TheMCU’ssparse 2024 is over, and with a new year comes the promise of a number of exciting things that won’t be able to be ignored.The MCU timelinewill get a big shake-up in 2025, with brand-new characters joining the ever-expanding universe, alongside the triumphant return of some long-awaited fan favorites. 2025 will see the end of Phase 5 and the beginnings of Phase 6 as the MCU begins to prepare for the upcoming conclusion of the Multiverse Saga withtheAvengers: Secret Warsmoviein 2027.
Despite being a financially successful year withDeadpool & Wolverine, 2024 only saw the release of one film and a handful of television shows. As such,Marvel’s upcoming release slatelooks to be significant for the overall universe, with a massive output in terms of projects set to be released in 2025. The MCU has three movies and six shows coming out in 2025 - and here arethe ten most exciting things set to happenin the universe.
10Red Hulk Is Finally In The MCU
Harrison Ford Takes On The Role
One of the biggest new characters set to debut in 2025 is Red Hulk, who will first appear inCaptain America: Brave New World. President Thaddeus Ross will finally turn into the Hulk 17 years after his first appearance inThe Incredible Hulk. Harrison Ford will be taking over the role of Ross inCaptain America: Brave New Worldfollowing the passing of William Hurt in 2022.
Red Hulk has been one of the most highly anticipated characters in the MCUsince Thaddeus Ross began to play a bigger role in the universe, starting withCaptain America: Civil War. Although he seemingly won’t come face-to-face with Hulk inCaptain America: Brave New World, it is exciting that he will appear in such a significant project for the MCU. His appearance also adds to the overall excitement for the film and marks a powerful challenge that Sam Wilson will have to overcome as Captain America.
9Matt Murdock Gets The Spotlight Once More In Daredevil: Born Again
Daredevil Is Back As A Main Character In The MCU
AfterDaredevilended its three-season run on Netflix in 2018, it was unclear when Matt Murdock would finally join the MCU, and if Charlie Cox would reprise his role as the character. Thankfully, it wasn’t too long, as Charlie Cox did indeed return as the hero in a handful of projects, includingSpider-Man: No Way Home,She-Hulk: Attorney at Law, andEcho. Still, fans wanted to see him as the lead once more, which will finally happen withDaredevil: Born Again.
Daredevil: Born Againis a continuation of the threeDaredevilseasons that came before, which is arguably the most exciting aspect of it.
Charlie Cox has essentially become synonymous with Daredevil in live-action, andDaredevil: BornAgain is a continuation of the threeDaredevilseasons that came before, which is arguably the most exciting aspect of it, considering it was originally intended to be a reboot for the character. Alongside Matt Murdock, the series will feature a number of returning characters, including Wilson Fisk, Karen Page, Foggy Nelson, and The Punisher.
8The Fantastic Four Make Their MCU Debut
Marvel’s First Family Finally Arrives
The Fantastic Four have struggled to get a good adaptation for three decades, but that looks to change in 2025, as the team will officially be introduced into the MCU 10 years after the latest failed adaptation.The Fantastic Four: First Stepsis set in a 1960s retro-futuristic universe, and the events of the film could have massive implications for the MCU, which will eventually need to bring The Fantastic Four into the main universe.
The Fantastic Four: First Stepsis the first adaptation from Marvel Studios after the rights initially belonged to Fox.
Pedro Pascal, Vanessa Kirby, Joseph Quinn, and Ebon Moss-Bachrach will take on the roles of Mr. Fantastic, Sue Storm, Johnny Storm, and The Thing inThe Fantastic Four: First Steps. They will have to overcome Galactus, who attempts to devour Earth with help from his herald, the Silver Surfer. There is also the possibility that Robert Downey Jr.’s Doctor Doom could make his first appearance, setting up his role inAvengers: DoomsdayandAvengers: Secret Wars.
7The MCU Goes Dark With Marvel Zombies
A Violent Story About Marvel’s Undead
Deadpool & Wolverinewas Marvel’s first true foray into R-rated content, althoughEchowas rated TV-MA. Now,Marvel Zombiesis the next step towards Marvel Studios continuing to embrace a variety of ratings and violence in their projects. The four-part miniseries will be released in October 2025, just in time for the Halloween season, with the promise of a lot of brutal zombie action.
In an interview withIGN, Marvel Studios' Head of Animation, Brad Winderbaum, spoke aboutMarvel Zombiesand the level of violence that would be present in the show. He confirmed thatit would definitely be rated TV-MA with pretty intense violence and gore presentthroughout its entirety. Winderbaum explained that they wanted to do the source material justice, which warrants a more mature, graphic adaptation than is typically associated with Marvel Studios.
6Sentry Joins The MCU
An Extremely Powerful Character Is Set To Debut
The MCU’s roster of powerful characters gets an even bigger upgrade with Sentry joining the universe.He will first appear inThunderbolts*, though the extent of his role in that movie is currently unclear, since Marvel Studios haven’t officially shown the character as Sentry, going by the name Bob in the various trailers shown so far. When he does finally become Sentry, though, he will definitely change the scale of power in the MCU.
