Marvel Studios has officially revealed who will be filling the romantic void left by MJ in Peter Parker's life. Spider-Man: Brand New Day is set to hit theaters on July 31, bringing with it a new suit, formidable villains, and the emotional fallout of Doctor Strange's memory-erasing spell from No Way Home. Among the heaviest consequences of that spell is MJ (Zendaya) having moved on from Peter entirely, leaving him to navigate both heroism and heartbreak in what promises to be his most personal chapter yet.

The biggest revelation to come out of Brand New Day's CinemaCon 2026 presentation is the official confirmation that Eman Esfandi's mystery character is MJ's new boyfriend. 

While the film's initial trailer had already shown the two sharing a tender, loving glance, enough to raise eyebrows, it stopped short of making their relationship totally obvious. That changed when footage from an early party scene was unveiled to the CinemaCon crowd, ending all speculation with a single line of dialogue.

Krypto, the Superdog who became a global sensation after his DCU debut in 2025’s Superman, earned his own series of animated shorts on HBO Max not long after the movie’s release, and those shorts have been rolling out in seasonal chunks ever since. Executive-produced by James Gunn and developed by Warner Bros. Animation, the run follows Krypto on light, family-facing adventures around Metropolis, with Clark Kent in tow but firmly in the sidekick seat. Each short is somewhere between five and six minutes, making the whole series easy to digest.

With the April 18 arrival of "Coastal Catastrophe" on HBO Max and the DC Kids YouTube channel, Krypto Saves the Day! has quietly wrapped its first season. Written and directed by Ryan Kramer, the finale sends Clark and Krypto to the beach for a sunny afternoon that quickly goes sideways, and slips in a Kara Zor-El cameo before the credits.  

Despite going all in on Doctor Strange early in the Multiverse Saga, Marvel Studios ultimately sidelined the character for years, leaving their major bet on him unfulfilled. Marvel Studios spent much of Phase 4 aggressively positioning Doctor Strange as the next big anchor of the MCU in the Multiverse Saga, giving him major roles across What If...?, Spider-Man: No Way Home, and Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness. His last appearance even included a high-stakes post-credits cliffhanger that directly tied him to the saga's core threat of incursions. 

The setup for Doctor Strange's largely significant role in the Multiverse Saga was massive. Strange's spell in Spider-Man: No Way Home not only changed Peter Parker's life forever, but it literally broke the Multiverse barriers wide open, as it almost allowed individuals who knew Peter's identity as Spider-Man from other realities to enter Earth-616. 

New photos from Daredevil: Born Again Season 3 highlight a wild new design change for Vincent D'Onofrio's Kingpin. While Wilson Fisk's journey in Season 2 is still being revealed, Matt Murdock's greatest adversary is already confirmed to be back in action when the show returns for its third season on Disney+. D'Onofrio's powerful antagonist will continue to be a thorn in Matt Murdock's side, but this time, he will bring a new flavor to the show.

New set photos revealed the first look at Vincent D'Onofrio in his return to the MCU as Wilson Fisk/Kingpin in Season 3 of Marvel Television's Daredevil: Born Again. Shared by @WarlingHD on X, D'Onofrio is seen looking less distinguished than he ever has before, wearing a casual shirt, a long winter jacket, and a beanie on top of his head. He also dons a thick, white, Santa Claus-esque beard as he stands on the sidewalk.

This is the first time in D'Onofrio's 11-year MCU tenure that he has donned a beard, and it also sets him up for a story unlike anything that he has gone through in past MCU projects. 

Disney reportedly scrapped Sydney Sweeney's cameo from a long-awaited upcoming sequel for a very good reason. Having risen to her stardom peak through her HBO roles in The White Lotus and Euphoria, Sydney Sweeney recently suffered a string of box office flops but has since landed a box office hit with The Housemaid. Despite having her biggest roles at HBO, Sweeney previously worked under Disney in seven episodes of Hulu's The Handmaid's Tale and one episode of martial arts show Kickin' It at 13 years old.

According to a report from Entertainment Weekly (EW), the Disney-owned 20th Century Studios cut Euphoria star Sydney Sweeney's cameo from The Devil Wears Prada 2. The outlet confirmed that Sweeney filmed a short scene for the Meryl Streep sequel that would have appeared near the beginning of the film but was axed due to a "creative decision."

