If you’ve watched the Marvel movies in order as much as we have, Phase 4 of the MCU is a big deal. Surreal as it seems on paper, Marvel Studios has already released six movies and TV shows since Spider-Man: Far From Home put a cap on its Phase 3 schedule. And, with the likes of Shang-Chi, WandaVision and Loki releasing to critical acclaim earlier in 2021, Phase 4 is off to the best possible start.
There’s plenty more to come, too. Marvel’s Eternals movie and the Hawkeye Disney Plus series are up next, before Spider-Man: No Way Home brings the curtain down on the studio’s 2021 releases.
With many more movies and TV shows set to debut in 2022 and beyond, you might benefit from a full rundown of Marvel’s Phase 4 schedule. Below, you’ll find a definitive guide to all of the studio’s forthcoming productions, including their release dates, sizable casts, trailers and other announcements. Are you ready? Let’s dive in.
Marvel Phase 4 release dates schedule: movies and TV shows coming soon
Many of Marvel’s forthcoming productions have official launch dates, though some key releases are ambiguous for now. Below, you’ll find a list of confirmed release dates for most of the studios’ films and TV shows, as well as those that have tentative launch windows.
- Eternals (November 5, 2021)
- Hawkeye (November 24, 2021)
- Spider-Man: No Way Home (December 17, 2021)
- Ms. Marvel (early 2022)
- Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness (March 25, 2022)
- Thor: Love and Thunder (May 6, 2022)
- Black Panther: Wakanda Forever (July 8, 2022)
- The Marvels (November 11, 2022)
- The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special (December 2022)
- Moon Knight (expected 2022)
- She-Hulk (expected in 2022)
- Secret Invasion (expected in 2022)
- Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania (February 17, 2023)
- Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 (May 5, 2023)
- Fantastic Four (TBA)
Marvel Phase 4 movies: every MCU film arriving by 2023
Eternals
Release date: November 5, 2021
The next movie on the Phase 4 slate, Eternals promises to rival any Avengers movie. That’s due to its award-winning director Chloé Zhao, all-star cast and apparent two-and-a-half hour runtime (per Russian outlet Kino Metro).
Eternals’ 10-strong superhero team comprises Gemma Chan as Sersi, Richard Madden as Ikaris, Kumail Nanjiani as Kingo, Salma Hayek as Ajak, Angelina Jolie as Thena, Lia McHugh as Sprite, Brian Tyree Henry as Phastos, Lauren Ridloff as Makkari, Barry Keoghan as Druig and Don Lee as Gilgamesh.
Additionally, Kit Harington will portray Dane Whitman/Black Knight, while Dan Stevens has heavily teased that he’ll voice Deviant leader Kro. There’s no news on who’ll voice Celestials Nezarr the Calculator or Arishem the Judge yet.
Set in the aftermath of Avengers: Endgame, Eternals will see the superhero group reunite to protect humanity from the Deviants and Celestials during the so-called “emergence event”. Expect plenty of drama, action and standard Marvel humor.
Spider-Man: No Way Home
Release date: December 17, 2021
Is there a more highly anticipated Marvel movie than Spider-Man: No Way Home? The release of the threequel’s first trailer almost broke the internet in late August, and the hype hasn’t died down amid the potential returns of previous Spider-Man actors and their villains.
Picking up sometime after the second MCU Spider-Man flick, No Way Home will see Peter Parker (Tom Holland) seek the help of Doctor Strange (Benedict Cumberbatch) to restore his secret identity. That’s after Mysterio revealed who he was in Far From Home’s post-credits scene.
Things don’t go to plan, however, and the duo help to bring about the multiverse’s arrival. Alfred Molina’s Doc-Ock, Jamie Foxx’s Electro and Willem Dafoe’s Green Goblin, among other rumored villains, are all expected (or likely) to reprise their roles in No Way Home. Tobey Maguire and Andrew Garfield are also believed to be returning as their Spider-Man iterations, too, while Charlie Cox’s Matt Murdock – last seen in his Netflix Daredevil series – might cameo. That’s a lot of unknowns about one movie.
