This year, superhero movie fans had to wait until summer to get their fix; while some enjoyed Supergirl in June, audiences everywhere loved Spidey’s latest adventure in July. Clayface earned praise for its risky R-rated exercise of the body horror genre in a DC villain-driven vehicle. And Marvel still has one mammoth movie set to release in 2026, and then we have many films to look forward to in the coming years.
The Marvel Cinematic Universe is evolving its strategy while planning to develop content for many years to come. Sony’s Marvel division had also been supplementing the genre with Spider-Man-adjacent protagonists all the way up until 2024; however, Sony is now solely focused on definitive Spider-Man content. On the contrary, DC has successfully relaunched their Justice League-based franchise, with big promises ahead from studio overseers James Gunn and Peter Safran.
Whether you are a long-time lover of the genre or are just curious about the latest release date change for The Batman Part II, this schedule is designed to help keep track of all the upcoming releases. Will they be a part of a shared movie universe that you know and love? What cast members are set to return in the sequel?
The live-action movies that follow have confirmed theatrical opening dates. Here are the latest updates to the release date schedule.
Avengers: Doomsday
Release Date: December 18, 2026
Directors: The Russo Brothers
Writers: Stephen McFeely and Michael Waldron
Cast:
• Chris Hemsworth – Thor
• Robert Downey Jr. – Doctor Doom/Victor von Doom
• Chris Evans – Captain America/Steve Rogers
• Pedro Pascal – Mister Fantastic/Reed Richards
• Vanessa Kirby – Invisible Woman/Sue Storm
• Anthony Mackie – Captain America/Sam Wilson
• Sebastian Stan – Winter Soldier/Bucky Barnes
• Letitia Wright – Black Panther/Shuri
• Paul Rudd – Ant-Man/Scott Lang
• Wyatt Russell – U.S. Agent/John Walker
• Tenoch Huerta – Namor
• Ebon Moss-Bachrach – Thing/Ben Grimm
• Simu Liu – Shang-Chi
• Florence Pugh – Black Widow/Yelena Belova
• Kelsey Grammer – Beast/Hank McCoy
• Lewis Pullman – Sentry/Bob Reynolds
• Danny Ramirez – Falcon/Joaquin Torres
• Joseph Quinn – Human Torch/Johnny Storm
• David Harbour – Red Guardian/Alexei
• Winston Duke – M’Baku
• Hannah John-Kamen – Ghost/Ava Starr
• Tom Hiddleston – Loki
• Patrick Stewart – Professor X/Charles Xavier
• Ian McKellen – Magneto/Erik Lehnsherr
• Alan Cumming – Nightcrawler/Kurt Wagner
• Rebecca Romijn – Mystique/Raven Darkholme
• James Marsden – Cyclops/Scott Summers
• Channing Tatum – Gambit/Remy LeBeau
• Iman Vellani – Ms. Marvel/Kamala Khan
• Kathryn Newton – Stature/Cassie Lang
• Mabel Cadena – Namora
• India Rose Hemsworth – Love
Doctor Doom is ready to take over the multiverse. However, unlike Thanos, who was teased with several cameos, as well as an extended sequence in Guardians of the Galaxy, before devastating the Avengers in Infinity War, Doctor Doom was singularly introduced in The Fantastic Four: First Steps. Victor’s face was not even shown, only his infamous metal mask. Avengers: Endgame: Encore did offer another glimpse of Doom, forging that mask in darkness, and, in a brand new credits scene, his voice can be heard speaking to Bruce Banner, declaring that he has come to “collect” the strongest Avenger.
Mark Ruffalo was not even announced as a cast member for Doomsday and is technically not even confirmed for this particular Avengers collaboration. Kevin Feige and the Russo Brothers did state that many actors who were not revealed in the initial lineup will make appearances. Fans already saw that with Chris Evans's surprise in the first teaser trailer. Hayley Atwell (Agent Carter), Iman Vellani (Ms. Marvel), Kathryn Newton (Stature) are three additional actresses who have more recently been added to the cast.
The official roster always included The Fantastic Four, but this Avengers extravaganza will feature many more heroes teaming up to face Doom’s threat. There are two factions of “New Avengers”—one led by Sam Wilson’s Captain America, with the other being the Thunderbolts team. The Russo Brothers will also juggle a few Wakandans and a pair of Asgardians. And the X-Men will make up a significant percentage of the heroes in Doomsday. This is looking to be the largest gathering of superheroes ever assembled.
Man of Tomorrow
Release Date: July 9, 2027
Director: James Gunn
Writer: James Gunn
Cast:
• David Corenswet – Superman/Clark Kent
• Rachel Brosnahan – Lois Lane
• Nicholas Hoult – Lex Luthor
• Lars Eidinger – Brainiac
• Edi Gathegi – Mister Terrific/Michael Holt
• Isabela Merced – Hawkgirl/Kendra Saunders
• Nathan Fillion – Green Lantern/Guy Gardner
• Aaron Pierre – Green Lantern/John Stewart
• Frank Grillo – Rick Flag Sr.