Jon Favreau pitched the idea for The Mandalorian to Lucasfilm president Kathleen Kennedy in 2017, while he was in the middle of directing The Lion King. Officially hired in March 2018, he had already written four episodes before signing a contract. When Kennedy connected him with Dave Filoni, the two combined Favreau's lone-gunslinger concept with Filoni's deep knowledge of Star Wars history, and The Mandalorian was born. The show debuted on Disney+ on November 12, 2019, and quickly became the streaming service's flagship title, with the Force-sensitive infant Grogu becoming a full-blown pop culture phenomenon.

Favreau was one of the best things to happen to Disney's Star Wars, and seven years into his tenure, he appears to be eyeing the exit. Speaking about the upcoming The Mandalorian and Grogu, during a Disney event, the director strongly suggested the upcoming theatrical film could mark the end of his run in a galaxy far, far away: "I've been working on Star Wars now for seven years," he said, "and to be able to step up to doing it as a film feels like a culmination of what I'm working on."

He did not say outright that The Mandalorian and Grogu is his last project. But that word, "culmination", gives us a clue of where the director's mind is at. It describes an endpoint, the top of a long climb rather than a rest stop along the way. 

Spider-Noir has revealed its first original villain, who comes with devastating fiery powers. The upcoming MGM+ and Prime Video series is a live-action spin-off of Sony's Spider-Verse films, starring Nicolas Cage as Ben Reilly/Spider-Noir, the character he voices in the animated movies. While set in an alternate universe, Spider-Noir still has ties to many Marvel characters, but the series also isn't afraid to introduce a few of its own.

One such new character is a villain named James "Jimmy" Addison (played by Jack Mikesell), who has been briefly sighted in Spider-Noir's trailers and the latest villains featurette. The character is shown to be able to summon and wield flames. 

For a while, many fans theorized that this character would turn out to be the Marvel villain Molten Man, who could turn his body into molten flames. Spider-Noir already has an array of villains with comic book counterparts, so linking Jimmy to Molten Man seemed to make sense. However, an interview with Spider-Noir showrunner Oren Uziel via IGN has confirmed this may not be the case.

DC Studios' Lanterns revealed a new logo starring its two Justice League superheroes as it edges closer toward its HBO premiere in August. Slowly but surely, the DCU's Justice League is coming together, with David Corenswet's Superman and Isabela Merced's Hawkgirl already on the table and likely to headline the team as founding members. As fans await rebooted movies for Batman and Wonder Woman, along with the arrival of the Flash and Aquaman, DC Studios will soon introduce two more leaguers in Lanterns.

DC Studios and HBO Max officially revealed a brand-new logo and title card for Lanterns, reaffirming that the eight-episode series will premiere on HBO in August as the next live-action DCU TV series. Joining previous DCU taglines like "look up" and "look fear in the face," DC Studios also revealed that Lanterns' tagline is "only one can wear the ring."

The MCU needs its heroes more than ever. For starters, the entire multiverse is in danger thanks to the arrival of Doctor Doom, who will kick off his evil scheme in Avengers: Doomsday. But the franchise also has smaller fish to fry, namely, the chaotic state that New York City finds itself in under Wilson Fisk's leadership. Daredevil: Born Again focuses on the titular character's efforts to bring down his arch-enemy, but it's more than a one-hero job.

Fortunately, Born Again Season 2 Episode 6, "Requiem," brings Jessica Jones into the fold. Her home gets attacked by one of Mr. Charles' goon squads, forcing her to reach out to her old friend Daredevil for help. The two waste no time getting to work, destroying all the weapons Fisk stole from Mr. Charles for the Anti-Vigilante Task Force. However, the victory is complicated because it becomes clear that Jones isn't as strong as she once was.

Daredevil: Born Again Season 3 is rumored to bring back a major group of villains first introduced in Netflix's Daredevil series, and they also have ties to Punisher. Daredevil: Born Again's sophomore run on Disney+ featured a plethora of villains, including Mayor Wilson Fisk, Buck Cashman, Heather Glenn (who may or may not be turning into her version of Muse), and the enigmatic Mr. Charles. While it remains to be seen how Season 2 of the Marvel Television series will end, the already-confirmed third season is expected to raise the stakes by introducing new and returning threats, especially after the confirmed returns of the remaining Defenders: Iron Fist and Luke Cage.