Suffice to say, we’ll be strapping ourselves in for a mind bending, action-packed and potentially emotional ending to the MCU’s Spider-Man trilogy.
Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness
Release date: March 25, 2022
Speaking of the Sorcerer Supreme, Doctor Strange 2 arrives in theaters three months after No Way Home. It’s likely to provide us with a clear look at, as well as a better understanding of, the Marvel Cinematic Multiverse (MCM).
Cumberbatch is in line to reprise his role as Stephen Strange, and he’ll be joined by Elizabeth Olsen’s Scarlet Witch, Benedict Wong’s Wong, Chiwetel Ejiofor’s Baron Mordo and Rachel McAdams’ Christine Palmer from the first movie. Newcomer Xochitl Gomez will also portray America Chavez, a relative newcomer to Marvel’s comic line-up of superheroes.
Little is known about Doctor Strange 2’s plot, save for a brief synopsis (per Backstage.com), which suggests we’re in for a mind-boggling, horror-style superhero flick that’ll reshape everything we thought we knew about the mainline live-action universe. All signs, then, point towards a shake-up in how the MCU and its inhabitants operate.
Thor: Love and Thunder
Release date: May 6, 2022
The only Avenger to receive a fourth solo movie (so far, anyway), Thor’s MCU arc will continue in May 2022.
Admittedly, Thor: Love and Thunder will be a mini-Avengers movie of sorts. It also stars the Guardians of the Galaxy, Tessa Thompson’s Valkyrie and sees Natalie Portman’s Jane Foster return as alter-go Mighty Thor. But the God of Thunder is still the only member of the MCU’s original Avengers lineup to get another live-action outing.
Like Doctor Strange 2, we don’t know much about its plot. According to director Taika Waititi, it’ll draw inspiration from Jason Aaron’s Mighty Thor comic series, which sees Foster gain superpowers similar to Thor while undergoing cancer treatment. We also know that Christian Bale (The Dark Knight, Vice) will portray Gorr the God Butcher, the movie’s antagonist, while Waititi calls Thor 4 the “craziest film [he’s] ever done”. Fingers crossed that’s genuine and not hyperbole.
Black Panther: Wakanda Forever
Release date: July 8, 2022
Perhaps the most poignant Marvel film currently in production, and with good reason. Black Panther’s MCU journey will continue without the iconic Chadwick Boseman, who passed away in August 2020 after a four-year battle with cancer.
With Marvel Studios choosing not to recast T’Challa in honor of Boseman’s portrayal, Wakanda Forever’s plot has since been reshaped five times by director Ryan Coogler and co-writer Joe Robert Cole. Filming, though, is currently underway on Black Panther 2, so it seems that the duo have found a way to preserve Boseman’s legacy while moving Black Panther’s story forward.
So what do we know about the film so far? The likes of Lupita Nyongo’s Nakia, Letitia Wright’s Shuri, Angela Bassett’s Ramonda and Danai Gurira’s Okoye are all reprising their roles from the first film. Martin Freeman and Winston Duke, too, are back as Everett Ross and M’Baku respectively. I May Destroy You’s Michaela Coel has also been cast in an undisclosed role.
Finally, Wakanda Forever will introduce a live-action version of Ironheart, aka Riri Williams, a genius inventor and MIT student who creates her own Iron Man-style armor suit. Expect Tony Stark’s MCU successor to play a big role in proceedings, then, as well as one of the established cast assuming the mantle of Black Panther at some point.
The Marvels
Release date: November 11, 2022
While technically a Captain Marvel sequel, this Nia DaCosta-directed Phase 4 film will see a trio of female superheroes team up on the big screen for the first time.
