Black Panther 3 Will Officially Extend Marvel’s Rough 5-Year Sequel Streak

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The new release date for Black Panther 3 confirms a trend that’s worried fans: it’s being delayed as Marvel prioritizes other big projects. Currently, Marvel is focusing on releasing Avengers: Doomsday and Secret Wars, as well as Spider-Man: Brand New Day. However, they’re still developing several other films for the next phase of the MCU, including Midnight Sons, Doctor Strange 3, X-Men, and Black Panther 3. This sequel to 2022’s Wakanda Forever will be written and directed by Ryan Coogler.

According to a report by Jeff Sneider, Marvel Studios plans to begin filming Black Panther 3 with director Ryan Coogler in early 2027, with a target release date in February 2028. This would mean a five-year and three-month gap between Black Panther: Wakanda Forever and the next installment.

This would continue a disappointing pattern for Marvel Studios with sequels to films not featuring the Avengers, a trend that started with May 2022’s Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness. That film kicked off a series of long waits – at least four and a half years – between MCU sequels and the movies they follow.

  • Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness – 5 years, 6 months
  • Thor: Love & Thunder – 4 years, 8 months
  • Black Panther: Wakanda Forever – 4 years, 9 months
  • Ant-Man and The Wasp: Quantumania – 4 years, 7 months 
  • Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 – 6 years
  • The Marvels – 4 years, 8 months
  • Captain America: Brave New World – 8 years, 9 months
  • Spider-Man: Brand New Day – 4 years, 7 months
  • Black Panther 3 – 5 years, 3 months

Even the incredibly successful Avengers movies had a significant gap – 7.5 years – between Endgame and the upcoming Doomsday. Thankfully, Secret Wars is scheduled to arrive almost a year after Doomsday, on December 17, 2027, and will kick off a new era for the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

The release of Black Panther 3 has been delayed, potentially because director Ryan Coogler was working on his vampire movie, Sinners, until recently. He recently shared on the Happy Sad Confused podcast that the third Black Panther film won’t be his next project; he’s currently developing an X-Files reboot TV series first.

Marvel Studios will likely increase security measures as they begin work on Black Panther 3. They want to keep details about the rumored new Wakandan hero—who may be featured in Avengers: Doomsday and possibly lead the next Black Panther film—under wraps.

Since the movie is set after Avengers: Secret Wars and could be the first film in a refreshed Marvel Cinematic Universe, the filmmakers will likely need to be careful about revealing any major plot points or spoilers from the conclusion of the Multiverse Saga.

Marvel Studios Needs To Fix Its Sequel Problem To Survive

Marvel Studios doesn’t seem to be changing course anytime soon, and the stalled development of Shang-Chi 2 is a prime example. While the first Shang-Chi film was a hit over four years ago and a sequel was announced soon after, there’s been no progress on the project since then.

A third Doctor Strange movie is also facing delays. Since Multiverse of Madness, the character hasn’t appeared in any other films. Although there’s been some recent positive news about Doctor Strange 3, it likely won’t be released until 2029 – nearly seven years after the last installment.

One of the biggest weaknesses of the Multiverse Saga has been the shift away from continuing the stories of established heroes. Instead of building on those narratives, Marvel focused on introducing new characters and creating unusual spin-offs. This change hasn’t allowed audiences to connect with the current generation of heroes and villains in the same way they did with the original Avengers like Iron Man, Captain America, and Thor.

To regain its previous success in the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s next phase, Marvel Studios needs to focus more on building lasting franchises and continuing popular TV shows. There are early indications this is happening – Disney+ series like Daredevil: Born Again are being planned with multiple seasons instead of being one-time events, and new franchises, such as The Fantastic Four 2, are reportedly already planning sequels.

Marvel Studios needs to release sequels more frequently—waiting over four years isn’t sustainable anymore. To keep the Marvel Cinematic Universe successful, franchises like Spider-Man, The Fantastic Four, and X-Men will need regular new movies, especially with the planned Mutant Saga.

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2026-01-23 09:08