The
Marvel Cinematic Universe
The Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) is an American media franchise and shared universe centered on List of Marvel Cinematic Universe films, a series of superhero films produced by Marvel Studios. The films are based on characters that appe ...
(MCU) centers on
a series of American
superhero film
Superhero film/movie is a film genre categorized by the presence of superhero characters, individuals with extraordinary abilities who are dedicated to fighting crime, saving the world, or helping the innocent. It is sometimes considered a sub ...
s produced by
Marvel Studios
Marvel Studios, LLC, formerly known as Marvel Films, is an American film and television production company. Marvel Studios is the creator of the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU), a media franchise and shared universe of films and television ser ...
based on characters that appear in publications by
Marvel Comics
Marvel Comics is a New York City–based comic book publishing, publisher, a property of the Walt Disney Company since December 31, 2009, and a subsidiary of Disney Publishing Worldwide since March 2023. Marvel was founded in 1939 by Martin G ...
. The MCU is the
shared universe
A shared universe or shared world is a fictional universe from a set of creative works where one or more writers (or other artists) independently contribute works that can stand alone but fits into the joint development of the storyline, charact ...
in which all of the films are set. The films have been in production since 2007, and in that time Marvel Studios has produced and released 36 films, with at least 9 more in various stages of development. It is the
highest-grossing film franchise of all time, having grossed over $31.9 billion at the global box office. This includes ''
Avengers: Endgame'', which became the
highest-grossing film of all time at the time of its release.
The films are written and directed by various individuals and feature large, often
ensemble, casts. Marvel Studios president
Kevin Feige
Kevin Feige ( ; born June 2, 1973) is an American film and television producer. He has been the president of Marvel Studios and the primary producer of the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) franchise since 2007. The films he has produced have a co ...
has
produced every film in the franchise, while other Marvel Studios executives have also produced some films alongside Feige, including the studio's former CEO
Avi Arad
Avi Arad (; ; born August 1, 1948) is an Israeli-American studio executive and producer of film, television and animation. He became the CEO of Toy Biz in the 1990s, was the chief creative officer of Marvel Entertainment and is the founder, ...
for the first two releases. Other individuals have also produced select MCU films, including
Gale Anne Hurd
Gale Anne Hurd (born October 25, 1955) is an American film and television producer, the founder of Valhalla Entertainment (formerly Pacific Western Productions), and a former recording secretary for the Producers Guild of America. Her notable wo ...
for ''
The Incredible Hulk
The Hulk is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by writer Stan Lee and artist Jack Kirby, the character first appeared in the debut issue of '' The Incredible Hulk'' (May 1962). In his comic book ...
'';
Amy Pascal for the
''Spider-Man'' films;
Lauren Shuler Donner,
Ryan Reynolds
Ryan Rodney Reynolds (born October 23, 1976) is a Canadian and American actor, producer and businessman. Known for starring in comedic and superhero films, he was the List of highest-paid film actors, world's second-highest-paid actor in 202 ...
, and
Shawn Levy
Shawn Adam Levy (; born July 23, 1968) is a Canadian and American filmmaker and actor. He is the founder of 21 Laps Entertainment. His work has spanned numerous genres, and his films as a director have grossed a collective $3.5 billion worldwid ...
for ''
Deadpool & Wolverine
''Deadpool & Wolverine'' is a 2024 American superhero film based on Marvel Comics featuring the characters Deadpool and Wolverine (character), Wolverine. Produced by Marvel Studios, Maximum Effort, and 21 Laps Entertainment, and distributed ...
''; and
Anthony and Joe Russo for ''
Avengers: Doomsday'' and ''
Avengers: Secret Wars''.
Marvel Studios releases its films in groups called "Phases". Its first film is ''
Iron Man
Iron Man is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Co-created by writer and editor Stan Lee, developed by scripter Larry Lieber, and designed by artists Don Heck and Jack Kirby, the character first appearan ...
'' (2008), which was distributed by
Paramount Pictures
Paramount Pictures Corporation, commonly known as Paramount Pictures or simply Paramount, is an American film production company, production and Distribution (marketing), distribution company and the flagship namesake subsidiary of Paramount ...
. Paramount also distributed ''
Iron Man 2
''Iron Man 2'' is a 2010 American superhero film based on the Marvel Comics character Iron Man. Produced by Marvel Studios and distributed by Paramount Pictures, it is the sequel to ''Iron Man'' (2008) and the third film in the Marvel Cinem ...
'' (2010), ''
Thor
Thor (from ) is a prominent list of thunder gods, god in Germanic paganism. In Norse mythology, he is a hammer-wielding æsir, god associated with lightning, thunder, storms, sacred trees and groves in Germanic paganism and mythology, sacred g ...
'' (2011), and ''
Captain America: The First Avenger'' (2011), while
Universal Pictures
Universal City Studios LLC, doing business as Universal Pictures (also known as Universal Studios or simply Universal), is an American filmmaking, film production and film distribution, distribution company headquartered at the 10 Universal Ci ...
distributed ''The Incredible Hulk'' (2008), which was
co-produced by Hurd's production company
Valhalla Motion Pictures
Valhalla Entertainment Productions, Inc. is an American film and television production company. Their productions include AMC's ''The Walking Dead'' television series, its companion series, ''Fear the Walking Dead,'' and the spin-off, '' The Wa ...
.
Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures
Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures is an American film distributor within the Disney Entertainment division of the Walt Disney Company. It handles theatrical and occasional digital distribution, marketing, and promotion for films produced and ...
began distributing the series with the
crossover
Crossover may refer to:
Entertainment
Music
Albums
* ''Cross Over'' (album), a 1987 album by Dan Peek, or the title song
* ''Crossover'' (Dirty Rotten Imbeciles album), 1987
* ''Crossover'', an album by Intrigue
* ''Crossover'', an album by ...
film ''
The Avengers'' (2012), which concluded
Phase One.
Phase Two comprises ''
Iron Man 3
''Iron Man 3'' is a 2013 American superhero film based on the Marvel Comics character Iron Man, produced by Marvel Studios and distributed by Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures. It is the sequel to ''Iron Man (2008 film), Iron Man'' (2008) an ...
'' (2013), ''
Thor: The Dark World'' (2013), ''
Captain America: The Winter Soldier'' (2014), ''
Guardians of the Galaxy
The Guardians of the Galaxy are a fictional superhero team appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics.
Comic book teams 1969 team
The 1969 version of the Guardians of the Galaxy (1969 team), Guardians of the Galaxy were the origi ...
'' (2014), ''
Avengers: Age of Ultron'' (2015), and ''
Ant-Man
Ant-Man is the name of several superheroes appearing in books published by Marvel Comics.
Publication history
Created by Stan Lee, Larry Lieber and Jack Kirby, his first appearance was in '' Tales to Astonish'' #27 (January 1962) as Dr. Henry ...
'' (2015).
''
Captain America: Civil War'' (2016) is the first film of
Phase Three, and is followed by ''
Doctor Strange
Dr. Stephen Vincent Strange is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by Steve Ditko, the character first appeared in ''Strange Tales'' #110 (cover-dated July 1963). Doctor Strange serves as ...
'' (2016), ''
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2
''Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2'' is a 2017 American superhero film based on the Marvel Comics superhero team Guardians of the Galaxy (2008 team), Guardians of the Galaxy, produced by Marvel Studios and distributed by Walt Disney Studios M ...
'' (2017), ''
Spider-Man: Homecoming'' (2017), ''
Thor: Ragnarok'' (2017), ''
Black Panther
A black panther is the Melanism, melanistic colour variant of the leopard (''Panthera pardus'') and the jaguar (''Panthera onca''). Black panthers of both species have excess black pigments, but their typical Rosette (zoology), rosettes are al ...
'' (2018), ''
Avengers: Infinity War'' (2018), ''
Ant-Man and the Wasp
''Ant-Man and the Wasp'' is a 2018 American superhero film based on Marvel Comics featuring the characters Scott Lang / Ant-Man and Hope Pym / Wasp. Produced by Marvel Studios and distributed by Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures, it is th ...
