After several years of Marvel Studios giving us a movie every few months, that’s ground to a halt. At this moment, the Disney release schedule includes only two Marvel Studios films in the next two years: Avengers: Doomsday and Avengers: Secret Wars. After that, though, the release schedule picks up considerably, and it was just extended almost until 2030.
Marvel Studios just dated two new, untitled movies for release on May 4, 2029, and July 13, 2029. Those mark, for now, the furthest out for any Disney movies on the schedule, with the exception of the may-not-happen Avatar 4 and 5. The 2029 films join a long list of other untitled Marvel movies scheduled for release in 2028. Those include:
- May 5, 2028
- July 28, 2028 (which was just shifted from February 18, 2028)
- November 10, 2028
- December 15, 2028
- and now May 4, 2029 (you’re really not going to open a Star Wars movie on this day?!)
- and July 13, 2029
So, yes. After two years with only two Marvel Studios films (as well as two Spider-Man films, Brand New Day and Beyond the Spider-Verse), 2028 will bring FOUR new Marvel Studios films and then at least two more in 2029. That’s a whole lot of Marvel in a post-Secret Wars world.
Before we start speculating as to what some of these films might be, let’s first state the obvious. Avengers: Doomsday and Avengers: Secret Wars have been very specifically designed for Marvel to dial things back. To focus on its story and create big, highly anticipated payoffs. For there to then be four films that follow in the next 12 months, and two more after that, shows a whole lot of confidence that audiences aren’t just going to show up to those Avengers movies but love them. That’s encouraging.
The main expectation, of course, is that Doomsday and Secret Wars will close the door on the Multiverse Saga and open the Mutant Saga, with the introduction of X-Men, directed by Thunderbolts helmer Jake Schreier. That film has been confirmed to be in the works, and the only question is which of these release dates it will occupy. We’d imagine it’s that first one in May 2028, just to set the stage for everything after.
The other big film that we know for a fact is in the works is Ryan Coogler’s Black Panther 3. The newly minted Oscar winner has confirmed that it’ll be his next film, and that’s an event so big, it would almost certainly have to have one of those prime summer or holiday release dates. Maybe the December 2028 one.
Beyond that, much of what’s coming will be dictated by the events of the other films. There will probably be a fifth Thor film, a second Shang-Chi film, almost certainly a new Deadpool film, and who knows what else?
Our guess is we’ll learn a little bit more this summer with both San Diego Comic-Con and the D23 Expo. Each is an event where Marvel loves to break big news, and with six release dates to fill closing out the 2020s, there’s plenty of news to break
Want more io9 news? Check out when to expect the latest Marvel, Star Wars, and Star Trek releases, what’s next for the DC Universe on film and TV, and everything you need to know about the future of Doctor Who.