Here's a Complete List of All the Upcoming Marvel Movies
Black Panther keeps breaking records. Since its debut in February, the Marvel movie has grossed $1.3 billion and become the highest-grossing solo superhero movie of all time. With that sort of bankability, Black Panther will no doubt play a huge role in upcoming Marvel movies and the Marvel Cinematic Universe, beginning with Avengers: Infinity War.
The trailer for the upcoming Marvel movie suggests that Black Panther will team up with Captain America, Black Widow and others to fight an alien invasion in Black Panther’s homeland of Wakanda. And a post-credits scene from Black Panther teased how Wakanda’s new globalist policy might affect the Avengers’ battle for the universe.
After Infinity War premieres in April, Marvel will release Ant-Man and the Wasp, Captain Marvel and a sequel to Infinity War. But Marvel has yet to announce any concrete plans post-2019. Given recent studio shakeups, a lot could change in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. We could see X-Men fighting the Avengers or Fantastic Four villains invading upcoming Marvel movies.
A little over a decade ago, Disney bought Marvel Studios. At the time of Disney’s purchase, Marvel Studios was struggling and had already sold off the rights to its most popular characters: They dealt Spider-Man to Sony and the X-Men and Fantastic Four to Fox. Disney was left to build a franchise out of lesser-known characters like Iron Man and Thor.
Over the course of 10 years, they built the most bankable film franchise in the world by building an interlocking universe of characters, teasing future movies with post-credit scenes and experimenting with different genres to shake up the superhero formula. They did this over the course of several “phases:” Phase One ended with The Avengers, and Phase Two with Ant-Man. Phase Three will end in 2019 with the release of the yet-unnamed Avengers 4.
Disney was so successful, that they are now able to buy back those fan favorite Marvel characters owned by other studios. Last year, Sony and Disney teamed up to make Spider-Man: Homecoming. Sony will continue to make other movies about characters in the so-called Spiderverse, like Venom, but will allow Disney to use Tom Holland’s Spider-Man in upcoming Marvel movies like Avengers: Infinity War. Neither studio has confirmed how much crossover there will be between the two universes.
Meanwhile, Disney and Fox have announced that they are merging. Disney will likely try to incorporate Fox’s X-Men and Fantastic Four characters into the Avengers reality and recreate popular storylines from the comics, like fights between Wolverine and Captain America or a romance between Black Panther and Storm.
Given the major studio shakeups, we’ve outlined all the upcoming Marvel movies, and even teased a few sequels and spinoffs that are still in the works. Here’s a list of upcoming Marvel movies in order:
Avengers: Infinity War (May 4, 2018)
Universe: Marvel Cinematic Universe
Joe and Anthony Russo, who helmed the last two Captain America movies, return to the Marvel Cinematic Universe playroom with even more toys in hand. Avengers: Infinity War and its untitled 2019 sequel promise to unite all the Avengers, the Guardians of the Galaxy, Doctor Strange, Spider-Man and Black Panther in a fight against Thanos, the big bad who has been lurking behind all the Marvel films.
Ever since he first appeared in a Guardians of the Galaxy post-credit scene, Thanos (Josh Brolin) has been after the six Infinity Stones, powerful gems that could allow him to destroy the universe. Marvel fans will recall these gems from previous Marvel movies, like the Time Stone in Doctor Strange or the Power Stone in Guardians of the Galaxy.
When we last saw the Avengers, the team had fought over the government regulation of superheroes, with Captain America (Chris Evans) and Iron Man (Robert Downey Jr.) on opposing sides. Bucky Barnes (Sebastian Stan), Falcon (Anthony Mackie), Hawkeye (Jeremy Renner), Scarlet Witch (Elizabeth Olsen) and Ant-Man (Paul Rudd) took Cap’s side, while Black Widow (Scarlett Johansson), War Machine (Don Cheadle), Black Panther (Chadwick Boseman), Vision (Paul Bettany) and Spider-Man (Tom Holland) took Iron Man’s.
With the Avengers split in two, Thanos seizes the opportunity to ravage earth in search of another Infinity Stone in this upcoming Marvel movie. Rumors have been swirling that at least one of the Avengers will meet their end during the fight with Thanos, but more on that later.
Deadpool 2 (May 18, 2018)
Universe: X-Men Universe
Though the X-Men and Avengers are both Marvel properties, they currently exist in separate cinematic universes. That means their characters don’t interact with one another onscreen, even if they do in the comics. In fact, Josh Brolin will star as both Cable in Deadpool 2 and Thanos in Infinity War this summer. Go figure.
