Here is every movie Marvel Studios is developing for Phase 5 of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Over the last eleven years, the MCU was building to the showdown between the Avengers and Thanos. Marvel did this through their Phase structure; Phase 1 ran from 2008 to 2012 and ending with The Avengers; Phase 2 ran from 2013 to 2015 and ended with Ant-Man; and Phase 3 ran from 2016 to 2019 and ended with Spider-Man: Far From Home. But, it was Avengers: Endgame - now the highest-grossing film of all-time - that wrapped up the Avengers/Thanos storyline.
Now that the Infinity Saga is over, Marvel has finally announced what the future of the MCU will hold. During their presentation at San Diego Comic-Con 2019, they revealed their Phase 4 plans. The new Phase will be the shortest one yet with just two years worth of content, but it will match the output of Phase 3 thanks to the multiple Disney+ shows and the possible addition of Spider-Man 3 in 2021.
The Phase 4 slate as it currently stands will see Black Widow and Eternals hit theaters in 2020, while Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings, Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, and Thor: Love and Thunder arrive in 2021. Then on Disney+, The Falcon and The Winter Soldier will be released in 2020, as WandaVision, Loki, Hawkeye, and the animated What If...? series are set for 2021.
But, Kevin Feige and Marvel Studios confirmed that several other projects are in the works. Since it is unlikely that any of them get bumped up to be included in Phase 4, all of the titles are more likely positioned to be included in Phase 5. Here are all of the different movies in-development for Phase 5 of the MCU.
Blade
The surprise announcement of Mahershala Ali being cast as Blade in the MCU also came with the reveal that a Blade movie is on the way. Feige has already confirmed that the film will be part of Phase 5, so it is not one that Marvel is likely to take their time with. Ali and Feige agreed on this partnership earlier this year after Ali won his second consecutive Best Supporting Actor Oscar. He is the one who pitched Feige on him being Blade, and the Marvel Studios president agreed that it was a great fit. Marvel presenting Ali as the final shocking reveal on a night full of them highlights just how big of a priority Blade will be.
As of right now, Blade is still in the earlier stages of development. There is not yet any word of a script being written, but Marvel could be cracking the story internally before hiring a writer officially. There has also been no sign that Marvel is actively searching for a director at this time either. That shouldn't be too big of a concern, as Blade won't hit theaters until 2022 at the earliest, so production wouldn't need to begin until 2021. This gives Marvel roughly a year before they'll be up against the clock to find Blade's director if it's going to kick off Phase 5 as we believe.
Black Panther 2
Black Panther 2 was among the titles confirmed to be in development at Marvel Studios during SDCC. The news hardly came as a surprise following the incredible success that Black Panther had last year, winning 3 Oscars and becoming the MCU's highest-grossing first solo movie. But, Marvel did not include the sequel as part of Phase 4 and thus makes it an obvious fit somewhere in their Phase 5 plans. It helps that writer-director Ryan Coogler is back aboard the project too.
With Coogler attached, there is every expectation that most of the film's original cast will also be back. This includes star Chadwick Boseman as T'Challa and fellow cast members like Letitia Wright (Shuri), Danai Gurira (Okoye), Lupita Nyong'o (Nakia), Winston Duke (M'Baku), and Angela Bassett (Ramonda). Earlier reports pointed to the film possibly starting production in early 2020, but that will not be necessary if it isn't hitting theaters until 2022 at the earliest. In any case, Coogler and his talented ensemble should be back for Black Panther 2 sometime during Phase 5.
Captain Marvel 2
Another sequel to a wildly successful first installment confirmed to be on the way is Captain Marvel 2. The Brie Larson solo film for Carol Danvers only hit theaters earlier this year, but it was a major success as it earned over $1.1 billion worldwide. Captain Marvel has received even more exposure since then thanks to her role in Avengers: Endgame too. Feige name-dropped Captain Marvel 2 as something Marvel is currently working on, but it appears to be in the earlier phases of development.
Even though Captain Marvel was a bit hit, there have yet to be any reports of movement on a script or directors for the sequel. It is possible, if not likely, that Anna Boden and Ryan Fleck will return to helm Captain Marvel 2, but their involvement is not yet confirmed. There's no current timetable for production either. However, Feige mentioning the sequel among their planned films past Phase 4 makes Captain Marvel 2 a likely inclusion in Phase 5 at some point.
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3
One of the more surprising omissions from Phase 4 of the MCU, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 is now likely heading towards having a part in Phase 5. The sequel was originally set to kick off Phase 4 and be the flagship movie of 2020 for Marvel Studios, but all of that changed almost exactly a year ago when writer-director James Gunn was fired. He's since been rehired for Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, but he also booked another project during his time away from Marvel that is taking precedence.
Gunn will direct The Suicide Squad for Warner Bros. and DC Films, which starts filming this fall for an August 2021 release, before doing Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3. Because of the timing of Gunn's firing, Suicide Squad hiring, and rehiring by Disney, there is almost no way for Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 to be anything other than a Phase 5 movie. Feige confirmed that they still are working on it and Gunn's schedule with The Suicide Squad likely makes it a 2023 release.
Fantastic Four
Possibly the most exciting Phase 5 property in development at Marvel Studios is the MCU's take on Fantastic Four. After years of Fox owning the rights to these characters and making three underwhelming films in the process, Disney's acquisition of the studio reverts Marvel's first family to Marvel Studios. Feige was able to mention at SDCC that these characters are, officially, on their minds and brainstorming their MCU debuts is now happening.
The information that Feige was comfortable revealing about Fantastic Four stopped there, but him mentioning it with the previous films appears to indicate it will also be part of Phase 5. This will give Marvel Studios plenty of time to form their plan for Mr. Fantastic, Invisible Woman, Human Toch, and The Thing. The movie does not yet have a screenwriter or director attached, but it is well known that Ant-Man and the Wasp director Peyton Reed has an affinity for the characters so he could now get his chance potentially.
X-Men
Feige also mentioned that mutants are in Marvel's plans after Phase 4, which could make the MCU's first X-Men movie part of the eventual Phase 5 lineup. Waiting until 2022 or further to introduce them may seem like a surprise, but Marvel Studios is best served to let the dust settle on Fox's X-Men franchise a bit before starting their own. Dark Phoenix may have already been released, but The New Mutants is currently expected to hit theaters in the earlier months of 2020. That movie is the last one made by Fox that needs to be released, so Marvel can wait at least two years after this to begin introducing their mutants.
Thanks to the timing of the Disney-Fox deal, just this quick tease is about all Feige could mention since they weren't allowed to be using the Fox characters ahead of time. Having the first X-Men title release in Phase 5 gives Marvel several years to develop their take on mutants and figure out how to integrate them into the MCU proper. But, all of these plans are also in the early stages, so actual news on what will come in the first MCU X-Men film may have to wait.
