Franchise / Marvel Cinematic Universe

"You think you're the only superhero in the world? Mr. Stark, you've become part of a bigger universe. You just don't know it yet."

— Nick Fury, Iron Man

The Marvel Cinematic Universe or MCU ^note Dubbed Earth-199999 (pronounced "Earth Nineteen Ninety-Nine-Nine-Nine") of the Marvel Multiverse — although the franchise refers to itself as Earth-616 relative to everything else, despite not being the Earth-616 of the comics. is a combined setting and media franchise produced by Marvel Entertainment and Marvel Studios. It was distributed by Paramount and Universal from 2008 to 2011, followed by Disney from 2012 to the present after Disney acquired Marvel Entertainment, with Sony Pictures co-producing some of their films from 2016 onward. Starting with Iron Man in 2008, the setting has grown to include numerous film adaptations of Marvel's many comic book properties, with a main focus on The Avengers and their various members.^note Exceptions included Spider-Man, before a 2015 deal between Marvel and film rights holder Sony Pictures, and Fantastic Four and X-Men, who were held by 21st Century Fox before their film and television holdings were acquired by Disney in 2019. The setting also features secondary Marvel properties such as the spy organization S.H.I.E.L.D. and the terrorist organization HYDRA as common elements that tie the different films together.

Kevin Feige, who previously did work on a number of Marvel movies prior to the start of this setting, serves as the president of Marvel Studios and has produced every single film. Feige claimed in 2014 that they have MCU films planned out until 2028,^note Although he later noted in 2016 that plans between 2021 and 2025 were "in flux", possibly due to the complication of the unexpected partnership with Sony causing them to make later adjustments, which would be a bit of a step back compared to his previous statement. Still, having a clear plan for seven years of movies after the release of The Avengers is nothing to scoff at! and it was stated in 2017 that the plans following the fourth Avengers movie will involve another story arc made up of well over a dozen movies. As such, virtually every Marvel property is being considered in some capacity, with more scripts being written than could ever be used.

Grossing more than $29 billion globally across 32 movies, the MCU has become the highest-grossing franchise in cinematic history (a record that is unlikely to ever be disputed — not even by Star Wars, which holds a distant second place at over $10 billion),^note Not counting the Spider-Man films, which are partly also in the MCU and its wild success has caused a ripple effect, with nearly every studio looking to build similar interconnected universes, or at least better develop the intellectual properties that they already have into blockbusters. One such attempt, Sony's Spider-Man Universe, was itself built off of the groundwork laid by MCU films Spider-Man: Homecoming and Spider-Man: Far From Home, and is part of the MCU's larger multiverse by means of occasional crossovers. This, of course, started from an initial partnership with Marvel to reboot the Spider-Man IP through the MCU, an agreement that began in time for Phase Three of the setting.

With Disney's $71.3 billion acquisition of 21st Century Fox and their entertainment assets (which include the licenses to use characters tied to the Fantastic Four, X-Men, Silver Surfer, and Deadpool brands, among many others that were connected to those IPs but have not yet appeared on film), virtually every Marvel character that has ever appeared on the pages of one of their comic books can theoretically appear within the setting, and even after over ten years of hits, the MCU shows no signs of slowing down. Marvel has even amped up the rate at which they produce films in order to keep up with demand, and Marvel Studios expanded development to the small screen as they began working on multiple television series for Disney+; these new shows utilize characters from the setting and build up story elements that carry into the next wave of movies.

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The mentioned release dates are the US ones — please note that some movies were released elsewhere before this.

Sub-franchise Pages

• Iron Man Films
• Captain America
• Spider-Man: Home Trilogy

The Infinity Saga (Phases One to Three)

"God, what a world. Universe, now." ^note Pictured clockwise from top center: Thanos, Doctor Stephen Strange, Sam Wilson/The Falcon, Carol Danvers/Captain Marvel, The Vision, Wanda Maximoff/The Scarlet Witch, Okoye, Bucky Barnes/The Winter Soldier, T'Challa/Black Panther, Clint Barton/Hawkeye, Bruce Banner/The Hulk, Steve Rogers/Captain America, Tony Stark/Iron Man, Thor Odinson, Natasha Romanoff/Black Widow, Rocket, Groot, Peter Quill/Star-Lord, Drax, Gamora, Hope van Dyne/The Wasp, Scott Lang/Ant-Man, James Rhodes/War Machine, and Peter Parker/Spider-Man.

The first batch of entries, made up of 23 films, taking place in the setting. It was officially named "The Infinity Saga" in 2019 upon the completion of the Myth Arc.

Starting with a series of mostly self-contained origin stories (and one sequel) in Phase One, Marvel's ambitions soared higher with the breakout success of The Avengers, which united the casts of the five previous installments. The first-ever superhero team-up film of its kind also set the stage for a long-term narrative with the brief introduction of Thanos, the Mad Titan, who would serve as the Greater-Scope Villain and eventual Big Bad of this set of movies.

Phase Two would see the proper introduction of the Infinity Stones in the sequels to the previous movies, revealing that some of the MacGuffins seen in previous films secretly housed objects of immeasurable power. Furthermore, the largely Earth-based format of storytelling was shaken up with a greater exploration of the Marvel Cosmic elements previously glimpsed at in The Avengers. At this time, Marvel stepped outside of their relative comfort zone to explore more unknown franchises as the setting expanded.

Finally, Phase Three managed to introduce an abundance of new characters and provide closure to many of the story arcs that began in previous movies, ultimately culminating in two Avengers stories that fully united the entire setting for the first time ever. Along the way, Marvel were able to introduce the Spider-Man IP into the setting with cooperation from Sony Pictures (who own that film license) in an unprecedented agreement.