Thunderbolts* Cast & Marvel Character Guide
Several MCU characters return for Phase 5’s Thunderbolts, a team of antiheroes and reformed villains attempting to follow in the Avengers' footsteps.
In Marvel Comics, Robert Reynolds becomes Sentry after ingesting super soldier serum to get high, triggering the various other powers he possesses, and making him essentially Marvel’s Superman. Sentry’s inclusion in the MCU makes him one of the most powerful characters to ever be introduced in the universe, and one who could make a massive impact when he returns inAvengers: DoomsdayandAvengers: Secret Wars.
5Bucky Barnes' Story Continues In Thunderbolts*
One Of The Longest-Running MCU Characters Returns
Bucky Barnes has been a staple of the MCU since he first appeared inCaptain America: The First Avenger. Bucky’s journey is monumental, starting out as Steve Rogers' best friend, then being kept alive and brainwashed into The Winter Soldier. With Rogers' help, Bucky is able to regain an understanding of who he is and helps break free from his programming to attempt to live a life away from his past. InThe Falcon and the Winter Soldier, Bucky works to make amends to those he hurt as The Winter Soldier.
In 2025,Bucky Barnes' story continues with his appearance inThunderbolts*. Like the rest of the members of the team, they all have pasts and stories they aren’t proud of, but look to come together to take on something greater than them all. It will be exciting to see where Bucky progresses next and if there is still a lot to glean from his journey in the MCU.
4Way More Marvel Shows Release In 2025
There Is Going To Be Alot To Watch
2025 sees Marvel Studios releasing six different television series; three live-action, and three animated. AlongsideDaredevil: Born Again,IronheartandWonder Manfill out the live-action slate, whileMarvel Zombies,Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man, andEyes of Wakandamake up the animation side of things. There will be a lot to watch from Marvel Studios in 2025, which could work out in the MCU’s favor.
2025 will have the most television shows that Marvel Studios has released in a single year.
One thing to consider, though, is whether Marvel Studios can deliver quality projects with so many coming out. If they can successfully make all their shows as good as possible without sacrificing the quality of them, it could be a really great year for Marvel on the television side of things. With a diverse slate of series coming out, anyone should be able to find something they love, and Marvel’s hero-focused stories should hopefully help flesh out more iconic figures for the audience.
3A New Animated Spider-Man Series Kicks Off The Year
A New Look At Spider-Man Origins
Marvel’s 2025 will get started right away, asYour Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Manwill be released on July 06, 2025. This animated series was originally titledSpider-Man: Freshman Year, and was going to be tied to the Tom Holland movies, but things changed over time andYour Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Manwill be its own thing now, taking place in a separate universe than anything else so far.
The series will still explore Peter Parker’s origins and his early days as Spider-Man, but the biggest change from Holland’s iteration of the character is that Peter Parker will be mentored by Norman Osborn rather than Tony Stark. With a unique artsyle, it’s easy to be excited aboutYour Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man. More content about Marvel’s most iconic hero is always welcome, and if it is good, could help set the stage for the rest of Marvel’s 2025 releases.
2Galactus Is Coming
The World Eater Joins The MCU
One of the most exciting things happening in 2025 is the inclusion of Galactus inThe Fantastic Four: First Steps. He had a brief scene inFantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer, but his appearance left a lot to be desired, depicting him as a cloud-like entity rather than something closer to his human-like form in the comics. The MCU has typically had most of their heroes and villains in comic-accurate costumes, so it will be exciting to see how Marvel translates Galactus' look in the new film.
On top of that,Galactus has so much potential to be a recurring big bad in the Marvel Cinematic Universeonce The Fantastic Four make their way into the main timeline. Seeing him devour worlds to sustain himself could be a sight to behold, and being a cosmic entity makes him an extremely powerful villain to fight against. There is ample opportunity for Galactus in the MCU, and his initial appearance inThe Fantastic Four: First Stepscould be the start of something great.
1Wakanda’s History Will Be Explored
Wakanda Has A Rich History
Eyes of Wakandais another animated series by Marvel Studios set to be released in 2025. The show is exciting because it will explore the rich history of Wakanda, focusing on several Wakandan warriors who set out to retrieve vibranium artifacts at various points in history.Eyes of Wakandawill be a four-episode animated miniseries that is within the MCU’s sacred timeline, making it a key piece of the universe’s history.
More Wakanda is always welcome, and the series can help expand on director Ryan Coogler’s exploration of the country’s culture throughoutBlack PantherandBlack Panther: Wakanda Forever. There is still a lot of ground that the MCU can cover when it comes to Wakanda, and it is possible thatEyes of Wakandacould even help to set up plot points forBlack Panther 3. Different animated projects exploring parts of theMCUthat might not be able to be explored otherwise make the universe feel all the more massive and lived in.
Marvel Cinematic Universe
The Marvel Cinematic Universe is a multimedia superhero franchise that began in 2008 with Paramount’s Iron Man starring Robert Downey Jr. The franchise quickly grew in popularity, with Disney eventually buying out Marvel Entertainment in 2009. The MCU consists of dozens of movies and TV shows, most notably Avengers: Endgame, WandaVision, and Loki.
