The Next Stage of the MCU: Phase 5

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The end of 2022 has also marked the end of another era: the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s Phase Four.  

The MCU is broken up into phases; groups of movies and television series that are released within two to four years of each other. Each phase serves as a greater overall story, with projects often continuing a central storyline.

Phase Four, which began on Jan. 15, 2021, was kicked off with the release of the television hit WandaVision, and ran its course all the way to Nov. 25, 2022, when Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special aired on Disney+. Phase Four achieved several box office successes, such as Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings, Spider-Man No Way Home, and Black Panther: Wakanda Forever. Several new characters were introduced, establishing a new wave of younger superheros; Kate Bishop, America Chavez, Yelena Belova, Shang-Chi, Riri Williams, Kamala Khan, Moon Knight, and more. 

With so many new characters to develop and explore, Phase Five will not be lacking in plotlines and epic stories. There are plans to feature 12 movies and television series, all to be released between February of 2023 and mid-2024. The exact dates for later projects are not yet confirmed. With Marvel being famous for keeping details of production and spoilers under tight security, it is impossible to know what will happen in the projects that are being released later in the phase. The main focus for now is on media that will hit the screens within this year. Without further ado, let’s look into the upcoming Phase Five movies and TV shows that we can expect from Marvel Studios in 2023:

Antman and the Wasp: Quantamania (Feb. 17, 2023)

To kick off Phase Five, Scott Lang and Hope Van Dyne continue their adventures as Antman and the Wasp. Hank Pym and Janet Van Dyne, Hope’s parents, join the couple and their daughter, Cassie, on an unexpected trip into the Quantum Realm. They will have to face off against a villain named Kang the Conqueror, and risk the safety of all those who reside in the Quantum Realm.

Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 (May 5, 2023)

The Guardians of the Galaxy are getting used to their new life on Knowhere, when their lives are turned upside down by pieces from Rocket’s past. Peter Quill, still recovering from the loss of Gamora, will lead his team on a dangerous mission once again. Should this mission not be a success, the consequences are as lethal as the end of the Guardians of the Galaxy. 

Secret Invasion (Jun. 28, 2023)

Starring Samuel L. Jackson as Nick Fury and Ben Mendelsohn as the Skrull, Talos, Secret Invasion  follows some of the shapeshifting Skrulls who have been on Earth for years. This will be the first look into what they have been up to since Captain Marvel in 2019.

Loki Season 2 (Summer 2023)

A continuation of season one, season two will continue to follow Loki as he navigates time and new dimensions. Loki finds himself trapped in a new timeline, and it is theorised that this will somehow connect to Marvel’s multiverse theory. 

The Marvels (Jul. 28, 2023)

The Marvels film will follow Captain Marvel, Monica Rambeau, and Ms. Marvel, as a sequel of Captain Marvel (2019). Carol Danvers (Captain Marvel), has taken her revenge on the Supreme Intelligence, but as her work leads to an unusual wormhole connected to a Kree insurgent, she must team up with Ms. Marvel and Monica Rambeau to neutralise the threat. 

Ironheart (late 2023)

Ironheart will follow the adventures of Riri Williams, who was first introduced in Wakanda Forever (2022). As was seen in the movie, Riri Williams has developed her own Iron Man suit using homemade Starktech in an abandoned car garage, leading fans to believe that as in the comics, Riri will step in to fill the spot of the new Iron Man on the Avengers team. Not much is known about the plot of the show, but it is highly theorised that there will be appearances of other young Avengers.

Agatha: Coven of Chaos (winter 2023)

With this show’s plot also being kept tightly under wraps, the only guaranteed detail is that it will be led by the titular character Agatha, who was first introduced in WandaVision (2021). Leaning into the theoretical possibilities of the show based on the comics, it is possible that audiences will be introduced to more witches and learn where they came from.