Cable is a mutant warrior from the future with limited telekinetic powers and a disease that turns his flesh into metal. In the comics, Cable travels through time fighting the forces of Apocalypse (played by an unrecognizable Oscar Isaac in X-Men: Apocalypse) and sometimes teams up with Deadpool.
In Deadpool 2, directed by John Wick’s David Leitch, Cable arrives from the future Terminator-style to pursue an unnamed mutant child (Hunt for the Wilderpeople’s Julian Dennison). He may want to recruit the kid to his cause or kill him before he does something bad. Deadpool (Ryan Reynolds) forms a squad of mutants named the X-Force to fight the gun-touting techno-man.
Ant-Man and the Wasp (July 6, 2018)
Universe: Marvel Cinematic Universe
We currently know very little about the Ant-Man sequel. But we do know that Peyton Reed will return to direct Paul Rudd as Ant-Man, and that Evangeline Lily will suit up as the Wasp to help him fight crime. The Wasp will be the first female superhero in the Marvel Cinematic Universe to get her name in the movie’s title. It only took a decade. Newcomers Michelle Pfeiffer and Laurence Fishburne round out the cast.
One confusing side note: Ant-Man and the Wasp will premiere after Infinity War hits theaters, but the events depicted in the movie take place before Infinity War. The trailer for the upcoming Marvel movie sets the Ant-Man action firmly between the events of Civil War and Infinity War.
Venom (Oct. 5, 2018)
Universe: Spiderverse
Even though Sony and Disney teamed up to release Spider-Man: Homecoming last summer, Sony will independently produce a series of films based on characters from the Spider-Man comic books in a separate universe. Venom will be the first.
A recently released teaser trailer revealed little about the plot. But we do know Tom Hardy will play Venom, a man who has been infected by an alien parasite and turns into a dark version of Spider-Man. Sony and Disney executives have said Spider-Man actor Tom Holland will not appear in Venom, though it’s hard to imagine a movie that tells Venom’s origin story without introducing his foe, Spider-Man. Zombieland’s Ruben Fleischer is directing.
Spider-Man: Into the Spiderverse (Dec. 14, 2018)
Universe: Spiderverse
On the big screen, Peter Parker has always been Spider-Man. But in the comic books, several people have swung from rooftop to rooftop in the Spidey suit, including Miles Morales. When Disney and Sony announced they were rebooting the Spider-Man franchise after the lackluster Andrew Garfield films, many fans lobbied for a Miles Morales movie. The studios cast Tom Holland as another Peter Parker instead, but they hinted in Spider-Man: Homecoming that Miles may be added to one of Disney’s upcoming live-action movies.
Lego Movie directors Phil Lord and Chris Miller are developing an animated film featuring Morales—and several other Spideys—for Sony. Dope’s Shameik Moore stars as the Brooklyn teen-turned-superhero. Mahershala Ali and Liev Schreiber will also lend their voices to the movie.
Silver and Black (Feb. 8, 2019)
Universe: Spiderverse
Sony is wasting no time in expanding the Spiderverse. They’ve recruited Gina Prince-Bythewood (Love & Basketball, Beyond the Lights) to make a movie about Silver Sable and Black Cat. Plot details are scarce, but Silver Sable, the head of an elite squad, will likely be hunting down the talented burglar Black Cat—until they join forces. Prince-Bythewood has cited buddy movies like Thelma & Louise as her inspiration for the film.
Dark Phoenix (Feb. 14, 2019)
Universe: X-Men
Jean Grey (Sophie Turner) in ‘X-Men: Apocalypse.’ 20th Century Fox
20th Century Fox
Game of Thrones‘ Sophie Turner took over from Famke Janssen as the younger version of the formidable mutant Jean Grey in 2016’s X-Men: Apocalypse. Next year, she’ll star in her own movie about Jean Grey’s evolution from superhero into supervillain. The story will be set in the 1990s, and Jean will have to contend with the dark forces in her own mind.
Fox tried to bring the beloved Dark Phoenix saga to the screen in the much-maligned X-Men: The Last Stand. Simon Kinsburg wrote that film, but has since criticized the studio for relegating the Dark Phoenix story to a subplot. Now, he’ll return as director of Dark Phoenix to make the movie he always envisioned. Jennifer Lawrence will return as Mystique, Michael Fassbender as Magneto and James McAvoy as Professor X. Jessica Chastain will play a mysterious villain.
