How Many More MCU Phases Will There Be?

Each new update on every Marvel Phase in development further puts into focus how the Marvel Cinematic Universe's release schedules goes well into the next decade. News on the MCU from San Diego Comic-Con 2022 included many details on the MCU Phases 4 and 5, but Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige also mentioned plans for the future, making many wonder how many MCU Phases there will be. MCU Phase 4 started in 2021 with Disney+’s WandaVision and Black Widow as the first TV show and movie respectively of the MCU beginning after the Infinity Saga’s end. Panels at SDCC 2022 not only revealed that MCU Phase 4 would end with Black Panther: Wakanda Forever but also outlined Phase 5’s releases both on Disney+ and in theatres. Finally, on February 17, 2023, Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania will MCU Phase 5 and continue the Multiverse Saga.

While some considered MCU Phase 4 the worst, it undoubtedly set the scene for everything about to happen and the characters who will have central roles in the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s next era. SDCC 2022 proved enlightening even on that, as it was revealed that the era that started with Phase 4 was being dubbed the Multiverse Saga. MCU Phases 4 to 6 presumably all belong to this era, as the Multiverse Saga is set to conclude with Avengers: The Kang Dynasty and Avengers: Secret Wars, which should take place at the end of Phase 6. While details about the future of the MCU are clearer for Phase 5 and slightly hazier for Phase 6, not much is known about what will happen after that.

Is MCU Phase 6 The Last One?

Although only the Multiverse Saga was almost entirely fleshed out according to what was revealed at SDCC 2022, that doesn’t mean that MCU Phase 6 will be the last one. Every Marvel Phase thus far has been commercially successful — as this is likely to repeat in Phase 6, it wouldn't make sense for Marvel Studios to stop. Phase 6 is set to be concluded by Avengers 5 and 6, respectively, but that won’t be the end of the MCU. According to the announcement by Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige at CinemaCon 2022, the stories the MCU plans to tell in the following years are planned through 2032. Considering that Phase 6 is supposed to end in 2025, it’s safe to say Phase 6 won’t be the last MCU phase.

How Many More MCU Phases Will There Be?

Feige’s announcement of MCU’s narrative plans reaching 2032 suggests that the Marvel Cinematic Universe will expand even more than what's been revealed. Still, the MCU already proved capable of outstanding feats, as Phase 4 lightly introduced many key players of the Multiverse Saga, including Kang in Loki season 1, without them having to do much except for appearing. Considering how MCU Phases have lasted two years on average, with Phase 4 ending with Black Panther 2 becoming the first one to last less than that set amount of time, the unnamed MCU projects set to be released between Phase 6’s end in 2025 and 2032 would cover seven years worth of stories. This would mean there could be around three or four more MCU phases after Phase 6.

While it may reassure fans, as it would mean that they won’t have to see the end of the MCU anytime soon, Feige’s MCU announcement isn’t exactly surprising. After all, Marvel Studios already proved how they tend to plan for the long haul, introducing Thanos in The Avengers despite the fact his story would only come to a conclusion in 2019 with Avengers: Endgame. In whichever way the MCU will develop after Phase 6, though, it will add more to the MCU, definitely bettering it, especially considering how Phase 4 already proved so by introducing unforgettable and well-rounded characters like Kate Bishop and Kamala Khan.

What Comes After The Multiverse Saga

Yelena Belova, Sam Wilson, and Kate Bishop collaged together.

Though some may wonder what else the MCU could possibly do after resolving a multiversal war, long-time Marvel Comics readers know that every Marvel Phase following the Multiverse Saga still has decades of comic book source material yet to be adapted into the MCU. Considering the events in Phase 4 and what's been revealed about MCU Phases 5 and 6, MCU Phase 7 could be about the emergence of Mutantkind. Given what happens to the Multiverse after Secret Wars in the comics, Marvel could be planning for a thematically blank slate for the upcoming MCU Phases — ready to be populated by Marvel's legacy superheroes. It's also possible that Marvel's plans for a new Thor movie, Spider-Man trilogy, the return of the Eternals, or even a World War Hulk adaptation are being reserved for MCU Phase 7 and beyond. In any case, as the MCU still has volumes of untouched source material to work with, what comes after Phase 6 is anyone's guess.

Next: Every MCU Legacy Hero Already Set Up For Phase 7 & Beyond