• Skyler Gisondo – Jimmy Olsen
• Sara Sampaio – Eve Teschmacher
• Milly Alcock – Supergirl/Kara Zor-El
• Xolo Mariduena – Blue Beetle/Jaime Reyes
James Gunn finally got around to using an alternate title, rather than simply naming his movie after the primary superhero. His Superman film was first called Superman: Legacy before dropping the "Legacy." Then there is Supergirl, which originally included the subtitle “Woman of Tomorrow" and since then has always been changed to simply Supergirl. Both “Man of Tomorrow” and “Woman of Tomorrow” were popular comic book runs at DC.
Gunn states that his Man of Tomorrow will be the next story in his Superman saga, specifying that this is not a direct Superman sequel, hence the lack of the hero’s moniker in the title. Now it is expected that both Superman and Lex Luthor will somehow share a dual protagonist spotlight. After Superman, Nicholas Hoult reprised his role for a scene in Peacemaker, where Luthor remained in prison, on the other side of the glass opposite Frank Grillo’s Rick Flag Sr.
The big bad for Man of Tomorrow will be the uber-calculating android Brainiac. After closing in on about a dozen movies with the last son of Krypton, Superman fans are likely to celebrate the first live-action movie to present this major DC foe. Aside from decades of key comic book storylines, Brainiac has had popular animated and even small-screen live-action portrayals, most prevalent in the Syfy series, Krypton. Now, German actor Lars Eidinger will get his chance to show off Brainiac’s more cinematic appeal.
Avengers: Secret Wars
Release Date: December 17, 2027
Directors: The Russo Brothers
Writers: Michael Waldron and Stephen McFeely
Cast:
• Pedro Pascal – Mister Fantastic/Reed Richards
• Vanessa Kirby – Invisible Woman/Sue Storm
• Robert Downey Jr. – Doctor Doom/Victor von Doom
• Ebon Moss-Bachrach – Thing/Ben Grimm
• Joseph Quinn – Human Torch/Johnny Storm
Secret Wars was just as popular, if even more so, than the Infinity Gauntlet run of Marvel comics over 30 years ago. Preceding Infinity Gauntlet by several years, Secret Wars brought together a plethora of Marvel heroes and villains on a scale never seen before. While a lot takes place in its twelve issues, the plot simply follows the Beyonder transporting superpowered individuals to an inescapable planet so that they can battle each other for his entertainment.
With this kind of setup, there is the potential to include any (even every) Marvel superhero or villain throughout the Secret Wars storyline. This is clearly being explored by Kevin Feige and the Russo Brothers, as the X-Men characters from an alternate reality are being brought over to the MCU for Doomsday. Secret Wars will likely continue the trend of crossing over with other franchises. Spider-Man: No Way Home and Deadpool & Wolverine have proven this tactic could yield massive success.
In Avengers: Secret Wars, Beyonder will almost certainly be replaced by Robert Downey Jr.’s Doctor Doom. The rest will start coming together for the sixth Avengers epic after Avengers: Doomsday comes out. As the release date approaches, we are sure to gather more evidence as to who the inciting players might be and how a Secret Wars-like event could come into play.
The Batman Part II
Release Date: February 18, 2028
Director: Matt Reeves
Writers: Matt Reeves and Mattson Tomlin
Cast:
• Robert Pattinson – Batman/Bruce Wayne
• Colin Farrell – Penguin/Oswald Cobb
• Sebastian Stan – Two-Face/Harvey Dent
• Andy Serkis – Alfred Pennyworth
• Jeffrey Wright – Commissioner Gordon
• Scarlett Johansson – Gilda Dent
• Charles Dance – Charles Dent
Most of DC’s focus surrounds James Gunn’s DCU, which is undeniably charging full steam ahead and across various mediums. Meanwhile, Warner Bros.’ DC division will still be producing unrelated superhero movies that the studio is distinguishing as DC Elseworlds. The Joker and Batman franchises fall under the purview of this extrinsic universe.
The Batman was slightly divisive among hardcore DC fans, but in the end, it earned enough revenue to warrant a sequel for the studio. The strangest part about this Batman series is how Michael Keaton’s Bruce Wayne revival in The Flash was only several years ago, while Ben Affleck ended up hanging around for longer than expected, and someone new may even sign on for the DCU. One of Gunn’s projects in the pipeline is The Brave and the Bold with Bruce Wayne and his son, Damian. So, we could have as many as four different actors playing Bruce Wayne in DC films this decade.
Audiences returned to Matt Reeves's universe in the spinoff show The Penguin. While that HBO Max limited series bridges the gap between the two cinematic features, the show is more of a deep character study for Colin Farrell’s Oz Cobb. Aside from Penguin, Two-Face will be terrorizing Gotham, played by Marvel veteran Sebastian Stan; his Winter Soldier is still operating as a member of the New Avengers. Scarlett Johansson, on the other hand, has moved on from Marvel and will also appear in the second Batman.
