We now know the entirety of Phase 5 and Phase 6 of the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
MCU Phase 5
- Agatha All Along | September 18, 2024 (Disney+)
- Captain America: Brave New World | February 14, 2025
- Thunderbolts | May 2, 2025
MCU Phase 6
- Fantastic Four | July 25, 2025
- Blade | November 7, 2025
- Avengers: Doomsday | May 1, 2026
- Avengers: Secret Wars | May 7, 2027
One thing that stands out about Phase 5 is how villain-focused it is. Agatha was the antagonist of WandaVision and seems positioned as an anti-hero in her own show. But, still, very much on the villain-side of the balance sheet. And then Brave New World is a Captain America movie but the political emphasis seems like a direct set-up for Thunderbolts, the government-sanctioned team of supervillains.
And then Phase 6 has back-to-back Avengers movies. The last time that happened was Infinity War and Endgame. We should probably expect a paradigm shift, a la the death of Tony Stark and retirement of Steve Rogers.
For those who don’t know, in the comics, Doom and the Fantastic Four are the primary players in the “Battleworld” arc of the Secret Wars saga. No spoilers, but it will be curious to see how Kevin Feige and company handle Secret Wars. Because it’s possible the film serves as an introduction to an arc that will dominate Phase 7, one where Doom is the major villain. If the entirety of Battleworld happens in Secret Wars, then Phase 7 will reset the status quo and allow the MCU to start somewhat fresh. In the comics, Marvel followed Secret Wars by branding quite literally as “All-New, All-Different Marvel”.
