Marvel’s Post-Secret Wars Future & Phase 7 Chances Addressed in New Report

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Even while promoting a big new movie like Avengers: Doomsday, Marvel fans are always looking ahead to what’s next. From the start, Kevin Feige and his team have planned years in advance, mapping out the overall story for the franchise. This time, Feige has hinted that Avengers: Secret Wars will essentially restart the Marvel Cinematic Universe, launching a new era. However, to reach that point, Marvel first needs to finish the current Multiverse Saga in a way that feels complete and satisfying, which means this year’s films are particularly important.

A recent report from The Wrap looks at the current status of the Marvel Cinematic Universe and what’s on the line for it this year. According to Paul Degarabedian, a senior media analyst at Comscore, 2026 could be a pivotal year for the MCU, potentially even more important than when it first began. He explained that the success of Phase 6 is crucial for the continuation of the franchise into a Phase 7.

Will There Be an MCU Phase 7?

If Marvel needed to stake its future on a single year of movies, 2026 would be a solid pick. Despite only having two films scheduled, both are expected to be huge successes. Spider-Man: Brand New Day and Avengers: Doomsday are the newest additions to two of Marvel’s most popular franchises, bringing back beloved characters like Peter Parker, Captain America, and Thor. Considering their past performance, these two films have a good chance of returning the Marvel Cinematic Universe to its billion-dollar box office heights. While moviegoing habits have shifted recently, Spider-Man and the Avengers still consistently attract large audiences.

However, success isn’t certain. While Marvel finished its Infinity Saga with the incredibly popular Avengers: Endgame, the studio’s reputation has slipped a bit since then. It’s unclear how audiences will respond to the new Avengers movies. Unlike Endgame, which had years of careful planning and build-up, there hasn’t been as much anticipation for Doomsday. Marvel is heavily promoting Doomsday, so it’s unlikely to be a complete failure. But we won’t know how well it performs in theaters for several months. If the movie doesn’t meet expectations and isn’t very profitable, the future of the Marvel Cinematic Universe could be uncertain.

Phase 7 of the Marvel Cinematic Universe isn’t likely to be cancelled. Marvel has several other projects in the works, including a planned reboot of the X-Men franchise (which could launch a larger Mutant Saga), a third Black Panther movie, and a sequel to The Fantastic Four: First Steps. While none of these films have confirmed release dates, Marvel may be prioritizing all attention on the current Doomsday storyline before moving forward. Unless Brand New Day and Doomsday perform very poorly – which is improbable – the MCU appears secure for the foreseeable future.

The success of recent Marvel movies will likely influence which projects get approved in the future. Both Captain America: Brave New World and Thunderbolts didn’t perform as well as expected, leading to concerns about whether audiences are as interested in lesser-known Marvel characters. For a while, Marvel could make almost any comic book hero a star, but that seems to be changing. To ensure strong box office numbers, Marvel might now focus on consistently popular characters like Spider-Man and the X-Men. With fewer projects in development overall, prioritizing well-known names makes good business sense.

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2026-01-02 23:40