Marvel Studios Has An Important Release Date to Fill

Marvel Studios has shown no signs of slowing down since it capped off the Infinity Saga with Avengers: Endgame. Now that Disney+ is a part of Marvel’s strategy, the studio is releasing more content than ever before, which means it also has to get strategic with its release dates.

The MCU is currently in Phase 5, which also happens to be mid-way through the Multiverse Saga. The studio has had some stumbling blocks of late, with films like Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania and The Marvels not performing as well as intended, but that doesn’t seem to have slowed development on future MCU projects. Marvel Studios has films planned as far ahead as 2028, but with each Saga of the MCU attempting to tell an overarching narrative, Marvel will need to be specific about where it places each of its films on its slate.

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What Marvel Movies Are Releasing in 2026?

2026 is set to be a pivotal year for Marvel as the studio begins to enter the endgame of the Multiverse Saga. The studio will be coming off the back of three major releases in 2025, those being Captain America: Brave New World, Thunderbolts*, and Fantastic Four: First Steps. Fantastic Four in particular will be an important piece for the rest of the saga, as the movie introduces four major new characters who will be included in the next Avengers films.

Beyond 2025, only three Marvel Studios films have been confirmed. Two of these are the Avengers double feature, Doomsday and Secret Wars, which will bring the Multiverse Saga to a close in a similar style to Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers: Endgame. The last film confirmed on Marvel Studios’ calendar in 2025 is Tom Holland’s fourth Spider-Man film, which only recently received its release date.

2026 will be a four-film year for Marvel, with two untitled Marvel Studios films sandwiching the release dates of Avengers: Doomsday and Spider-Man 4. All of Marvel Studios 2026 movie release dates are as follows:

• February 23, 2026: Untitled Marvel Studios Film
• May 1, 2026: Avengers Doomsday
• July 24, 2026: Spider-Man 4
• November 6, 2026: Untitled Marvel Studios Film

Marvel’s 2026 Slate Has One Important Free Slot

Looking at Marvel Studios’ year in 2026, it’s going to be an important one for the MCU. Both Spider-Man 4 and the fifth Avengers films are highly-anticipated installments that will no doubt have major plot ramifications for the whole MCU. Marvel also has two untitled films on its slate for 2026, but one of them remains a super important part of the Phase 6 puzzle. The Untitled Marvel Studios Film which is set for release on November 6, 2026, will be one of only two MCU films released in between Avengers: Doomsday and Avengers: Secret Wars. Along with Spider-Man 4, this means the November 2026 Marvel film could be crucial to how things play out in the remainder of the Multiverse Saga.

What Movie Should Marvel Release Before Avengers: Secret Wars?

If Avengers: Doomsday ends with a cliffhanger like that of Avengers: Infinity War, it means that whatever that November 2026 Marvel film is will either need to tread carefully or it could have major implications for Avengers: Secret Wars. When Marvel Studios released Avengers: Infinity War, it left the state of the MCU in disarray, with half of the Avengers, and the universe’s population, disintegrated in Thanos’ snap. This meant that none of the MCU movies released in between Infinity War and Endgame could meddle too much, lest they ruin the pay-off that was to come in Avengers: Endgame. Marvel chose two films to release during this time. One was Ant-Man and the Wasp, which chronologically took place just before the events of Avengers: Infinity War, leaving a post-credits scene to link Ant-Man’s story to the rest of the Avengers. The other film was Captain Marvel, which was an origin story for Carol Danvers taking place in the 1990s, thus avoiding any ripple effects on the Infinity War story.

Marvel Could Introduce A New Hero Prior to Avengers: Secret Wars

Marvel Studios may need to employ a similar tactic when it comes to its November 2026 release, and either tell a story adjacent to that of Avengers: Doomsday, or take the chance to introduce a new hero in their own origin story separate from the events of the MCU at that spot in the timeline. One suggestion for this could be Marvel’s long-troubled Blade movie. The studio recently removed Blade’s release date from its slate completely, after the film repeatedly failed to get off the ground, going through multiple directors and script rewrites. If Blade is to be an origin story of the vampire hunter, it could easily exist away from the events of the MCU and serve as a good stopgap between Avengers films.

Alternatively, Marvel Studios could announce a pivotal film in that November 2026 slot, one that helps to expand on an event or character that is important in Avengers: Endgame, or one that will be important in Avengers: Secret Wars. Ant-Man and the Wasp helped to introduce the idea of the Quantum Realm, which was the key to reversing Thanos’ snap in Avengers: Endgame. Perhaps Marvel’s November 2026 film could do the same, and expand on a crucial plot point that will be useful for the Avengers in Secret Wars.

MCU

The Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) is a sprawling movie and television franchise that weaves together individual stories of superheroes including Captain America, Thor, Spider-Man, Hulk, Black Widow, and many more. The first film in the franchise, Iron Man, was released in 2008. The MCU has garnered critical praise and financial success, earning billions at the box office and becoming a cultural phenomenon.

First Film

Iron Man

Latest Film

Marvels

Cast

Robert Downey Jr. , Chris Evans , Chris Hemsworth , Scarlett Johansson , Mark Ruffalo , Jeremy Renner , Chadwick Boseman , Zoe Saldana , Chris Pratt , Tom Hiddleston , Iman Vellani

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