The MCU's 2025 movies and TV shows will succeed.

While Captain America: Brave New World has proved itself another divisive Multiverse Saga entry, Daredevil: Born Again is off to a solid start that paves the way for a new era of future Marvel projects, there are four that sur all other 2026 releases by a landslide.

X-Men ‘97 Season 2

The Beloved Animated Series Continues The X-Men's Return To Form

I enjoyed many of Fox's X-Men movies. However, it was clear that by the end of its run, the franchise was running out of steam. That became abundantly clear by how X-Men: Dark Phoenix and The New Mutants fared badly at the box office and with critics. Thankfully, Marvel Studios now has creative control of the mutants, and with the first season of the animated X-Men '97, Marvel showed that it understands these characters. One of my favorite aspects of the series was Wolverine's role in it, which differed greatly from the Fox X-Men movies.

While Hugh Jackman's Wolverine is great, he became so big a star that characters like Cyclops and Storm had their roles reduced to make room for him. X-Men '97 season 1 told an exciting story that put a new twist on classic X-Men comic book events while balancing most of its characters really well. Everyone had their moment to shine. After a shocking ending, I can't wait to see how the plot of the X-Men being scattered through time will be resolved. Also, with Apocalypse's debut, the danger will grow, and Gambit's teased return should prove itself an emotional storyline.

Daredevil: Born Again Season 2

The MCU's First 2025 TV Show Puts A New Spin On Marvel's Best Live-Action Series

Charlie Cox's Daredevil is one of the few MCU heroes who have been popping up in multiple projects during the MCU's Multiverse Saga. That used to be a common part of the Infinity Saga, but with the high influx of new characters in recent years, it has become harder for Marvel Studios to bring back heroes as frequently as it used to. After cameos and ing roles in multiple MCU projects, Daredevil: Born Again sees Cox return to a lead role, and with two episodes released so far, the MCU series is already a major hit.

Related
All 7 MCU Movies & TV Shows Charlie Cox's Daredevil Has Appeared In, Ranked

With Daredevil: Born Again's release, Charlie Cox's Matt Murdock adds another MCU role to the movies and TV shows under his belt, with more to come.

The darker tone and heightened violence are very much in line with Netflix's Daredevil, my favorite live-action superhero series of all time. To see Born Again go down a similar path to Daredevil is very exciting. Season 1 is setting up an epic arc as Matt Murdock finds his way back to being Daredevil after a tragedy, and Wilson Fisk widens his reach now as the mayor of New York City. With the rest of Netflix's Defenders being rumored to return for season 2 and the confirmed returns of Foggy Nelson and Karen Page, I can't wait for it.

Jon Bernthal returns as the Punisher in Daredevil: Born Again season 1. His story in the MCU series is tied to corrupt cops who wear Frank Castle's skull logo, and after his appearance in the show, Frank will get his own special. While any new Punisher project is exciting, especially one co-written by Bernthal himself, I have to say I'm disappointed he is not getting a full-on series. I see the Punisher Special Presentation as setup for Daredevil: Born Again season 2, which is why my excitement for it is not on the same level as other 2026 MCU projects.

Spider-Man 4

Tom Holland's Peter Parker Must Go On After Suffering Many Losses

Spider-Man 4 is one of my most anticipated MCU projects in years. Tom Holland's Spider-Man franchise has only delivered exciting movies so far, and Spider-Man: No Way Home perfectly set up a major status quo change for the hero. Peter Parker no longer has people to turn to. Willem Dafoe's Green Goblin killed Aunt May. Doctor Strange's spell to save Earth-616 led to the world forgetting who Peter Parker was, so MJ and Ned no longer him. On top of it all, Peter has no money, living alone in a small apartment with a suit he put together.

Having finished high school, Peter can meet Gwen Stacy and Harry Osborn in college, just like he did for the first time in the comics.

Spider-Man 4 could be a reset for the Peter Parker franchise. Having finished high school, Peter can meet Gwen Stacy and Harry Osborn in college, just like he did for the first time in the comics. After Spider-Man: No Way Home was a major multiversal event with Andrew Garfield and Tobey Maguire's Spider-Men, as well as villains from their movies, I'm curious to see whether the new Spidey flick will be a multiverse tale or go for the street-level story No Way Home set up so well. Given how Spider-Man 4 releases between the next two Avengers movies, anything's possible.

