Marvel Studios' third saga arrives after Avengers: Secret Wars, and it will finally fix an issue that has recently plagued Disney's MCU movie slate. The next saga, dubbed the Mutant Saga, will focus heavily on the X-Men, who are finally being integrated into the MCU after Disney acquired the rights to Marvel's mutant characters from 20th Century Fox. Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige described this saga as a soft reboot for the franchise, but it's not just the characters getting a reset. The way Disney operates is changing as well.
The MCU's Phase 7 is set to replace the Multiverse Saga's inconsistent film release strategy with a more meticulous and streamlined one. The studio is officially committing to three film releases per year in both 2028 and 2029, a far more consistent rhythm than its recent output.
Black Panther 3 was confirmed for a December 15, 2028 date at San Diego Comic-Con in July, when Ryan Coogler and Kevin Feige unveiled the franchise's next Black Panther, David Jonsson. Ghost Rider was also announced on that same stage, with its July 28, 2028 release date revealed shortly after. The X-Men reboot film was also spotlighted at D23 in August, where its May 5, 2028 release date was unveiled. Disney also holds three untitled Marvel film slots for 2029, expected to arrive on May 4, July 13, and November 9, respectively.
Disney's earlier slate wasn't this even. It released three films in 2023, then switched to just one in 2024. The following year, the pattern shifted back to three. This year, only one Disney-distributed Marvel movie will be released, Avengers: Doomsday, and the same will be the case in 2027 with Avengers: Secret Wars.
Kevin Feige even confirmed this approach when he spoke with Empire at SDCC, stating that they were trying to "focus on quality":
"We always try to focus on quality, but when quantity is so much, you get spread thin. We didn't want to be spread thin, and the Avengers is as important as it comes."
The film slate isn't the only Marvel content getting a reset, either. The studio is also trimming down the number of Disney+ releases it churns out yearly. In May 2024, former Disney CEO Bob Iger mandated that Marvel Studios release two, or at most three, films a year while cutting back its Disney+ output. There have already been casualties due to this approach, with Wonder Man's Season 2 getting canceled.
Disney Releasing Three Marvel Films per Year Is a Better Approach
Disney being more meticulous with its film slate is a good approach, given how badly things went in Phases 4 and 5. The Multiverse Saga overloaded the MCU audience with content, making it difficult to keep track of the stories. Even Marvel itself barely kept up, with a lot of post-credits scenes never revisited and numerous new characters who haven't been seen since their debuts.
Sticking to a fixed number of films per year and a trimmed Disney+ output will make it easier for Marvel to tell its interconnected stories much better. It also gives fans an idea of what to expect each year, instead of getting their hopes up only to be left disappointed. The new slate also seems to be spreading releases across the summer and holiday windows, turning those periods into annual Marvel events, which will be a positive boost for the franchise.
The peak of the Infinity Saga, which was Marvel's best run, used this approach, and it worked out pretty well. From 2017 to 2019, the studio committed to releasing three films per year, and every film from that stretch was widely successful. Even the least successful of the run, Ant-Man and the Wasp, still grossed $622 million worldwide. Captain Marvel, meanwhile, crossed the billion-dollar mark with ease, a testament to how beneficial a more streamlined and planned approach is.
Geraldo Amartey is a writer at The Direct. He joined the team in 2025, bringing with him four years of experience covering entertainment news, pop culture, and fan-favorite franchises for sites like YEN, Briefly and Tuko.
