The Marvel Cinematic Universe will have some heavy hitters in 2026, and among all the projects coming from the studio next year, there are four that I really cannot wait for. Last year was slow for the MCU. We have grown used to several projects coming up in rapid succession since the start of the Multiverse Saga. That led to issues, as some movies and TV shows could have used longer development pipelines before release. Thankfully, Marvel heard the feedback and made crucial changes. Now, I feel confident that most of 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 MCU TV shows. I know that we still have a lot of exciting projects to come from the superhero giant before the year ends, as we are only in March, but I can’t help being excited about all that is to come in 2026. Of all the many live-action and animated future Marvel projects, there are four that surpᴀss 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 supporting 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.

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.

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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 remember him. On top of it all, Peter has no money, living alone in a small apartment with a suit he put together.

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 ᴀssemble 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.

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.

All Announced Upcoming MCU Movies

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  Thunderbolts*

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  May 2, 2025
  

  
  
  
  

  
  

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  The Fantastic Four: First Steps

  Release Date

  
  July 25, 2025
  

  
  
  
  

  
  

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  Avengers: Doomsday (2026)

  
  
  
  
  

  
  

  
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  Spider-Man Homecoming 4

  Release Date

  
  July 24, 2026
  

  
  
  
  

  
  

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  Avengers: Secret Wars

  Release Date

  
  May 7, 2027
  

  
  
  
  

  
  

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