The ultimate superhero team-up is fast approaching on the horizon with Marvel’s Avengers: Doomsday, and as we prepare for the highly anticipated theatrical event, we’re taking a look at the phases that have built up the MCU, including the current Multiverse Saga, which is in Phase Six.
Below, we’re taking a closer look at the most current phase, comprised of films like Fantastic Four: The First Steps and Spider-Man: Brand New Day, among others. Scroll down as we reflect on past journeys and upcoming adventures with Earth’s mightiest heroes.
The Fantastic Four: First Steps (2025)
In a 1960s futuristic era universe of the MCU, the Fantastic Four — fire-controlling Johnny Storm (Joseph Quinn), Sue Storm/Invisible Woman (Vanessa Kirby), her husband, scientist Reed Richards/Mr. Fantastic (Pedro Pascal) and impenetrable Ben Grimm/The Thing (Ebon Moss-Bachrach) — are already worldwide celebrities when two pieces of news rock their world. First, Sue is expecting, and second, their planet is going to be destroyed by Galactus (Ralph Ineson), a cosmic being who consumes worlds. He fixates on Sue’s baby, Franklin, sending the herald Silver Surfer (Julia Garner) to destroy the group. Reed creates a worldwide teleportation system to move Earth from Galactus’ reach and trap him in a teleportation gate, though Sue temporarily dies in the process and is revived by Franklin. The mid-credits scene, four years later, shows Doctor Doom for the first time in the MCU. —Maggie Kwan
Spider-Man: Brand New Day (2026)
Jay Maidment /© Marvel Entertainment / © Columbia Pictures / Courtesy Everett Collection
Living his new life as a loner, thanks to Doctor Strange’s spell in Spider-Man: No Way Home, Peter settles into his role as New York City’s friendly neighborhood superhero. Fighting various foes, like Scorpion (Michael Mando), his job keeps him busy, but the unaddressed trauma of sacrificing his identity for the safety of MJ (Zendaya) and Ned (Jacob Batalon), among others, has left him isolated. Working with vigilantes such as Frank Castle (Jon Bernthal), Peter’s grip on reality begins to falter as he undergoes physical changes in response to his stress. When he teams with the Department of Damage Control to fight a new threat — the mutant Jean Grey (Sadie Sink) — he nearly loses his life, but Jean saves him with her powers. Also? Ned begins to remember Peter. —Meaghan Darwish
Avengers: Doomsday (2026)
Everything has a price — and in this film, the heroes of the MCU will finally understand the repercussions of messing with time in Avengers: Endgame. Doctor Doom (Robert Downey Jr.) is on a vengeful mission, and the universe is at stake. That means a host of Avengers, old and new (as well as some X-Men), will have to team up to save the world — if they can figure out a way to defeat what might be the most powerful villain the MCU has seen since it began. —Avery Thompson
Avengers: Secret Wars (2027)
Not much is known about the follow-up that will reportedly conclude the MCU’s years-long Multiverse Saga, though Kevin Feige has hinted that the movie will open the door for a new era of the MCU. We can guess that there may be more to tell of Doom’s story, though, and there’s also the hope that characters who are not confirmed to appear in Doomsday will reappear in this film. —AT
Ghost Rider (2028)
Call it dream casting turned into reality: Fans cheered when Ryan Gosling was announced as Johnny Blaze/Ghost Rider at 2026’s San Diego Comic-Con, confirming that he would star in a film from Deadpool & Wolverine director Shawn Levy that would hit theaters on July 28, 2028. Playing the stunt rider who makes a deal with the devil, Gosling is a promising addition to a new line of heroes as the MCU charts a new course. —AT
X-Men (2028)
The X-Men return! At the 2026 fan event known as D23, a new chapter of mutants was officially announced. The slate includes Storm (Maya Boyd), Rogue (Inde Navarrette), Emma Frost (Samara Weaving), Professor X (Christopher Abbott), Cyclops (Kit Conners), and Jean Grey. They’ll take center stage in the film from director Jake Schreier and Kevin Feige, on May 5, 2028, with Adam Driver in the villainous role of Nathaniel Milbury/Mister Sinister. —AT
TV Guide Magazine’s Avengers: Doomsday Special Issue is available for order online now at Avengers.TVBooks.com, and for purchase on newsstands nationwide.