Avengers: Doomsday

Earth's Mightiest Heroes Finally Assemble In The Multiverse Saga

Finally, the 2026 MCU project I am most excited about is Avengers: Doomsday. There could not really be any other answer, as the Avengers movies have become the events the entire MCU builds up to. One of the main issues with the Multiverse Saga is how it has not had a single Avengers movie so far, with the last one being 2019's Avengers: Endgame, an Infinity Saga release. Captain America: Brave New World ended with Sam Wilson set on restarting the Avengers, and with Robert Downey Jr. returning to the franchise now as Doctor Doom, the movie will be huge.

Every MCU Avengers Movie

Movie

Release Date

The Avengers

2012

Avengers: Age of Ultron

2015

Avengers: Infinity War

2018

Avengers: Endgame

2019

Avengers: Doomsday

2026

Avengers: Secret Wars

2027

Downey's Doctor Doom performance and how the villain takes over Kang the Conqueror's role are my two most anticipated aspects of Avengers: Doomsday. That said, I love how the movie will finally solve the Multiverse Saga's biggest issue. In a franchise that prides itself on characters interacting across projects, the MCU has not really had many exciting crossovers with the new players of the franchise. Avengers: Doomsday can put together very different characters, like Moon Knight, She-Hulk, Doctor Strange, Thor, and many more. It unites the old and the new for a major multiverse celebration that can elevate the MCU.

  • X-Men 97 Disney Plus TV Series Poster

    Your Rating

    X-Men '97
    Release Date
    March 20, 2024
    Directors
    Jake Castorena
    Writers
    Beau DeMayo
    • Cast Placeholder Image
      George Buza
      Beast
    • Headshot Of Ray Chase In The  premiere of Warner Home Movies'
      Ray Chase
      Cyclops

    WHERE TO WATCH

    Streaming

    X-Men '97 is the direct continuation of the popular 1990s animated series X-Men: The Animated Series. Taking up where the third season left off, Marvel's revival brings back famous mutants such as Wolverine, Storm, Rogue, Gambit, Cyclops, Beast, Magneto, and Nightcrawler, who fight villains like Mr. Sinister, the Sentinels, and the Hellfire Club.

  • Daredevil Born Again Poster

    Your Rating

    Daredevil: Born Again
    Release Date
    March 4, 2025
    Showrunner
    Chris Ord
    Directors
    Michael Cuesta, Aaron Moorhead, Justin Benson, Jeffrey Nachmanoff
    Writers
    Chris Ord
    Franchise(s)
    Daredevil, Marvel Cinematic Universe

    After Charlie Cox's cameo appearance in Spider-Man: No Way Home and ing role in She-Hulk: Attorney at Law, Daredevil: Born Again gives Matt Murdock his first show set in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Daredevil: Born Again continues the story that started in Netflix's three-season Daredevil series and sees Wilson Fisk ascend to mayor of New York City.

  • Spider-Man Brand New Day Logo Poster
    Spider-Man 4
    Not Yet Rated
    Superhero
    Action
    Adventure
    Release Date
    July 31, 2026
    Director
    Destin Daniel Cretton
    Writers
    Chris McKenna, Erik Sommers, Stan Lee
    Franchise(s)
    Spider-Man

    Spider-Man 4 is the first sequel to the MCU's Spider-Man trilogy starring Tom Holland as the titular wall-crawler. After wiping his identity for the public's memory in Spider-Man: No Way Home, Peter Parker continues his crime-fighting adventures without the aid of Iron Man technology or the of his former allies.

  • Avengeres Doomsday logo placeholder poster
    Avengers: Doomsday
    Release Date
    December 18, 2026
    Director
    Joe Russo
    Writers
    Stephen McFeely, Stan Lee
    • Chris Hemsworth Profile Picture
    • Headshot Of Vanessa Kirby
      Vanessa Kirby
      Sue Storm / Invisible Woman
    • Headshot Of Joseph Quinn In The Premiere Of A Quiet Place: Day One
      Johnny Storm / Human Torch
    • Headshot of Ebon Moss-Bachrach
      Ebon Moss-Bachrach
      Ben Grimm / The Thing

    Avengers: Doomsday is the fifth Avengers film in the Marvel Cinematic Universe and will bring together heroes, new and old, to face off against Victor von Doom - played by the returning Robert Downey Jr.. Avengers 5 will also mark the beginning of phase 6 of the MCU.

All Announced MCU Movies