Marvel Studios has six upcoming sequel films in development that are set to be released over the next few years. The franchise will continue to release other projects on the big screen and Disney+, but a lot of focus in the near future will be put on already established characters who will likely play a role in the biggest MCU projects.
Two of the upcoming sequel films will be Avengers entries featuring an ensemble of major characters, while others will continue to flesh out the MCU's most popular heroes, such as Spider-Man. Every one of these sequel movies proves that the next few years for Marvel Studios will be nothing short of crucial, as the future of the franchise (the next 5-10 years) could be based on the success of these films.
All 6 MCU Sequel Movies on the Upcoming Slate
Avengers: Doomsday
Avengers: Doomsday will be the first Avengers entry since Endgame was released in 2019. With seven years between the release dates of those two films, it will officially be the longest time that the MCU has gone without debuting an Avengers movie.
Avengers: Doomsday will be released on May 1, 2026. Principal photography officially began for Doomsday on April 28, 2025, marking a landmark step in the film's developmental process and allowing fans to breathe a sigh of relief that the project is set to make a lot of progress over the next year ahead of its debut.
Fans were treated to a massive casting announcement for Doomsday on March 26, 2025, where more than two dozen Marvel actors were confirmed to appear in the film. Some of the most notable names included Chris Hemsworth (Thor) and Anthony Mackie (Captain America), who are established franchise actors and characters.
However, some surprises were also included, such as Ian McKellen (Magneto in Fox's X-Men films), Channing Tatum (Gambit in Deadpool & Wolverine), Alan Cumming (Nightcrawler in X2), and Rebecca Romijn (Mystique in Fox's X-Men films).
A few photos and videos have circulated online from Avengers: Doomsday's set, leading many to speculate about what scenes could take place there. As filming ramps up in the coming weeks and months, more set photos and videos will likely surface.
Spider-Man: Brand New Day
Fans will finally get to see Tom Holland's Spider-Man swing back into the MCU for the first time since 2021's Spider-Man: No Way Home. After some legalities muddied the waters and left the web-slinger's fate in the MCU up in the air for some time, a fourth solo film for Holland was officially announced.
The upcoming movie, Spider-Man: Brand New Day, is set to come out on July 31, 2026, a couple of months after Avengers: Doomsday. However, Marvel Studios is doing something it has never done before with Brand New Day in terms of when it takes place on the MCU timeline.
Not a lot of details have been revealed about Brand New Day, but the upcoming sequel will feature a brand new character played by Stranger Things star Sadie Sink. Some details about her mystery character were recently revealed.
While Brand New Day was already confirmed to make MCU history with its timeline placement, the film is also set to be historic in a completely different way as well by being the first live-action Spider-Man flick to feature a female villain.
Avengers: Secret Wars
Avengers: Secret Wars is currently set to hit theaters on May 7, 2027, almost exactly one year after Avengers: Doomsday's debut. It seems as though Marvel Studios is taking a similar approach to Doomsday and Secret Wars as it did with Infinity War and Endgame, and if both of the upcoming movies follow suit with Infinity War and Endgame, fans will surely feel like they are in for a treat.
A lot less is known about Secret Wars than Doomsday, but that will likely change soon. Robert Downey Jr. was confirmed to be returning to the MCU to portray Doctor Doom in Doomsday, and fans will likely get to see the tenured actor once more in Secret Wars.
Many fans hope that Secret Wars will open the door for any and every Marvel character in history to appear on the big screen. Some fan-favorite actors who have played major MCU characters have already been quite vocal about not wanting to return, but with the Multiverse in play, anything is possible.
According to the Russo Brothers (directing Doomsday and Secret Wars), the two upcoming Avengers movies will be new beginnings for the MCU. One would have to assume that statement will be especially true for Secret Wars since it will play as a second part to Doomsday.
Black Panther 3
Black Panther: Wakanda Forever set up a third film in more ways than one. For example, Shuri took up the mantle of the Black Panther, T'Challa's son was revealed and introduced to the audience, and M'Baku was crowned as Wakanda's new king.
Black Panther 3 was already announced, but it still seems quite far off. Reports have stated that it could be released around April 2028, but that window is still so far away that it would not be surprising if it changed.
While on the press tour for Gladiator II, legendary actor Denzel Washington let slip that he was in line for a role in Black Panther 3. According to Washington's comments, it will be one of his last roles.
Shang-Chi 2
Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings introduced fans to Simu Liu's Shang-Chi, and many instantly fell in love with him. Liu has returned to voice the character in animation since the 2021 live-action movie, but that is the only time he has been back.
Shang-Chi 2 has been talked about for years now. Unfortunately, it kept getting pushed back, shelved, etc., until it finally made its way off of Marvel Studios' official slate. However, that does not mean that it won't get made. All signs point to it still being planned, but it will likely just be a few years like Black Panther 3.
Doctor Strange 3
The last solo Doctor Strange film came in 2022 and was titled Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness. While that film provided viewers with finality in terms of some characters (Wanda Maximoff), it raised more questions regarding others.
For example, there has still been no official explanation for the third eye popping up on Strange's forehead at the end of the film, and Charlize Theron's Clea almost feels like a fever dream.
However, Benedict Cumberbatch talked about Doctor Strange 3 at the beginning of 2025. The actor revealed that he and Marvel Studios had been conversing about what direction to take the character:
"They are very open to discussing where we go next. 'Who do you want to write and direct the next one?' 'What part of the comic lore do you want to explore so that Strange can keep evolving?' He’s a very rich character to play. He’s a complex, contradictory, troubled human who’s got these extraordinary abilities, so there’s potent stuff to mess about with."
Those comments were promising since news about the threequel has been rather quiet (aside from reports that Sam Raimi is returning to direct). It seems as though Marvel Studios still has Doctor Strange 3 at the forefront of its plans.