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• Phase One (2008–2012, six movies)
  • Iron Man (May 2, 2008): The one that started it all. When Tony Stark, veritable rock star in the world of weapons manufacturing and technology, escapes imprisonment from the Ten Rings terrorist group, this newly changed man shuts down his entire weapons division and dons the Iron Man suit to right his wrongs, changing the entire world in the process.
  • The Incredible Hulk (June 13, 2008): Bruce Banner is a man on the run. Once a brilliant scientist, his failure in recreating a Super-Soldier serum from the 1940's resulted in the birth of an extremely violent and indestructible alter-ego, the Hulk. However, Thaddeus Ross, his old government benefactor, only sees a weapon and will stop at nothing to reclaim it.
  • Iron Man 2 (May 7, 2010): Tony Stark's ego has grown something fierce since announcing that he is Iron Man. Throwing lavish parties and organizing massive expos, he's living like a man with nothing to lose. But a smarmy rival, a mysterious foe with a powerful grudge, and Nick Fury remind him of who he is and what his legacy means.
  • Thor (May 6, 2011): When prideful and vain Prince Thor Odinson of Asgard, the God of Thunder, is exiled to Midgard (Earth) after nearly starting a war with the Frost Giants of Jotunheim, he grows close to Dr. Jane Foster and learns compassion and humility. All the while his brother Loki, the God of Mischief, schemes to claim the throne of Asgard from their father Odin.
  • Captain America: The First Avenger (July 22, 2011): World War II is coming to a close, but the Nazi deep-science division HYDRA is still a problem. Steve Rogers is chosen to become the Allied Powers' first-ever Super-Soldier, and together with Agent Peggy Carter and the Howling Commandos, Captain America fights to save the world from the ambitions of HYDRA's insane leader, Johann Schmidt / The Red Skull.
  • The Avengers (May 4, 2012): Loki has returned with a vengeance and an alien army in tow, declaring war on Earth with the intent to bring the powerful Tesseract to his mysterious benefactor. To stop this threat, Nick Fury assembles the greatest heroes Earth will ever have: Tony Stark / Iron Man, Steve Rogers / Captain America, Thor, Bruce Banner / The Hulk, Natasha Romanoff / Black Widow, and Clint Barton / Hawkeye.
• Phase Two (2013–2015, six movies)
  • Iron Man 3 (May 3, 2013): The Ten Rings have returned, and in one of their bombings, have injured Happy Hogan, Tony's former bodyguard and friend. A vengeful Tony declares war on their leader, the Mandarin, but severely underestimates his foe and finds himself alone, his suit damaged, and on the run.
  • Thor: The Dark World (November 8, 2013): After Jane becomes infected with the mysterious Aether, the Dark Elves awaken, intending to use its power to plunge the universe back to the darkness it once was. In order to save Jane and stop the Elves' leader, Malekith, Thor must rely on the single most untrustworthy being alive: Loki.
  • Captain America: The Winter Soldier (April 4, 2014): A conspiracy is afoot. After S.H.I.E.L.D. director Nick Fury is seemingly killed by the elusive assassin known as the Winter Soldier, Steve Rogers and Natasha Romanoff, along with their new ally Sam Wilson / The Falcon, question the very organization they serve when it starts gunning for them in response.
  • Guardians of the Galaxy (August 1, 2014): The Galactic Empire of the Kree have signed a peace treaty with their mortal enemies, the Nova Corps. But the Kree zealot Ronan is none too happy, making an agreement with the Mad Titan Thanos to destroy the Nova Corps.' home planet of Xandar in exchange for an artifact known as "the Orb". A rag-tag group of criminals - rogue space pirate Peter Quill/Star-Lord, Thanos's personal assassin Gamora, the bounty hunter duo of Rocket and Groot, and vengeance-seeking warrior Drax - get involved in the hunt for the Orb, and eventually find the good in themselves to finally give a shit and save Xandar and her people.
  • Avengers: Age of Ultron (May 1, 2015): Tony is worried. After his traumatic experience in The Avengers, the constant thought of another alien invasion horrifies him. To prepare the Earth for future threats, he and Bruce Banner use Loki's scepter to create a sentient AI, Ultron, with the directive of bringing peace to the world. Unfortunately, Ultron names the Avengers his enemies in this directive, proceeding to form an alliance with the powerful and vengeful Maximoff twins—Wanda and Pietro—with the objective of saving the world... or destroying it.
  • Ant-Man (July 17, 2015): Professional thief Scott Lang has finally been released from prison, and aims to give up the life of breaking into places and stealing shit. However, brilliant scientist Dr. Hank Pym, the former superhero Ant-Man, has different plans. His successor, Darren Cross, has gone down the deep end and intends to weaponize the Pym Particle, capable of shrinking any object or person down to any size. To stop him, Hank and his daughter Hope rope Scott into becoming the new Ant-Man with a clear and simple objective: break into a place and steal some shit.
• Phase Three (2016–2019, eleven movies)
  • Captain America: Civil War (May 6, 2016): Following a horrific incident in Lagos involving Wanda Maximoff, the Avengers begin to break apart when Thaddeus Ross presents them with an ultimatum in the form of the Sokovia Accords: accept UN oversight, or retire as superheroes. Tony, guilty over the creation of Ultron, urges them to sign the accords while Steve, skeptical of government oversight following the S.H.I.E.L.D. conspiracy, refuses to do so, leading to a split in the group. When the Winter Soldier resurfaces, differences in opinion turn to outright hostility within the Avengers, a situation that Helmut Zemo, a Sokovian ex-colonel seeking vengeance against the team, is all too eager to exploit.
  • Doctor Strange (November 4, 2016): After brilliant and arrogant surgeon Dr. Stephen Strange horrifically injures his hands in a car accident, he finds his career effectively over. In his desperation, he finds himself in Kamar-Taj, home of the Masters of the Mystic Arts. Despite coming at first only to heal his hands, Strange finds he has an even greater affinity for sorcery than science, which ultimately gets put to the test with the arrival of Master Kaecilius, his zealots, and their dread master.
  • Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 (May 5, 2017): With their criminal records expunged, the Guardians find newfound success as heroes-for-hire in the galaxy. But after capturing Gamora's resentful sister Nebula and making enemies of their latest clients, the comically narcissistic Sovereign, they find themselves rescued by the Celestial Ego, who claims to be Peter's long-lost father. Meanwhile, as The Ravagers are hired by the Sovereign to track down the Guardians, Yondu Udonta starts to reflect on his past actions.
  • Spider-Man: Homecoming (July 7, 2017): Peter Parker / Spider-Man made one hell of an impression on Tony Stark during the events of Civil War, but he still wants to prove himself a worthy Avenger to his mentor and hero. When arms dealer Adrian Toomes / The Vulture begins selling alien-based weaponry, he finally sees his chance. ^note A co-production between Sony Pictures and Marvel Studios.
  • Thor: Ragnarok (November 3, 2017): When Hela, Goddess of Death and Odin's firstborn, is released from her prison, Thor and Loki find themselves whisked away to the junkyard planet of Sakaar, ruled by the zany and insane Grandmaster. The Grandmaster will offer Thor his freedom, but only if he participates in the gladiatorial "Contest of Champions" and fights his strongest gladiator... the Hulk! But time is running out, as Hela's bloody reign quickly races towards the chance to expand across the universe.
  • Black Panther (February 16, 2018): After King T'Chaka of Wakanda was killed by Helmut Zemo's bomb during Civil War, his son T'Challa now bears the mantle of king and warrior as the Black Panther, and must prove himself worthy to his family and his people. When Wakanda's greatest enemy, the arms dealer Ulysses Klaue, resurfaces with new ally Erik "Killmonger" Stevens, the young king finds himself tested to his limits.
  • Avengers: Infinity War (April 27, 2018): With all his allies having failed him, the Mad Titan Thanos at long last decides to personally pursue the Infinity Stones, determined to bring balance to the universe by killing off half of all sentient lifeforms. In order to even stand a chance, the Avengers must ally themselves with the Guardians of the Galaxy, Doctor Strange, and the armies of Wakanda. But with the team still divided both physically and ideologically, even that may not be enough to stop Thanos as he sets out to accomplish his goal.
  • Ant-Man and the Wasp (July 6, 2018): Since he allied himself with Steve Rogers during the Avengers' Civil War, Scott Lang is now under house arrest, with Hank Pym livid that he would use his technology so recklessly. But when they discover that Scott may have an unusual "quantum entanglement" with Janet van Dyne, Hank's wife and Hope's mother long thought lost to the Quantum Realm, they must rely on him once again, even as black market dealer Sonny Burch and the mysterious Ghost repeatedly try to steal their technology.
  • Captain Marvel (March 8, 2019): Set in 1995, amnesiac Kree hero Vers crash lands on Earth and must ally herself with newly-minted S.H.I.E.L.D. agent Nick Fury to capture a group of shapeshifting Skrulls, enemies of the Kree Empire. But not all is as it seems: Vers discovers a connection and history she has with Earth, and begins to question who the true evil is in this cosmic war.
  • Avengers: Endgame (April 26, 2019): Five years after the events of Infinity War devastated the world, hope is found in the unlikeliest of people: Scott Lang, thought to be dead, emerges from the Quantum Realm. While five years passed for everyone else, only five hours passed for him — leading our heroes to hypothesize that they can use the Quantum Realm to reverse the damage that was done by Thanos. With Steve and Tony reconciling and the Avengers newly re-assembled, they undertake their greatest challenge yet: the Time Heist, a plan that must succeed if they are to save the universe, whatever it takes.
  • Spider-Man: Far From Home (July 2, 2019): With the Avengers having defeated Thanos, the world is finally getting back on track. Peter Parker and his friends try to enjoy their overseas school trip when it gets hijacked by Nick Fury, needing Peter's help to stop the powerful Elementals from destroying the planet. Thankfully, he's not on his own, teaming up with interdimensional superhero Quentin Beck / Mysterio.^note Like its predecessor, this is a co-production between Sony and Marvel Studios. It is the closing film of Phase Three and serves as an "epilogue" to The Infinity Saga.

• Canceled Projects:
  • Nick Fury (2008–2012)^note Part of the Phase One slate; ultimately canceled with Nick Fury himself instead becoming a connective force between movies. Possibly retooled into the Secret Invasion series for Disney+.
  • War Machine (???)^note Planned at one point with a script being penned, ultimately canceled due to an inability to fit it within the release schedule. Possibly retooled into the Multiverse Saga's Armor Wars.
  • Runaways (2013–2015)^note A movie was planned for Phase 2, but canceled due to the extreme Fantasy Kitchen Sink cast and the success of the Avengers. It would be refit for a Hulu series.
  • Inhumans (2014-2016)^note A movie was pushed back multiple times by a shifting schedule before eventually being unlisted and canceled. The IP was subsequently redeveloped into an 8-episode television series for ABC that arrived in 2017, with the story told there having no relation to the planned movie. Inhumans bears the distinction of being the only film that Marvel officially announced and subsequently canceled.

The Multiverse Saga (Phases Four to Six)

"The Multiverse is a concept about which we know frighteningly little." ~ Stephen Strange

The second batch of entries, which are part of a long-term plan going through 2027. As of July 2022, it is officially known as The Multiverse Saga. This era began with Phase Four in 2021, which deals with the aftermath of the events of Avengers: Endgame and the status of the surviving players, while introducing a new generation of heroes and an overarching plot thread involving the rebirth of The Multiverse into the mix. It is expected that Kang The Conqueror will serve as this Saga's Big Bad.

A major innovation of this era is that the Phases no longer consist strictly of theatrical movies, and now include shows and specials on the Disney+ streaming service. As a result, this greatly increases the amount of connected MCU entries and the content at any given time, with the batch's first year alone having 9 major releases (5 series and 4 films) as opposed to the usual 2-3. For instance, the full Phase Four slate alone is longer than the entirety of The Infinity Saga, thanks to the addition of multiple shows lasting much longer than the standard runtime of a Marvel movie.

At the launch of Disney+, Marvel outlined their plans for their first wave of shows with the short documentary Marvel Studios: Expanding the Universe. The documentary emphasized that unlike prior Marvel TV efforts — where links between the shows and the films were usually pretty one-sided if they even occurred at all — these Disney+ shows are integrated with the movies and with each other, with characters introduced on the shows appearing in the movies and vice-versa. Each show listed here is marked with a "+".