'' (2018), ''
Captain Marvel'' (2019), ''Avengers: Endgame'' (2019), and ''
Spider-Man: Far From Home'' (2019). The first three Phases are collectively known as "The Infinity Saga". The ''Spider-Man'' films are owned, financed, and distributed by
Sony Pictures
Sony Pictures Entertainment Inc. is an American diversified multinational mass media and entertainment studio conglomerate that produces, acquires, and distributes filmed entertainment (theatrical motion pictures, television programs, and rec ...
and co-produced by Sony's
Columbia Pictures
Columbia Pictures Industries, Inc., Trade name, doing business as Columbia Pictures, is an American film Production company, production and Film distributor, distribution company that is the flagship unit of the Sony Pictures Motion Picture Group ...
and
Pascal Pictures.
Phase Four's group of films began with ''
Black Widow'' (2021), and was followed by ''
Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings
''Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings'' is a 2021 American superhero film based on Marvel Comics featuring the character Shang-Chi. Produced by Marvel Studios and distributed by Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures, it is List of Marvel ...
'' (2021), ''
Eternals'' (2021), ''
Spider-Man: No Way Home'' (2021), ''
Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness
''Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness'' is a 2022 American superhero film based on Marvel Comics featuring the character Doctor Strange. Produced by Marvel Studios and distributed by Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures, it is the sequel ...
'' (2022), ''
Thor: Love and Thunder'' (2022), and ''
Black Panther: Wakanda Forever'' (2022). The Phase featured these films, as well as
eight television series and
two specials for the
streaming
Streaming media refers to multimedia delivered through a network for playback using a media player. Media is transferred in a ''stream'' of packets from a server to a client and is rendered in real-time; this contrasts with file downl ...
service
Disney+
The Walt Disney Company, commonly referred to as simply Disney, is an American multinational mass media and entertainment industry, entertainment conglomerate (company), conglomerate headquartered at the Walt Disney Studios (Burbank), Walt Di ...
.
Phase Five begins with ''
Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania'' (2023), followed by ''
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3'' (2023), ''
The Marvels
''The Marvels'' is a 2023 American superhero film based on Marvel Comics. Produced by Marvel Studios and distributed by Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures, it is the sequel to the film '' Captain Marvel'' (2019), a continuation of the telev ...
'' (2023), ''Deadpool & Wolverine'' (2024), ''
Captain America: Brave New World'' (2025), and ''
Thunderbolts*
''Thunderbolts*'' is a 2025 American superhero film based on Marvel Comics featuring the team Thunderbolts (comics), Thunderbolts. Produced by Marvel Studios and distributed by Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures, it is List of Marvel Cinemat ...
'' (2025). This Phase also includes a total of
nine seasons of television series for Disney+.
Phase Six will include ''
The Fantastic Four: First Steps'' (2025), ''
Spider-Man: Brand New Day'' (2026), ''Avengers: Doomsday'' (2026), and ''Avengers: Secret Wars'' (2027). The fourth, fifth, and sixth Phases are collectively known as "The Multiverse Saga". ''Deadpool & Wolverine'' was co-produced by Reynolds's and Levy's respective companies
Maximum Effort
Maximum Effort Productions, Inc. is an American film production company and digital marketing agency founded by Canadian actor Ryan Reynolds alongside George Dewey in 2018. The company's name is a reference to a catchphrase from Reynolds' 2016 ...
and
21 Laps Entertainment
21 Laps, Inc., doing business as 21 Laps Entertainment, is an American film and television production company founded and run by filmmaker Shawn Levy. The company is best known as the producers of ''Stranger Things'', and exclusively distributes ...
, while the Russo brothers's company
AGBO
AGBO (also known as Gozie AGBO) is an American independent entertainment company based in Downtown Los Angeles, founded and led by Anthony and Joe Russo (known collectively as the Russo brothers) and Mike Larocca in 2017.
Recent television ...
co-produces ''Avengers: Doomsday'' and ''Secret Wars''.
Development
By 2005,
Marvel Entertainment
Marvel Entertainment, LLC (formerly Marvel Entertainment, Inc. and Marvel Enterprises, Inc.) was an American entertainment company founded in June 1998 and based in New York City, formed by the merger of #Marvel Entertainment Group, Marvel Ente ...
had begun planning to produce its own films independently and distribute them through
Paramount Pictures
Paramount Pictures Corporation, commonly known as Paramount Pictures or simply Paramount, is an American film production company, production and Distribution (marketing), distribution company and the flagship namesake subsidiary of Paramount ...
.
In June 2007,
Marvel Studios
Marvel Studios, LLC, formerly known as Marvel Films, is an American film and television production company. Marvel Studios is the creator of the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU), a media franchise and shared universe of films and television ser ...
secured funding from a $525million revolving credit facility with
Merrill Lynch
Merrill Lynch, Pierce, Fenner & Smith Incorporated, doing business as Merrill, and previously branded Merrill Lynch, is an American investment management and wealth management division of Bank of America. Along with BofA Securities, the investm ...
.
Marvel planned to release individual films for their main characters and then merge them in a
crossover
Crossover may refer to:
Entertainment
Music
Albums
* ''Cross Over'' (album), a 1987 album by Dan Peek, or the title song
* ''Crossover'' (Dirty Rotten Imbeciles album), 1987
* ''Crossover'', an album by Intrigue
* ''Crossover'', an album by ...
film.
Marvel Studios president
Kevin Feige
Kevin Feige ( ; born June 2, 1973) is an American film and television producer. He has been the president of Marvel Studios and the primary producer of the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) franchise since 2007. The films he has produced have a co ...
said in November 2013 that releases each year would ideally include one film based on an existing character and one featuring a new character, feeling that would be "a nice rhythm", although, this was not always the case as shown by two sequels being released in 2013 (''
Iron Man 3
''Iron Man 3'' is a 2013 American superhero film based on the Marvel Comics character Iron Man, produced by Marvel Studios and distributed by Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures. It is the sequel to ''Iron Man (2008 film), Iron Man'' (2008) an ...
'' and ''
Thor: The Dark World'').
Feige elaborated in July 2014 that this model was being followed for 2014 and 2015 and he felt it would be "fun to continue that sort of thing".
After the reveal that month of multiple release dates for films through 2019,
in which some years had three films scheduled, Feige said there was no "number cruncher" telling the studio to increase their film output and the change was based on them "managing
xistingfranchises, film to film, and when we have a team ready to go, why tell them to go away for four years just because we don't have a slot? We'd rather find a way to keep that going."
After the titles for these films were revealed in October 2014,
Feige said the studio was "firing on all cylinders right now" and this made them comfortable with increasing to three films a year in 2017 and 2018 without changing their production approach.
On the potential for so-called "superhero fatigue", Feige stated that, although each film is based on Marvel Comics and feature the "Marvel Studios" logo, he believed each film had unique qualities that differentiated them from the others and from non-
Marvel Cinematic Universe
The Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) is an American media franchise and shared universe centered on List of Marvel Cinematic Universe films, a series of superhero films produced by Marvel Studios. The films are based on characters that appe ...
(MCU) superhero films. For example, he noted how the studio's 2016 releases, ''
Captain America: Civil War'' and ''
Doctor Strange
Dr. Stephen Vincent Strange is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by Steve Ditko, the character first appeared in ''Strange Tales'' #110 (cover-dated July 1963). Doctor Strange serves as ...
'', were "completely different movies". The studio hoped to continue to surprise audiences and "not
all
All or ALL may refer to:
عرص
Biology and medicine
* Acute lymphoblastic leukemia, a cancer
* Anterolateral ligament, a ligament in the knee
* ''All.'', taxonomic author abbreviation for Carlo Allioni (1728–1804), Italian physician and pro ...
into things becoming too similar".
In February 2014, Feige said Marvel Studios wanted to mimic the "rhythm" of comic book releases by having characters appear in their own films and then come together for crossover events,
with ''Avengers'' films acting as "big, giant linchpins" within the
shared universe
A shared universe or shared world is a fictional universe from a set of creative works where one or more writers (or other artists) independently contribute works that can stand alone but fits into the joint development of the storyline, charact ...
.
