The Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) is a media franchise and shared universe centered on a series of superhero films produced by Marvel Studios. The films are based on characters that appear in comic books published by Marvel Comics. The franchise also includes television series, short films, digital series, and literature. Marvel revealed a roadmap for the Phase 5 of its Cinematic Universe at San Diego Comic-Con. Here’s what’s currently planned and scheduled for next year in the MCU.
Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania
- Launch date: February 2023
- Cast: Paul Rudd, Evangeline Lilly, Jonathan Majors
- Director: Peyton Reed
- Required viewing: Ant-Man, Ant-Man and the Wasp, Loki Season 1
This is third Ant-Man film. Look for the size-changing hero and others, including Ant-Man’s daughter, to enter the microverse known as the Quantum Realm to try to defeat some new villains. The biggest link to The Multiverse Saga is Jonathan Majors, who will play the villain Kang The Conqueror. We’ve already seen Majors as a variant of Kang at the end of season one of the Disney Plus show Loki in 2021, where we saw the multiverse itself starting to become fractured. Kang is set to be a major character throughout all of the Multiverse Saga.
What If Season 2
- Launch date: Early 2023
- Number of episodes: 9
- Cast: Jeffrey Wright
- Required viewing: What If Season 1
While Marvel prepares for the next phase and delves deeper into the Multiverse concept, What If…? season 2 is highly likely to deliver content that surpasses the first season. The second season of this Disney Plus animated series will once again show different stories from the Multiverse of the MCU, showing how major Marvel characters’ lives would be changed if they made a different decision at a key point in their lives. It’s possible we could get some clues into the future of The Multiverse Saga in this series.
Secret Invasion Season 1
- Launch date: Spring 2023
- Number of episodes: 6
- Cast: Samuel L Jackson, Ben Mendelsohn, Olivia Colman, Emilia Clarke
- Required viewing: Captain Marvel, Spider-Man: Far from Home
Alien Skrulls in human disguises overrun Earth when “Secret Invasion” hits Disney+ in spring 2023. Samuel L Jackson will be back as S.H.I.E.LD. head man Nick Fury, and Ben Mendelsohn is back playing the shape-shifting Skrull alien he first played in Captain Marvel. Are the Skrulls attempting to take over Earth by replacing certain people with their agents? This series could be a huge influence on the future of the MCU.
Guardians of the Galaxy Volume 3
- Launch date: May 5, 2023
- Cast: Chris Pratt, Zoe Saldana, Will Poulter
- Director: James Gunn
- Required viewing: Guardians of the Galaxy Volumes 1 and 2, Thor: Love and Thunder, Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special
In May, Star-Lord, Gamora, Rocket, and the Guardians crew return for one final adventure. The team of human and alien misfits will have to deal with a new character from the Marvel comic book universe, the super being known as Adam Warlock, played by Will Poulter. Another Marvel cosmic-based comic book character, the High Evolutionary, will also appear in the movie. The first two Guardians films had few, if any, direct references to what was going on in the overall MCU, but this could be an exception.
Echo Season 1
- Launch date: mid-2023
- Number of episodes: 6
- Cast: Alaqua Cox, Vincent D’Onofrio, Charlie Cox
- Required viewing: Hawkeye Season 1
Echo is a spin-off from the series Hawkeye (2021). Alaqua Cox, who first played the hearing-impaired henchperson to Vincent D’Onofrio’s Kingpin on the Disney Plus show Hawkeye in 2021, returns as the lead character in this new series. The story is about Maya Lopez’s returning to her hometown where she must come to terms with her past, reconnect with her Native American roots, and embrace her family and community.
The Marvels
- Launch date: July 28, 2023
- Cast: Brie Larson, Teyonah Parris, Iman Vellani
- Director: Nia DaCosta
- Required viewing: Captain Marvel, WandaVision Season 1, Ms. Marvel Season 1
In July, Carol Danvers teams with Kamala Kahn, Monica Rambeau, and Nick Fury in The Marvels. After debuting in Captain Marvel and appearing in Avengers: Endgame in 2019, Brie Larson is back as the highly powered space warrior Carol Danvers in this sequel to Captain Marvel. She will be joined by Iman Vellani, who once again plays Kamala Khan from her own Disney Plus series Ms. Marvel. Also, Teyonah Parris is back playing “Photon”, another highly powerful character that debuted as a kid in the Captain Marvel movie but got her light-based powers as an adult in WandaVision Season 1.
Loki Season 2
- Launch date: mid-2023
- Number of episodes: 6
- Cast: Tom Hiddleston, Owen Wilson
- Required viewing: Loki Season 1
One of the most highly anticipated shows in the Marvel Cinematic Universe 2023 calendar is the second season of Loki. Tom Hiddleston will be back as Loki, as will Owen Wilson who will play Agent Mobieos of the Time Variance Authority, and Ke Huy Quan joining the cast. This series will definitely be a big part of the overall Multiverse Saga. At the end of Season One, the multiverse started to fracture, and Loki’s main timeline was changed, with Kang now in place as the leader of the TVA. While not confirmed, Jonathan Majors could likely make some kind of appearance as Kang.
Ironheart Season 1
- Launch date: mid/late-2023
- Number of episodes: 6
- Cast: Dominique Thorne, Anthony Ramos
- Required viewing: Black Panther: Wakanda Forever
Riri Williams, played by Dominique Thorne, takes on Anthony Ramos as The Hood in fall 2023’s “Ironheart”. Genius teenage inventor Riri creates the most advanced suit of armor since Iron Man. We will see how her character, who builds her own suit of power armor based on Tony Stark’s Iron Man technology, will interact with the rest of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. As with most of these shows and movies, plot details for Ironheart are unknown.
Agatha: Coven of Chaos Season 1
- Launch date: late 2023
- Number of episodes: Unknown
- Cast: Kathryn Hahn
- Required viewing: WandaVision Season One
Your favorite neighborhood witch from “WandaVision” will ride again in winter 2023. Marvel Studios is planning to make a spin-off series starring Hahn as Harkness. At the end of WandaVision Season One, we saw Wanda turn Agatha back into her Agnes persona, but based just on the title of this series, we expect her to return to her Agatha character. How all of this links up to The Multiverse Saga is still unknown.
