This year's most unlikely team of superheroes have arrived on the silver screen but it won't be long until another iconic team makes its presence felt on the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Thunderbolts* has arrived in movie theaters around the world and it promises to be one heck of a fun time, setting the stage for the next chapter of the franchise - a more positive one, hopefully - by being a good old-fashioned standalone thriller of a superhero movie.
Thunderbolts* has been receiving a litany of extremely positive reviews, with some calling it one of the best Marvel movies ever made. It's a win that the Marvel Studios franchise needed after a number of misses throughout the past few years and it has set the standard very high for what is going to be a string of major consecutive releases over the next few years.
Speaking of that, it won't be long until we're all back in movie theaters for the next MCU adventure.
The Fantastic Four: First Steps arrives this summer
Marvel's First Family will be gracing the silver screen this summer when The Fantastic Four: First Steps arrives in movie theaters on July 25, 2025. It will mark the third theatrical release for the Fantastic Four characters but the first as part of the MCU, and after the previous F4 movie became one of the most infamous superhero movies ever made, audiences are hoping that Marvel Studios will do the legendary characters justice.
The retro-futuristic film features an all-star cast, with Pedro Pascal playing Reed Richards, a.k.a. Mr. Fantastic, Vanessa Kirby taking on the role of Sue Storm ,a.k.a. the Invisible Woman, Joseph Quinn tackling the heat of Johnny Storm, a.k.a. the Human Torch, and Ebon Moss-Bachrach portraying Ben Grimm, a.k.a. The Thing. On the villains end of things, Julia Garner plays the Silver Surfer, Ralph Ineson takes on the mighty Galactus, and John Malkovich is playing a mystery role (which fans are predicting could be villains Mole Man or Red Ghost).
Although the film will be considered canon to the MCU, it is set on a parallel earth. This explains how the Fantastic Four can exist in the '60s and still not be referenced in the main MCU continuity up until this point. And it also allows for more creative freedom to take place in this movie since it isn't as closely tied to the world that we know in the franchise (a.k.a. Earth-616).
That said, the events of the film could very well impact on the future of the MCU. We know that the four heroes will return in next year's Avengers: Doomsday as Marvel have already confirmed that Pascal, Kirby, Quinn, and Bachrach will all reprise their roles in the 2026 movie, so there will be some universe-hopping taking place in either First Steps or Doomsday.
Furthermore, the primary villain of the latter is set to be Doctor Doom (portrayed by MCU royalty Robert Downey Jr.), who just so happens to be the Fantastic Four's archenemy in the comics.
With that in mind, it's highly likely that The Fantastic Four: First Steps is more important to the Multiverse Saga than it seems on the surface. And on the surface, it seems like a high-quality, very exciting, and incredibly endearing superhero movie that fans are more than ready to see.
Can't wait? Ironheart brings the MCU back to Disney Plus even sooner
If July 25 just feels too far away for your next dip into the world of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, you can dive back into it a whole month earlier than that as Ironheart arrives on Disney Plus on June 24.
If you had forgotten that one was happening, nobody would blame you. The series was filmed back in 2022 with an initially-planned 2023 release date but a number of delays and a complete reshuffling of the Marvel release strategy led to an eventual summer 2025 release instead. Sure, it's overdue at this point, but it looks like it will be worth the wait.
Ironheart catches us up with Riri Williams (Dominique Thorne) after her adventures in Black Panther: Wakanda Forever put her in the spotlight for MCU fans. The character has designed her own innovative suit of armor that rivals the legendary Iron Man suit built by Tony Stark, but her sole MCU appearance at this point has only scratched the surface of what she's capable of. The spotlight of her own Disney Plus show should make us all sit up and pay attention to her once again.
It isn't going to be as grounded as you think either, as Ironheart is expected to feature The Hood (played by Anthony Ramos), as well as a mysterious character portrayed by Sacha Baron Cohen, who fans are now fully expecting to be none other than Mephisto.
Yep, it's going to be a good summer for the MCU.
The Fantastic Four: First Steps arrives in theaters on July 25 and Ironheart premieres a whole month earlier on Disney Plus on June 24.