On expanding the number of characters in the universe and letting individual films breathe and work on their own, as opposed to having Avenger team-ups outside of ''Avengers'' films, Feige said they planned to teach general audiences "about the notion of the characters existing separately, coming together for specific events and going away and existing separately in their own worlds again. Just like comic readers have been doing for decades... people sort of are accepting that there's just a time when they should be together and there's a time when they're not."
Discussing how much story is developed for future MCU films, Feige said in September 2015 that "broad strokes" and occasionally "super-specific things" are determined far in advance. He said there was enough leeway to "have room to sway and to move and to go and to surprise ourselves in places that we end up" and that each film would feel satisfying on its own, but still interconnected to the larger universe and as if it had been planned years ahead of time. The studio has contingency plans for times when they are unable to secure a certain actor to reprise a role, and are able to respond to surprises such as the
film rights
Film rights are rights under copyright law to produce a film as a derivative work of a given item of intellectual property. In US law, these rights belong to the holder of the copyright, who may sell (or " option") them to someone in the film indus ...
to use
Spider-Man
Spider-Man is a superhero in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by writer-editor Stan Lee and artist Steve Ditko, he first appearance, first appeared in the anthology comic book ''Amazing Fantasy'' #15 (August 1962) in ...
becoming available in February 2015.
Feige discussed moving the MCU to
Phase Four in April 2016, reflecting on the first three phases of films and saying, "I think there will be a finality to moments of
Phase Three, as well as new beginnings that will mark a different, a different, a distinctively different chapter in what will someday be a complete first saga made up of three Phases." Frequent MCU director
Joe Russo added that Phase Three was the "deconstruction Phase" of the MCU, beginning with ''Civil War'' and leading into "the culmination films" of ''
Avengers: Infinity War'' (2018) and ''
Avengers: Endgame'' (2019).
A year later, Feige felt after the conclusion of Phase Three, Marvel might abandon grouping the films by Phases, saying, "it might be a new thing".
Feige mentioned that ''Avengers: Endgame'' would provide "a definitive end" to the films and storylines preceding it, with the franchise having "two distinct periods. Everything before
'Endgame''and everything after". Many of the films that were planned to follow ''Endgame'' were intentionally different from the films in "
The Infinity Saga", which includes
Phase One,
Phase Two, and Phase Three.
In July 2019, Feige announced the Phase Four slate at San Diego Comic-Con, consisting of films and television event series for the streaming service
Disney+
The Walt Disney Company, commonly referred to as simply Disney, is an American multinational mass media and entertainment industry, entertainment conglomerate (company), conglomerate headquartered at the Walt Disney Studios (Burbank), Walt Di ...
.
In December 2020, at Disney's Investor Day, Marvel provided updates to previously announced films for the Phase.
In late June 2022, Feige said audiences would begin to see where the next saga of the MCU would be heading as Phase Four neared its conclusion, adding that there had been many clues throughout the Phase to what that would be. He said Marvel Studios would be a "little more direct" on their future plans in the following months to provide audiences with "the bigger picture".
In July 2022, Feige unveiled the
Phase Five and
Six
6 (six) is the natural number following 5 and preceding 7. It is a composite number and the smallest perfect number.
In mathematics
A six-sided polygon is a hexagon, one of the three regular polygons capable of tiling the plane. A hexagon a ...
slates at San Diego Comic-Con, similarly consisting of films and Disney+ series, and revealed that these three Phases would make up "
The Multiverse Saga".
In May 2024, Disney CEO
Bob Iger
Robert Alan Iger (; born February 10, 1951) is an American media executive who is chief executive officer (CEO) of the Walt Disney Company. He previously was the president of the American Broadcasting Company (ABC) between 1994 and 1995 and p ...
said the company planned to release two, or at most three, Marvel films a year moving forward, down from four films being released in some recent years, as part of Disney's larger strategy to reduce its content output and focus on quality. At that time, four films were still expected to be released in both 2025 and 2026. Iger said Marvel content would continue to balance sequels with new franchises.
Later in 2024, Disney removed the long-in-development film ''
Blade
A blade is the Sharpness (cutting), sharp, cutting portion of a tool, weapon, or machine, specifically designed to puncture, chop, slice, or scrape surfaces or materials. Blades are typically made from materials that are harder than those they a ...
'' from its 2025 release date and also removed an unspecified Marvel film that was scheduled for July 2026,
which was replaced by
Sony Pictures
Sony Pictures Entertainment Inc. is an American diversified multinational mass media and entertainment studio conglomerate that produces, acquires, and distributes filmed entertainment (theatrical motion pictures, television programs, and rec ...
's ''
Spider-Man: Brand New Day''.
Feige said the three films that were still scheduled for 2025 had been in development for a long time and were ready for release. He expected Marvel Studios to start releasing two films a year from 2026.
In May 2025, Iger called ''Thunderbolts*'' the "first and best example" of Marvel Studios' refocusing efforts.
Shortly after, ''Avengers: Doomsday'' and ''Avengers: Secret Wars'' were delayed to release in December 2026 and 2027, respectively, which resulted in over a year gap in-between MCU film releases from ''The Fantastic Four: First Steps'' and ''Spider-Man: Brand New Day'', which would be the longest since the timeframe between ''
Spider-Man: Far From Home'' (2019) and ''
Black Widow'' (2021).
Films
Marvel Studios releases its films in groups called "Phases".
The Infinity Saga
The films from Phase One, Phase Two, and Phase Three are collectively known as "The Infinity Saga".
Phase One
Phase Two
Phase Three
The Multiverse Saga
The films from Phase Four, Phase Five, and Phase Six are collectively known as "The Multiverse Saga".
The Phases also include
multiple series and
three specials streaming on
Disney+
The Walt Disney Company, commonly referred to as simply Disney, is an American multinational mass media and entertainment industry, entertainment conglomerate (company), conglomerate headquartered at the Walt Disney Studios (Burbank), Walt Di ...
.
Phase Four
Phase Five
Phase Six
Disney has scheduled an additional release date for an unannounced Marvel Studios film on July 23, 2027.
Future
At any given time,
Marvel Studios
Marvel Studios, LLC, formerly known as Marvel Films, is an American film and television production company. Marvel Studios is the creator of the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU), a media franchise and shared universe of films and television ser ...
has future films planned five to six years out from what they have announced.
By April 2014, additional storylines were planned through 2028,
with MCU films through 2032 being planned by April 2022.
By July 2024, Marvel Studios had ideas for their projects through 2029, though Feige noted that these could change as needed.
Disney has scheduled additional release dates for unannounced Marvel Studios films on February 18, May 5, and November 10, 2028.
In February 2025, producer Nate Moore said that work on some projects, such as ''Armor Wars'', had slowed down since the studio began reducing content output and focusing on quality.
By that May, Marvel Studios was beginning to plan out projects beyond ''Avengers: Secret Wars'', and was planning to meet with frequent writer
Eric Pearson to gauge his interest in any of these.
At that time, Feige reportedly had a 10-year plan for the X-Men in the MCU.
''Armor Wars''
James Rhodes must confront one of
Tony Stark
Iron Man is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Co-created by writer and editor Stan Lee, developed by scripter Larry Lieber, and designed by artists Don Heck and Jack Kirby, the character first appearan ...
's greatest fears when Stark's tech falls into the wrong hands.
In December 2020, Marvel Studios announced ''Armor Wars'' as a
Disney+
The Walt Disney Company, commonly referred to as simply Disney, is an American multinational mass media and entertainment industry, entertainment conglomerate (company), conglomerate headquartered at the Walt Disney Studios (Burbank), Walt Di ...
series based on the comic book storyline of
the same name, with
Don Cheadle
Donald Frank Cheadle Jr. (, ; born November 29, 1964) is an American actor. Known for his roles in film and television, he has received List of awards and nominations received by Don Cheadle, multiple accolades including two Golden Globe Award ...
reprising his role as James Rhodes / War Machine.
In August 2021,
Yassir Lester was hired as the series'
head writer
A head writer is a person who oversees the team of writers on a television or radio series. The title is common in the soap opera
A soap opera (also called a daytime drama or soap) is a genre of a long-running radio or television Serial (radio ...
.
In September 2022, Marvel Studios decided to rework the series into a feature film, with Cheadle and Lester remaining with the project.
Development had slowed down by February 2025.
