The Marvel Cinematic Universe has a big 2026 ahead, with several movies and TV shows releasing throughout the year. The Marvel movies of 2025 saw the franchise undergo somewhat of a resurgence, with the likes of Thunderbolts* and The Fantastic Four: First Steps being considered a critical return to form for the MCU.
The upcoming Marvel movies of 2026 will look to continue this streak, with a slate of exciting projects planned. Despite only having two movies in 2026, Marvel Studios seems set for a good year. This will hopefully be reflected in the box office as much as audience and critical ratings, with many dreaming that 2026 will include two of the best-ranked MCU movies ever.
This is without mentioning the various Marvel TV shows that will be released in 2026. 2025 was an illustrious year for Marvel in TV, with the franchise spawning several live-action series as well as a handful of animated efforts. With all that being said, here is a look forward to 2026 for Marvel Studios, from the feature films to the small-screen stories planned.
Spider-Man: Brand New Day
The first Marvel Studios movie being released in 2026 is Spider-Man: Brand New Day. The story of Spider-Man: Brand New Day will follow on from 2021’s Spider-Man: No Way Home, chronicling Peter Parker’s continued exploits in the MCU now that everyone on Earth has forgotten his existence.
Directed by Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings filmmaker Destin Daniel Cretton, Spider-Man: Brand New Day is expected to hit theaters on July 31, 2026. The exact plot of the film has been kept under wraps thus far, but it is expected to be a more street-level Spider-Man movie with Peter entering the next phase of his life.
Tom Holland will reprise his role as Peter Parker/Spider-Man, with several new cast members for Spider-Man: Brand New Day confirmed. Jon Bernthal, Mark Ruffalo, and Michael Mando will reprise their previous MCU roles as The Punisher, Hulk, and Scorpion, respectively. Zendaya’s MJ and Jacob Batalon’s Ned will also return, though to what extent remains unknown.
New cast members include Stranger Things’ Sadie Sink and The Bear’s Liza Colon-Zayas. Spider-Man: Brand New Day will look to build on the highly successful Homecoming trilogy, ushering in a new age of the titular Web-Slinger in the MCU and potentially leading to another two movies in the franchise’s second Spider-Man trilogy.
Avengers: Doomsday
There are only two Marvel movies in 2026, though they are two of the biggest. Alongside Spider-Man: Brand New Day, Avengers: Doomsday is scheduled to release in theaters on December 18, 2026. Avengers: Doomsday’s story has been teased throughout the last few MCU movies, setting up Robert Downey Jr.’s return to the franchise as the villainous Doctor Doom.
Originally, Avengers: Doomsday was supposed to be the story of Avengers: The Kang Dynasty. However, Kang the Conqueror actor Jonathan Majors was fired by Marvel after his assault charges, leading to a change in direction. In July 2024, Marvel Studios confirmed Avengers: Doomsday with RDJ as the new Multiverse Saga villain and returning directors, the Russo Brothers, attached.
Since then, Avengers: Doomsday’s cast list has been confirmed, with the film shaping up to tell the story of how The Avengers, the New Avengers, The Fantastic Four, and the X-Men will team up to stop whatever sinister plans Doom has for the multiverse. What Doom’s plan is remains to be seen, but The Fantastic Four: First Steps’ post-credit scene teased this.
This scene showcased Doctor Doom appearing to Franklin Richards, the incredibly powerful, reality-altering son of Reed Richards and Sue Storm. With Avengers: Doomsday confirmed to tie into 2027’s Avengers: Secret Wars, it is clear that Franklin will be important to Doom’s plans. Shooting on Avengers: Doomsday is underway until late October 2025, priming the film for its 2026 release.
Every MCU Show Releasing In 2026
In comparison to previous years, the MCU is dialing back its TV productions in 2026. However, that is not to say there are none. Three Marvel Television productions are expected in 2026, with two coming in live-action format and one being animated. Starting with the latter, Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man season 2 is expected in 2026.
The first season of the animated show that focused on an alternate dimension’s Peter Parker was released in January 2025. During an interview with Collider that year, Marvel Studios’ Head of Television Brad Winderbaum confirmed that seasons of the show would come annually, with the second coming “a little bit more than a year” after its debut.
Beyond Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man season 2, Marvel Studios will also release Daredevil: Born Again season 2 and Vision Quest in 2026. The former will follow on from Daredevil: Born Again season 1, only without the fractured production schedule that installment suffered from. Showrunner Dario Scardapane led the entirety of Daredevil: Born Again season 2’s production.
Scardapane was brought on midway through production on Daredevil: Born Again season 1 after Marvel Studios viewed what had been crafted so far and opted for a change in direction. This new direction was established in the final episode of Daredevil: Born Again season 1, and will be continued in season 2. Daredevil: Born Again season 2 is expected to be released on Disney+ in March 2026.
The final Marvel TV show in 2026 will be Vision Quest, based around the titular robot and set after WandaVision’s ending. Little else is known about the show, aside from the fact that several AI characters from the MCU’s past will be involved. Vision Quest’s release date is currently unknown, but it is set for 2026 as the third and final TV installment in the MCU for that year.
