2025 isn’t just a make-or-break year for the MCU: after three massive (hopefully) blockbusters, it will transition to an era that could redefine the franchise’s legacy, for better or worse.
In the mid-2000s, Kevin Feige and co. had an idea to bring together a group of remarkable, B-list superheroes (Hulk excluded) and serialize their adventures on the big screen. It started as an experiment, and almost 20 years later, the Marvel Cinematic Universe is arguably the franchise of the 21st century.
However, you’d have to be wilfully ignorant not to acknowledge a few bumps along the way. Once upon a time, they didn’t matter; The Incredible Hulk and Thor: The Dark World are appalling, Iron Man 2 is pretty bad, but the nascency, novelty, and eventual obsession with the series outweighed any lapses in quality.
Alas, the times are a-changing just as the MCU is about to cross an enormous milestone – and after the past two years, it may be about to avenge itself.
The MCU’s Phase Six begins in 2025
We are two movies and three TV shows away from Phase Six of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Even if you’ve fallen out of love with the MCU, that is an extraordinary achievement.
Next year, Phase Five will round out with Captain America: Brave New World (February 14) and Thunderbolts* (May 2) on the big screen, with Disney Plus providing Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man (January 29), Daredevil: Born Again (March 4), and Ironheart (June 24).
Phase Six officially begins with the long-awaited arrival of the Fantastic Four in The First Steps. It’s momentous for two reasons: fans have been excited for the debut of Marvel’s first family since Disney’s takeover of Fox in 2019 (let’s be honest, it’s really been since 2015’s abysmal FANT4STIC), and it’s a film that’s expected to lay the groundwork for Avengers: Doomsday and Secret Wars.
Who knows, maybe its post-credits scene will unveil Robert Downey Jr’s Doctor Doom for the first time.
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Robert Downey Jr. revealing himself as Doctor Doom is INCREDIBLEpic.twitter.com/OfOOHOe7hK
— ScreenTime (@screentime) July 28, 2024
The Fantastic Four aside, there’s a lot riding on Phase Six; we’ve got Spider-Man 4, the follow-up to the biggest Spidey movie ever; and the next Avengers two-hander will truly answer whether or not actually care about the MCU anymore. Sure, Secret Wars will probably be the movie equivalent of Super Smash Bros’ “everyone is here!” advert, but will it reach the heights of Infinity War and Endgame?
There’s also the small matter of Blade, Mahershala Ali’s seemingly doomed take on the Daywalker, and a smattering of semi-interesting Disney Plus shows like Marvel Zombies, Wonder Man, and Vision Quest.
Phase Five has almost been the MCU’s undoing. The Multiverse Saga has had its moments, but it’s been altogether too muddled: too many post-credits scenes going nowhere, too many sub-par efforts (or appalling, in Ant-Man 3’s case), and a reliance on toy-box thrills over cohesive and singularly compelling storytelling.
There’s just cause to be excited, and Feige isn’t an idiot. He wisely pared back the slate for 2024, and 2025’s releases indicate confidence and caution; he knows he needs to earn our interest again, and I want to believe that’s possible.
Even if the franchise peaked early, look at how far we’ve come: five phases, 34 movies, 13 TV shows (and more if you include its pre-Disney Plus programming), a saga that dominated and reshaped pop culture forever, and more than $31 billion in box office receipts.
There was an idea… and it was a bloody good one.
Check out our ranking of every Marvel movie and the best superhero movies, and find out more about every upcoming Marvel movie and TV show in development. You can also check out our list of the best movies of 2024.