Behind the scenes, the first phase of this saga was noteworthy for hitting two speed-bumps before it even began. The first was the fact that Phase Four was set to debut in 2020. Unfortunately, that year was also when the COVID-19 Pandemic forced the entire world into quarantine... and let's just say that there's a reason why 2020 was the first year since 2009 that there wasn't a single mainline MCU installment. The other one was the unexpected and untimely passing of one of the franchise's key players: Chadwick Boseman, the Black Panther himself. Given that Boseman's performance was already iconic when he passed away, Marvel opted to not recast T'Challa as they did with other characters in the past, writing T'Challa out of the MCU, with the Black Panther sub-franchise shifting focus to the other characters of Wakanda.

The September 2019 deal with Sony regarding the Spider-Man IP stipulates that, in addition to a third film in his standalone film series, the character will appear in one other Marvel Studios film, after which a new deal will need to be negotiated. However, in the lead-up to the 2021 release of the third film, Sony announced plans for a second trilogy of Spider-Man films set in the MCU. At the same time, Sony is said to have plans to utilize Tom Holland's take on the character in their own Marvel movies. So far, Sony has not formally announced any plans for Holland in that setting, but they have showcased that characters that they've introduced in the MCU are fair game.

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• Phase Four (2021–2022, seven films, eight series, and two special presentations)
  • WandaVision + (January 15 - March 5, 2021): As the world continues to rebuild after the final defeat of Thanos in Avengers: Endgame, Wanda Maximoff and the mysteriously-returned Vision finally settle down and begin to enjoy their ideal suburban lives in the town of Westview. However, not everything is as it appears. For some reason, everything suspiciously resembles classic American sitcoms, and it becomes increasingly clear that there is something quite off about Westview. Not helping matters is the organization known as S.W.O.R.D. trying to meddle with Wanda's newfound life.
  • The Falcon and the Winter Soldier + ^note Renamed Captain America and the Winter Soldier in the series finale (March 19 - April 23, 2021): When the super-soldier serum resurfaces in the hands of the terrorist group the Flag-Smashers, Sam Wilson / The Falcon, chosen by Steve to succeed him as Captain America, and Bucky Barnes / The Winter Soldier, team up to stop them, which soon forces them to make an alliance with one of the most dangerous men in the world: the man who disassembled the Avengers, Helmut Zemo. As the three uneasy allies battle the Flag-Smashers, they must also contend with the government's own appointed successor to Captain America, John Walker.
  • Loki (Season 1) + (June 9 - July 14, 2021): After his unintended escape during the Avengers' Time Heist, Loki is arrested by the Time Variance Authority (TVA for short) for violations against the Sacred Timeline. Barely saved from being erased by an intervention by TVA agent Mobius M. Mobius, Loki reluctantly joins the organization as they hunt down a rogue variant of himself determined to upend the timeline as we know it. However, it's soon made apparent that things are not what they seem, and Loki finds himself asking: what is it that makes a Loki a Loki?
  • Black Widow ^note  Simultaneous release in theaters and through Disney+ Premier Access (July 9, 2021): Set between the events of Captain America: Civil War and Avengers: Infinity War, Natasha Romanoff is still on the run after the civil war that disassembled the Avengers. However, after a plea for help by her "sister" from Russia, Yelena Belova, Natasha and Yelena set out to destroy the Red Room — with the help of fellow family members Alexei Shostakov / Red Guardian and Melina Vostokoff — and liberate their fellow Black Widows from the control of General Dreykov and his enigmatic enforcer, the fearless Taskmaster.
  • What If...? (Season 1) + (August 11 - October 6, 2021): In the Multiverse, one singular choice can change everything. What if Peggy Carter became the world's first super-soldier instead of Steve Rogers? Or what if a young boy named T'Challa was picked up by the Ravagers instead of Peter Quill? With Uatu the Watcher as a guide, the Multiverse of endless possibilities is explored in full as events in the MCU are altered in ways that change the game completely.
  • Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings (September 3, 2021): The Ten Rings is an organization spanning throughout history, led by a ruthless warlord named Wenwu, better known as the Mandarin. Ten years ago, Wenwu's son and intended heir, Shang-Chi, escaped his father's organization and lived his life in San Francisco with his friend, Katy. However, as the Ten Rings resurface to try and bring him back into his destined place as the Mandarin's successor, Shang-Chi must finally confront not only his checkered past, but his true destiny.
  • Eternals (November 5, 2021): For over 7,000 years, an ancient group of aliens known as the Eternals have been watching over mankind, helping them progress and protecting them from an evil force known as the Deviants. But centuries after their apparent defeat, the Deviants have returned in the present day. With the Avengers seemingly disassembled following the events of Endgame, and only seven days to stop the resurgent threat before an event known as "the Emergence" happens, the ten Eternals must unite once more to protect the planet—and the people that they lived amongst for all these years.
  • Hawkeye + (November 24 - December 22, 2021): With the events of Avengers: Endgame behind him, Clint Barton / Hawkeye prepares to celebrate Christmas with his loving family. What could possibly go wrong? He gets the answer when some enemies he made during the Blip as the vigilante Ronin catch up to him. Teaming up with a 22-year-old fangirl of his, Kate Bishop, Hawkeye must now face his time as Ronin head-on... and hopefully, get back home for Christmas.
  • Spider-Man: No Way Home (December 17, 2021): Ever since the events of Spider-Man: Far From Home, Peter Parker's life has been upended in ways he never imagined. Thanks to the actions of Mysterio, Peter is framed for his crimes—and even worse, his identity is outed to the whole world. With his life now in utter shambles, Peter heads to the only person who could help him undo the damage Mysterio has done: Doctor Strange. However, after Peter accidentally causes Strange to botch the spell that can undo Mysterio's actions, it results in a journey to save the Multiverse from falling apart. A journey with some rather familiar adversaries... ^note  Another co-production between Marvel and Sony.
  • Moon Knight + (March 30 - May 4, 2022): Steven Grant is not okay. Living alone in London, Steven suffers from a sleeping disorder that makes him unable to tell real life from dreams. That, and he suffers from hallucinations, making him fearful that a skeletal bird-man is stalking him. But when he gets a phone call referring to him as Marc Spector, Steven begins to learn that his dreams may be reality after all. Now, he must become the Moon Knight, champion of Khonshu, the Egyptian God of the Moon, to take down a fanatic cult and its leader Arthur Harrow—and fully embrace the chaos within.
  • Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness (May 6, 2022): After waking from a nightmare, Doctor Strange meets a teenage girl named America Chavez who has the power to open portals to other dimensions. After being thrown into another world, Strange and Chavez must travel the Multiverse together to confront an old friend-turned-adversary, one who seeks to steal Chavez's powers and use them in a dangerous plot that may threaten all realities.
  • Ms. Marvel + (June 8 - July 13, 2022): Kamala Khan is not your ordinary teenager. She's always in her own flights of fancy, whether it be gushing over boys she really likes or gushing over the Avengers — especially Captain Marvel. But when Kamala finds a mysterious bracelet that gives her superpowers of her own, it puts her in league with her idols. However, with new powers comes new dangers, and Kamala must grapple with the responsibilities of balancing her normal day-to-day life with saving her world as Ms. Marvel — the newest superhero on the block.
  • Thor: Love and Thunder (July 8, 2022): After spending some time traveling the universe with the Guardians of the Galaxy, Thor decides to retire from superheroics and become a man of peace. However, he's soon forced back into action to stop the extinction of all gods at the hands of Gorr the God Butcher. But he's not alone, as he's joined by not only his allies Valkyrie and Korg, but also an unexpected ally who's gained the power of his reassembled hammer Mjölnir - his former girlfriend Jane Foster.
  • She-Hulk: Attorney at Law + (August 18 - October 13, 2022): Jennifer Walters is stressed out, balancing a demanding job as a defense lawyer with her fledgling social life. Things only get more complicated when she gets in a car accident with her cousin, Bruce Banner, and gets a dose of his blood. And guess what? She gets his powers too, transforming her into the sensational She-Hulk. Now she has to find a way to deal with the unwanted attention while grappling with the superpowers and confidence her new form gives her, as she becomes the face of a superhero-focused law firm and deals with all kinds of out-of-the-ordinary legal cases.
  • Werewolf by Night + (October 7, 2022): In Marvel Studios' very first Special Presentation, we're introduced to Jack Russell and Elsa Bloodstone, who are joined by a secret group of monster hunters. Tonight, these hunters will compete in a dangerous hunt within the Bloodstone Castle—the prize being a very powerful relic known as the Bloodstone. And to do that, they must kill a certain monster that was set loose. However, as the hunt continues, a second monster soon emerges: none other than Jack himself.
  • Black Panther: Wakanda Forever (November 11, 2022): The king is dead. Wakanda is rocked by the sudden death of their beloved King T'Challa, leaving them without their legendary defender, the Black Panther. But as Wakanda soon comes under threat from a new enemy from below the waves, Queen Ramonda, Shuri, M’Baku, Okoye and the Dora Milaje must pull the country together and fight for its future. But will a new Black Panther arrive to help turn the tide?
  • The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special + (November 25, 2022): Ever since the defeat of Thanos, Star-Lord has been in a depressive spiral over the loss of his Gamora and the unknown whereabouts of the new Gamora. However, with Christmas approaching, Mantis and Drax have a plan to help cheer him up and get him in the holiday spirit — a plan that involves getting him a "gift" in the form of the greatest hero on Earth, Kevin Bacon.
• Phase Five (2023–2024)
  • Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania (February 17, 2023): Scott Lang has been riding high on success since the Time Heist. Not only that, but he has lots of time to spend with his friends and family. Everything's great... until Scott's daughter and Hank Pym create a device that can communicate with the Quantum Realm. The device immediately goes awry, sucking Scott, Cassie, and the Pym family all in. Now in uncharted territory beneath their known universe, the five must navigate their way home while exploring what the Quantum Realm has to offer. However, during their journey, they discover a brand-new threat: Kang the Conqueror, a multiversal tyrant desperate to escape his prison, whose power and influence surpasses even that of Thanos himself.
  • Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 (May 5, 2023): As the Guardians of the Galaxy continue to operate from their home base of Knowhere, they're suddenly attacked by the Sovereign's newest warrior: Adam Warlock. During the skirmish, Rocket becomes gravely injured, forcing the Guardians to find a way to save his life. As Rocket's past is fully revealed, the Guardians, including the new variant of Peter Quill's lost love, Gamora, come face to face with his creator, the High Evolutionary, in what could very well be their final battle.
  • Secret Invasion + (June 21 - July 26, 2023): After spending some time on "vacation" in space, Nick Fury returns to Earth to answer a distress signal coming from his colleague, Maria Hill. As it turns out, there's a group of Skrulls on the planet that needs investigating—and unlike the ones Fury met during his adventures with Captain Marvel, these Skrulls are not on his side. Now, Fury must team up with his allies, including his old friend Talos, to stop this new Skrull faction and whatever they have planned for Earth. But how can Fury stop a group of aliens that can shapeshift into anyone—even people that Fury can trust?
  • Loki (Season 2) + (October 5 - November 9, 2023): With the murder of "He Who Remains" and unshackling of the Multiverse, countless variants of the dreaded Kang the Conqueror have been unleashed. As a result, the heart of the TVA - the "Temporal Loom" - has gone completely haywire. To save both the TVA and the Multiverse, Loki and Mobius race against all of the clocks as old foes conspire against them. But as fate would have it, eccentric inventor Victor Timely - a Kang variant - may hold the answers they need.
  • The Marvels (November 10, 2023): The Kree accuser Dar-Benn has unleashed a new weapon, a mysterious bangle, and used it to entangle the powers of her opponent Carol Danvers with those of empowered SWORD agent Monica Rambeau and Captain Marvel fangirl Kamala Khan. Now whenever the heroines use their respective powers, they find themselves switching places with one another. The three unlikely partners must now team up and figure out what's causing this entanglement, and save the universe from the vengeful Kree while they're at it.
  • What If...? (Season 2) + (December 22 - December 30, 2023): While the threat of Infinity Ultron may have ended, the multiverse of infinite possibilities still has more tales to tell. Whether it's the armies of Asgard waging war against the Ten Rings, Tony Stark and Gamora fighting to survive on Sakaar, or Happy Hogan saving Christmas, Uatu continues to keep a watchful eye over every one of their stories.^note The second season of What If...? will be the first Disney+ MCU series to have its episodes released on a daily basis, rather than weekly, starting with December 22nd and concluding on December 30th.
  • Echo + (January 10, 2024): Maya Lopez, once the commander of the Tracksuit Mafia and a loyal lieutenant of Wilson Fisk, has left that life behind and gone back to her home of Tamaha, Oklahoma, intent to uncover her Choctaw roots and find what life holds for her next. However, the past is never buried for long, and neither are old foes: Fisk is still alive, and intends to deal with her betrayal like he dealt with everyone else who crossed him. But just as the Kingpin begins sending his men after her, her ancestral land itself begins to affect her in strange new ways that will irrevocably change the trajectory of both of their lives forever.^note This is the first Marvel Studios/Disney+ original series to be rated TV-MA. It is also the first Disney+ release to be released simultaneously on Hulu, the first to release all of its episodes at once, and the first to be released under the "Marvel Spotlight" banner.
  • X-Men '97 + (March 20, 2024 - May 15, 2024): Previously on X-Men: Following an attack on Professor Charles Xavier, his life hangs in the balance. To save himself, he must leave Earth and join the Shi'ar to be cured. On the eve of war, Magneto calls off his mutant invasion against mankind at the last minute to bid one final farewell to his greatest enemy - and dearest friend - as all of the X-Men gather to say goodbye to their leader and mentor. One year later... ^note A Sequel Series to the original X-Men: The Animated Series developed by Marvel Animation, a division of Marvel Studios. While originally believed to be a standalone sequel, as of April 16, 2024, the series was confirmed to be an official entry in Phase 5 of the MCU and a part of The Multiverse Saga.
  • Deadpool & Wolverine (July 25, 2024): Elsewhere in the Multiverse, superpowered mercenary Wade Wilson, aka Deadpool, unintentionally - somehow - attracts the attention of the TVA during his birthday party and becomes part of a much, much bigger (Disney-owned cinematic) universe. The merc-with-a-mouth is then offered the chance of a lifetime by Agent Paradox: Walk among the highest-grossing superheroes of all time and at long last get those Disney franchising rights. Oh, and Wolverine is somewhere in there, too.

