Predicting The MCU's 4 Mystery Movies Until 2029 After Slate Updates

Marvel Studios has shed some light on the Marvel Cinematic Universe's slate after Avengers: Secret Wars, but four release dates remain officially unoccupied, leaving room for speculation of what else is coming. With Avengers: Doomsday and Secret Wars coming later this year and in 2027, Marvel and Kevin Feige have been hesitant to talk to definitively about what will come after the Multiverse Saga's conclusion.

That has never stopped them and Disney from planting their flag on release dates for future movies. There are officially three MCU movies on Disney's schedule for 2028, and two more mystery titles are dated for 2029. There was hope that all five films would be unveiled during Marvel Studios' 2026 SDCC panel announcements, but only one date was snatched.

The presentation brought news that Black Panther 3 will hit theaters on December 15, 2028. That made Ryan Coogler's movie the first MCU title to officially occupy a release date after Secret Wars. We know that two more movies will arrive before then, and two more, at least, will come after; Feige confirmed Marvel has a roadmap through 2042 right now.

So what MCU movies are best positioned to hit theaters in 2028 and 2029? There are several confirmed MCU movies in development, but only a few are in a strong enough place where they could conceivably make it all the way through production by 2029.

X-Men - May 5, 2028

Even though X-Men wasn't announced at SDCC (it wasn't discussed at all), the movie is positioned to be Marvel's first release after Secret Wars. Jake Schreier (Thunderbolts*) is attached to direct, based on a script by Beef's Lee Sung Jin and Joanna Calo and The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes scribe Michael Lesslie.

X-Men is currently in pre-production, with Marvel rumored to be in the casting process. Filming is anticipated to begin in early 2027, which makes it coming out on May 5, 2028, very doable. The untitled X-Men franchise starter would hit theaters less than six months after Secret Wars' resets the MCU timeline.

The next saga is not officially named, but all indications are that the MCU is entering the Mutant Saga. If that is the plan, then kicking off the new era of the cinematic universe with Marvel Studios' first X-Men team movie is a no-brainer.

It immediately establishes them as the team that will define the next decade or more of MCU storytelling, all while putting them in the prime early May release window Marvel typically holds for its biggest franchises.

Ghost Rider - July 28, 2028

One of the big announcements from SDCC 2026 for Marvel was the confirmation that a Ghost Rider movie starring Ryan Gosling is coming. The actor spent years campaigning for the role in the press and finally gets his wish, teaming up with the director and writer of his next blockbuster, Star Wars: Starfighter, Shawn Levy and Jonathan Tropper.

Marvel confirmed during the panel that Ghost Rider would hit theaters in 2028, but they did not specify whether it would come on the May 5 or July 28 date that is currently vacant. It would feel quite strange for the MCU to launch its post-Secret Wars era with a Ghost Rider solo film. That's why X-Men makes more sense in May, with Ghost Rider sliding in for a July launch.

This is a window where Marvel has successfully launched new franchises before. Captain America, Ant-Man, Spider-Man, Black Widow, and the Fantastic Four all had their first movies in July. Ghost Rider could follow suit, giving the MCU a high-octane, supernatural, potentially R-rated film in the middle of the summer.

Levy's prior MCU movie, Deadpool & Wolverine, also came out in July, and with he and Gosling set to be busy promoting Starfighter until its May 2027 release, it'd make sense to hold off on starting Ghost Rider until after those commitments end. They'd then have a little over a year to get through filming and post-production to have Ghost Rider hit this July 2028 date.

Shang-Chi 2 - May 4, 2029

Sadly, Marvel didn't confirm any updates on Shang-Chi 2 at SDCC 2026, but the sequel is still on the way. Destin Daniel Cretton was hired to start working on the movie back in 2021 after the critical acclaim of Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings, which made an impressive $432 million during the pandemic.

Between developing Wonder Man, signing on and then leaving Avengers: The Kang Dynasty, and helming Spider-Man: Brand New Day, Cretton hasn't had much time to get Shang-Chi 2 going. Demand for the sequel has not gone away, and Cretton confirmed he and writer Dave Callaham are still working on the script. Now that his time with Brand New Day is finishing, Shang-Chi 2 could finally become the priority.

The first movie performed well enough in September 2021 to give Marvel confidence that Shang-Chi 2 could have real blockbuster potential if given a prime summer release. The May 4, 2029, release date could work well for this sequel, positioning Shang-Chi as a character who is incredibly important to the MCU after Secret Wars.

Shang-Chi would join Captain America, the Guardians of the Galaxy, and Doctor Strange as characters who became so popular that their sequels were prioritized with the May release by Marvel Studios. Their sequels saw an average box office increase of over $250 million with the summer treatment, which would position Shang-Chi 2 to be a $700+ million earner eight years later.

Deadpool 4 - July 13, 2029

The July 2029 slot very well could be where Deadpool returns to the MCU. Following Deadpool & Wolverine's gigantic success, Marvel has been keenly interested in getting Ryan Reynolds back as the Merc with a Mouth, with a follow-up feeling inevitable. We might first see Deadpool in Avengers: Doomsday, but he will be back as a lead (or major) character eventually.

Reynolds has confirmed that he's working on another Marvel movie script featuring Deadpool, which we'll call Deadpool 4 until further notice. Now that he's starting to talk about it a bit, envisioning that it will be ready for a 2029 release date feels right. It'd be five years after Deadpool & Wolverine and could be central in expanding the X-Men mythology after Secret Wars.

One potential hold up with Deadpool 4 or whatever it will be called (like X-Force), is that it would need a creative change to hit this date. Deadpool & Wolverine's director Shawn Levy would be unable to direct this entry due to his commitments to Ghost Rider. Reynolds and Levy have developed a great working relationship between Free Guy, The Adam Project, and Deadpool & Wolverine. If the star wants to keep him around, then the 2029 date won't work.

But if that timing is what Marvel and Reynolds want, other options exist. The star could recruit Game Night's John Francis Daley and Jonathan Goldstein (who also co-wrote Spider-Man: Homecoming) after making Apple's Mayday together. Marvel Studios could also try to get Deadpool 2's David Leitch back or bring in MCU veterans like Adil El Arbi and Bilall Fallah (Ms. Marvel) or Justin Benson and Aaron Moorhead (Loki, Daredevil: Born Again).

Other Candidates To Be MCU Movies In 2029

Shang-Chi 2 and Deadpool 4 feel like strong contenders to occupy these 2029 MCU movie release dates, but they are not the only options that exist. Marvel Studios could have several unannounced sequels in the works that would be ready to come by then. Doctor Strange 3, Thor 5, The Fantastic Four 2, Captain America 5, and Guardians of the Galaxy 4 are a few options.

Marvel and Sony could also have plans for 2029 to deliver Tom Holland's Spider-Man 5. That'd be three years after Brand New Day, giving everyone a chance to breathe and get the sequel in order. It'd also be two years after Spider-Man: Beyond the Spider-Verse, allowing Miles Morales to make his MCU debut potentially.

As proposed, the MCU would have a three-movie sequel streak starting with Black Panther 3 in 2028, but fresh standalone movies could take either of these 2029 dates (or slot in with a third, currently unannounced date). We know a Nova movie is being written by Michael Waldron, so that could be ready for 2029. If Blade or Armor Wars ever happen, perhaps it'll be here. Marvel could even launch a Young Avengers franchise this year.

For as confident as I feel about the 2028 MCU movie predictions, the 2029 slots clearly hold more possibilities. It should be fun to see where Marvel lands as the next saga starts to take shape.