Brie Larson’s Carol Danvers will reunite with Teyonah Parris’ Monica Rambeau, the daughter of Danvers’ best friend Maria (Lashana Lynch) from the first movie. The last time we saw Rambeau, she had acquired her own superpowers in WandaVision, so expect an awkward family-style reunion between the pair.
Elsewhere, Iman Vellani’s Ms. Marvel will also make her live-action movie debut. Vellani’s Kamala Khan will star in her own Disney Plus show first, which is apparently slated to release in early 2022. So we’ll be introduced to her before her appearance in The Marvels.
Zawe Ashton (Velvet Buzzsaw) has been cast as the movie’s villain, with filming currently taking place in the UK after stints in Los Angeles and New Jersey.
Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania
Release date: February 17, 2023
Another production that’s shooting in the UK right now, Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania could properly introduce us to the MCU’s next big bad after Thanos in the Infinity Saga.
Again, little is known about this film’s plot, but we do know that its antagonist will be none other than Kang the Conqueror. The time traveling genius will be played by Jonathan Majors, who portrayed one of Kang’s time variants – He Who Remains – in Loki season 1. And his official arrival could have huge repercussions for the MCU moving forward.
Majors’ Kang aside, Ant-Man 3 will also see the return of Paul Rudd, Evangeline Lilly, Michael Douglas, Michelle Pfeiffer and Kathryn Newton as Scott Lang/Ant-Man, Hope van Dyne/Wasp, Hank Pym, Janet van Dyne and Cassie Lang. Peyton Reed, who directed the first two Ant-Man flicks, also returns in the hot seat and has hinted that the Quantum Realm will play a big role in proceedings. Watch this space.
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3
Release date: May 5, 2023
One of two movies set to arrive in 2023, Guardians 3 will bring the curtain down on the trilogy that James Gunn has helmed since 2014.
Guardians 3 will be set after Thor: Love and Thunder and the Guardians’ forthcoming Disney Plus Holiday special. But, outside of some potential lineup changes – David Bautista won’t return as Drax after Guardians 3, while Gunn has teased some major character deaths in the threequel – we don’t know much about this flick.
Filming is due to begin in November 2021 and end in April 2022, so expect some things to leak out during this period.
Fantastic Four
Release date: TBA
This Phase 4 movie is a biggie. That’s right, a Fantastic Four MCU film is on the way, but there’s very little in the way of information surrounding it at the moment.
Jon Watts, who has directed all three Spider-Man MCU films, will take charge of its production. There are no other official announcements outside of Watts’ hiring but, hopefully, that’ll change once he’s finished conducting press for Spider-Man: No Way Home later this year.
Marvel Phase 4 TV shows: every Disney Plus series releasing by 2022
Hawkeye
Release date: November 24, 2021
Clint Barton – who surely has a lot of baggage after Avengers: Endgame, where he was shown killing criminals and had to let Natasha Romanoff die – is returning to train a new Hawkeye, Kate Bishop, in this Disney Plus series. Taking its cues from the Matt Fraction and David Aja run of comic books that redefined Hawkeye for the modern age, this Christmas-set series is rumored to feature Daredevil’s Vincent D’Onofrio as Wilson Fisk, but we’ll have to wait and see on that one.
Ms. Marvel
Release date: 2022
Originally expected in 2021 but now coming in 2022, Ms. Marvel introduces Kamala Khan (Iman Vellani) to the MCU – its first Muslim superhero, and also the breakout star of the Marvel’s Avengers game released last year. She’s a breath of fresh air as superhero characters go, with a Spider-Man-like origin story that makes her feel very complete from the off. As mentioned, this show will tie in to The Marvels, with Vellani reprising her role in that movie.
Moon Knight
Release date: TBA
Moon Knight is about Marc Spector, a superhero dealing with dissociative identity disorder – the big news here is that Marvel has landed superstar Oscar Isaac for the role, with Ethan Hawke playing the show’s villain. Expect Isaac to inhabit multiple versions of his character, and expect Egyptian iconography to play a big part in the show’s visual direction.