• Upcoming projects announced by Marvel:^note "Announced by Marvel" are key words here. Per sitewide policy, we do not acknowledge rumors or leaks; information for upcoming projects must be officially released by someone involved in production.
  • Phase Five (2023–2025)
    • Agatha + (spinoff of WandaVision starring Agatha Harkness, Fall 2024)^note Originally announced as Agatha: House of Harkness, then renamed to Agatha: Coven of Chaos, then once again renamed to Agatha: Darkhold Diaries, before finally revealing that it was just Agatha all along.
    • Eyes of Wakanda + (spinoff of Black Panther, TBA 2024)^note Animated series developed by Ryan Coogler.
    • Marvel Zombies + (spinoff of What If...? based on Marvel Zombies, TBA 2024)^note Directed by Bryan Andrews and written by Zeb Wells.
    • Captain America: Brave New World (starring Sam Wilson/the (former) Falcon as Captain America, February 14, 2025)^note Originally announced as Captain America: New World Order. The Falcon and the Winter Soldier showrunner Malcolm Spellman and staff writer Dalan Musson are set to write the script, with Julius Onah set to direct. Returning from The Falcon and the Winter Soldier are Isaiah Bradley and Joaquin Torres, respectively played again by Carl Lumbly and Danny Ramirez. Dr. Samuel Sterns from The Incredible Hulk also returns as The Leader with Tim Blake Nelson reprising his role, while Liv Tyler also reprises her role of Betty Ross. Harrison Ford replaces the late William Hurt as now-President Thaddeus Ross. Also introducing Shira Haas as Ruth Bat-Seraph/Sabra.
    • Daredevil: Born Again + (Sequel Series to Daredevil, Q1 2025)^note Originally announced for a Spring 2024 release, it has been delayed to early 2025 due to various behind-the-scenes disruptions and creative changes.
    • Thunderbolts* (Based on Thunderbolts, May 2, 2025)^note Team lineup includes Yelena Belova, Red Guardian, Taskmaster, Ava Starr, John Walker, Contessa de Fontaine, and Bucky Barnes
  • Phase Six (2025-2027)
    • The Fantastic 4 (based on Fantastic Four, July 25, 2025)^note Directed by Matt Shakman with Pedro Pascal as Reed Richards/Mister Fantastic, Vanessa Kirby as Susan Storm/Invisible Woman, Joseph Quinn as Johnny Storm/Human Torch and Ebon Moss-Bachrach as Ben Grimm/The Thing. Julia Garner will play Shalla-Bal/Silver Surfer.
    • Blade (based on Blade, November 7, 2025)^note Starring Mahershala Ali in the title role. Written by Michael Starrbury and Nic Pizzolatto, and directed by Yann Demange. Originally slated for September 6, 2024, it has since been delayed due to various behind-the-scenes disruptions.
    • TBA (February 13, 2026)
    • Avengers: The Kang Dynasty (May 1, 2026)^note Rumored to have a title change, but not yet confirmed by Marvel.
    • TBA (July 24, 2026)
    • TBA (November 6, 2026)
    • Avengers: Secret Wars (May 7, 2027)^note Also written by Michael Waldron.
  • Unknown release window:
    • Ironheart + (follow-up to Wakanda Forever based on Ironheart)^note Features Anthony Ramos as Parker Robbins aka The Hood. Directed by Sam Bailey and Angela Barnes. Black Panther's Ryan Coogler is developing.
    • Armor Wars (spinoff of Iron Man based on Armor Wars and starring War Machine)
    • What If...? Season 3 +
    • Wonder Man + (based on Wonder Man)^note Co-created by Destin Daniel Cretton. The title was confirmed by the resume of Director of Photography Brett Pawlak.
    • Vision Quest + (spinoff/sequel to WandaVision, starring White Vision)^note Created and written by Jac Schaeffer once again. Confirmed by Jac Schaeffer's WGA profile.
    • Second MCU Spider-Man film trilogy^note Confirmed by Sony producer Amy Pascal.
    • Untitled Shang-Chi sequel^note Confirmed via writer/director Destin Daniel Cretton.

