel Zombies.
In an age of superhero fatigue where Marvel has been criticized for applying the same formula to all its projects, this spice of variety is exactly what the red brand needs in 2025 to ensure it has something to offer every fan.
New Heroes and Familiar Faces
Marvel is bringing back plenty of familiar faces in 2025, many of which have only been seen once before now in the case of Ironheart, U.S. Agent, Joaquin Torres' Falcon, and more. But there will also be new adventures for the MCU's more established heroes such as Daredevil, Sam Wilson, Bucky Barnes,
Alongside that, moviegoers will meet plenty of new faces who are bound to become MCU staples in the years to come, namely the Fantastic Four, which fans have been eager to see adapted on screen properly for decades.
Elsewhere in the Multiverse, Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man will introduce viewers to a whole new Peter Parker who took a different path, while Marvel Zombies will debut fresh takes on popular characters in a post-apocalyptic world.
A Much-Needed Crossover
The Avengers have taken a back seat so far in the Multiverse Saga, with no major MCU ensembles releasing since Avengers: Endgame in 2019. They will not assemble properly again until 2026 with Avengers: Doomsday, making it around seven years since the MCU last had a large-scale crossover.
When Thunderbolts comes around in May, that will undeniably mark the biggest crossover the MCU has since in years. The team of questionable characters will bring together faces from Black Widow, The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, Ant-Man and the Wasp, and the Captain America franchise.
While not quite on the scale of an Avengers movie, Thunderbolts grants the MCU some much-needed crossover after years of mostly standalone projects.
Preparing for the Next Avengers
As Avengers 5's 2026 release moves closer, Marvel Studios will lay the groundwork for Earth's Mightiest Heroes to assemble once again, this time against Doctor Doom, in its three 2025 movies.
Due to Doctor Doom's place as a villain to Marvel's First Family and how the whole team is expected to return for the ensemble, The Fantastic Four: First Steps ought to be vital to setting up Avengers: Doomsday.
Thunderbolts will bring MCU characters together in the biggest way in years, and a private trailer for Captain America: Brave New World teased how Thaddeus Ross wants Sam Wilson to rebuild the Avengers.
These elements are gradually helping to bring the MCU closer together, lay the groundwork for the Avengers to reform, and teeing up the next big villain, which ought to make the payoff of Doomsday all the more meaningful.
Revisiting Long-Awaited Storylines
Early on in the Multiverse Saga, Marvel Studios introduced many new heroes and set up plot points that have still yet to be revisited all these years later.
Some of these storylines will come back in 2025, as Sam Wilson, U.S. Agent, Yelena Belova, Taskmaster, Red Guardian, Bucky Barnes, and more, all return for the first time since 2021 (four long years ago).
Furthermore, Ironheart and Valentina are also coming back after their last appearances in Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, which was released in 2022.
Captain America: Brave New World is undeniably doing the heaviest lifting in digging up old storylines. The patriotic sequel is revisiting storylines from 2008's The Incredible Hulk as the Leader finally returns while Thaddeus Ross becomes both U.S. President and the Red Hulk.
Content All Year Long
Between new shows starting and movies hitting theaters, Marvel Studios already has premieres set for nine months out of 2025, with April, September, and November being the only months left without.
That said, the weekly release schedule for Daredevil: Born Again ought to keep it flowing into April, just as Marvel Zombies potentially could into November.
As such, Marvel Studios, Television, and Animation will have new content to offer fans all year with no massive waits between content.
While this may sound daunting for some audiences, as some of these projects will inhabit alternate universes or tell more standalone tales, few will likely be essential viewing to keep up with the overall MCU story.
Marvel's 2025 kicks off with Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man on January 29, 2025.