X-Men
Release Date: May 5, 2028
Director: Jake Schreier
Writers: Joanna Calo, Lee Sung Jin, and Michael Lesslie
Cast:
• Christopher Abbott – Professor X/Charles Xavier
• Adam Driver – Mister Sinister/Nathaniel Essex
• Sadie Sink – Jean Grey
• Kit Connor – Cyclops/Scott Summers
• Samara Weaving – Emma Frost
• Inde Navarrette – Rogue/Anna Marie
• Maya Boyd – Storm/Ororo Munroe
Following the groundbreaking reveal that Jean Grey was the secret antagonist in Spider-Man: Brand New Day, Sadie Sink is now confirmed to lead the MCU’s iteration of the X-Men. Mutants have been slowly entering the MCU recently; however, these established mutant heroes have been included by way of the multiverse, such as Professor X in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness and Beast in The Marvels. Jean was the first X-Man to be introduced in the MCU’s prime timeline.
After Patrick Stewart and James Marsden reprise their original roles as Professor X and Cyclops in Avengers: Doomsday, those heroes will be updated for the future of the franchise, with Christopher Abbott and Kit Connor taking over the parts, respectively. Following in Sadie Sink’s footsteps, there is a trio of female rising stars set to portray major mutant characters. However, one of the most notable cast members will be Adam Driver, finally bringing Mister Sinister to the big screen.
Jake Schreier earned the coveted directing gig by crafting one of the most personal MCU stories with Thunderbolts. His movie took a band of misunderstood antiheroes and formulated deep and moving pathos. Thunderbolts transformed rejected individuals into a redeemed and capable collective, making Schreier the perfect person to oversee the new age of X-Men.
Ghost Rider
Release Date: July 28, 2028
Director: Shawn Levy
Writer: Jonathan Tropper
Cast:
• Ryan Gosling – Ghost Rider/Johnny Blaze
Ghost Rider might be one of the more unsuspecting projects to be announced from Marvel Studios. Mainly because there have been a good amount of heroes who just started out in recent years (especially if you count Disney+ shows) and have been seen very little since their debut. So why bypass an expected sequel for the introduction of Ghost Rider? Heck, Mahershala Ali’s Blade was only heard for a second at the end of Eternals and never got to film a second on-camera.
Maybe the choice to bring Johnny Blaze into the MCU will make more sense after the world witnesses whatever events occur in Avengers: Doomsday and Avengers: Secret Wars. Similar to Daredevil, Marvel Studios retained the rights for Ghost Rider after licensing expired at a competing production company. Columbia/Sony put out two less inspired movies with Nicolas Cage as Blaze. After the rights reverted back to Marvel, Agents of SHIELD recruited Ghost Rider as a supporting player in its fourth season, although they wisely utilized the Robbie Reyes version of the supernatural hero.
Now Ryan Gosling will revisit Johnny Blaze, the original Ghost Rider. While the actor is a considerable addition to the franchise, he is only separated from the MCU by a few degrees… Gosling just finished making the upcoming Star Wars: Starfighter with Shawn Levy. And of course Shawn Levy famously brought Deadpool into the MCU with Deadpool & Wolverine. If fans weren’t especially excited about another version of Ghost Rider coming out, this actor/director duo is certain to pique some interest.
Black Panther 3
Release Date: December 15, 2028
Director: Ryan Coogler
Writer: Ryan Coogler
Cast:
• Letitia Wright – Black Panther/Shuri
• David Jonsson – Black Panther/T’Challa II
• Winston Duke – M’Baku
• Denzel Washington
In Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, the mantle of Black Panther was transferred from T’Challa to Shuri. The storyline builds on the loss of the former (mirroring the real-life death of actor Chadwick Boseman). The credits scene revealed that T’Challa had a son with Nakia. That boy will be grown in the third Black Panther’s narrative, played by revered British performer David Jonsson.
Since T’Challa II was clearly under ten years old and Jonsson is in his 30s, an essential question that must be addressed is the time difference between Wakanda Forever and Black Panther 3. Coogler could probably get away with about 15 years passing, but that would seem like too great a distance of separation. Six real years will have gone by between the second and third films. Plus Shuri will assemble with the Avengers in Doomsday. Maybe the gap will be clarified once the fifth and sixth Avenger epics conclude.
With this film, Ryan Coogler looks to complete what may go down as one of the most successful trilogies of the century. Coogler has a flawless track record so far with his filmography, most recently winning an Academy Award for writing Sinners. Aside from the aunt and nephew duo at the forefront, the endlessly entertaining Winston Duke will also return as King M’Baku. Lastly, Chadwick Boseman's benefactor, Denzel Washington, publicized his involvement in the project, while his role is still undisclosed.
Be sure to keep checking back in for updates in the upcoming superhero movie schedule, as more release dates are revealed.
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