Captain Marvel (March 8, 2019)
Universe: Marvel Cinematic Universe
Brie Larson (L) and Captain Marvel (R). Alberto E. Rodriguez—Getty Images.
Marvel
Brie Larson will star as Captain Marvel, the first woman to get her own film in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. The upcoming Marvel movie, set in the 1990s, will trace Carol Danvers’ evolution from fighter pilot to flying superhero who can shoot beams out of her hands.
Captain Marvel has teamed up with both the Avengers and the Guardians of the Galaxy in the comic books, and it’s rumored that some of the Guardians characters will appear in her solo movie. Directors Anna Boden and Ryan Fleck have confirmed that some familiar faces, like Samuel L. Jackson’s Nick Fury and Lee Pace’s Ronan the Accuser, will also appear in the film.
Avengers 4 (May 3, 2019)
Universe: Marvel Cinematic Universe
Disney-Marvel/AP
The fourth and yet-unnamed Avengers movie will complete “Phase Three” of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Several of the stars’ contracts will expire with that movie, including Chris Evans (Captain America), Chris Hemsworth (Thor), Mark Ruffalo (Hulk), Rober Downey Jr. (Iron Man), Scarlett Johansson (Black Widow) and Jeremy Renner (Hawkeye).
Evans has been open about wanting to leave the franchise, though Hemsworth has also said he won’t play Thor again after Avengers 4. Johansson will presumably survive the film since Disney has finally hired someone to write a standalone Black Widow movie. Still, fans have speculated that one or more heroes will meet their end in either the upcoming Infinity War or its sequel.
Marvel Studios head Kevin Feige has confirmed that something drastic will take place in those two Avengers movies. “Certainly as we get to Infinity War there is a sense of a climax if not a conclusion to, by the time we’re at untitled Avengers 4, the 22 movies that will have encompassed the first three phases of the MCU,” he told Collider. “And what happens after that will be very different. I don’t know if it’s Phase 4, it might be a new thing.”
The Russo brothers, for their part, have kept the details of Avengers 4 entirely under wraps. But note that both Ant-Man and the Wasp and Captain Marvel are set before the events of Avengers: Infinity War, which means the 2019 sequel to Infinity War can pick up at the exact moment the previous film ended or shortly thereafter.
Whether or not fans must say goodbye to Cap and Thor, Marvel certainly has plenty of new characters to play with, including Chadwick Boseman’s Black Panther, Brie Larson’s Captain Marvel and the X-Men and Fantastic Four characters if they decide to incorporate them into the universe. The studio could also promote some of the sidekick characters to lead roles: Anthony Mackie’s Falcon could become Cap or Tessa Thompson’s Valkyrie could replace Thor.
Gambit (June 7, 2019)
Universe: X-Men
Getty Images; Marvel
Channing Tatum has been trying to get a Gambit movie made for years. The Magic Mike actor plans to star as the New Orleans-based thief with the ability to charge inanimate objects (like playing cards) with explosive power.
The movie was initially supposed to start production in 2015, but Fox placed it on the back burner after two different directors dropped out. Tatum has said he wanted to do something edgier and more original with the character. Recent superhero movies like Logan and Deadpool, which experimented with genre, have opened up the door for Gambit to take big risks.
The studio has yet to announce a new director for the upcoming movie after Gore Verbinski dropped out in January. Fox has subsequently pushed the movie’s release date.
Spider-Man: Homecoming 2 (July 5, 2019)
Universe: Marvel Cinematic Universe
Tom Holland in Spider-Man: Homecoming
Chuck Zlotnick—Sony Pictures Entertainment
Spider-Man will definitely survive the Infinity War movies because he’s contractually obligated to star in another two more Spider-Man films. Tom Holland will return as geeky teen Peter Parker and Zendaya will also appear as Mary Jane. Though Robert Downey Jr. played a major role in the first film as Spider-Man’s mentor, Holland has confirmed that Iron Man won’t appear in Homecoming 2. Disney and Sony have held other details about the plot close to the chest.
The New Mutants (Aug. 2, 2019)
Universe: X-Men
Fox has slowly been building a cohort of young actors to take over the X-Men movies when actors like James McAvoy, Michael Fassbender and Jennifer Lawrence inevitably exit the franchise. (They are already the second group of actors to play the X-Men. Ian McKellan, Hugh Jackman and Halle Berry were among the first group.)