• Canceled Projects:
  • Untitled Star-Lord T'Challa series (spinoff of What If...?)^note Following the conclusion of the first season of What If...?, series showrunner and writers revealed that Marvel Studios had begun work on a series based on What If... T'Challa Became a Star-Lord?, but that the project was canceled after Chadwick Boseman's passing.

So far, most entries have been accompanied by two other companion shows on Disney+: Legends, seven-minute Clip Show shorts recapping the characters' histories in the MCU so far; and Assembled, a series of making-of specials.^note (Eternals, Moon Knight, Ms. Marvel, and Werewolf by Night had no Legends episodes due to the characters being new introductions to the franchise; Werewolf by Night and the Guardians Holiday Special had no Assembled episodes due to being smaller projects; and Spider-Man: No Way Home had neither due to being a Sony production.)

Infinity Saga-era TV shows

Starting in 2013, Marvel Entertainment's TV division — helmed by Jeph Loeb — went into overdrive to develop television series tied to the Marvel Cinematic Universe, building off of the incredible level of hype set by The Avengers. Chief among these shows were six projects developed for Netflix: single-season orders for four major series, a miniseries crossing them all over, and an additional series developed as a spin-off. Collectively, Netflix produced 13 seasons and 161 episodes of content.

While it was initially promised that the series would tie in closely with the films themselves, Marvel Studios splitting from Marvel Entertainment changed any plans that Loeb may have had, with the shows instead opting to cover other corners of the setting that the movies wouldn't touch. Later, Netflix would start slowly canceling all of their shows between late 2018 and early 2019 despite them finding great success. Since the partnership ended, Disney started developing all their new Marvel shows for television channels and streaming platforms that they completely control. Due to their close connections to the movies (being integrated in the "Phases") and the explicit involvement of Marvel Studios, all Disney+ series will be listed under the previous folder.

In October 2019, Kevin Feige received a major promotion allowing him to oversee all of Marvel's television productions, with Jeph Loeb later committing to stepping down after a transition period. This led to the planned Adventure Into Fear sub-franchise being canceled, and the only show produced under the banner, Helstrom, was declared separate from the MCU by its showrunner when it was released in October 2020. Marvel Television was shut down and folded into Marvel Studios in December 2019, with the last aired episode set in the MCU being the series finale of Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. in August 2020.

The canonicity of these TV shows has been a hotly debated discussion since the closure of Marvel Television in 2019 and subsequent folding into Marvel Studios. On the one hand, they've never officially been declared Canon Discontinuity and some actors returned to reprise their roles in the Multiverse Saga cameos, with Daredevil even announced to have a new show in production. On the other hand, official tie-ins such as the Legends recap series and the MCU Official Timeline book ignored them, and it wasn't clear whether the new Daredevil show was a direct continuation of the original or not. Daredevil (and by extension, all of the related Netflix shows) would officially be re-confirmed as canon in 2024 when Echo made direct Continuity Nods to that series, and they are listed in the Timeline Order of the MCU on Disney+.

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ABC series:

• Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (Season One) (September 24, 2013 – May 13, 2014): Phil Coulson of S.H.I.E.L.D. is dead... or so it seems. Having apparently miraculously survived his fatal injuries from The Avengers, the agent is now heading an elite team of specialists to deal with strange and unknown new threats in this age of superhumans. Which isn't exactly easy, considering how their organization has been effectively dismantled. Against all odds, these agents nevertheless continue to protect the world against Nazis and all other manner of danger as they uncover secrets and mysteries spanning universes. The most important of which being: how is Coulson alive?
• Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (Season Two) (September 23, 2014 – May 12, 2015): Following the death of Alexander Pierce, Dr. Daniel Whitehall has stepped up as the next head of HYDRA. And he is every bit as cunning and dangerous as his predecessor, pushing Coulson's team to their limits as he relentlessly searches for "the Obelisk", a weapon of alien and...inhuman...origin. And only one man might have the answers Whitehall and Coulson seek: Skye's dangerous, unstable and batshit crazy father Calvin Zabo.
• Agent Carter (Season One) (January 6, 2015 – February 24, 2015): One year after the end of World War II, Howard Stark has been framed for selling weapons to enemies of the United States. Peggy Carter, still mourning the apparent death of Steve Rogers and tired of the misogyny of her coworkers, is roped into the situation along with the Stark butler, Edwin Jarvis. What starts out as an attempt to clear Stark's name quickly escalates into a conspiracy involving communists, Black Widow assassins, and dark secrets of Stark's own murky past with Peggy stuck in the middle.
• Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (Season Three) (September 29, 2015 – May 17, 2016): "Cut off one head, two more shall take its place." HYDRA really seem to take this motto to heart as their campaign of crime and global influence continues with the arrival of their next head, Gideon Malick, a former member of the World Security Council who advised Nick Fury during the Battle of New York. Malick, however, is a true believer of the cause, and aims to install a genuine source of power and authority as the head of HYDRA. Meanwhile, Jemma Simmons finds herself stranded on a desolate, hostile alien planet as an incomprehensibly powerful entity hounds her every move. How are these two connected, and will Coulson be able to save his agent before all hope is lost?
• Agent Carter (Season Two) (January 19, 2016 – March 1, 2016): Peggy Carter has been called to her next case: A dead woman, frozen solid inside a pond that has been turned into a sheet of ice. In Los Angeles. In the middle of summer. As Peggy, Jarvis and Sousa tackle this latest case, they end up going head-first into a conspiracy involving a powerful oil corporation, a secret society, and an interdimensional power very few understand...save perhaps Whitney Frost, a brilliant Hollywood actress whose true talents lie far outside a movie script.
• Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (Season Four) (September 20, 2016 – May 16, 2017): Robbie Reyes is cursed. To most - including his own brother - he is a young mechanic and street racer. But to the Triads, bikers and Neo-Nazis of South Central, he is the Ghost Rider, a Spirit of Vengeance whose brutality is only matched - or unmatched - by his sheer, raw power. When Coulson's team ends up getting involved with a case involving supernatural ghosts possessing Triad members, all roads lead to the Ghost Rider. When Daisy Johnson begins uncovering details of Robbie's past even he doesn't know about, all parties ultimately converge upon the Darkhold, an eldritch tome that will only just begin to cause no shortage of problem for a number of heroes. Meanwhile, Holden Radcliffe, a scientist and Fitz's friend, begins playing with some seriously weird science...
• Inhumans (September 29 – November 10, 2017^note Originally planned as an MCU film, Inhumans was redeveloped as a television series. The first two episodes were released theatrically in IMAX on September 1, 2017.): In their city on the Moon, the Inhuman Royal Family — the king, Black Bolt; his queen, Medusa; strategist Karnak; military leader Gorgon; Medusa's sister Crystal; aquatic Triton; and Maximus, Black Bolt's brother — live in luxury while the Inhuman working class toil in the mines or work as their servants. When Maximus (who, despite going through Terrigenesis, has no superpowers) exploits this situation to his advantage and attempts a coup, the rest of the Inhuman Royal Family is teleported to Earth, where they find themselves in desperate situations. Can they come together to stop Maximus? Or will this cause the end of Inhuman society?
• Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (Season Five) (December 1, 2017 – May 18, 2018): Coulson and his team find themselves trapped aboard a space station, centuries in the future, with the sight of a ruined earth before them. A splinter family of the Kree, the House of Kasius, have taken over and treat the surviving humans as little more than slaver labor, intent to harvest whatever Inhumans they can discover as weapons to sell off. And yet, some hope remains: Leo Fitz is still in the past, with his only hope of reuniting with his team being a curious alien anthropologist named Enoch.
• Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (Season Six) (May 10 – August 2, 2019): With Coulson now truly dead, Mack shoulders the burden of being the newest director of S.H.I.E.L.D. A burden made all the more heavy when deadly alien parasites known as the Shrike begin to stage an invasion. And the only man who knows anything about them is an intergalactic hunter named Sarge. Despite inexplicably sharing the same face as the deceased Coulson, Sarge is utterly ruthless and uncooperative, hell-bent on exterminating the Shrike his way, at any cost. Meanwhile out in space, Daisy, Jemma, Fitz and Enoch experience their own share of adventures involving a cavalcade of the worst intergalactic scum imaginable, the casinos and brothels they operate, and alien hallucinogens not fit for human consumption.
• Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (Season Seven) (May 27 – August 12, 2020): While S.H.I.E.L.D. dealt with the Shrike, the Chronicoms have already completed their invasion of Earth. And yet, not all hope is lost: The key to stopping them lies in S.H.I.E.L.D.'s past, and who else knows that past better than everyone's favorite resident historian: Phil Coulson. Who is back! Again! ...As a robot! As Coulson and his team journey through time on their final mission, they are joined by none other than Daniel Sousa, a former flame of Peggy Carter's, whose greatest gift to the team may be a chance to finally heal Daisy's heart.

Freeform series:

• Cloak & Dagger (June 7, 2018 – May 30, 2019): Tyrone Johnson's brother was killed by a cop. Tandy Bowen's father died in an oil rig accident, for which his superiors posthumously blamed him. After a chance meeting between the two unlocks strange powers, they set out to get justice for their ruined lives, unaware that destiny and the strange mysticism of New Orleans have much bigger roles for them in store.

