Predicting The MCU's 4 Mystery Movies Until 2029 After Slate Updates

Published Jul 27, 2026, 3:20 PM EDT Cooper Hood is the Associate Editor for all new movie releases, in theaters and on streaming. In addition to writing articles about these titles and upcoming releases, he also oversees content planning for each, ensuring that ScreenRant continues to cover major releases for months after their release. He has written various reviews for ScreenRant that appear on Rotten Tomatoes, coordinated Oscars and San Diego Comic-Con coverage, appeared on CNN to talk about Mission: Impossible - The Final Reckoning, and done select interviews with talent over the years. Sign in to your ScreenRant account Marvel Studios has shed some light on the Marvel Cinematic Universe's slate after Avengers: Secret Wars, but four release dates remain officially unoccupied, leaving room for speculation of what else is coming. With Avengers: Doomsday and Secret Wars coming later this year and in 2027, Marvel and Kevin Feige have been hesitant to talk to definitively about what will come after the Multiverse Saga's conclusion. That has never stopped them and Disney from planting their flag on release dates for future movies. There are officially three MCU movies on Disney's schedule for 2028, and two more mystery titles are dated for 2029. There was hope that all five films would be unveiled during Marvel Studios' 2026 SDCC panel announcements, but only one date was snatched. The presentation brought news that Black Panther 3 will hit theaters on December 15, 2028. That made Ryan Coogler's movie the first MCU title to officially occupy a release date after Secret Wars. We know that two more movies will arrive before then, and two more, at least, will come after; Feige confirmed Marvel has a roadmap through 2042 right now. From “I Am Iron Man” to “I Am Inevitable” · Eight Questions How Well Do You Know the MCU? “Whatever it takes.” 🤖Phase OneRDJ & the founders, 2008 🛡The AvengersWhedon’s team, 2012 💎Infinity SagaThanos & the stones ⚡EndgameWhatever it takes, 2019 🌏MultiversePhase 4–6, 2021– ASSEMBLE → 01 Iron Man (2008) is, in retrospect, the most consequential casting decision in modern blockbuster history — but at the time Marvel Studios and parent company Paramount were openly hostile to director Jon Favreau’s push for the lead actor he eventually got. Favreau later said he had to fight “tooth and nail” and the actor had to do a paid screen test, a screen-test deal almost unheard of for an A-lister. What was the executive objection to him? AHe was considered too old for a 15-year contract BHis history of drug arrests made him uninsurable CHe was already under contract to DC/Warner Bros. DHe’d publicly refused to do any superhero work ✓ Correct! Robert Downey Jr. had been arrested multiple times between 1996 and 2001 on drug and weapons charges, served roughly a year in California state prison (1999–2000), and was fired from Ally McBeal in 2001 after relapsing. By 2007 he’d been clean for several years, but Marvel/Paramount considered him essentially uninsurable for a $140 million tent-pole. Favreau pushed for him over studio favourites Tom Cruise (who’d had Iron Man development at Fox years earlier) and Sam Rockwell (who’d later play Justin Hammer in Iron Man 2 as a consolation). RDJ took a reported $500,000 base salary — less than Terrence Howard, whose role he then permanently overshadowed. ✗ Wrong. The answer is his arrest history. RDJ had drug-related arrests from 1996–2001, served prison time in 1999–2000, and was fired from Ally McBeal in 2001 — which made him uninsurable in studio terms even though he’d been sober for several years by 2007. Favreau fought for him over Tom Cruise and Sam Rockwell, and RDJ took a reported $500,000 base salary — less than co-star Terrence Howard. NEXT → 02 The Avengers (2012) — the film that proved the shared-universe model could work, grossed $1.52 billion, and ended Phase One with Loki, Thanos’s mid-credits reveal, and the “swarm shot” of the team rotating in Manhattan — was written and directed by a TV showrunner best known at the time for Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Firefly. Name him. AJon Favreau BKenneth Branagh CJoss Whedon DJoe Johnston ✓ Correct! Joss Whedon. Marvel hired him in mid-2010 partly on the basis of his uncredited script rewrites and his comfort writing ensemble team dynamics from Buffy/Angel/Firefly. He directed The Avengers (2012) and the follow-up Age of Ultron (2015), then exited the MCU and Marvel handed the next two Avengers films to the Russo brothers. The three other directors named all really did make Phase One films: Favreau directed Iron Man (2008) and Iron Man 2 (2010), Branagh directed Thor (2011), and Joe Johnston directed Captain America: The First Avenger (2011) — which is