As Marvel Studios appears to be leaning into its new "quality over quantity" ethos, fewer the MCU's highest-grossing franchises that promise to launch the Multiverse Saga forward for its final stretch.

As the Multiverse Saga enters Phase 6, it is unclear whether it will reach the same zenith as its previous climactic phase, MCU Phase 3. MCU Phase 5 was somewhat tumultuous, with The Marvels being the MCU's lowest-grossing movie while Deadpool & Wolverine banked another $1 billion for the franchise. Still, with MCU Phase 6 launching with the highly anticipated The Fantastic Four: First Steps in July 2025, the following year's release slate looks particularly promising.

Spider-Man: Brand New Day - July 31, 2026

Spider-Man's Fourth MCU Movie Is The First Of 2026

Spider-Man is one of the MCU's most bankable franchises, with each successive movie outperforming the last, culminating in the nearly $2 billion success of Spider-Man: No Way Home in 2021. It's no surprise, then, that Marvel and Sony have forged ahead with Spider-Man's first-ever fourth sequel, with Spider-Man: Brand New Day being officially unveiled at CinemaCon 2025. Spider-Man: Brand New Day is slated to release on July 31, 2026, with Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings' Destin Daniel Cretton directing.

The full Spider-Man: Brand New Day cast is slowly being revealed, though Sadie Sink was one of the first confirmed to be ing the project in an unconfirmed role. Deadline has also reported that The Bear's Liza Colón-Zayas has closed a deal for an as-yet-unspecified role. Spider-Man: Brand New Day story details are still forthcoming, though it can be safely assumed that Tom Holland's Peter Parker will be dealing with the results of his newfound anonymity, potentially even finding new love after resolving not to remind MJ for her own safety.

Avengers: Doomsday - December 18, 2026

The Avengers Will Finally Assemble At The End Of The Year

The Multiverse Saga's penultimate Avengers movie officially changed titles from Avengers: The Kang Dynasty to Avengers: Doomsday at 2024's San Diego Comic Con. It was also here that Marvel delivered the bombshell that Robert Downey Jr. would be starring as the MCU's Doctor Doom. The release date for Avengers: Doomsday was later changed from May 1, 2026, to December 18, 2026, making it the second MCU movie to be released in December, after 2021's Spider-Man: No Way Home. Marvel Studios also unveiled the first wave of confirmed cast for Avengers: Doomsday in March.

Among the most stunning revelations from the Avengers: Doomsday cast announcement, which comprised a five-hour live stream, was the return of several actors from Fox's X-Men franchise. While one of the most pertinent questions surrounding the film is whether Robert Downey Jr.'s Doom will be a Tony Stark variant, the involvement of the X-Men has raised further questions about the Thunderbolts* post-credits scene.

MCU TV Shows Releasing In 2026

Three Shows Will Be Released On Disney+

Marvel Studios is continuing to supplement its movie output with three TV shows airing on Disney+ in 2026. MCU shows' relevance to the mainline MCU's narrative can differ, with the likes of Secret Invasion and Echo having little to no impact on cinematic installments, whereas WandaVision and Loki were required viewing to make sense of the Multiverse Saga. At the same time, Marvel shows like X-Men '97 take place entirely in their own universes and have no bearing or references to the multiverse.

Following a bumper year in 2025, which housed 6 shows in total, Marvel is returning to its typical pace with three shows in 2026.

With that being said, 2026 looks set to air two must-watch live-action shows on Disney+. With the likes of Agatha All Along and Daredevil: Born Again helping to change the critical trajectory of MCU shows after the much-maligned Secret Invasion, confidence in Marvel's ability to deliver quality shows worth subscribing to Disney+ for is beginning to re-establish itself. Following a bumper year in 2025, which housed 6 shows in total, Marvel is returning to its typical pace with three shows in 2026.

Daredevil: Born Again Season 2 - March 2026

Season 2 Entered Production In January 2025

Daredevil: Born Again stuck the landing in March 2025, earning critical acclaim across the board and marking a return to form for the show's two main stars, Charlie Cox (Matt Murdock) and Vincent D'Onofrio (Wilson Fisk). This was a particularly positive development given the numerous changes made to the show during production. One of these changes was shrinking Daredevil: Born Again season 1 from 18 episodes to just 8, immediately opening the door for the story to bleed into a second season, which is due in March 2026.

2026 will also play host to a special feature for the Punisher, comprising a one-episode special.

This meant that Daredevil: Born Again season 2 began production before season 1 began airing, a decision vindicated by the positive response that followed. Though there has been no official cast announcement yet, it is safe to assume that the main cast for Daredevil: Born Again season 1 will be reprising their roles for the second season. It was additionally confirmed by Variety in mid-May 2025 that Krysten Ritter will the cast, reprising her role as Jessica Jones in an as-yet-undisclosed capacity.

Vision Quest

Vision Quest Is Expected Some Time In 2026

Vision's solo series will be the third in a trilogy of shows that began with 2021's WandaVision and continued with 2024's Agatha All Along. Variety reported in May 2024 that Vision Quest is slated for release in 2026, though further details about a specific date are still forthcoming. Since then, several interesting actors have been tied to the series, including James Spader and Faran Tahir reprising their past MCU roles as Ultron and Raza (the Ten Rings commander in Iron Man), respectively. Paul Bettany, meanwhile, will be reprising his role as "White Vision" in the show.

The through line connecting Vision Quest to WandaVision and Agatha All Along centers on Wanda Maximoff and Vision's relationship and family, giving rise to several prevailing theories about Ruaridh Mollica's mysterious role as Tucker. Just as Agatha All Along revealed Teen to be Billy Kaplan/Maximoff, the prevailing theory about Tucker is that he will turn out to be Tommy Maximoff, whom Billy reincarnated into a dying body in Agatha All Along. This could also mean that Billy Maximoff and even Wanda Maximoff could return in Vision Quest, though this is purely speculative until Vision Quest story details are revealed.

Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man Season 2

Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man Season 2 Is Deep In Production

Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man is an animated show that takes place in an alternate universe to the MCU's mainline Earth-616, though it is a part of the multiverse. Disney confirmed that Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man would be renewed for a second season in 2022, before season 1 was released in January 2025. Although an official release date for Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man is still forthcoming, Marvel's Head of Streaming, Television, and Animation, Brad Winderbaum, also revealed on The Movie Podcast that season 2 was deep into production, hinting at a 2026 release date.

While it can be safely assumed that most of the original cast for Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man season 1 will be returning for the second season, it was additionally revealed recently that Gwen Stacy and Spider-Gwen would be ing them. It is currently unclear whether these characters will be one and the same or whether multiversal variants will be introduced. Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man season 2 will likely follow up on several villain teases in season 1, including Lonnie's journey to becoming the first rendition of Tombstone in the MCU.

MCU Movies

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  Thunderbolts*

  Release Date

  May 2, 2025

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  The Fantastic Four: First Steps

  Release Date

  July 25, 2025

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  Avengers: Doomsday

  Release Date

  December 18, 2026

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  Spider-Man: Brand New Day

  Release Date

  July 31, 2026

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  Avengers: Secret Wars

  Release Date

  December 17, 2027

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Sources: Deadline, Variety, and The Movie Podcast