''Armor Wars'' is set after the events of ''
Secret Invasion
"Secret Invasion" is a comic book fictional crossover, crossover storyline written by Brian Michael Bendis and illustrated by Leinil Francis Yu, that ran through a self-titled eight-issue Limited series (comics), limited series and several ti ...
'' (2023).
Walton Goggins
Walton Sanders Goggins Jr. (born November 10, 1971) is an American actor. He has starred in various television series, including ''The Shield'' (2002–2008), ''Justified (TV series), Justified'' (2010–2015), ''Vice Principals'' (2016–2017), ...
is set to reprise his role as
Sonny Burch from ''
Ant-Man and the Wasp
''Ant-Man and the Wasp'' is a 2018 American superhero film based on Marvel Comics featuring the characters Scott Lang / Ant-Man and Hope Pym / Wasp. Produced by Marvel Studios and distributed by Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures, it is th ...
'' (2018).
''Black Panther 3''
By November 2022,
Ryan Coogler
Ryan Coogler (born May 23, 1986) is an American film director, producer, and screenwriter. He is a recipient of ten NAACP Image Awards and four Black Reel Awards, and has been nominated for two Academy Awards, a Golden Globe Awards, Golden Globe ...
and
Kevin Feige
Kevin Feige ( ; born June 2, 1973) is an American film and television producer. He has been the president of Marvel Studios and the primary producer of the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) franchise since 2007. The films he has produced have a co ...
had discussed a potential third ''Black Panther'' film.
Two years later, Coogler had had discussions with
Denzel Washington
Denzel Hayes Washington Jr. (born December 28, 1954) is an American actor, producer, and director. Known for his dramatic roles Denzel Washington on screen and stage, on stage and screen, Washington has received List of awards and nominations ...
about casting him for a role in a third film.
Nate Moore, who left Marvel Studios in March 2025, will return to produce the film.
In February 2025, Moore confirmed that Coogler would direct the film and said active work would begin later that year, once Coogler completed work on his film ''
Sinners'' (2025).
Coogler confirmed Washington's casting that June.
''Blade''
Following
New Line Cinema
New Line Productions, Inc., Trade name, doing business as New Line Cinema, is an American film production, film and television production company that is a subsidiary of Warner Bros. Motion Picture Group, a division of the Major film studios, ...
's
''Blade'' film trilogy (1998–2004), Marvel Studios regained the film rights to the character
Blade
A blade is the Sharpness (cutting), sharp, cutting portion of a tool, weapon, or machine, specifically designed to puncture, chop, slice, or scrape surfaces or materials. Blades are typically made from materials that are harder than those they a ...
by July 2011 and was developing a new version by May 2013.
Mahershala Ali
Mahershala Ali ( ; born Mahershalalhashbaz Gilmore on February 16, 1974) is an American actor. He has received multiple accolades, including two Academy Awards, a British Academy Film Award, a Golden Globe Award, and a Primetime Emmy Award. Fi ...
, who played
Cornell "Cottonmouth" Stokes
Cornell University is a private Ivy League research university based in Ithaca, New York, United States. The university was co-founded by American philanthropist Ezra Cornell and historian and educator Andrew Dickson White in 1865. Since ...
in
Marvel Television
Marvel Television was an American television production company responsible for live-action and animated television shows and direct-to-DVD series based on characters from Marvel Comics. Marvel Television was formed as a division of Marvel En ...
's ''
Luke Cage
Lucas "Luke" Cage, born Carl Lucas and also known as Power Man, is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by Archie Goodwin, George Tuska, Roy Thomas, and John Romita Sr. in 1972, he was the first Af ...
'' (2016–18), approached Marvel Studios in February 2019 about starring in a new Blade film, which Feige announced at
San Diego Comic-Con
San Diego Comic-Con is a comic book convention and multi-genre entertainment event held annually in San Diego, California, at the San Diego Convention Center. Founded in 1970, originally showcasing primarily comic books and science fiction/fant ...
(SDCC) that July with Ali as
Blade
A blade is the Sharpness (cutting), sharp, cutting portion of a tool, weapon, or machine, specifically designed to puncture, chop, slice, or scrape surfaces or materials. Blades are typically made from materials that are harder than those they a ...
;
he first had an uncredited voice cameo in ''
Eternals'' (2021).
Multiple filmmakers were attached in the following years, including directors
Bassam Tariq
Bassam Tariq (born October 22, 1986) is an American film director, producer, and screenwriter born in Karachi, Pakistan. He co-directed and produced the Sundance-funded documentary '' These Birds Walk'' (2013) with Omar Mullick, and he was named ...
and
Yann Demange
Yann Demange (born 1977) is a French film and television director of French and Algerian descent, who grew up in London. After directing the well-received television series '' Dead Set'' (2008) and ''Top Boy'' (2011), he made his directorial film ...
, while the production experienced several delays.
Eric Pearson was rewriting the script by June 2024, when Marvel was searching for a new director,
''Blade'' was removed from the release schedule in October 2024,
and development was paused by March 2025.
Untitled ''Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings'' sequel
In December 2021, a sequel to ''
Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings
''Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings'' is a 2021 American superhero film based on Marvel Comics featuring the character Shang-Chi. Produced by Marvel Studios and distributed by Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures, it is List of Marvel ...
'' (2021) was announced to be in development, with
Destin Daniel Cretton
Destin Yori Daniel Cretton is an American filmmaker. He is best known for directing the drama films ''Short Term 12'' (2013), ''The Glass Castle (2017 film), The Glass Castle'' (2017), ''Just Mercy'' (2019) as well as the Marvel Studios film ''S ...
returning to write and direct.
Simu Liu
Simu Liu ( ; ; born 19 April 1989) is a Canadian actor. He rose to prominence by starring as Shang-Chi in the Marvel Cinematic Universe film ''Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings'' (2021).
Liu was born in Harbin and raised in Ontario. ...
was expected to return as
Shang-Chi
Zheng Shang-Chi,. also known as the Master of Kung Fu and Brother Hand, is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character was created by writer Steve Englehart and artist Jim Starlin, debuting in ''Spec ...
by the following month.
In September 2024, Cretton was chosen to direct ''
Spider-Man: Brand New Day'' (2026), which was a higher priority for Marvel Studios than the ''Shang-Chi'' sequel.
Untitled X-Men film
At SDCC in July 2019,
Kevin Feige
Kevin Feige ( ; born June 2, 1973) is an American film and television producer. He has been the president of Marvel Studios and the primary producer of the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) franchise since 2007. The films he has produced have a co ...
stated that
mutants would eventually be introduced to the MCU, which include
X-Men
The X-Men are a superhero team in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by writer/editor Stan Lee and artist/co-plotter Jack Kirby, the team first appeared in Uncanny X-Men, ''The X-Men'' #1 (September 1963). Although initial ...
,
and said those terms are interchangeable and that the MCU depiction would differ from
20th Century Fox
20th Century Studios, Inc., formerly 20th Century Fox, is an American film studio, film production and Film distributor, distribution company owned by the Walt Disney Studios (division), Walt Disney Studios, the film studios division of the ...
's
''X-Men'' film series.
By September 2023, Marvel Studios was preparing to meet with writers for an X-Men film later that year,
and
Michael Lesslie entered negotiations to write the film in May 2024;
he was confirmed to be writing the film a year later.
Shortly after,
Jake Schreier
Jacob Stacey Schreier (born 1981) is an American director. He was a founding member of Waverly Films, a Brooklyn, New York, Brooklyn-based filmmaking collective, and joined Park Pictures in 2006, releasing his first feature film ''Robot & Frank'' ...
entered early negotiations to direct following positive responses to ''
Thunderbolts*
''Thunderbolts*'' is a 2025 American superhero film based on Marvel Comics featuring the team Thunderbolts (comics), Thunderbolts. Produced by Marvel Studios and distributed by Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures, it is List of Marvel Cinemat ...
'' (2025).
Other
Marvel Studios is working on an unknown project with
Scarlett Johansson
Scarlett Ingrid Johansson (; born November 22, 1984) is an American actress and singer. The List of highest-paid film actors, world's highest-paid actress in 2018 and 2019, she has been featured multiple times on the Forbes Celebrity 100, ''F ...
, who will serve as a producer.
