Even when Marvel is in the midst of marketing a major upcoming release like Avengers: Doomsday, fans can’t help but wonder what comes next. From the beginning, Kevin Feige and Co. have always had their eye on the future, plotting out a course for the franchise’s overarching narrative by planning out full film slates years in advance. This time is no different, as Feige has teased Avengers: Secret Wars will serve as a “reset” of the Marvel Cinematic Universe as it begins a new chapter. But in order to get to that point, Marvel needs to conclude the uneven Multiverse Saga in a satisfying way, which puts a lot of pressure on this year’s movie releases.
The Wrap published a new report examining the current state of the MCU and what the franchise has at stake this year. “2026 may be the most important year for the MCU other than its inception,” said Comscore senior media analyst Paul Degarabedian. “Phase 6 is vitally important if there’s gonna be a Phase 7.”
Will There Be an MCU Phase 7?
Image Courtesy of Marvel Studios
If Marvel had to bet its future on one year’s film slate, 2026 would be a smart choice. Though there are only two MCU movies on the calendar this year, both of them should be massive box office hits. Spider-Man: Brand New Day and Avengers: Doomsday are the latest installments in two of Marvel’s most lucrative film series, bringing premier characters like Peter Parker, Steve Rogers, and Thor back to the limelight. Based on their track records, Brand New Day and Doomsday have strong chances of bringing the MCU back to its $1 billion glory days. Box office trends have changed over the past handful of years, but Spider-Man and the Avengers feel like reliable draws.
Nothing is guaranteed, however. Marvel’s reputation has taken a hit since Avengers: Endgame wrapped the Infinity Saga on the highest note possible, and it remains to be seen how audiences will react to the next batch of Avengers films. Unlike Endgame, there hasn’t been years of slow and steady build up to Doomsday, creating unparalleled levels of anticipation. Marvel is clearly going all out with Doomsday promotional efforts, and the odds of the film outright bombing are low. Still, we won’t know for several months how well Doomsday will fare at the box office. If it underwhelms and doesn’t turn as large a profit as expected, the MCU will be in an even shakier place.
This isn’t to say that Phase 7 is in any real danger of being cancelled. Marvel has more films in various stages of development, including an X-Men reboot (which could establish the foundation for the Mutant Saga), Black Panther 3, and a sequel to The Fantastic Four: First Steps. None of these movies have release dates yet, but that could be because Marvel wants to keep all of the focus and attention on Doomsday for the time being before turning the page. Unless Brand New Day and Doomsday are catastrophes (which is extremely unlikely), the MCU isn’t going to go anywhere any time soon.
What might change, depending on how these films perform, is what Marvel decides to green light. In 2025, Captain America: Brave New World and Thunderbolts* underperformed, raising questions about the commercial viability of certain Marvel characters. There was a time when the MCU could turn any obscure comic book hero into a global cinematic superstar, but that era might be over. Focusing on popular characters like Spider-Man and the X-Men, which are more reliable in terms of box office prospects, could be the way forward as Marvel adjusts to a new reality. Since Feige is decreasing output, leaning on big names is logical from a business perspective.
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