why this question separates Phase One trivia from Avengers-specific trivia. ✗ Wrong. The answer is Joss Whedon — hired largely on the strength of Buffy, Firefly, and uncredited Hollywood script work. The three wrong options are deliberately all real Phase One MCU directors: Favreau did Iron Man 1 & 2, Branagh did Thor (2011), and Joe Johnston did The First Avenger (2011). Whedon directed Avengers (2012) and Age of Ultron (2015) before exiting the MCU. NEXT → 03 Marvel co-architect Stan Lee (1922–2018) appeared in every theatrical MCU film from Iron Man (2008) onward, even shooting cameos in advance to outlast him. He died on November 12, 2018. In which film does his final filmed MCU cameo appear — as the long-haired young driver of a 1970 car bearing the bumper sticker “NUFF SAID”? AAvengers: Endgame (2019) BAvengers: Infinity War (2018) CCaptain Marvel (2019) DSpider-Man: Far From Home (2019) ✓ Correct! Avengers: Endgame (April 2019). Lee appears digitally de-aged behind the wheel of a 1970 Chevy at the New Jersey army base where Tony Stark and Steve Rogers travel back to retrieve the Tesseract; he shouts “hey man, make love, not war!” The cameo was filmed before Lee’s death and confirmed by the Russos as his final filmed MCU appearance, although the next-released film, Spider-Man: Far From Home (July 2019), became the first MCU film with no Stan Lee cameo at all. Captain Marvel (March 2019) has him reading the script for Mallrats on the L.A. train and was the first posthumously-released cameo, but Endgame was the last one he actually shot. ✗ Wrong. The answer is Avengers: Endgame — the de-aged hippie-era driver in the 1970 New Jersey time-heist scene. Captain Marvel (March 2019) was the first cameo to release posthumously, but Endgame (April 2019) was the last one Lee actually filmed. Spider-Man: Far From Home (July 2019) became the first MCU film with no Stan Lee cameo at all. NEXT → 04 Across Phase One through Three, each Infinity Stone is hidden inside a distinctive container before being claimed for Thanos’s Gauntlet. The blue Space Stone is housed inside a glowing cube that originates with the Asgardians, is recovered by Howard Stark from the wreckage of the Red Skull’s plane, is taken to Asgard by Loki in 2012, and is finally retrieved by Hulk on Sakaar before falling to Thanos. What is that container called? AThe Tesseract BThe Aether CThe Orb DThe Eye of Agamotto ✓ Correct! The Tesseract — the blue cube that houses the Space Stone — first appears in Captain America: The First Avenger (2011), powers the portal Loki opens over Manhattan in The Avengers (2012), and is destroyed by Thanos in Infinity War (2018) when he crushes it to claim the stone inside. The wrong options are all real Infinity Stone containers from the MCU: the Aether (red liquid form) houses the Reality Stone in Thor: The Dark World, the Orb houses the Power Stone in Guardians of the Galaxy, and the Eye of Agamotto houses the Time Stone in Doctor Strange. So all four answers refer to genuine stone containers — only the Tesseract holds Space. ✗ Wrong. The answer is the Tesseract. The trap is that all four options are real Infinity Stone containers: the Aether holds Reality (Thor: The Dark World), the Orb holds Power (Guardians of the Galaxy), and the Eye of Agamotto holds Time (Doctor Strange). Space — the blue stone shown in Cap’s 1942 plane wreckage and Loki’s 2012 invasion — is the Tesseract. NEXT → 05 In Avengers: Infinity War (2018), the Soul Stone is hidden on Vormir and guarded by a Stonekeeper — revealed to be a cursed Red Skull. To claim it, the seeker must sacrifice the person they love most by throwing them from a cliff. Thanos arrives on Vormir with one adopted daughter, weeps, and pushes her over the edge. Which character does Thanos sacrifice to obtain the Soul Stone? ANebula BGamora CMantis DProxima Midnight ✓ Correct! Gamora (Zoe Saldaña). Thanos forces her to lead him to Vormir because Nebula has earlier revealed under torture that Gamora knew the Soul Stone’s location all along. The scene is the emotional pivot of Infinity War: it confirms that Thanos really does love Gamora, which means the sacrifice qualifies. In Endgame (2019), a 2014 version of Gamora returns through time travel with her father — meaning Gamora-of-Infinity-War remains dead at the end of the saga, while a different Gamora wanders the cosmos in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3. Nebula is alive throughout Infinity War; Mantis survives Vormir entirely; Proxima Midnight is one of Thanos’s Black Order children, killed in the Battle of Wakanda. ✗ Wrong. The answer is Gamora. Nebula is alive throughout Infinity War (she’s the one whose torture reveals Gamora knew where the stone was hidden). Mantis isn’t on Vormir. Proxima Midnight is Thanos’s adopted daughter via the