The project was still being developed by mid-June 2023, when work was paused due to the
2023 Writers Guild of America strike
From May 2 to September 27, 2023, the Writers Guild of America (WGA)—representing 11,500 screenwriters—went on Strike action, strike over a labor dispute with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP). Lasting 148 days, ...
.
By May 2025,
Ryan Reynolds
Ryan Rodney Reynolds (born October 23, 1976) is a Canadian and American actor, producer and businessman. Known for starring in comedic and superhero films, he was the List of highest-paid film actors, world's second-highest-paid actor in 202 ...
had begun working on various script treatments for an ensemble film centered on "three or four"
X-Men
The X-Men are a superhero team in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by writer/editor Stan Lee and artist/co-plotter Jack Kirby, the team first appeared in Uncanny X-Men, ''The X-Men'' #1 (September 1963). Although initial ...
characters alongside
Deadpool
Deadpool is a character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by Fabian Nicieza and Rob Liefeld, the character first appeared in ''New Mutants'' #98 (December 1990). In his comic book appearances, Deadpool is ...
. ''
The Hollywood Reporter
''The Hollywood Reporter'' (''THR'') is an American digital and print magazine which focuses on the Cinema of the United States, Hollywood film industry, film, television, and entertainment industries. It was founded in 1930 as a daily trade pap ...
'' reported that using Deadpool in a supporting role would allow the X-Men characters "to be used in unexpected ways" and that Reynolds was working independently of
Marvel Studios
Marvel Studios, LLC, formerly known as Marvel Films, is an American film and television production company. Marvel Studios is the creator of the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU), a media franchise and shared universe of films and television ser ...
for the time being to figure out the film's concept.
Recurring cast and characters
Release
Theatrical distribution
Over time, the
distribution rights to Marvel Studios' films have changed hands on multiple occasions. In November 2006,
Universal Pictures
Universal City Studios LLC, doing business as Universal Pictures (also known as Universal Studios or simply Universal), is an American filmmaking, film production and film distribution, distribution company headquartered at the 10 Universal Ci ...
announced that it would distribute ''
The Incredible Hulk
The Hulk is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by writer Stan Lee and artist Jack Kirby, the character first appeared in the debut issue of '' The Incredible Hulk'' (May 1962). In his comic book ...
'' (2008),
in an arrangement separate from Marvel's 2005 deal with Paramount, which was distributing Marvel's other films.
In September 2008, after the international success of ''
Iron Man
Iron Man is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Co-created by writer and editor Stan Lee, developed by scripter Larry Lieber, and designed by artists Don Heck and Jack Kirby, the character first appearan ...
'' (2008), Paramount signed a deal to have worldwide distribution rights for ''
Iron Man 2
''Iron Man 2'' is a 2010 American superhero film based on the Marvel Comics character Iron Man. Produced by Marvel Studios and distributed by Paramount Pictures, it is the sequel to ''Iron Man'' (2008) and the third film in the Marvel Cinem ...
'' (2010), ''
Iron Man 3
''Iron Man 3'' is a 2013 American superhero film based on the Marvel Comics character Iron Man, produced by Marvel Studios and distributed by Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures. It is the sequel to ''Iron Man (2008 film), Iron Man'' (2008) an ...
'' (2013), ''
Thor
Thor (from ) is a prominent list of thunder gods, god in Germanic paganism. In Norse mythology, he is a hammer-wielding æsir, god associated with lightning, thunder, storms, sacred trees and groves in Germanic paganism and mythology, sacred g ...
'' (2011), ''
Captain America: The First Avenger'' (2011), and ''
The Avengers'' (2012).
In late December 2009,
the Walt Disney Company
The Walt Disney Company, commonly referred to as simply Disney, is an American multinational mass media and entertainment conglomerate headquartered at the Walt Disney Studios complex in Burbank, California. Disney was founded on October 16 ...
purchased Marvel Entertainment for $4billion. Additionally, in October 2010,
Walt Disney Studios bought the distribution rights for ''The Avengers'' and ''Iron Man 3'' from Paramount Pictures,
with Paramount's logo remaining on the films, as well as for promotional material and merchandise,
although
Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures
Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures is an American film distributor within the Disney Entertainment division of the Walt Disney Company. It handles theatrical and occasional digital distribution, marketing, and promotion for films produced and ...
is the only studio credited at the end of these films.
Disney has distributed all subsequent Marvel Studios films.
In July 2013, Disney purchased the distribution rights to ''Iron Man'', ''Iron Man 2'', ''Thor'' and ''Captain America: The First Avenger'' from Paramount.
''The Incredible Hulk'' was not part of the deal at the time, due to an agreement between Marvel and Universal, where Marvel owns the
film rights
Film rights are rights under copyright law to produce a film as a derivative work of a given item of intellectual property. In US law, these rights belong to the holder of the copyright, who may sell (or " option") them to someone in the film indus ...
and Universal owns the distribution rights, for this film as well as the
right of first refusal
Right of first refusal (ROFR or RFR) is a contractual right that gives its holder the option to enter a business transaction with the owner of something, according to specified terms, before the owner is entitled to enter into that transactio ...
to distribute future
Hulk
The Hulk is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by writer Stan Lee and artist Jack Kirby, the character first appeared in the debut issue of ''The Incredible Hulk (comic book), The Incredible Hulk ...
films.
According to ''
The Hollywood Reporter
''The Hollywood Reporter'' (''THR'') is an American digital and print magazine which focuses on the Cinema of the United States, Hollywood film industry, film, television, and entertainment industries. It was founded in 1930 as a daily trade pap ...
'', a potential reason why Marvel has not bought the film distribution rights to the Hulk as they did with Paramount for the Iron Man, Thor, and Captain America films is that Universal holds
the theme park rights to several Marvel characters that Disney wants for
its own theme parks.
In June 2023, the distribution rights to ''The Incredible Hulk'' reverted from Universal back to Marvel Studios and Disney.
Spider-Man films
In February 2015,
Sony Pictures Entertainment
Sony Pictures Entertainment Inc. is an American diversified multinational mass media and entertainment studio conglomerate that produces, acquires, and distributes filmed entertainment (theatrical motion pictures, television programs, and rec ...
and Marvel Studios announced a licensing deal that would allow Spider-Man to appear in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, with the character first appearing in ''Captain America: Civil War''.
Marvel Studios explored opportunities to integrate other characters of the Marvel Cinematic Universe into future ''Spider-Man'' films financed, distributed, and controlled by Sony Pictures,
with
Robert Downey Jr.
Robert John Downey Jr. (born April 4, 1965), also known as RDJ, is an American actor. One of the highest-grossing actors of all time, his films as a leading actor have grossed over $14 billion worldwide. In 2008, Downey was named by ''Time ...
the first confirmed to reprise his role as
Tony Stark / Iron Man in ''
Spider-Man: Homecoming'' (2017).
In June 2015, Feige clarified that the initial Sony deal does not apply to the
MCU television series, as it was "very specific ... with a certain amount of back and forth allowed".
Both studios have the ability to terminate the agreement at any point, and no money was exchanged with the deal. However, a small adjustment was made to a 2011 deal formed between the two studios (where Marvel gained full control of Spider-Man's merchandising rights, in exchange for making a one-time payment of $175million to Sony and paying up to $35million for each future Spider-Man film, and forgoing receiving their previous 5% of any Spider-Man film's revenue), with Marvel getting to reduce their $35million payment to Sony if ''Spider-Man: Homecoming'' grossed more than $750million.
Marvel Studios still received 5% of first dollar gross for the film.
Sony also paid Marvel Studios an undisclosed producer fee for ''Homecoming''.
In August 2019, it was reported that Disney and Sony could not reach a new agreement regarding Spider-Man films, with Marvel Studios and Feige said to no longer have any involvement in future films. ''
Deadline Hollywood
''Deadline Hollywood'', commonly known as ''Deadline'' and also referred to as ''Deadline.com'', is an online news site founded as the news blog ''Deadline Hollywood Daily'' by Nikki Finke in 2006. It is updated several times a day, with en ...
