Marvel Studios just revealed the release dates of three MCU films releasing after Avengers: Secret Wars, the movie that closes out the Multiverse Saga on December 17, 2027. Over the past month, Marvel has been pulling back the curtain on its plans for Phase 7, with major reveals at San Diego Comic-Con in July and at Disney's D23 Expo over the weekend. Major projects were unveiled during those events, but one lacked an official release date. That has now changed.
On Monday, August 17, The Hollywood Reporter's Borys Kit revealed the release date of Ryan Gosling's Ghost Rider on X, stating that the film will release on July 28, 2028, giving a clearer picture of Marvel's Phase 7 slate. Gosling's film joins the X-Men reboot, which releases on May 5, 2028, and Black Panther 3, which hits theaters on December 15, 2028. This schedule gives Marvel its next biggest slate since 2025.
The studio releases two films this year and only one in 2027. In 2025, it released Captain America: Brave New World, Thunderbolts, and Fantastic Four: First Steps.
Gosling surprised Marvel fans when he appeared on the Hall H stage at SDCC to unveil his film, which would reunite him with director Shawn Levy, with whom he's currently making Star Wars: Starfighter.
That upcoming film, which releases on May 28, 2027, will be Lucasfilm's next theatrical release after The Mandalorian and Grogu. Gosling shared his excitement about playing the character when he stepped on stage, stating that Ghost Rider was a character he's "wanted to play for a very long time."
The MCU's reboot will mark the first Ghost Rider film since Nicolas Cage's Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance in 2011. So far, it hasn’t been confirmed whether Gosling will play Johnny Blaze or another iteration of Ghost Rider. The MCU already has a Ghost Rider in Gabriel Luna's Robbie Reyes, who appears in Agents of SHIELD. It'll be interesting to see the direction Marvel takes with this reboot and whether Reyes will play a part.
Marvel Studios Will Release Two Other Movies After Avengers: Secret Wars
X-Men
After Avengers: Secret Wars, the X-Men will be the characters fans look forward to most, with Thunderbolts director Jake Schreier helming the reboot, which arrives on May 5, 2028. The release date was confirmed when Marvel Studios spotlighted the film at D23 and unveiled the cast set to appear alongside Sadie Sink, whose Jean Grey already appeared in Spider-Man: Brand New Day.
At the event, Kit Connor was unveiled as the MCU's new Cyclops, with Christopher Abbott as Professor X, Samara Weaving as Emma Frost, Inde Navarrette as Rogue, and Maya Boyd as the weather-controlling Ororo Munroe, famously known as Storm.
The reveal that garnered the loudest cheers was Adam Driver’s unveiling as Mister Sinister, marking the first time the character will appear in live-action. The Fox iteration of the X-Men will take its final bow in Avengers: Doomsday and Secret Wars, opening the door for this new crop of actors to tell the next set of X-Men stories over the next decade.
Black Panther 3
Black Panther 3 was the first post-Secret Wars movie to receive an official release date. At SDCC, Ryan Coogler took the stage to introduce the new Black Panther, David Jonsson, who plays T’Challa II, the son of T’Challa, portrayed by the late Chadwick Boseman.
Coogler unveiled a December 15, 2028 release date for the film, which will see Jonsson’s character take over the Black Panther mantle from Letitia Wright’s Shuri. T’Challa II was first unveiled as a little boy in the final scene of Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, when Nakia introduced him to Shuri.
Jonsson was phenomenal in blockbusters like Alien: Romulus and The Long Walk, but this will be his biggest challenge yet. He pledged to let the screen do the talking when he suits up as the iconic character in 2028.
The December slot allocated to Black Panther 3 will make it arguably the most anticipated film of 2028. Marvel has recently allocated the December window to its biggest releases. Only Spider-Man: No Way Home, Avengers: Doomsday, and Secret Wars have received that treatment.
With a new Black Panther, the sequel could return the franchise to its billion-dollar ways. The first film made $1.3 billion at the global box office, but the second movie fell short of that number, drawing in $859 million.
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.
