Four MCU movies in 2028? That’s the case if Marvel Studios‘ current release schedule remains unchanged.
Variety reports that Disney announced yesterday that a new, untitled Marvel movie will hit theaters on December 15, 2028. It’s now the fourth MCU film scheduled for that year, with the others set for release in February, May, and November. That’s an eyebrow-raising move for the studio, contradicting Disney CEO Bob Iger‘s promises over the past couple of years to reduce the overall MCU output. In fact, Iger stated last year that, moving forward, Marvel Studios would release no more than three films and two TV series each calendar year. Now it looks like that may no longer be the case.
Iger followed up his May 2024 comments of the plans to reduce Marvel’s glut of new releases with new ones on an earnings call last month. “We all know that in our zeal to flood our streaming platform with more content, that we turned to all of our creative engines, including Marvel, and had them produce a lot more,” said the CEO. “We’ve also learned over time that quantity does not necessarily beget quality. And frankly, we’ve all admitted to ourselves that we lost a little focus by making too much. By consolidating a bit and having Marvel focus much more on their films, we believe that will result in better quality. I think the first and best example is “Thunderbolts*.” I feel very good about that.”
And now Marvel will adjust course on its reduced release schedule after only four years (2024-2027)? Right now, it looks that way; but the current 2028 theatrical schedule is tentative at best. It’s more realistic that Disney will use those release dates as placeholders for other films produced outside of the MCU brand. That’s regular practice for the studio. For instance, last October Disney pulled Marvel’s perpetually delayed “Blade” film with Mahersala Ali from its November 2025 release date and replaced it with 20th Century Studios‘ “Predator: Badlands.” So don’t be surprised if over the next three days a non-Marvel product swaps into any of the February, May, November, and December 2028 release dates slated for an MCU film.
As for what those four 2028 MCU films could be, that’s a toss-up. Right now, “Avengers: Secret Wars” is the final official title in the Marvel pipeline, concluding Phase Six on December 17, 2027. It’s unclear where the MCU goes after that. “Black Panther 3,” “X-Men,” and “Armor Wars” are all in active development right now, as is a “Shang-Chi” sequel and the aforementioned “Blade.” That’s five potential films for four release slots. But a “The Fantastic Four: First Steps” sequel is also a possibility, as well as a follow-up to next year’s “Spider-Man: Brand New Day.” Expect “First Steps” and 2026’s “Avengers: Doomsday” to provide hints about what direction Phase 7 takes.
However, for now, it’s four MCU movies in 2028, after three this year, two in 2026, and two in 2027: “Secret Wars” and an untitled film on July 23, 2027. Expect that release calendar to change soon, but if it doesn’t, then Iger’s promise about Marvel honing their focus may not have been true after all.