Hulu series:

• Runaways (November 21, 2017 – December 13, 2019): Six teens reunite, years after their seventh member died. Unfortunately, in the course of this reconciliation, the teens discover a horrible secret: Their parents are murderers. Deciding to work together in order to stop this cult, the six begin to discover fantastical abilities as they try to find out why their parents joined the PRIDE, whom they serve, and what other dark forces lie in wait.

The Defenders saga:^note Previously exclusive to Netflix and billed as Netflix Originals, as of March 2022 they have since migrated over to Disney+.

• Daredevil (Season One) (April 10, 2015): Blinded in an accident that enhanced his other senses as a child, lawyer Matt Murdock takes to the streets as a masked vigilante to deal with criminals the law cannot stop, primarily the mysterious Wilson Fisk / The Kingpin, a crime lord who has unified the various criminal organizations of Hell's Kitchen under an iron fist. Matthew has trouble reconciling his violent actions with his faith, however, and fears how far he'll go as the Devil of Hell's Kitchen.
• Jessica Jones (Season One) (November 20, 2015): After a freak car crash killed her entire family, Jessica Jones gained superpowers. But any notion of becoming a superhero was dashed after a traumatic encounter with a man who could make people do whatever he wanted, and Jessica now puts her skills to use as a private eye. However, the past doesn't die so easily, as Jessica must confront Kilgrave once again.
• Daredevil (Season Two) (March 18, 2016): Though Matt Murdock has managed to put Wilson Fisk behind bars, his life along with those of Foggy Nelson and Karen Page takes a turn for the infinitely more perilous when they take on a Kitchen Irish client being hunted by Frank Castle / The Punisher, a literal One-Man Army who has been systematically slaughtering all criminals in New York. Even though they fight the same enemies, Matt and Frank cannot see eye-to-eye and come to blows. Complicating Matt's life even further is the sudden appearance of Elektra Natchios, his old college girlfriend who happens to bring out his worst impulses, intent on dragging him back into an ancient war against the The Hand, a nefarious and mystical organization spanning centuries.
• Luke Cage (Season One) (September 30, 2016): Carl Lucas gained invulnerable skin in a prison experiment. Lucas, now going by Luke Cage, must now work with detective Misty Knight and use his powers to protect Harlem from the criminal elements that would infect it, such as local crime lord Cornell "Cottonmouth" Stokes, his Corrupt Politician cousin Mariah, pragmatic Opportunistic Bastard Shades, and his boss the powerful arms dealer Diamondback.
• Iron Fist (Season One) (March 17, 2017): Danny Rand, after a plane crash killed his parents, was taken in by the monks of the mystical K'un-Lun and given the chance to earn the powerful Iron Fist. Now he has returned to New York, swearing to reclaim his parents' company and destroy the ancient enemies of K'un-Lun, the Hand. As soon as somebody starts taking him seriously, that is.
• The Defenders (August 18, 2017): After a huge earthquake rocks New York, fate brings Matt Murdock / Daredevil, Luke Cage, Jessica Jones, and Danny Rand / Iron Fist together as the Hand begin their endgame. The street heroes have their own reasons for battling against the ancient organization, but none more than Matt and Danny: Elektra is still alive, and is responsible for having killed most of the Iron Fist's allies.
• The Punisher (Season One) (November 17, 2017): Frank Castle, having avenged his family, has finally retired his bloody crusade of vengeance. At least, he's trying to. After being tracked down by hacker David Lieberman / Micro, Frank begins to realize there may be more to what happened to his family than he originally thought. As enemies old and new begin to come out of the woodwork, Frank must pick up his guns once again and continue his war on crime.
• Jessica Jones (Season Two) (March 8, 2018): The one thing Jessica Jones has never bee able to figure out was the origin of her powers. All she knows is that she woke up "different" following a freak car crash. When her mother resurfaces and leaves behind a trail of bodies, all roads point the detective in the direction of a mysterious and laidback scientist named Karl Mallus. All the while, Trish begins to deal with her own demons that will have tremendous repercussions for Jessica.
• Luke Cage (Season Two) (June 22, 2018): The Hero of Harlem. The Bulletproof Black Man. The man faster than Usain Bolt. ...Well, perhaps that last one won't win him many points with the Jamaican population of New York, but Luke Cage has regardless been living high as Harlem's defender. At least, until one said Jamaican, John McIver / Bushmasher, appears and promptly defeats and humiliates Luke in public to put him in his place. Bushmaster, as it turns out, is out on a bloody crusade of vengeance against Mariah Dillard and Shades over sins that have been boiling over for decades. As Luke gets involved in this grudge match, he must ask himself: Which of the two is the lesser evil?
• Iron Fist (Season Two) (September 7, 2018): Matt Murdock's sacrifice has ensured the Hand will menace New York - and the world - no longer. Fulfilling his promise to Matt, Danny and Colleen protect the streets of New York in Daredevil's absence. But, Danny's childhood friend Davos still has a festering grudge regarding Danny being chosen as the Iron Fist. His petty vendetta reaching an apex, Davos sets into motion a scheme to steal the Iron Fist from him, robbing New York of one of its resident defenders.
• Daredevil (Season Three) (October 19, 2018): Against all odds, Matt Murdock has survived the battle of Midland Circle, but has refused to return to his public life in the face of losing his faith. As he recuperates and finds his footing as Daredevil again, Wilson Fisk puts into motion his master plan of getting out of prison and turning the very same FBI agents acting as his wardens into his personal army. He has set his fights on one specifically, Benjamin Poindexter, an extraordinarily gifted but particularly troubled and emotionally vulnerable agent who has more inner demons than can be counted. But both Fisk and Matt soon learn that an unstable, murderous psychopath is not a toy.
• The Punisher (Season Two) (January 18, 2019): Third time's the charm, right? Well, not for Frank Castle. Despite hanging up his guns once again, Frank is forced back into a world of violence when a young grifter being hunted by a ruthless assassin stumbles into his life. As Frank continues to pile up bodies while protecting her, Dinah Madani has her own problems to deal with: Billy Russo has escaped, and in a quest to put the pieces of his broken mind together, has begun wreaking havoc all over New York, causing Dinah and Brett Mahoney to clash in dealing with the situation.
• Jessica Jones (Season Three) (June 14, 2019): Gregory Salinger, an intelligent and psychotic serial killer has declared a mysterious war on Jessica Jones. Meanwhile, Trish Walker takes a darker path in her pursuit of justice as her mind begins to reach its limits.

Adventure Into Fear planned franchise:^note Planned set of shows on Hulu that was to focus on supernatural heroes, including the Ghost Rider series mentioned below. Canceled upon Marvel Television being shut down

• Helstrom (October 16, 2020)^note The first and only show produced under the Adventure Into Fear banner. Declared separate from the MCU

Canceled Projects:

• Eternals ^note Originally announced as an untitled series for ABC in April 2015. The John Ridley series was greenlit under former President of ABC Entertainment Paul Lee, who vacated the position while in development. His replacement, Channing Dungey, claimed to be unsure of the project's status as of August 2017. Though Marvel Television EVP Jeph Loeb expressed optimism for the project in June 2018, Dungey's departure in December 2018 had cast doubt over its likelihood of happening. Although the series was never formally announced as an adaptation of Eternals, John Ridley would confirm he was working with the property during an interview with the podcat Comic Book Club. The Eternals would later get their own film during Phase Four of the MCU.
• Most Wanted ^note Set as a spin-off to Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. starring characters Lance Hunter and Bobbi "Mockingbird" Morse, the series was ordered to pilot by ABC Studios. For unknown reasons, the series never moved forward following the pilot's completion and the project was canceled. Although filmed, the pilot was never aired.
• Damage Control ^note ABC ordered a treatment for a half-hour sitcom based on the comic book of the same name starring the everyday workers at the Department of Damage Control. While the series was never officially canceled, nothing has been announced for years while both Marvel Studios and ABC continued to pursue other endeavors. Elements of Damage Control made it into other parts of the MCU, such as Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. and Spider-Man: Homecoming.
• Untitled series by Allan Heinberg ^note Reportedly was a female team-based series, possibly A-Force, Fearless Defenders, or Lady Liberators, but little has been revealed.
• New Warriors ^note A sitcom that would have featured a young group of aspiring heroes (consisting of Squirrel Girl, Mr. Immortal, Night Thrasher, Microbe, Debrii, and Speedball), originally developed for Freeform. After Freeform passed on the series, the pilot was shopped around to find another channel but was ultimately canceled after it failed to be picked up by any after close to a couple of years.
• Ghost Rider ^note Was supposed to air on Hulu as part of Adventure Into Fear along with Helstrom, with Gabriel Luna reprising his role as Robbie Reyes from Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., but the network eventually decided not to go forward with it.

