Marvel Studios has historic movie plans set for this year and 2027. The studio, headed by president Kevin Feige, used much of its Hall H panel at San Diego Comic-Con (SDCC) this year, along with its D23 presence, to set its sights on the future, namely a 2028 film slate that includes X-Men, Ghost Rider, and Black Panther 3. But there's much to get to before then, starting with Avengers: Doomsday, releasing this year on December 18, and followed by Secret Wars in December 2027. This is teeing up a never-before-seen film slate for Marvel Studios, putting a clear emphasis on the fifth and sixth Avengers films.
For the first time in MCU history, two Avengers movies will be released back-to-back, with no other Marvel Studios movie arriving between them. Avengers: Doomsday hits theaters this December, facing off against Warner Bros.' Dune: Part Three, and moviegoers won't see another MCU film on the big screen again until Secret Wars arrives over a year later, on December 17, 2027.
This isn't the first time two Avengers films have been released one year apart, as Infinity War and Endgame were released on April 27, 2018, and April 26, 2019, respectively. But in that case, Marvel Studios released Ant-Man and the Wasp and Captain Marvel in between those two crossover events.
Empire caught up with Feige after Marvel Studios' SDCC Hall H panel to ask about the gap, and he confirmed it's a deliberate strategy, stating that emphasizing so much quantity can lead to getting "spread thin:"
"A lot of it is a strategy we've talked about for a while, of focusing on quality...We always try to focus on quality, but when quantity is so much, you get spread thin."
When it comes to not having any other MCU films in between, Feige stated the obvious, "The Avengers is as important as it comes," also adding that Secret Wars will set up the future:
"We didn't want to be spread thin, and the Avengers is as important as it comes. And 'Secret Wars,' in particular for Empire readers, who know the comics, is a setup in and of itself to the future, to what's next."
At the time of the interview, X-Men hadn't been confirmed for a 2028 release, but now it has been, on May 5 of that year. So the two-headed monster of Doomsday and Secret Wars is now "setting up" three films in 2028:
"So really, it was landing those two movies and setting up 2028, of which we've revealed two of them so far, 'Ghost Rider' and 'Panther III.'"
Some fans speculated over the years that Marvel Studios had a secret project releasing between the Avengers films, like Doctor Strange 3, but that does not seem to be the case.
What Feige didn't mention is how the studio got here in the first place. Focusing on quantity in the 2020s for Marvel Studios is the understatement of the century. A heavy focus on expanding its universe on streaming to Disney+ completely changed how audiences perceived the MCU.
Not everything can be an event, and some of its movies suffered, like the brutal (non-James Gunn) 2023 run of Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania and The Marvels, the lowest-grossing film in MCU history.
There was a clear shift at Disney and Marvel over the last few years, and fans are just now feeling the effects. Not counting Spider-Man: Brand New Day, which isn't owned by Disney, the MCU is only releasing two movies in 2026 and 2027, and the sudden scarcity is helping Doomsday feel like more of an event this winter.
While the movie slate is wiped clean ahead of Phase 7, there's still plenty of Marvel content for fans of all ages to enjoy on streaming next year.
Other Marvel Projects Coming in 2027
Daredevil: Born Again Season 3
Daredevil: Born Again returns for Season 3 on Disney+ in 2027, though it's not expected to connect much to the events of Avengers: Doomsday, potentially happening before them.
Matt Murdock (Charlie Cox), Karen Page (Deborah Ann Woll), Wilson Fisk (Vincent D'Onofrio), and more are headed back to Hell's Kitchen, joined by Elektra (Elodie Yung) and other Defenders. Elektra's return is a shift for a show executive producer Aaron Moorhead has described as grounded, street-level superhero fare where "dying very often does mean that you're actually dead." Elektra's resurrection by the Hand suggests Season 3 might dip its toe in the supernatural.
X-Men '97 Season 3
X-Men '97 Season 3 is confirmed, and Season 4 is in the works too, with producer Larry Houston hoping the revival runs "at least five or six seasons."
Behind the scenes, original showrunner Beau DeMayo exited, and the new team is looking to build on what's worked while leaning into the comics for inspiration, which should help after Season 2's uneven stretches.
Story-wise, the mutants have a new problem: anti-mutant politician Graydon Creed, a longtime X-Men villain, was elected President of the United States.
Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man Season 2
Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man swings back for Season 2 on Disney+ in January 2027, and the official D23 poster confirmed a packed villain roster.
Doctor Octopus escapes prison and will be in his classic costume. Mikhail Sytsevich becomes Rhino after his conflict with Peter went unresolved in Season 1, while Carla Connors transforms into Lizard, which will certainly complicate her working relationship with Peter.
Avengers: Mightiest Friends
Avengers: Mightiest Friends is a first for Disney+: an entirely new preschool series built by merging Marvel's Spidey and His Amazing Friends and Marvel's Iron Man and His Awesome Friends into one show, arriving in 2027.
Kid versions of Iron Man (Tony Stark), Captain America (Steve Rogers), Hulk (Bruce Banner), Black Panther (T'Challa), Black Widow (Natasha Romanoff), and Thor team up for low-stakes adventures built around friendship and teamwork.
Spidey and His Amazing Friends Season 6 (Expected)
Spidey and His Amazing Friends is expected to get a sixth season on Disney Jr. sometime in 2027 once Season 5 wraps up, though neither Marvel nor Disney has confirmed an exact date.
Spider-Man, Miles Morales, and Gwen Stacy, who goes by Ghost-Spider rather than Spider-Gwen, remain the core trio. Expect Season 6 to keep leaning on familiar faces like Green Goblin, Doctor Octopus, and Electro rather than reinventing the formula for its young audience.