'' noted that Disney had hoped future films would be a "50/50 co-financing arrangement between the studios", with the possibility to extend the deal to other Spider-Man-related films, an offer Sony rejected and did not counter. Instead, Sony hoped to keep the terms of the previous agreement (Marvel receiving 5% of the film's first dollar gross), with Disney refusing.
''The Hollywood Reporter'' added that the lack of a new agreement would see the end of Holland's
Spider-Man
Spider-Man is a superhero in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by writer-editor Stan Lee and artist Steve Ditko, he first appearance, first appeared in the anthology comic book ''Amazing Fantasy'' #15 (August 1962) in ...
in the MCU.
''
Variety
Variety may refer to:
Arts and entertainment Entertainment formats
* Variety (radio)
* Variety show, in theater and television
Films
* ''Variety'' (1925 film), a German silent film directed by Ewald Andre Dupont
* ''Variety'' (1935 film), ...
'' cited unnamed sources claiming negotiations had "hit an impasse" and that a new deal could still be reached.
In September 2019, it was announced that Disney and Sony had reached a new agreement allowing for Spider-Man to appear in ''
Spider-Man: No Way Home'' (2021) as the third film
co-produced by Marvel Studios and Sony Pictures and a future Marvel Studios film.
Disney was reported to be co-financing 25% of the film in exchange for 25% of the film's profits in the new agreement, while retaining the merchandising rights to the character.
In November 2021, producer
Amy Pascal revealed that Sony and Marvel Studios were planning to make at least three more Spider-Man films starring Holland, with work on the first of those films getting ready to begin.
However, ''The Hollywood Reporter'' noted that there were no official plans for a new trilogy, despite the strong working relationship between the studios.
The following month, Feige said that he, Pascal, Disney, and Sony were "actively beginning to develop" the next Spider-Man story, assuring that there would not be any "separation trauma" that occurred between ''Far From Home'' and ''No Way Home''.
Sony's agreement specifies that production has to start on a film within three years and nine months of the previous one, and release within five years and nine months, otherwise the rights revert to Marvel.
Home media
Physical
In June 2012, Marvel announced a 10-disc
box set
A boxed set or (its US name) box set is a set of items (for example, a compilation of books, musical recordings, films or television programs) traditionally packaged in a box, hence 'boxed', and offered for sale as a single unit.
Music
Artists ...
titled "Marvel Cinematic Universe: Phase One – Avengers Assembled", for release on September 25, 2012. The box set includes all six of the Phase One films—''Iron Man'', ''The Incredible Hulk'', ''Iron Man 2'', ''Thor'', ''Captain America: The First Avenger'', and ''The Avengers''—on
Blu-ray
Blu-ray (Blu-ray Disc or BD) is a digital optical disc data storage format designed to supersede the DVD format. It was invented and developed in 2005 and released worldwide on June 20, 2006, capable of storing several hours of high-defin ...
and Blu-ray 3D, in a replica of Nick Fury's briefcase from ''The Avengers''.
In August 2012, luggage company Rimowa GmbH, who developed the briefcase for ''The Avengers'', filed suit against Marvel Studios and
Buena Vista Home Entertainment
Buena ( ) is a borough in Atlantic County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. The borough, and all of Atlantic County, is part of South Jersey and the Atlantic City- Hammonton metropolitan statistical area, which in turn is included in the Ph ...
in U.S. federal court, complaining that "Marvel did not obtain any license or authorization from Rimowa to make replica copies of the cases for any purpose."
The set was delayed to early 2013 for the packaging to be redesigned.
The box set, with a redesigned case, was released on April 2, 2013. In addition, the box set included a featurette on the then-upcoming Phase Two films, showing footage and concept art, as well as previously unreleased deleted scenes from all of the Phase One films.
In July 2015, Marvel announced a 13-disc box set titled "Marvel Cinematic Universe: Phase Two Collection", for release on December 8, 2015, exclusive to
Amazon.com
Amazon.com, Inc., doing business as Amazon, is an American multinational technology company engaged in e-commerce, cloud computing, online advertising, digital streaming, and artificial intelligence. Founded in 1994 by Jeff Bezos in Bellevu ...
. The box set includes all six of the Phase Two films—''Iron Man 3'', ''Thor: The Dark World'', ''Captain America: The Winter Soldier'', ''Guardians of the Galaxy'', ''Avengers: Age of Ultron'', and ''Ant-Man''—on Blu-ray, Blu-ray 3D and a digital copy, in a replica of the Orb from ''Guardians of the Galaxy'', plus a bonus disc and exclusive memorabilia. Material on the bonus disc includes all of the
Marvel One-Shots
Marvel One-Shots are a series of direct-to-video short films produced by Marvel Studios, set within or inspired by the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU). Initially released from 2011 to 2014, they were included as special features on the MCU fil ...
with commentary, deleted scenes and pre-production creative features for each of the films, featurettes on the making of the post-credit scenes for the films, and first looks at ''Captain America: Civil War'', ''Doctor Strange'', and ''Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2''.
In September 2019, Feige indicated a box set with all 23 films of "The Infinity Saga" would be released, with the set including previously unreleased deleted scenes and other footage, such as an alternate take of the Nick Fury post-credits scene from ''Iron Man'' which references Spider-Man, the Hulk, and the X-Men.
The box set, featuring all 23 films on Ultra HD Blu-ray and Blu-ray, a bonus disc, a letter from Feige, and a lithograph art piece by Matt Ferguson, was released on November 15, 2019, exclusively at
Best Buy
Best Buy Co., Inc. is an American multinational consumer electronics retailer headquartered in Richfield, Minnesota. Originally founded by Richard M. Schulze and James Wheeler in 1966 as an audio specialty store called Sound of Music, it was r ...
.
Streaming and cable
In March 2008, Marvel Studios presold the US cable broadcast rights to
FX for five of their films, including ''Iron Man'' and ''The Incredible Hulk'', for four years.
FX also acquired the rights to ''Iron Man 3'' in May 2013.
In September 2014,
TNT
Troponin T (shortened TnT or TropT) is a part of the troponin complex, which are proteins integral to the contraction of skeletal and heart muscles. They are expressed in skeletal and cardiac myocytes. Troponin T binds to tropomyosin and helps ...
acquired the US cable broadcast rights to five Marvel Studios films, beginning with ''Avengers: Age of Ultron'', for broadcast two years after their theatrical release.
Every Marvel Studios release from January 2016 to December 2018 was available on
Netflix
Netflix is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service. The service primarily distributes original and acquired films and television shows from various genres, and it is available internationally in multiple lang ...
.
''Captain Marvel'' was the first
Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures
Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures is an American film distributor within the Disney Entertainment division of the Walt Disney Company. It handles theatrical and occasional digital distribution, marketing, and promotion for films produced and ...
-distributed film not to stream on Netflix, after Disney let their licensing deal with them expire. It became the first theatrical Disney release to stream exclusively on
Disney+
The Walt Disney Company, commonly referred to as simply Disney, is an American multinational mass media and entertainment industry, entertainment conglomerate (company), conglomerate headquartered at the Walt Disney Studios (Burbank), Walt Di ...
, which launched on November 12, 2019.
''
Bloomberg News
Bloomberg News (originally Bloomberg Business News) is an international news agency headquartered in New York City and a division of Bloomberg L.P. Content produced by Bloomberg News is disseminated through Bloomberg Terminals, Bloomberg T ...
'' reported that the films part of Disney's agreement with Netflix would return to Netflix starting in 2026, while being removed from Disney+.
In April 2021, Sony signed a deal with Disney for its theatrical releases from 2022 to 2026 to stream on Disney+ and
Hulu
Hulu (, ) is an American Subscription business model, subscription streaming media service owned by Disney Streaming, a subsidiary of the Disney Entertainment segment of the Walt Disney Company. It was launched on October 29, 2007, initially as ...
and appear on Disney's linear television networks for their "pay 2 window". As well, Sony's legacy content, including past Spider-Man films and Marvel content in
Sony's Spider-Man Universe
Sony's Spider-Man Universe (SSU) is an American media franchise and shared universe centered on a series of superhero films produced by Columbia Pictures in association with Marvel Entertainment. Distributed by Sony Pictures Releasing, the fil ...