Black Order, not via Zen-Whoberi, and is killed during the Battle of Wakanda by Scarlet Witch. Thanos sacrifices Gamora — the only adopted daughter he genuinely loves. NEXT → 06 In Avengers: Endgame (2019), Steve Rogers travels back in time to return the Infinity Stones, then chooses to remain in the past and live out a life with Peggy Carter. He returns to the present as an old man, sits on a bench by the lake at the Avengers compound, and hands his vibranium shield to a younger Avenger as the symbolic transfer of the Captain America identity. To whom does Steve give the shield? ABucky Barnes BSam Wilson CT’Challa DPeter Parker ✓ Correct! Sam Wilson (Anthony Mackie) — the Falcon. The choice deliberately bypasses Bucky, the original comics successor, because the Russos and screenwriters Markus & McFeely wanted the moment to read as a deliberate, racially-charged passing of an American icon rather than the obvious comics-canon handoff. The thread is then picked up directly in The Falcon and the Winter Soldier (Disney+, 2021), in which Sam initially gives the shield to the Smithsonian, sees the government install John Walker as a replacement Cap, and ultimately takes the mantle himself — setting up Captain America: Brave New World (2025) with Mackie as the franchise’s new lead. ✗ Wrong. The answer is Sam Wilson, the Falcon. In the comics Bucky is the classic Cap successor, but the Russos and screenwriters Markus and McFeely deliberately picked Sam instead — a choice the entire Falcon and the Winter Soldier series (Disney+, 2021) then unpacks before Mackie carries it into Captain America: Brave New World (2025). NEXT → 07 After Endgame, Marvel Studios’ Phase Four launched the MCU on Disney+ with a sitcom-pastiche limited series in which Wanda Maximoff and a resurrected Vision live inside a reality-warping suburban hex. Each episode parodied a different era of US TV sitcom — The Dick Van Dyke Show, Bewitched, Family Ties, Modern Family. The show premiered January 15, 2021 and ran nine episodes. Which series was it — the first MCU project on Disney+? AWandaVision BLoki CThe Falcon and the Winter Soldier DHawkeye ✓ Correct! WandaVision (January 15 – March 5, 2021), created by Jac Schaeffer and directed by Matt Shakman. It launched Phase Four, earned 23 Emmy nominations, and effectively rebooted Wanda Maximoff as the Scarlet Witch ahead of Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness (2022). The Falcon and the Winter Soldier followed it in March 2021 — not first — and Loki landed in June 2021. Hawkeye is the 2021 Christmas series with Jeremy Renner and Hailee Steinfeld. The original launch order was WandaVision → FATWS → Loki → What If...? → Hawkeye, and WandaVision’s sitcom format remains the boldest swing of the Disney+ era. ✗ Wrong. The answer is WandaVision (January 15, 2021), the first MCU show on Disney+ and the launchpad for Phase Four. The Falcon and the Winter Soldier came in March 2021, Loki in June 2021, and Hawkeye in late 2021. The sitcom-pastiche structure — Dick Van Dyke through Modern Family — is unique to WandaVision. NEXT → 08 At the closing panel of San Diego Comic-Con on July 27, 2024, Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige brought the Russo brothers back on stage to announce a new title for the next Avengers film — previously labelled “The Kang Dynasty” before Jonathan Majors’s December 2023 conviction forced a pivot — and then unmasked a cast of actors wearing green hoods. The final hood came off Robert Downey Jr. RDJ is returning to the MCU, but not as Tony Stark. As whom? AMister Sinister BDoctor Doom CNorman Osborn DMephisto ✓ Correct! Doctor Doom — Victor von Doom, the Latverian dictator and Reed Richards’s lifelong nemesis, generally considered Marvel’s greatest comics villain. The next Avengers film, originally announced as Avengers: The Kang Dynasty, was retitled Avengers: Doomsday after Jonathan Majors was dropped as Kang following his December 2023 assault conviction. Doomsday is scheduled for May 2026, with Avengers: Secret Wars to follow in May 2027 — both directed by Anthony and Joe Russo, returning to the MCU after Endgame. The in-universe explanation for RDJ playing Doom rather than Stark hinges on the multiverse: Doom is being positioned as a variant of Stark from another timeline. ✗ Wrong. The answer is Doctor Doom. The film was retitled from Avengers: The Kang Dynasty to Avengers: Doomsday (May 2026) after Jonathan Majors was dropped, and the Russos returned to direct. RDJ’s casting as Doom — rather than as Tony Stark — is being explained in-universe via the multiverse: Doom as a Stark variant from another timeline. REVEAL MY RATING → The Stones Are Cast · Final Scorecard Your Avengers Standing 💎 / 8 A worthy Avenger — or dusted in the snap? ⤴ ROUND TWO So what MCU movies are best