ComicBookMovie shared that the Irish Mafia, forgotten villains from Netflix's Daredevil Season 2, are expected to appear as villains in Daredevil: Born Again Season 3. 

The Irish Mafia (otherwise known as Kitchen Irish) was a criminal organization that initially wanted control of territory, drugs, guns, and other rackets in New York after Wilson Fisk's downfall at the end of Daredevil Season 1. 

The official tagline for Clayface has been unveiled, and it connects to other DC Studios films, including Superman and Supergirl. The upcoming comic book movie is the first feature film under DC Studios to focus on a Batman villain, with Tom Rhys Harries portraying Matt Hagen, the actor who becomes the shapeshifter Clayface. Unlike The Batman, Clayface is a confirmed part of the DCU, the new cinematic universe that James Gunn and Peter Safran are building with DC Studios, and its latest tagline only further deepens this connection.

The tagline for Clayface was revealed in the film's first chilling trailer, which gave fans an initial look at the body horror scripted by Mike Flanagan and Hossein Amini, and directed by James Watkins. The tagline reads: "Look Fear In The Face," a play on the film's title, Clayface. What's interesting is that this tagline shares a link with those of DC Studio's other two films, Superman and Supergirl.

One long-running MCU Spider-Man star has confirmed he won't be returning in Spider-Man: Brand New Day. Tom Holland's fourth solo superhero outing is a new era for the web-slinger, as Marvel leaves the Spider-Man "Home" trilogy behind and enters a fresh arc, with a new director and many fresh faces. Nevertheless, Spider-Man: Brand New Day remains a key installment in the broader MCU, but for the fourth film, one of the franchise's recurring stars won't be back.

Jon Favreau, Iron Man director and regular MCU actor, has confirmed he won't be back in Spider-Man: Brand New Day. Favreau became known on-screen in the MCU for his portrayal of Happy Hogan, Tony Stark's driver, who eventually became a mentor for Peter Parker and appeared in Spider-Man: Homecoming, Spider-Man: Far From Home, and Spider-Man: No Way Home. Favreau confirmed on the Jimmy Kimmel show that he is "not in [Spider-Man: Brand New Day]", which will break the actor's MCU Spider-Man movie streak.

Favreau added that Hogan "lost his memory" of Peter Parker, along with everyone else on Earth-616, as a result of Doctor Strange's memory spell in Spider-Man: No Way Home, which removed the need for him to appear in the fourth film:

After seven years without consecutive Spider-Man films, Sony is finally breaking the pattern as back-to-back web-slinging adventures are officially on the horizon. Tom Holland is set to suit up for a fourth solo outing, while the animated Spider-Verse saga prepares to culminate with Beyond The Spider-Verse. A new release date update has confirmed that fans won't have to wait much longer for both, and the Spider-Man drought is truly over.

At CinemaCon 2026, Sony Pictures made it official that Spider-Man: Beyond the Spider-Verse is locked in for June 18, 2027, and with Spider-Man: Brand New Day already dated for July 31, 2026, fans are finally getting back-to-back Spider-Man films for the first time in seven years. 

The two releases sit just 10 months apart (roughly 322 days), marking a seismic shift from the prolonged dry spells the franchise has endured in recent years.

Marvel Studios has spent the last few months teasing Avengers: Doomsday with unusual restraint, releasing four short character-focused teasers in theaters and online rather than dropping a traditional full-length trailer. This slow-burn strategy hit its biggest test on April 16 at CinemaCon 2026 in Las Vegas, when Marvel finally unveiled the first full trailer for the Russo Brothers' upcoming blockbuster to a packed room of theater owners and press, leaving every fan following from home empty-handed. Fans have wondered when they would get to see the trailer for themselves instead of reading descriptions in lengthy news articles. However, a new official Marvel Studios post on X has them convinced that the trailer will soon be available for their viewing pleasure.