(SSU), would be able to be streamed on Disney+ and Hulu. Disney's access to Sony's titles would come following their availability on
Netflix
Netflix is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service. The service primarily distributes original and acquired films and television shows from various genres, and it is available internationally in multiple lang ...
for their "pay 1 window". ''Homecoming'' and ''
Spider-Man: Far From Home'' (2019) had previously been available on
Starz
Starz (stylized in all caps as STARZ; pronounced "stars") is an American pay television network owned by Starz Entertainment, and is the flagship property of Starz Inc. Launched in 1994 as a multiplex service of what is now Starz Encore, ...
and FX.
''Homecoming'' became available on Disney+ in the United States on May 12, 2023,
while ''Far From Home'' became available on November 3, 2023.
''The Incredible Hulk'' became available on Disney+ in the United States on June 16, 2023, following the film's distribution rights reverting to Marvel Studios.
IMAX 10th anniversary festival
From August 30 to September 6, 2018, in conjunction with Marvel Studios' 10-year anniversary celebrations, all 20 films released at the time (''Iron Man'' through ''Ant-Man and the Wasp'') were screened in
IMAX
IMAX is a proprietary system of High-definition video, high-resolution cameras, film formats, film projectors, and movie theater, theaters known for having very large screens with a tall aspect ratio (image), aspect ratio (approximately ei ...
. The films were shown in release order, with four films per day. The final days of the festival were theme-related, with one showing "origin" films (''Iron Man'', ''Spider-Man: Homecoming'', ''Black Panther'', and ''Doctor Strange''), one showing "team-ups" (''Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2'', ''Captain America: Civil War'', ''The Avengers'', and ''Avengers: Infinity War''),
and the final day showing ''Iron Man'' and ''The Avengers'' as chosen by the fans via a
Twitter
Twitter, officially known as X since 2023, is an American microblogging and social networking service. It is one of the world's largest social media platforms and one of the most-visited websites. Users can share short text messages, image ...
poll.
The festival also saw ''Iron Man'', ''The Incredible Hulk'', and ''Captain America: The First Avenger'' released in IMAX for the first time.
Reception
Box office performance
The Marvel Cinematic Universe is the highest-grossing film franchise of all time worldwide, both unadjusted and
adjusted-for-inflation, having grossed over $31.9 billion at the global box office. Several of its sub-series such as the ''
Avengers
Avenger(s) or The Avenger(s) may refer to:
Arts, entertainment, and media Marvel Comics universe
* Avengers (comics), a team of superheroes
**Avengers (Marvel Cinematic Universe), a central team of protagonist superheroes of "The Infinity Sag ...
'', ''
Iron Man
Iron Man is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Co-created by writer and editor Stan Lee, developed by scripter Larry Lieber, and designed by artists Don Heck and Jack Kirby, the character first appearan ...
'', ''
Captain America
Captain America is a superhero created by Joe Simon and Jack Kirby who appears in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character first appeared in '' Captain America Comics'' #1, published on December 20, 1940, by Timely C ...
'', ''
Thor
Thor (from ) is a prominent list of thunder gods, god in Germanic paganism. In Norse mythology, he is a hammer-wielding æsir, god associated with lightning, thunder, storms, sacred trees and groves in Germanic paganism and mythology, sacred g ...
'', and ''
Spider-Man
Spider-Man is a superhero in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by writer-editor Stan Lee and artist Steve Ditko, he first appearance, first appeared in the anthology comic book ''Amazing Fantasy'' #15 (August 1962) in ...
'' film series are among the
most successful film series of all time.
From July 2019 to March 2021,
''Avengers: Endgame'' was the
highest-grossing film of all time.
With the release of ''
Deadpool & Wolverine
''Deadpool & Wolverine'' is a 2024 American superhero film based on Marvel Comics featuring the characters Deadpool and Wolverine (character), Wolverine. Produced by Marvel Studios, Maximum Effort, and 21 Laps Entertainment, and distributed ...
'' (2024), the MCU became the first film franchise to cross $30 billion.
Critical and public response
Accolades
The films of the Marvel Cinematic Universe have been nominated for numerous awards, including 27
Academy Awards
The Academy Awards, commonly known as the Oscars, are awards for artistic and technical merit in film. They are presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) in the United States in recognition of excellence in ...
(winning four).
Repurposed projects
These projects were in development as films from Marvel Studios before becoming television series under
Marvel Television
Marvel Television was an American television production company responsible for live-action and animated television shows and direct-to-DVD series based on characters from Marvel Comics. Marvel Television was formed as a division of Marvel En ...
:
* ': A film based on the ''
Runaways'' went through a number of iterations.
Brian K. Vaughan was originally hired to write a screenplay based on the property in May 2008.
Feige and Marvel Studios producer Jodi Hildebrand envisioned the film as a
coming-of-age story
In genre studies, a coming-of-age story is a genre of literature, theatre, film, and video game that focuses on the growth of a protagonist from childhood to adulthood, or "coming of age". Coming-of-age stories tend to emphasize dialogue or interna ...
in the style of director
John Hughes John Hughes may refer to:
Arts and Entertainment Literature
*John Hughes (poet) (1677–1720), English poet
*John Hughes (1790–1857), English author
*John Ceiriog Hughes (1832–1887), Welsh poet
*John Hughes (writer) (born 1961), Australian au ...
.
In April 2010, Marvel hired
Peter Sollett
Peter Sollett (born January 1, 1976) is an American film director and screenwriter known for his feature films '' Raising Victor Vargas'' (2002) and '' Nick & Norah's Infinite Playlist'' (2008).
Early life and education
Sollett was born on Janua ...
to direct the film,
and
Drew Pearce
Drew Pearce (born August 24, 1975) is a British screenwriter, director, and producer best known for his work on The Fall Guy (2024 film), ''The Fall Guy'' (2024), ''Hotel Artemis'' (2018), ''Iron Man 3'' (2013), ''Fast and Furious Presents: Hob ...
was hired to write a script in May.
The film was developed under the working title ''Small Faces'', referencing the 1960s rock band
Small Faces
Small Faces were an English Rock music, rock band from London, founded in 1965. The group originally consisted of Steve Marriott, Ronnie Lane, Kenney Jones and Jimmy Winston, with Ian McLagan replacing Winston as the band's keyboardist in 1966 ...
.
In October 2010, development on the film was put on hold,
with Vaughan later noting Marvel Studios had decided to focus their efforts on a ''Guardians of the Galaxy'' film instead.
Pearce revealed in September 2013 that the ''Runaways'' film had been shelved in favor of ''The Avengers'', with the earliest it could release being Phase Three.
Speaking in the book ''MCU: The Reign of Marvel Studios'' (2023), producer
Craig Kyle
Craig Paul Kyle (born November 3, 1971) is an American writer for Marvel Comics. He is best known for his creation of the character X-23. He has also produced several of Marvel's direct-to-DVD animated films and worked on several aspects of the ...
noted that the film had been shelved because the New York-based Creative Committee did not believe the film's character make up fit their ideal demographic of what would help sell toys.
In October 2014, after announcing all of Marvel's Phase Three films without ''Runaways'', Feige stated the project was "still an awesome script that exists in our script vault", adding, "We'd love to do something with ''Runaways'' some day. In our television and future film discussions, it's always one that we talk about, because we have a solid draft there. But again, we can't make them all."
In August 2016, Marvel Television announced ''
Marvel's Runaways'' from the streaming service
Hulu
Hulu (, ) is an American Subscription business model, subscription streaming media service owned by Disney Streaming, a subsidiary of the Disney Entertainment segment of the Walt Disney Company. It was launched on October 29, 2007, initially as ...
,
with the series receiving a full season order in May 2017.
It premiered in November 2017.
Hulu announced in November 2019 that the third season of ''Runaways'' would be its last.
* ': In April 2013, Feige mentioned the
Inhumans
The Inhumans are a superhuman race of super beings appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The comic book series has usually focused more specifically on the adventures of the Inhuman Royal Family, and many people associat ...
as a property out of which he was "confident" a film would be made.
Inhumans as a concept would first be introduced to the MCU in 2014 through the
second season of the television series ''
Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.''
By August 2014, the studio was ready to move forward in development with the film, with a screenplay written by Joe Robert Cole.
In October 2014, the film was announced for Phase Three
and scheduled for release in July 2019.