Shorts

• Marvel One-Shots
  • The Consultant: The World Security Council has come up with the wonderfully terrible idea of recruiting Emil Blonsky, the Abomination, into the Avenger Initiative. Realizing it for the awful idea that it is, Nick Fury tasks S.H.I.E.L.D. agents Phil Coulson and Jasper Sitwell to brainstorm an idea to keep this from happening. This short was included on the Thor Blu-ray.
  • A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to Thor's Hammer: Phil Coulson is on his way to investigate Thor's hammer dropping from the sky. Stopping by at a gas station to refuel and buy some mini doughnuts, he ends up stuck in a robbery. This short was included on the Captain America: The First Avenger Blu-ray.
  • Item 47: In the aftermath of the battle of New York, down-on-their-luck couple Benny and Claire find a working Chitauri rifle, and decide the do the most sensible thing they can: Go on a bank-robbing spree! Unfortunately for them, S.H.I.E.L.D. agents Sitwell and Blake are tasked with putting an end to it. This short was included in The Avengers Blu-ray.
  • Agent Carter: After the end of World War II, S.S.R. agent Peggy Carter repeatedly finds herself put down by her sexist boss and coworker, relegated to menial office duties. After she receives word of an urgent mission regarding a target named "Zodiac", she finally puts her skills to use and shows the boys how it's done. Was a proof-of-concept that eventually evolved into the Agent Carter ABC series. This short was included in the Iron Man 3 Blu-ray.
  • All Hail the King: After finally achieving stardom (...in prison, at least), stage actor and certifiable junkie Trevor Slattery is approached by Jackson Norriss for an interview. Little does Trevor know, the ancient leader of the Ten Rings is not happy in the least that the ham absconded with his identity, and paraded the name of the Mandarin in vain. This short was included on the Thor: The Dark World Blu-ray and later released on Disney+.
• Peter's To-Do List: Peter Parker/Spider-Man runs some errands, both civilian and superhero, before embarking on his summer vacation. This short is composed of deleted footage from Spider-Man: Far From Home and was included as a separate feature on that film's Blu-ray and DVD.
• I Am Groot (Season 1) + (August 10, 2022): A series of five shorts that follows Baby Groot's glory days growing up, and getting into trouble, among the stars. Starring Vin Diesel as Baby Groot and Bradley Cooper as Rocket.
  • (Season 2) + (September 6, 2023): Five new shorts, five new possibilities for more adventure and mischief with Baby Groot! Guest starring Jeffrey Wright as Uatu The Watcher.

Web Videos

• WHIH World News - A series of various fictional Fox News-Expy news segments reporting (often in the worst possible light) the actions of the various characters in the MCU. One batch of videos was released in the run-up to Ant-Man, and a second was released for Civil War. The ones relating to Ant-Man were included on that movie's Blu-ray.

• Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.: Slingshot - A six-part web series spin-off of Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., starring Elena "Yo-Yo" Rodriguez; set before Season 4 and with a Framing Device set in the middle of that season.

• TheDailyBugle.net: A series of in-universe news videos and articles hosted by J. Jonah Jameson (J. K. Simmons). Initially made to promote the home media release of Spider-Man: Far From Home, and later revived to promote Spider-Man: No Way Home, with Angourie Rice's Betty Brant hosting the site's TikTok account. The YouTube videos (but not TikTok or other articles) were included on their respective movies' Blu-ray releases. The account has since been used to promote the non-MCU film Morbius.

Comic Books

The following is organized by the trade paperback they're collected in. For brevity's sake, we're skipping adaptations of the movies themselves, though they're included with the collections listed.

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• Iron Man: Security Measures - Set during the first movie, Fury and Coulson have to figure out whether Tony's reliable or if the Ten Rings broke him and made him The Mole.
• Road to The Avengers - A collection of Iron Man 2 tie-ins, plus the one for Captain America: The First Avenger.
  • Iron Man 2: Public Identity - A miniseries revealing the consequences of Tony Stark's decision to reveal himself as Iron Man, and the growing friction between him and the military.
  • Iron Man 2: Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. - 3 digital comics involving Fury, Coulson, and Black Widow dealing with Iron Man, including how Black Widow established her "Natalie Rushman" cover.
  • Captain America: First Vengeance - An Interquel for The First Avenger, detailing backstories for each of the main characters via flashbacks.

• The Avengers Prelude: Fury's Big Week - Chronicles the events of Iron Man 2, The Incredible Hulk, and Thor from S.H.I.E.L.D.'s perspective, leading up to The Avengers.

• The Avengers: Black Widow Strikes - While tracking down Ten Rings operations, Natasha faces a woman who wants the title of "Black Widow" for herself.
• Iron Man 3 Prelude - War Machine fights the Ten Rings organization during the Chitauri invasion of New York.
• Thor: The Dark World Prelude - Follows the Thor cast during the gap between the original movie and The Dark World.
• Captain America: The Winter Soldier Prelude: Captain America, Black Widow, and Brock Rumlow try to stop a terrorist cell.
• Guardians of the Galaxy Prelude - A set of short stories focusing on: Nebula's childhood and relationships with Thanos, Gamora, and Korath; Rocket Raccoon and Groot pulling a heist; and how the Collector hired Gamora to get the Orb.
• The Avengers: Operation HYDRA - A prequel set between Captain America: The Winter Soldier and The Avengers: Age Of Ultron, focusing on Avengers hunting down HYDRA. (Not yet collected)
• Avengers: Age of Ultron Prelude - This Scepter'd Isle: Prequel set before the Captain America: The Winter Soldier Stinger, focusing on Loki's scepter and how Wanda and Pietro Maximoff gained superpowers.
• Ant-Man Prelude - During the Cold War, S.H.I.E.L.D. wants the Ant-Man suit for a mission behind the Berlin Wall. But Hank Pym doesn't trust anyone else with his tech, so he volunteers for the mission himself.
  • Scott Lang: Small Time - The story of how Scott Lang landed in jail.
• Jessica Jones - A prequel comic that serves as Jessica's first canonical appearance in the MCU; features Daredevil in a guest-starring role. (Not yet collected)
• Captain America: Civil War Prelude - Flashbacks show how Bucky Barnes and Brock Rumlow dealt with the fallout of the events of Winter Soldier.^note Digital comic; not to be confused with the print comic by the same name, which is an adaptation of Iron Man 3 and Winter Soldier.
• Captain America: Road to War - Set between Avengers: Age of Ultron and Captain America: Civil War, as Captain America and Black Widow lead the new team of Avengers (War Machine, Falcon, Vision, and Scarlet Witch) into battle against Ultimo. (Not yet collected)
• Doctor Strange Prelude - The collection contains two comics by this title: The print comic shows the Masters of the Mystic Arts at their usual business keeping magical artifacts out of the wrong hands, and the digital comic presents Kaecilius' history and how he came to turn against the Ancient One.
• Black Panther Prelude - Prequel set roughly concurrently with the first Iron Man, showing T'Challa's early days as the new Black Panther of Wakanda.
• Avengers: Infinity War Prelude - The first issue is set between Captain America: Civil War and Avengers: Infinity War, featuring Captain America, Falcon and Black Widow dealing with the aftermath of having been branded fugitives. In the second, Wong recaps the history of the Infinity Stones for Dr. Strange.
• Captain Marvel Prelude - Shows what Nick Fury and Maria Hill were up to during Phase Three; particularly trying to get Iron Man and Captain America to reconcile after Civil War.
• Black Widow Prelude - Councilwoman Hawley recapping Black Widow's past in the MCU including the events of the movies to Secretary Ross as he prepares to find and arrest her. (Currently the final installment of the "Prelude" series.)
• Eternals: The 500 Year War - Seven-part Infinity Comics series chronicling six of the Eternals’ previous conflicts with the Deviants across six different time periods.

Video Games

Due to the creative liberties taken and inconsistencies with future works, all video games are to be considered non-canonical with the rest of the MCU.

• Iron Man (2008)
• The Incredible Hulk (2008)
• Iron Man 2 (2010)
• Thor: God of Thunder (2011)
• Captain America: Super Soldier (2011)
• Iron Man 3: The Official Game (2013)
• Thor: The Dark World - The Official Game (2013)
• Captain America: The Winter Soldier - The Official Game (2014)
• LEGO Marvel's Avengers (2016)
• Spider-Man: Homecoming - Virtual Reality Experience (2017)
• Spider-Man: Far From Home Virtual Reality (2019)
• Avengers: Damage Control (2019) - A VR game that has players testing out prototype suits developed by Shuri using a combination of Stark and Wakandan technology who come up against Ultron.

Music Videos

• "Shoot To Thrill" - AC/DC song licensed for use in Iron Man 2, its soundtrack, and The Avengers; music video included on the bonus discs of AC/DC's IM2 soundtrack and the movie's Blu-ray/DVD/Digital and DVD/Digital combo packs.
• "Live to Rise" - Soundgarden's end credits song of The Avengers, and first track of the tie-in album Avengers Assemble; music video included on the movie's home media releases.

• "Guardians Inferno" - "David Hasselhoff and The Sneepers"' end credits song of Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2, and last track of Awesome Mix, Vol. 2; music video included on the movie's home media releases.