positioned to hit theaters in 2028 and 2029? There are several confirmed MCU movies in development, but only a few are in a strong enough place where they could conceivably make it all the way through production by 2029. X-Men - May 5, 2028 Even though X-Men wasn't announced at SDCC (it wasn't discussed at all), the movie is positioned to be Marvel's first release after Secret Wars. Jake Schreier (Thunderbolts*) is attached to direct, based on a script by Beef's Lee Sung Jin and Joanna Calo and The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes scribe Michael Lesslie. X-Men is currently in pre-production, with Marvel rumored to be in the casting process. Filming is anticipated to begin in early 2027, which makes it coming out on May 5, 2028, very doable. The untitled X-Men franchise starter would hit theaters less than six months after Secret Wars' resets the MCU timeline. The next saga is not officially named, but all indications are that the MCU is entering the Mutant Saga. If that is the plan, then kicking off the new era of the cinematic universe with Marvel Studios' first X-Men team movie is a no-brainer. It immediately establishes them as the team that will define the next decade or more of MCU storytelling, all while putting them in the prime early May release window Marvel typically holds for its biggest franchises. Ghost Rider - July 28, 2028 One of the big announcements from SDCC 2026 for Marvel was the confirmation that a Ghost Rider movie starring Ryan Gosling is coming. The actor spent years campaigning for the role in the press and finally gets his wish, teaming up with the director and writer of his next blockbuster, Star Wars: Starfighter, Shawn Levy and Jonathan Tropper. Marvel confirmed during the panel that Ghost Rider would hit theaters in 2028, but they did not specify whether it would come on the May 5 or July 28 date that is currently vacant. It would feel quite strange for the MCU to launch its post-Secret Wars era with a Ghost Rider solo film. That's why X-Men makes more sense in May, with Ghost Rider sliding in for a July launch. This is a window where Marvel has successfully launched new franchises before. Captain America, Ant-Man, Spider-Man, Black Widow, and the Fantastic Four all had their first movies in July. Ghost Rider could follow suit, giving the MCU a high-octane, supernatural, potentially R-rated film in the middle of the summer. Levy's prior MCU movie, Deadpool & Wolverine, also came out in July, and with he and Gosling set to be busy promoting Starfighter until its May 2027 release, it'd make sense to hold off on starting Ghost Rider until after those commitments end. They'd then have a little over a year to get through filming and post-production to have Ghost Rider hit this July 2028 date. Shang-Chi 2 - May 4, 2029 Sadly, Marvel didn't confirm any updates on Shang-Chi 2 at SDCC 2026, but the sequel is still on the way. Destin Daniel Cretton was hired to start working on the movie back in 2021 after the critical acclaim of Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings, which made an impressive $432 million during the pandemic. Between developing Wonder Man, signing on and then leaving Avengers: The Kang Dynasty, and helming Spider-Man: Brand New Day, Cretton hasn't had much time to get Shang-Chi 2 going. Demand for the sequel has not gone away, and Cretton confirmed he and writer Dave Callaham are still working on the script. Now that his time with Brand New Day is finishing, Shang-Chi 2 could finally become the priority. The first movie performed well enough in September 2021 to give Marvel confidence that Shang-Chi 2 could have real blockbuster potential if given a prime summer release. The May 4, 2029, release date could work well for this sequel, positioning Shang-Chi as a character who is incredibly important to the MCU after Secret Wars. Shang-Chi would join Captain America, the Guardians of the Galaxy, and Doctor Strange as characters who became so popular that their sequels were prioritized with the May release by Marvel Studios. Their sequels saw an average box office increase of over $250 million with the summer treatment, which would position Shang-Chi 2 to be a $700+ million earner eight years later. Deadpool 4 - July 13, 2029 Jesse Grant / 2026 Getty Images The July 2029 slot very well could be where Deadpool returns to the MCU. Following Deadpool & Wolverine's gigantic success, Marvel has been keenly interested in getting Ryan Reynolds back as the Merc with a Mouth, with a follow-up feeling inevitable. We might first see Deadpool in Avengers: Doomsday, but he will be back as a lead (or major) character eventually. Reynolds has confirmed that he's working on another Marvel movie script featuring Deadpool, which we'll call Deadpool 4 until further notice. Now that he's