Here’s Everything That’s Left for Marvel Between ‘The Fantastic Four: First Steps’ and ‘Avengers: Doomsday’
As promised last year by Disney CEO Bob Iger, Marvel Studios has scaled back to only 2-3 feature film releases each year, and with “The Fantastic Four: First Steps” in theaters, that’s it for the 2025 lineup. So, what’s left between now and Dec. 26, 2026, when Marvel’s next major “Avengers” film comes out? Not much.
“The Fantastic Four: First Steps” is the third Marvel Cinematic Universe film of 2025, following “Captain America: Brave New World” and “Thunderbolts*.” Meanwhile on Disney+, Season 1 of “Daredevil: Born Again” wrapped up in April, “Ironheart” streamed in June, and only a few more MCU TV shows are coming before the end of next year.
With this reduced slate, how will “Avengers: Doomsday” not only bring back a ton of characters, but set it all up to work story-wise? Obviously, it’s hard to say, other than knowing “Fantastic Four” set up Doctor Doom, their next major villain.
But, here’s what we know is coming between now and then, and how they may — or may not — factor in.
Eyes of Wakanda
Marvel Studios
Marvel’s animated series “Eyes of Wakanda” hits Disney+ on Aug. 1, but it seems unlikely that it’ll factor into “Doomsday,” given that it tells the story of Wakandan protectors through history.
Then again, Shuri is set to appear in “Avengers: Doomsday,” so perhaps a piece of this series will set her up. We pretty well doubt it, but you never know.
Marvel Zombies
Marvel Studios
Similar to “Eyes of Wakanda,” “Marvel Zombies” is an animated series that seems poised to stand on its own, with no bearing on or setup for “Doomsday.” It hits Disney+ on Oct. 1.
Wonder Man
Marvel Studios
“Wonder Man” seems to be the only project left in 2025 that has some potential to factor into “Avengers: Doomsday.” Coming to Disney+ in December, it stars Yahya Abdul-Mateen II and Ben Kingsley, the latter of whom we met in “Iron Man 3.”
Given that it’s live-action, and many of the live-action TV characters have made their way over to the films, this presents an opening for some characters to maybe return. Lest we forget, Kingsley’s Trevor has history now with Shang-Chi (Simu Liu), who is set to return in “Doomsday.”
The Punisher: Special Presentation
Jon Bernthal stars as Frank Castle in “The Punisher.” (Credit: Disney)
We know that Jon Bernthal will return as The Punisher once again in “Spider-Man: Brand New Day,” but before that, he’s getting his own “Special Presentation” — a stand-alone TV special like “Werewolf by Night” and the “Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special.”
The previous Special Presentations were single-serving stories with little impact on the MCU at large — save for the “Guardians” holiday special reveal that Mantis is Peter Quill’s half-sister. But Marvel is clearly establishing The Punisher as an important character in the MCU, so at minimum, we suspect the special will have larger implications.
That said, while there’s no release date yet, the special will debut alongside “Born Again” Season 2. Since that show returns in early March, and “Spider-Man: Brand New Day” hits theaters the following July, we suspect te “Punisher” Special Presentation is likelier to connect to those projects than to “Doomsday.
Daredevil: Born Again season 2
“Daredevil: Born Again” (Credit: Giovanni Rufino/Marvel Studios)
Season 2 of “Daredevil: Born Again” hits Disney+ in March of next year. Season one ended with Mayor Wilson Fisk (Vincent D’Onofrio) outlawing vigilantes in New York, which, as we know, is full of vigilantes. That said, Marvel head Kevin Feige made it clear that the events of “Thunderbolts*” don’t play a role in Season 2 of “Born Again,” saying, “I think allowing a TV show to be a TV show is what we’re returning to.” So, it seems unlikely that it’ll play into “Doomsday.”
Spider-Man: Brand New Day
Sony Pictures
“Spider-Man: Brand New Day,” featuring the return of Tom Holland’s Spidey, stands as the only Marvel feature film between now and “Avengers: Doomsday.” And the previous two “Spider-Man” Sony-Marvel films were directly tied to other MCU projects perhaps more than any other film since “Avengers: Endgame” — “Far From Home” in 2019 dealt with the aftermath of the billions snapped out of existence by Thanos being brought back, and “No Way Home” in 2021 featured Benedict Cumberbatch’s Doctor Strange in the lead cast.
Of course, Holland’s name wasn’t among those announced for “Doomsday.” But he was far from the only Marvel MVP apparently left out. Given the popularity of his Spider-Man — “No Way Home” is, along with “Deadpool & Wolverine,” one of just two Marvel films to cross $1 billion at the box office this decade — we’d be a bit surprised if “Brand New Day” doesn’t tie into the big crossover.
Vision series
Paul Bettany as Vision (Marvel Studios)
We still don’t have an official release date for Paul Bettany’s “Vision” series, but it is slated for 2026. And, given that “Avengers: Doomsday” is currently set for late December 2026, we’d be shocked if “Vision” somehow ended up coming out after the film. The series picks up with Vision after the events of “WandaVision.”
The post Here’s Everything That’s Left for Marvel Between ‘The Fantastic Four: First Steps’ and ‘Avengers: Doomsday’ appeared first on TheWrap.
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