• "All the Stars" - Kendrick Lamar and SZA's end credits song of Black Panther, and second track of Black Panther: The Album.
• "I Want Your Cray Cray" - The full version of Trish's invoked Old Shame music video from season 2 of Jessica Jones.
• "Run It" - DJ Snake song produced especially for Shang-Chi and The Legend of the Ten Rings and its album.
• "Save the City"^note link is audio only, but the full performance can be seen in The Stinger to Hawkeye's final episode - A(n intentionally bad) Broadway musical adaptation of the Battle of New York from The Avengers, as seen in Hawkeye and later Rogers: The Musical.

Behind-The-Scenes/Meta

• Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.: Double Agent (2015) - A behind-the-scenes Mini Series for Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. set in a Recursive Reality.
• Marvel Studios: Legends (January 8, 2021 - Present; Clip Show Previously on… recaps for Multiverse Saga works)
  • A Fan's Guide to Ms. Marvel (June 1, 2022; a behind-the-scenes preview released in place of Legends episodes for Ms. Marvel)
• Marvel Studios: Assembled (March 12, 2021 - Present; making-of documentaries for Multiverse Saga works)
  • Director by Night (November 4, 2022; a feature on Werewolf by Night director Michael Giacchino's childhood filmmaking in place of an Assembled episode)
• MPower (March 8, 2023invoked^note International Womens' Day) - A documentary miniseries about the MCU's heroines and their actresses.

Other

Works based on the MCU

• Avengers Assemble (2013-2019) - An animated series serving as a non-canon sequel to The Avengers. The first four seasons also share a continuity with Ultimate Spider-Man (2012-2017) and Hulk and the Agents of S.M.A.S.H. (2013-2015), and they have another indirect connection to the MCU through both continuities being referenced in the Spider-Man: Spider-Verse films.
• Guardians of the Galaxy (2015-2019) - An animated series serving as a non-canon sequel to Guardians of the Galaxy, in the same continuity as Season 5 of Avengers Assemble as well as Marvel's Spider-Man (2017-2020).
• Team Thor (2016-2018) - comedic shorts involving Thor: Ragnarok characters and their supposed whereabouts during Phase Three.
  • Civil War: Team Thor - aired at Comic-Con 2016 before being released online; later included with the digital release of Captain America: Civil War.
  • Team Thor: Part 2 - included on the Doctor Strange Blu-ray.
  • Team Darryl - included on the Thor: Ragnarok Blu-Ray.
  • Darryl Survived the Snap - posted on Twitter as a birthday video for Chris Hemsworth.
• Disney Theme Parks attractions:
  • Avengers C.A.M.P.U.S. and Stark Expo (June 4, 2021 (Disney California Adventure); July 20, 2022 (Walt Disney Studios Park); TBA (Hong Kong Disneyland))
    • Guardians of the Galaxy – Mission: BREAKOUT! (Disney California Adventure; May 27, 2017; later incorporated into the C.A.M.P.U.S.)
    • W.E.B. of Spider-Man (2021; a comic book miniseries taking place in the C.A.M.P.U.S. universe, based on the ride W.E.B. Slingers)
  • Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind (Epcot; May 27, 2022)
  • Avengers: Quantum Encounter (Disney Wish cruise line; 2022)
  • Rogers: The Musical (Disney California Adventure; 2023) - Defictionalizationinvoked of a Broadway show seen in Hawkeye about Captain America.
• The Good, the Bart, and the Loki (July 7, 2021) - A crossover between Loki and The Simpsons.
• William Shakespeare's Avengers: The Complete Works (2021) by Ian Doescher adapts the scripts of the first four Avengers movies In the Style of William Shakespeare.
• Look Out for the Little Guy (2023) - Defictionalizationinvoked of the memoir by Scott Lang that's seen in Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania.
• Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man (2024-present) - An animated series produced by Marvel Studios and initially announced as a canon prequel to Spider-Man: Homecoming, but as more information came out it became clear that it could not take place in the movie continuity.

Other continuities connected to the MCU

• X-Men: The Animated Series (1992-1997): Since Marvel Studios helmed the '97 Revival of the series, this particular animated series began to be heavily Homaged whenever mutants are referenced (in particular, the series' theme song was used their MCU Leitmotif in Multiverse of Madness and Ms. Marvel). As of the '97 revival/Sequel Series, the animated series has officially entered MCU canon as a part of the Multiverse Saga despite not taking place on Earth 616.

• X-Men Film Series (2000-2020) - Hugh Jackman is slated to return in Deadpool & Wolverine, and an X-Men Alternate Universe briefly appears in The Marvels, including Kelsey Grammer returning as Beast. Although it won't be fully confirmed until D&W releases, the presence of the TVA in the trailer heavily implies that the MCU is legitimately crossing over with the existing X-Men continuity rather than trying to Retcon Deadpool as having been in the MCU all along. The series has also been referenced through Casting Gags in WandaVision^note Quicksilver's actor Evan Peters plays an in-universe The Other Darrin for the prior MCU Quicksilver Aaron Taylor-Johnson and Multiverse of Madness^note Patrick Stewart returns to play an Alternate Universe version of Charles Xavier.
  • Deadpool (2016) and Deadpool 2 (2018) - The direct predecessors to the MCU's Deadpool & Wolverine and spin-offs to the X-Men Film Series.
    • Deadpool and Korg React (July 14, 2021) - The first collaboration between the (former) 20th Century licenses and the MCU, where Deadpool (Ryan Reynolds) and Korg (Taika Waititi) review the trailer for Free Guy (which featured both actors).
• Spider-Man Trilogy (2002-2007), The Amazing Spider-Man Series (2012-2014), and Sony's Spider-Man Universe (2018-present) - Other film continuities featuring Spider-Man and related characters, which crossed over with the MCU in Spider-Man: No Way Home.
• Elektra (2005) - A Spin-Off to Daredevil (2003), Jennifer Garner will reprise her role as the title character in Deadpool & Wolverine though it remains unclear whether this will be the same version from the film.
• Spider-Man: Spider-Verse series (2018-present) - Across the Spider-Verse establishes that every Spider-Man film continuity (as well as several in other media) is canon to the series, including the MCU; with it directly referencing the events of Spider-Man: No Way Home, naming the MCU's comics designation of Earth-199999, and including Donald Glover making a cameo as his MCU character Aaron Davis (or at least a Multiversal Variant of him). However, the reverse may not be true, as Marvel Studios is not involved in the film and has generally been reluctant to acknowledge Sony's non-MCU movies (outside of the crossover in No Way Home). Prior to this, the continuities were indirectly linked through Sony's Spider-Man Universe.^note The MCU and SSU interacted with one another in 2021-2022, while The Stinger of Venom cross-promotes Into the Spider-Verse and claims it takes place "Elsewhere in the Multiverse". Also, in Across the Spider-Verse, The Spot briefly visits the SSU and converses with Mrs. Chen.
  • Other Spider-Man media linked to the MCU through Spider-Verse include Spider-Man (1967) (1967-1970), Spider-Man and His Amazing Friends (1981-1983), Spider-Man (Atari 2600) (1982), Spider-Man Unlimited (1999-2001), The Spectacular Spider-Man (2008-2009), Ultimate Spider-Man (2012-2017), some version of LEGO Spider-Man^note has the same universe designation as LEGO Marvel Super Heroes (2013-2017) but is done in the style of The LEGO Movie series (2014-2019) and Spider-Man (Insomniac) (2018-present).

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Tropes present across the cinematic universe:

Warning! Late Arrival Spoilers through Phase Two may be unmarked!

• A
  • Aborted Arc
  • Adaptation Dye Job
  • Adaptation Name Change
  • Adaptation Personality Change
  • Adaptation Relationship Overhaul
  • Adaptational Attractiveness
  • Adaptational Badass
  • Adaptational Early Appearance
  • Adaptational Heroism
  • Adaptational Sympathy
  • Adaptational Villainy
  • Adaptational Wimp
  • Anti-Hero
  • Apocalypse How
  • Arbitrary Skepticism
  • Arch-Enemy
  • Ascended Extra
• B to F
  • Big Bad
  • Bittersweet Ending
  • Breakout Character
  • The Bus Came Back
  • Celebrity Paradox
  • Comic Book Movies Don't Use Codenames
  • Composite Character
  • Continuity Nod
  • Darker And Edgier
  • Deadpan Snarker
  • Decomposite Character
  • Deconstructed Character Archetype
  • Evil Counterpart
• G to R
  • Genre Roulette
  • Happy Ending Override
  • Hate Sink
  • Hollywood Law
  • Hypocrite
  • Late-Arrival Spoiler
  • Lighter And Softer
  • Mythology Gag
  • Never Trust A Trailer
  • Nice Job Breaking It, Hero!
  • One Steve Limit
  • Pragmatic Adaptation
  • Reimagining The Artifact
  • Rogues Gallery Transplant
  • The Reason You Suck Speech
• S to Z
  • The Sociopath
  • The Stinger
  • Superman Stays Out of Gotham
  • Super Strength
  • Thou Shalt Not Kill
  • Walking Spoiler
  • Wham Line
  • Wham Shot

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Maria Hill: Sir, how does it work now? They've gone their separate ways, some pretty extremely far. We get into a situation like this again, what happens then?
Nick Fury: They'll come back.
Maria Hill: Are you really sure about that?
Nick Fury: I am.
Maria Hill: Why?
Nick Fury: Because we'll need them to.

— The Avengers

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