Marvel's official Latin America X account, MarvelLATAM, posted a three-word message in Spanish, "suena música de Avengers*," which translates to "Avengers music plays." The post, which came with no image and no further context, immediately set the fandom ablaze, with fans reading it as a signal that the Avengers: Doomsday trailer is finally about to go online after days of locked-room secrecy following its CinemaCon debut. 

A new photo from the set of VisionQuest finally confirmed a long-standing rumor about the WandaVision sequel, and it's an exciting connection to an established X-Men hero. VisionQuest continues the on-screen journey of Paul Bettany's titular android as he tries to regain his lost memories and regain his sense of humanity after being revived at the end of the 2021 MCU Disney+ series. As he grappled with his identity, one rumor previously claimed that part of his journey was exploring a classic location from the comics. 

In September 2025, insider Daniel Richtman reported that Madripoor will play "a major role" in VisionQuest as Vision travels to the Southeast Asian island nation to search for answers about his past. Another report from Richtman, from March 2026, revealed that Ultron (in his human form) is present in Madripoor, leading to chaos during the reunion between the two former rivals.  

While this was long considered just a rumor, a new set photo from VisionQuest shared by HMG Actors on Instagram, celebrating Cristian Lavin's role as a lead mercenary, confirmed that Madripoor will indeed appear in the series. 

2026's Supergirl movie will buck a trend for DC films that has stood true for the last 29 years. The DCU's movies featuring the biggest Kryptonian heroes from the comics are already changing up plenty from what fans have grown accustomed to over the decades. This will continue with Milly Alcock's first DC solo movie, releasing on June 26.

Supergirl is the first movie in DC history to be specifically based on the story from a DC comic released in the same decade in which the movie premiered. Directed by Craig Gillespie and written by Ana Nogueira, this movie is based on the Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow run from DC Comics (it was also originally titled Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow), written by Tom King and released in 2022.

Following her casting in Man of Tomorrow, Adria Arjona has revealed she is hitting the gym in preparation for her DCU role. The Superman sequel, directed by DC Studios co-head James Gunn, recently entered production, with David Corenswet leading a lineup of returning faces and some newcomers. One of these is Arjona, who has just been cast in the new DCU film.

Personal trainer Paolo Mascitti posted a photo on Instagram of himself alongside Arjona in the gym, confirming he is training the DCU star. Arjona then returned the favor, posting an Instagram story of her lifting weights under Mascitti's supervision.

Season 4 of Invincible has come to an end, with Thragg and the rest of the Viltrumites remaining on Earth as a looming threat, plotting to slowly repopulate their species in secret. However, their silent invasion overshadowed Cecil and the Global Defense Agency's final attempts at saving Robot and Monster Girl from the Flaxan dimension.

In Season 4, Episode 3, "I Gotta Get Some Air," the Flaxans return after their civilization was reduced to rubble by Omni-Man in Season 1. The interdimensional invaders once again prepared for whatever the heroes could throw at them. They even came with mechsuits that could withstand Nolan's power, giving Invincible a hard time as more and more soldiers poured in.

Early concept art of Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man revealed that a supporting MCU character was supposed to appear alongside Peter Parker (but plans were ultimately scrapped). Disney+'s animated Spider-Man series was originally conceived as Spider-Man: Freshman Year and more closely tied to the main MCU's Sacred Timeline, but a creative pivot led it to embrace an alternate-reality timeline. This shift gave them more freedom, such as introducing the mentor-mentee dynamic between Norman Osborn and Peter Parker and the origin story of Tombstone. 

Marvel concept artist Kal Athannassov shared early concept art of Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man, featuring an early version of the show that includes Peter Parker's best friend from the films, Ned Leeds. 

Coming-of-age stories will never grow old, and that's something SXSW 2026's Chasing Summer proves in spades. The film follows Jamie, who retreats to her small Texas hometown after losing both her job and her boyfriend, leading to an unforgettable summer filled with friends, flings, and plenty of drama.

The Direct spoke with the cast of Chasing Summer at the red carpet premiere of the film at SXSW in Austin, TX, including Garrett Wareing, Aimee Garcia, director and writer Iliza Shlesinger, and producer Ray Maiello. Chasing Summer does not have a release date.

For more coverage of SXSW 2026, be sure to check out The Direct's interviews with the cast of the festival's big road trip movie Seekers of Infinite Love, which includes stars from hit shows Fallout and Hacks.