Earlier this week, Disney and Marvel Studios made some huge shakeups to the MCU's release calendar. Avengers: Doomsday and Avengers: Secret Wars have both suffered significant release date delays, as they're now set to debut on December 18, 2026 and December 17, 2027, respectively.
Three movies were completely removed from the schedule, with the February 13, 2026, November 6, 2026, and November 5, 2027 releases now billed as "Untitled Disney" movies rather than slots reserved specifically for Marvel Studios titles.
As a result, it appears Phase 7 (and the "Mutant Saga") won't begin until 2028. Here's a reminder of Marvel Studios' upcoming slate:
7/25/25 - FANTASTIC 4: FIRST STEPS
7/31/26 - SPIDER-MAN: BRAND NEW DAY
12/18/26 - AVENGERS: DOOMSDAY
7/23/27 - UNTITLED MARVEL
12/17/27 - AVENGERS: SECRET WARS
2/18/28 - UNTITLED MARVEL
5/5/28 - UNTITLED MARVEL
11/10/28 - UNTITLED MARVEL
Now that Spider-Man: Brand New Day is opening before Avengers: Doomsday, the mystery July 2027 movie is the only release scheduled between that and Avengers: Secret Wars.
Assuming the wall-crawler's next solo outing is a street-level adventure free of ties to the Multiverse, we can safely assume that Marvel Studios will use its second 2027 title to bridge the gap between the Multiverse Saga's concluded chapters.
Speculation about what the movie will be is running rampant; Blade is a possibility, but if it isn't that movie, then the Daywalker's reboot presumably won't arrive in theaters until nearly a decade after it was first announced...assuming it ever happens, of course.
Black Panther 3 and Doctor Strange 3 are two more likely possibilities. The worst-case scenario is that Spider-Man: Brand New Day is pushed back a year (something neither Marvel Studios nor Sony Pictures will want).
Doing the rounds to promote Sinners, filmmaker Ryan Coogler was asked about Denzel Washington confirming he'll star in the Black Panther threequel. "I’m dying to work with Denzel and I’m hoping we can make that happen. I got every intention of working with him in that movie and as long as he’s interested - it’s going to happen," he confirmed.
The filmmaker made a point of praising the Gladiator II star by calling him a "living legend and a great mentor," adding, "He's all about looking out for us." As we're sure you recall, Washington played a huge role in Chadwick Boseman's early career.
When Phylicia Rashad was mentoring the late actor while teaching at Howard University, Boseman was accepted into the British American Drama Academy's Midsummer program but couldn't afford to take part. She made a call to Washington, and he agreed to foot the bill.
Coogler was also asked how long we'll have to wait for Black Panther 3 and replied, "Not long."
Avengers: Doomsday is set to be released on December 18, 2026, with Avengers: Secret Wars scheduled to arrive on December 17, 2026.