She-Hulk
Release date: 2022 (expected)
She-Hulk should bring a different flavor to the MCU. Tatiana Maslany plays Bruce Banner’s cousin, Jennifer Walters, in what’s been described as a half-hour legal comedy, similar in vein to the Dan Slott comic from the mid-2000s that drew a lot of acclaim. Mark Ruffalo will turn up in this new series, too, along with Tim Roth’s Abomination. Don’t be surprised if more deep cut MCU characters arrive to be put on trial, based on how the comic went down. Jameela Jamil plays the show’s villain, Titania, according to reports.
Secret Invasion
Release date: TBA
This show could be huge. Secret Invasion will focus on the Skrulls, as seen in Captain Marvel, with Ben Mendelsohn’s Talos and Samuel L. Jackson’s Nick Fury being the show’s leads. Kingsley Ben-Adir, Olivia Colman and Emilia Clarke are all part of the cast too, according to reports, and we expect this to mark the next Avengers-level event in the MCU. “It’s about a sect of Skrulls who have infiltrated every level of life on Earth,” Kevin Feige said about the series back in December 2020.
Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special
Release date: December 2022
Expected to be under 40 minutes long, this special coming in late 2022 will likely evoke the notoriously bad Star Wars Holiday Special from 1978, of which writer and director James Gunn is a fan. The main Guardians cast will feature, and it sounds like it’s going to be canon – it’s set before the third Guardians movie and after Thor: Love and Thunder.
Marvel Phase 4: which other productions are in development?
None of these projects have release dates yet, but they’re all confirmed to be in the works.
Blade
17 years after the vampiric anti-hero’s last big screen outing, a new Blade movie is in development. Starring Mahershala Ali as the titular character, the Bassam Tariq-directed film will arrive as part of the MCU at some point. Recent rumors suggested that Blade’s MCU debut could come as soon as October 2022. Given that it’s not expected to start filming until July 2022, though, we’re taking that speculation with a huge helping of salt. 2023 seems more likely.
Ironheart
Its release date is yet to be announced, but an Ironheart Disney Plus series is on the way. The six-episode TV show will be written by Chinaka Hodge (Snowpiercer) and will star Dominique Thorne as Riri Williams, who will make her live-action debut in Black Panther 2. No other details are currently available about the show.
Armor Wars
Don Cheadle’s James Rhodes/War Machine will appear in his own Disney Plus show in the future, too. Based on the comic series of the same name, filming is expected to begin in 2022 and will explore the aftermath of Tony Stark’s death in Avengers: Endgame in some capacity. Girls screenwriter Yassir Lester is on board to pen the scripts.
Untitled Wakanda TV show
Announced in February 2021, a Wakanda spinoff show – developed by Black Panther writer-director Ryan Coogler – is also in the works. Danai Gurira has signed a deal to reprise her role as Okoye in the unnamed TV series, but it’s unclear if other Black Panther stars will feature, too.
What If…? season 2
What If…? season 1 has only just ended, but a second season is already being developed at Marvel Studios. According to head writer A.C. Bradley and director Bryan Andrew, one episode is ready to go (a Gamora-centric episode that didn’t make it into season 1), some are nearing completion and others require more work. Regardless, don’t expect the next installment in Marvel’s animated anthology series to arrive before mid to late 2022.
Loki season 2
Lastly, Loki season 2 is in development for Disney Plus. The trickster god’s return was teased during the season 1 finale, but there’s no word on whether it’ll be filmed before other Disney Plus shows or not.
Tom Hiddleston is almost certain to reprise his role as the god of mischief. Owen Wilson, Wunmi Mosaku, Gugu Mbatha-Raw and Sophia Di Martino could also return, while season 1 head writer Michael Waldron has signed on to write season 2’s screenplays.