starting to talk about it a bit, envisioning that it will be ready for a 2029 release date feels right. It'd be five years after Deadpool & Wolverine and could be central in expanding the X-Men mythology after Secret Wars. One potential hold up with Deadpool 4 or whatever it will be called (like X-Force), is that it would need a creative change to hit this date. Deadpool & Wolverine's director Shawn Levy would be unable to direct this entry due to his commitments to Ghost Rider. Reynolds and Levy have developed a great working relationship between Free Guy, The Adam Project, and Deadpool & Wolverine. If the star wants to keep him around, then the 2029 date won't work. But if that timing is what Marvel and Reynolds want, other options exist. The star could recruit Game Night's John Francis Daley and Jonathan Goldstein (who also co-wrote Spider-Man: Homecoming) after making Apple's Mayday together. Marvel Studios could also try to get Deadpool 2's David Leitch back or bring in MCU veterans like Adil El Arbi and Bilall Fallah (Ms. Marvel) or Justin Benson and Aaron Moorhead (Loki, Daredevil: Born Again). Other Candidates To Be MCU Movies In 2029 Shang-Chi 2 and Deadpool 4 feel like strong contenders to occupy these 2029 MCU movie release dates, but they are not the only options that exist. Marvel Studios could have several unannounced sequels in the works that would be ready to come by then. Doctor Strange 3, Thor 5, The Fantastic Four 2, Captain America 5, and Guardians of the Galaxy 4 are a few options. Marvel and Sony could also have plans for 2029 to deliver Tom Holland's Spider-Man 5. That'd be three years after Brand New Day, giving everyone a chance to breathe and get the sequel in order. It'd also be two years after Spider-Man: Beyond the Spider-Verse, allowing Miles Morales to make his MCU debut potentially. As proposed, the MCU would have a three-movie sequel streak starting with Black Panther 3 in 2028, but fresh standalone movies could take either of these 2029 dates (or slot in with a third, currently unannounced date). We know a Nova movie is being written by Michael Waldron, so that could be ready for 2029. If Blade or Armor Wars ever happen, perhaps it'll be here. Marvel could even launch a Young Avengers franchise this year. For as confident as I feel about the 2028 MCU movie predictions, the 2029 slots clearly hold more possibilities. It should be fun to see where Marvel lands as the next saga starts to take shape. Movie(s) Iron Man, The Incredible Hulk, Iron Man 2, Thor, Captain America: The First Avenger, ​The Avengers, Iron Man 3, Thor: The Dark World, Captain America: The Winter Soldier, Guardians of the Galaxy, Avengers: Age of Ultron, Ant-Man, Captain America: Civil War, Doctor Strange, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2, Spider-Man: Homecoming, Thor: Ragnarok, Black Panther, Avengers: Infinity War, Ant-Man and the Wasp, Captain Marvel, Avengers: Endgame, Spider-Man: Far from Home, Black Widow, Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings, Eternals, Spider-Man: No Way Home, Doctor Strange In the Multiverse of Madness, Thor: Love and Thunder, Black Panther: Wakanda Forever , Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, The Marvels, Deadpool & Wolverine, Captain America: Brave New World, Thunderbolts*, The Fantastic Four: First Steps, Spider-Man: Brand New Day, Avengers: Doomsday, Werewolf by Night , The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special, The Punisher: One Last Kill TV Show(s) Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., Agent Carter, Inhumans, WandaVision, The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, Loki, What If...?, Hawkeye, Moon Knight, Ms. Marvel, She-Hulk: Attorney at Law, Secret Invasion, Agatha All Along, Ironheart, Daredevil: Born Again, Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man, Wonder Man, Echo, Marvel Zombies, Eyes of Wakanda First Film Iron Man First TV Show Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. Cast Robert Downey Jr., Chris Evans, Scarlett Johansson, Samuel L. Jackson, Jeremy Renner, Chris Hemsworth, Mark Ruffalo, Edward Norton, Paul Rudd, Tom Holland, Tom Hiddleston, Anthony Mackie, Cobie Smulders, Brie Larson, Chadwick Boseman, Sebastian Stan, Chris Pratt, Dave Bautista, Zoe Saldana, Bradley Cooper, Vin Diesel, Pom Klementieff, Josh Brolin, Karen Gillan, Clark Gregg, Paul Bettany, Don Cheadle, Benedict Cumberbatch, Evangeline Lilly, Simu Liu, Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Angelina Jolie, Kit Harington, Salma Hayek, Richard Madden, Barry Keoghan, Gemma Chan, Ma Dong-seok, Brian Tyree Henry, Kumail Nanjiani, Lauren Ridloff, Lia McHugh, Jonathan Majors Director Jon Favreau, Joss Whedon, Shane Black, Anthony Russo, Joe Russo, James Gunn, Peyton Reed, Taika Waititi, Ryan Coogler