By October 2015, Cole was no longer involved with the film and any potential drafts that he may have written would not be used.
In April 2016, ''Inhumans'' was removed from the release schedule,
and would no longer be a part of Phase Three.
In July 2016, Feige said ''Inhumans'' would "certainly" be a part of the discussion regarding the film ideas for 2020 and 2021,
adding the following November that he was still optimistic the film could be released in Phase Four.
In November 2016, Marvel Television announced the series ''
Marvel's Inhumans'', which premiered on
ABC
ABC are the first three letters of the Latin script.
ABC or abc may also refer to:
Arts, entertainment and media Broadcasting
* Aliw Broadcasting Corporation, Philippine broadcast company
* American Broadcasting Company, a commercial American ...
in September 2017, after
the first two episodes were screened in
IMAX
IMAX is a proprietary system of High-definition video, high-resolution cameras, film formats, film projectors, and movie theater, theaters known for having very large screens with a tall aspect ratio (image), aspect ratio (approximately ei ...
.
The series was not intended to be a reworking of the film.
ABC canceled ''Inhumans'' after one season in May 2018.
Connections with other ''Spider-Man'' franchises
Following Marvel Studios and Sony Pictures' September 2019 agreement, Feige noted that as Sony continued to separately build their own shared universe, Sony's Spider-Man Universe (SSU), it was possible the MCU version of Spider-Man could appear in that universe.
This interaction was said to be "a 'call and answer' between the two franchises as they acknowledge details between the two in what ... would loosely be described as a shared detailed universe".
In May 2021, Adam B. Vary of ''Variety'' called the connections between the two universes perplexing, specifically because if Holland were to appear in an SSU film it would retroactively make any previous SSU films part of the MCU, and because a teaser trailer for the SSU film ''
Morbius
Morbius (born Michael Morbius, also known as Morgan Michaels, Morbius the Living Vampire and Nikos Michaels) is a character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by writer Roy Thomas and originally designed by pen ...
'' (2022) had featured
Michael Keaton
Michael John Douglas (born September 5, 1951), known professionally as Michael Keaton, is an American actor. He has received numerous accolades, including a Primetime Emmy Award and two Golden Globe Awards, in addition to nominations for an Aca ...
, who previously played
Adrian Toomes / Vulture in ''Spider-Man: Homecoming''. Sony Pictures Group President
Sanford Panitch acknowledged this confusion and said there was a plan to clarify the relationship between the two universes. He believed it was already "getting a little more clear for people
s to
S, or s, is the nineteenth letter of the Latin alphabet, used in the English alphabet, the alphabets of other western European languages and other latin alphabets worldwide. Its name in English is ''ess'' (pronounced ), plural ''esses''.
...
where we're headed" at that time and added that the release of ''Spider-Man: No Way Home'' in December 2021 would reveal more of this plan. Vary commented that the apparent introduction of multiverse elements in ''No Way Home'' could be what would allow Holland to appear in both the MCU and the SSU.
The following month, Feige said he would not "rule anything out completely" in terms of additional Sony-controlled characters appearing in Marvel Studios films.
In ''No Way Home'', Stephen Strange casts two spells: one that brings characters from other universes into the MCU and one that sends them back to their own universes.
These characters, as depicted in the film, are
Tobey Maguire
Tobias Vincent Maguire (born 27 June 1975) is an American actor and film producer. He is best known for starring as Peter Parker (2002 film series character), Spider-Man in Sam Raimi's Spider-Man in film#Sam Raimi's trilogy, ''Spider-Man'' tr ...
and
Andrew Garfield
Andrew Russell Garfield (born 20 August 1983) is an English and American actor. After his breakout role in '' Boy A'' (2007), he came to international attention with the supporting role of Eduardo Saverin in the drama ''The Social Network'' ...
returning as their versions of Spider-Man from
Sam Raimi
Samuel M. Raimi ( ; born October 23, 1959) is an American filmmaker. He is best known for directing the first three films in the ''Evil Dead'' franchise (1981–present) and the ''Spider-Man'' trilogy (2002–2007). He also directed the super ...
's
''Spider-Man'' trilogy and
Marc Webb
Marc Preston Webb (born August 31, 1974) is an American filmmaker and music video director. He made his feature film directorial debut in 2009 with the romantic comedy '' (500) Days of Summer.'' He then directed ''The Amazing Spider-Man'' (2012 ...
's
''The Amazing Spider-Man'' films, respectively,
alongside
Willem Dafoe
William James "Willem" Dafoe ( ; born July 22, 1955) is an American actor. Known for his prolific career portraying diverse roles in both mainstream and arthouse films, he is the recipient of various accolades including a Volpi Cup Award for ...
as
Norman Osborn / Green Goblin,
Alfred Molina
Alfred Molina (born Alfredo Molina; 24 May 1953) is a British and American actor. He is known for his leading roles and character actor roles on the stage and screen. In a career spanning over five decades he has received a Drama Desk Award ...
as
Otto Octavius / Doctor Octopus, and
Thomas Haden Church
Thomas Haden Church (born Thomas Richard McMillen; June 17, 1960) is an American actor. After starring in the 1990s sitcom '' Wings'' and playing the lead for two seasons in ''Ned & Stacey'' (1995–1997)'','' Church became known for his film work ...
as
Flint Marko / Sandman from the Raimi films, as well as
Rhys Ifans
Rhys Owain Evans (; born 22 July 1967), known as Rhys Ifans, is a Welsh actor. He has portrayed roles in ''Notting Hill'' (1999), '' Kevin & Perry Go Large'' (2000), and '' Enduring Love'' (2004), in addition to Xenophilius Lovegood in ''Harry ...
as
Curt Connors / Lizard and
Jamie Foxx
Eric Marlon Bishop (born December 13, 1967), known professionally as Jamie Foxx, is an American actor, comedian, and singer. Known for his work in both the screen and music industries, his accolades include an Academy Award, a Grammy Award ...
as
Max Dillon / Electro from the Webb films.
The mid-credits scene of the SSU film ''
Venom: Let There Be Carnage'' (2021) shows
Eddie Brock and Venom (
Tom Hardy) being transported into the MCU from their universe by the first spell and the mid-credits scene of ''No Way Home'' shows them being transported back to their own universe by the second spell. A small part of the Venom symbiote is left in the MCU.
Feige said there was a lot of coordination between the ''Let There Be Carnage'' and ''No Way Home'' teams to create the two scenes,
with ''No Way Home'' director Jon Watts directing both scenes during production of that film.
The mid-credits scenes of ''Morbius'' revealed that Toomes was accidentally transported from the MCU to the SSU following Strange's second spell.
The events of ''No Way Home'' are referenced in the animated film ''
Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse'' (2023), while also referring to the MCU as "Earth-199999".
See also
*
List of Marvel Cinematic Universe television series
The Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) television series are American Superhero fiction, superhero television shows produced by Marvel Television and Marvel Studios, based on characters that appear in publications by Marvel Comics. The series are ...
*
List of films based on Marvel Comics publications
Marvel Comics is a publisher of American comic books and related media. It counts among its characters such well-known superheroes as Spider-Man, Wolverine, Iron Man, Captain America, Thor, Hulk, Black Panther, Doctor Strange, Ant-Man, Dared ...
*
List of highest-grossing media franchises
This is a list of media franchises that have grossed more than $2 billion.
List
See also
* List of best-selling comic series
** List of best-selling manga
** List of best-selling light novels
* List of best-selling video game franchises
* L ...
Notes
References
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Marvel Cinematic Universe films, List of
2008 establishments in the United States
MCU
Marvel Cinematic Universe
The Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) is an American media franchise and shared universe centered on List of Marvel Cinematic Universe films, a series of superhero films produced by Marvel Studios. The films are based on characters that appe ...
Marvel Cinematic Universe
The Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) is an American media franchise and shared universe centered on List of Marvel Cinematic Universe films, a series of superhero films produced by Marvel Studios. The films are based on characters that appe ...
Lists of superhero films
*
Films
A film, also known as a movie or motion picture, is a work of Visual arts, visual art that simulates experiences and otherwise communicates ideas, stories, perceptions, emotions, or atmosphere through the use of moving images that are gen ...