The MCU started in 2008 with the first Iron Man movie, and has gradually grown to include more characters and team-up movies as time has gone on. The franchise began by releasing only two movies a year, and then expanded in 2018 to three movies a year. However, the introduction of Disney+ and their Marvel TV shows has meant that fans often get four or more live-action MCU projects every year.

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Fortunately, the company has decided to slow things down in 2024, only releasing Deadpool and Wolverine in theaters, and Agatha: Coven of Chaos on Disney+. Things are set to ramp up again in 2025, though, as the studio is planning to release six projects that year. Some of these releases fans are expecting and have been anticipating for a long time, while others require a bit of an explanation.

6 Captain America: Brave New World

February 2025

The first MCU project coming in 2025 is Captain America: Brave New World. Originally titled Captain America: New World Order, this fourth entry in the Captain America series is follows the events of the Falcon and the Winter Soldier Disney+ show, and sees Anthony Mackie back as Sam Wilson wielding the shield. In fact, this movie is being written by the showrunner of that show, Matthew Spellman, and is being directed by Julius Onah. It will be the first Captain America movie without Chris Evans in the leading role.

Not much is known about the plot of this movie, but some big faces from previous MCU projects are set to appear. Tim Blake Nelson is returning as the villainous character The Leader from 2008's The Incredible Hulk movie, and Harrison Ford is taking on the role of President Thunderbolt Ross, taking over for the late William Hurt. From what is known so far, this movie is supposed to draw on the political intrigue set up in Captain America: The Winter Soldier and the Falcon and the Winter Soldier series, and will likely start to set up the events of the Thunderbolts movie.

5 Thunderbolts

May 2025

Marvel's Thunderbolts are a team of anti-heroes and villains who have all been introduced into the franchise in previous films. According to the cast announcement made at D23 in 2022, this movie will feature a team comprised of Florence Pugh as Yelena Belova, David Harbor as The Red Guardian, and Olga Kurylenko as Taskmaster - all three intoduced in Black Widow - Sebastian Stan as the Winter Soldier, Wyatt Russel as US Agent - introduced in The Falcon and the Winter Soldier - Hannah John-Kaman as Ghost - introduced in Ant-Man and The Wasp - and Julia Louis-Dreyfus as Valentina Allegra de Fontaine.

Steven Yeun was also cast in the movie in an undisclosed role, but he has recently been replaced by Lewis Pullman. Plot details have remained secret, but it seems like this movie will be a street-level adventure based on the characters on the team, and will have a similar feel to DC's The Suicide Squad.

4 Fantastic Four

August 2025

It has taken a while, but Marvel finally revealed the cast for their upcoming Fantastic Four reboot with a Valentine's Day message. The image revealed that fans will see Pedro Pascal as Reed Richards, Vanessa Kirby as Sue Storm, Joseph Quin as Johnny Storm, and Ebon Moss-Bachrach as Ben Grimm. The magazine that Ben Grimm is reading in the announcement image also seems to suggest that some or all of this movie will be set in the 1960s, which might explain where Marvel's first family have been throughout the first four Phases.

A lot of corporate maneuvering took place before Disney got the rights to these characters, and details are still fuzzy about how these heroes will be introduced in the MCU. They could have existed in the 60s and got lost in time (or in The Negative Zone), or they could be folded in from another timeline. The possibilities are endless, and new reports are suggesting that any or all of Doctor Doom, Galactus, and Silver Surfer are going to show up in this Matt Shakman-directed film, although nothing has been confirmed yet.

3 Blade

November 2025

The Blade movie, starring Mahershala Ali, was announced at Comic Con in 2019. Since then, fans have not seen anything of the vampire hunter outside a spoken line in the post credit scene from The Eternals.

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This movie has undergone several re-writes ever since it became clear that the head of Marvel Studios, Kevin Feige, as well as Ali himself, were not happy with the first script. The movie is now expected to begin shooting in the summer of 2024 under director Yann Demang. Plot details have not yet been released, but the movie is also set to star Mia Goth, Delroy Lindo, and Aaron Pierre.

2 Iron Heart

TBA

The character Iron Heart first appeared in Black Panther: Wakanda Forever. Riri Williams is a young college student, played by Dominique Thorne, who is gifted with tech skills like those of the late Tony Stark. Using these smarts, Riri constructs her own power armor to aid in the final battle between the Wakandans and Atlanteans.

As a legacy version of Iron Man, Marvel announced that Iron Heart would be getting her own show in 2025. Unfortunately, numerous delays have pushed this release to sometime likely in late-2025. While not a lot else is known about the Disney+ project, several behind-the-scenes images have revealed that The Hood will be featured as the show's primary antagonist.

1 Daredevil: Born Again

TBA

Daredevil has already had a big resurgence in recent years. The character received a three-season Netflix series that loosely tied into the MCU's second Phase, and fan-favorite Charlie Cox has reprised the role of Matt Murdock in Spider-Man: No Way Home, She-Hulk, and Echo. However, this version of the character is finally set to return in 2025 as the lead of his own Disney + seires.

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Unfortunately, the original scripts for the eighteen-episode show were deemed sub-par, and the show has been reworked to make it a thirteen-episode series that is more in line with the gritty tone of the Netflix show. Both Deborah Ann Woll and Elden Henson are set to reprise their roles as Karen Page and Foggy Nelson, respectively, and both Wilson Bethel and Vincent D'Onofrio are returning as the villainous Bullseye and Kingpin. Jon Bernthal is also returning in his role as The Punisher, who was introduced in season 2 of Netflix's Daredevil before getting a two-season series of his own. After the events of Echo, it appears one of the plots of Daredevil: Born Again will have Kingpin running for Mayor of New York City, as he does in the comics.

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