At the turn of the decade, the fate of the MCU seemed up in the air. Some of the original Avengers actors, like Chris Evans and Robert Downey Jr., were exiting their roles after Avengers: Endgame wrapped up their storylines. COVID-19 kept Marvel films out of theaters for a year, and Disney+ opened up a new opportunity for Marvel shows. When Marvel films finally returned to theaters, they didn’t always receive the same high ratings as past entries — the five lowest-rated films in the franchise on Rotten Tomatoes were all released after Avengers: Endgame.
The state of the MCU looked bleak during this period. However, two MCU films released this year —Thunderbolts* and The Fantastic Four: First Steps — provided hope for fans. Both films felt fresh and received praise from audiences and critics alike. Unfortunately, after The Fantastic Four: First Steps, Marvel had no more theatrical releases planned for a whole year, with the next MCU film being Spider-Man: Brand New Day.
Waiting a Year Between Tentpole Films Is a Choice
A year between films is a long time, especially when audiences are ready for more. This summer was great for MCU films. Thunderbolts* started the season off with some rave reviews (an 88% critics’ score and a 93% audience score on Rotten Tomatoes), setting up The Fantastic Four: First Steps to make more than $500 million at the box office. Both films proved that people still have faith in the MCU, so it seemed like a mistake not to have another movie lined up for the winter or spring after this success. Perhaps Marvel was just caught unprepared. Perhaps Marvel doesn’t want audiences to grow tired of MCU films again, leading up to Avengers: Doomsday.
Of course, the wait doesn’t matter nearly as much because the next MCU film will focus on Spider-Man, a beloved, well-known character. The film will surely draw even the most casual MCU fans to theaters, but that’s no reason to make audiences wait a year between theatrical releases. That’s plenty of time for people to lose interest or to decide that they’ll only see the biggest MCU movies in theaters. That’s not the attitude Marvel should want from audiences if future MCU films with new characters and teams still need to succeed.
The MCU Still Has Projects, But They’re Not as Fun
It’s not like the MCU isn’t releasing anything during the year between The Fantastic Four: First Steps and Spider-Man: Brand New Day. Just a week after The Fantastic Four: First Steps was released in theaters, the animated miniseries Eyes of Wakanda dropped on Disney+. The streaming service still has three shows slated to release before Spider-Man: Brand New Day, including Marvel Zombies, Wonder Man, and Season 2 of Daredevil: Born Again.
These releases aren’t inherently bad, but they can’t compare to films like The Fantastic Four: First Steps and Spider-Man Brand New Day. Sure, Marvel Zombies is finally giving Blade a part in the MCU, but it’s also an animated spinoff of What If…? set in an alternate universe. Wonder Man could be exciting, as it focuses on how Hollywood works in the MCU, but the show hasn’t even received a trailer yet. Daredevil: Born Again Season 2 isn’t nearly as exciting as Season 1, because Season 1 was built around the hype of a Netflix show being continued in the MCU.
The MCU has two more Disney+ projects set to release in 2026, but their release dates are not yet confirmed. One is a television special centered around Jon Bernthal’s Punisher. The other is a miniseries follow-up to WandaVision titled Vision Quest, which will mark the return of James Spader’s Ultron. Both of these could be an exciting way to spice up the MCU’s release schedule between films, but the fact that neither one has a release date is worrying. The Punisher special would make sense in between Daredevil: Born Again and Spider-Man Brand New Day, as the character has ties to both projects. However, Vision Quest seems like the kind of show that falls between Brand New Day‘s summer release and Avengers: Doomsday‘s winter release, in order to hold off starving fans.
The MCU Is Still Struggling With Rhythm
This is really just a sign that the MCU is still struggling to find a proper rhythm post-Avengers: Endgame. The MCU used to be more consistent with releasing big films. From 2017 through 2023, the Marvel franchise released three new films each year, except in 2020, during the COVID-19 pandemic. During this period, the only time Marvel waited a year between theatrical releases was during the pandemic. Generally, the first film of the year is released in the first half, the second during the summer, and the last in the second half of the year.
Marvel lost its rhythm in 2024 when Deadpool & Wolverine was the only MCU film to release in theaters. That same year, Bob Iger announced new plans for Marvel, saying that the MCU would have three movies and two TV series per year. Even if the MCU isn’t quite in rhythm yet, it’s refreshing to see the team at Marvel taking steps to get there. Hopefully, this year-long wait between The Fantastic Four: First Steps and Spider-Man: Brand New Day doesn’t delay Marvel from finding a rhythm again. Spider-Man: Brand New Day will swing into theaters on July 31, 2026.
- Release Date
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July 31, 2026
- Director
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Destin Daniel Cretton
- Prequel(s)
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Spider-Man: Homecoming, Spider-Man: Far From Home, Spider-Man: No Way Home
- Franchise(s)
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Marvel Cinematic Universe, Spider-Man
