Here’s what Marvel Cinematic Universe movies we predict will release in 2023 during Phase 5. Now that Phase 3 is complete, Marvel Studios has confirmed Phase 4’s upcoming movies and TV shows. Phase 4 will consist of five movies and five original series’ on Disney+, Disney’s streaming service. On the film side of the slate, they’ve confirmed that Black Widow and Eternals are coming in 2020. In the following year, Marvel has Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings, Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, and Thor: Love and Thunder set to arrive.

Those are all of the confirmed movies for MCU’s Phase 4, but we know that Marvel Studios is already working on Phase 5 movies and TV shows as well. One of the brand-new titles will be Blade starring Mahershala Ali as the daywalker. Marvel is also developing several sequels to their highly successful franchises to come out in Phase 5, too. This abundance of riches should help Marvel keep up their usual approach to building their annual slate. They like to release one new property every year, with sequels to established ones filling out the rest of the slots.

Phase 5 is currently not announced, but that hasn’t stopped people from looking ahead as to what it could look like. We recently gave our predictions for what movies could kick off Phase 5 in 2022, and while Marvel doesn’t have any release dates set for anything beyond that, here’s what Marvel movies could follow in 2023.

Fantastic Four - February 2023

Marvel Studios’ reboot and MCU introduction of the Fantastic Four is highly anticipated by many, but we may have to wait till 2023 to see it. Marvel had a packed lineup of films ready to go before the Fox deal went through, so it will take some time for them to get their own movie. Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige did confirm that a standalone Fantastic Four movie is something they are working on but didn’t provide any details on when it will hit theaters. We’re predicting a February 2023 release for the movie at this point, which would allow Marvel to kick off the year with a new franchise that is already highly anticipated. This is what they did in 2018 with Black Panther, 2019 with Captain Marvel, and will do in 2021 with Shang-Chi.

Since Fantastic Four is currently in the early development, due to the timing of the Fox acquisition, a 2023 release still gives Marvel plenty of time to figure out their plan. The studio’s usual schedule would mean that production wouldn’t need to begin until early 2022. This allows the studio almost two years to develop the story and hire a director, before turning attention to casting and pre-production. Fantastic Four kicking off 2023 is a realistic opportunity for the studio and is the best landing spot for it given what other films could release later in the year.

Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 - May 2023

While Fantastic Four kicking off the year is just a guess, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 arriving in theaters in May 2023 is a safe bet. Marvel Studios moved James Gunn’s cosmic franchise to the prime summer release window with Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2, and they were poised to keep it there. Marvel was (unofficially) planning to have the third film kick off Phase 4 and hit theaters on May 1, 2020. But, Gunn being fired resulted in significant complications.

Now that he’s back involved, though, Marvel has to wait on him to finish The Suicide Squad first. His DC movie is scheduled to be released in August 2021, so his work there will likely prohibit him from getting Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 ready before that. As long as Marvel wants to keep the movie in a May slot, then 2023 is best for Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3. This would mean that audiences will wait six years between entries in this franchise, but the Guardians’ time out of theaters could be just two years if they appear in Thor: Love and Thunder. Regardless, Gunn has said his script for the third film sets up the next ten years of the MCU. Instead of launching Phase 4, Marvel could position Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 as the cosmic event movie of Phase 5.

Spider-Man 4 - July 2023

UPDATE: Due to Sony and Marvel talks breaking down, Spider-Man movie may no longer be made by Marvel Studios. This would make it less likely for the fourth movie to hit this release date. The original text follows.

Read More: Spider-Man’s Exit From Marvel Studios Explained

While it may seem premature to predict when a fourth MCU solo Spider-Man movie will hit theaters when Marvel Studios and Sony haven’t even dated Spider-Man 3, 2023 is a natural landing spot for the MCU’s Spider-Man 4. Marvel and Sony appear to be operating on an every-other-year schedule for their franchise. The two-year gap is what came between Spider-Man: Homecoming and Spider-Man: Far From Home, which is why we’ve previously predicted Spider-Man 3 will be added to the 2021 lineup. Since it’s expected that Holland will stay involved with the MCU for several more years, they may very well stick to the same plan and get Spider-Man 4 in theaters in July 2023.

This reason for Spider-Man 4 getting this release window wouldn’t just be to keep up their current pace, though. If Marvel and Sony do take this route, then they will ensure that Spider-Man appears in each of the next two Phases. That could still happen without a fourth solo film this quickly if Spidey cameos in another movie, such as Fantastic Four earlier in the year. But, the high that the Spider-Man franchise is riding indicates Sony will want to continue pumping out new movies. The July release has worked well with the last two films, so there’s no reason for Sony and Marvel to change it up moving forward.

Eternals 2 - Nov 2023

After predicting a sequel to another sequel that hasn’t even been announced, we’re forecasting the fourth and final film of 2023 will be Eternals 2. Marvel Studios only recently confirmed that the first movie was even happening and it hasn’t started filming, much less hit theaters. But, Marvel is undoubtedly envisioning that Eternals will be their next big cosmic franchise. They’ve assembled a stacked Eternals cast that includes Angelina Jolie, Richard Madden, Salma Hayek, and Kumail Nanjiani, while also recently getting Gemma Chan and Barry Keoghan aboard.

Since Eternals is scheduled to release in November 2020, this prediction is based on the belief that the movie will be a hit and perform well in that release window. A November 2023 release date would give Marvel three years to get a sequel in theaters, which is a timeline they’ve hit plenty of times in the past. And, this could continue a trend of making the November movie a cosmic slot with Eternals and Thor: Love and Thunder occupying that space in Phase 4. If this comes to pass, then Eternals will be the only franchise to have a film released in Phase 4 and Phase 5.

Next: Every Upcoming Marvel Cinematic Universe Movie

  • Black Widow Release Date: 2021-07-09 The Eternals Release Date: 2021-11-05 Shang Chi Release Date: 2021-09-03 Doctor Strange 2 Release Date: 2022-05-06 Thor: Love and Thunder Release Date: 2022-07-08