They introduced new actors to play younger versions of the characters from the original X-Men movies like Sophie Turner as Jean Grey and Alexandra Shipp as Storm in X-Men: Apocalypse. But they also are pulling characters from the comics and giving them big screen debuts, like Dafne Keen as X-23 in Logan.
The New Mutants is no exception: The movie adds a slew of new actors into the franchise, including Split’s Anya Taylor-Joy, Game of Thrones’ Maisie Williams, Stranger Things’ Charlie Heaton and 13 Reasons Why’s Henry Zaga. And like Deadpool and Logan before it, the movie will test the bounds of genre in superhero filmmaking, this time with a horror spin.
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 (2020)
Universe: Marvel Cinematic Universe
©Marvel Studios
James Gunn, who directed the first two Guardians films, has already promised a third movie, due out sometime in 2020. We don’t know much about the plot, though we do know that the Guardians will play some role in battling Thanos in Infinity War. Gamora and Nebula are the adopted daughters of Thanos and probably know him best. Plus, in the trailer for Infinity War, the Guardians pick up Thor floating in space. Thanos presumably destroyed Thor’s ship in search of the Tessearct, one of the Infinity Stones, and the God of Thunder will have to team up with the Guardians.
Gunn has also hinted that a Guardians spinoff could be in the works. In a post-credits scene of Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2, ravagers played by Sylvester Stallone, Michelle Yeoh and others talk about reuniting a fractured team of heroes. The Ravagers could get their own movie.
Black Panther 2 (TBD)
Universe: Marvel Cinematic Universe
Marvel Studios 2018
Marvel Studios head Kevin Feige has already confirmed that Black Panther 2 is definitely happening and that he hopes director Ryan Coogler will stay on for the sequel. Presumably, Chadwick Boseman, Lupita Nyong’o and the rest of the first film’s stars will likely sign on for a second movie.
Feige also teased possible spinoff films for some of Black Panther’s standouts, including Black Panther’s genius younger sister Shuri (Letita Wright) and badass warrior Okoye (Danai Gurira). “I think Shuri’s astounding, and you’ll see much more of her in our universe,” he toldEntertainment Weekly. “Okoye, I think I’d watch three action films just Okoye.”
Black Widow Movie (TBD)
Universe: Marvel Cinematic Universe
Scarlett Johansson in
‘Avengers: Age Of Ultron’
Jay Maidment—Marvel/Walt Disney/Shutterstock
Black Widow may be getting a long-overdue solo movie. Scarlett Johansson has appeared in six Marvel movies, beginning with Iron Man 2 in 2010, but she has never gotten to play the lead.
In January 2018 Marvel hired Jac Schaeffer to write a script, though the studio hasn’t confirmed the movie is definitely happening. Still, Chris Evans has dropped hints that a solo Black Widow movie is underway at Marvel. And Black Widow actor Scarlett Johansson—who has already built up a formidable action resume outside the Marvel Cinematic Universe—seems keen to do the film. In March 2018, Johansson told ET that she was game: “I think that there’s definitely an opportunity to explore Widow as a woman who has come into her own and is making independent and active choices for herself, probably for once in her life. She hasn’t always had that possibility.”
Doctor Strange 2 (TBD)
Universe: Marvel Cinematic Universe
Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures
Marvel has not officially confirmed an upcoming Doctor Strange sequel. But C. Robert Cargill, who wrote the first film, and director Scott Derrickson recently revealed at a screening that they already have a concept and villain for the second movie. If their idea is green lit, Doctor Strange (Benedict Cumberbatch) will likely fight Nightmare, the ruler of the Dream Dimension. They also hinted that Mordo (Chiwetel Ejiofor) would play a major role in the story.
Logan Spinoff (TBD)
Universe: X-Men
Dafne Keen in ‘Logan’
Moviestore/Shutterstock
Logan surprised just about everyone: The dark and poignant superhero movie set in 2029 earned critical praise and an Oscar nomination for best screenplay. It’s no wonder, then, that Fox is working on a script that would center on Laura, the little girl Logan shepherds across the country in that movie.
Laura could essentially pick up Wolverine’s mantel in future films. She, and the other young mutants who are the victim of experimentation in Logan, could represent a new, much more diverse future for the X-Men and superhero movies in general.
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