Marvel Studios Officially Confirms MCU Phase 7’s First Sequel

Phase 7 of the MCU just got its first official sequel put on the Marvel Studios calendar. Back in the franchise’s early days, a Phase 7 would’ve sounded like a pipe dream, but in 2026, the start of a brand-new era is right around the corner. Before that, Phase 6 has to wrap up the Multiverse Saga, with VisionQuest, Avengers: Doomsday, and Secret Wars changing the very fabric of the MCU forever. As usual, though, Kevin Feige and the studio are already looking past what’s right in front of them, with one Phase 6 project recently landing a sequel that will continue its story in Phase 7.

Phase 7’s first sequel is crawling directly out of the grave and onto Disney+. At New York Comic-Con 2026, Marvel Television’s Brad Winderbaum announced three new two-part Marvel Zombies specials. 

The second, Marvel Zombies: The Fist of Khonshu, hits Disney+ on Halloween 2028. In the first season of Marvel Zombies, Blade Knight took on the power of Khonshu, but that version of the character died by season’s end. So it’s possible the new special gets a bit less multiversal and is just a version of Marc Spector.

That Halloween slot for The Fist of Khonshuputs it about six weeks ahead of Black Panther III, the other prominent Phase 7 sequel coming out in 2028.

The Fist of Khonshu is a sequel in a multitude of ways, it turns out, following 2027’s Marvel Zombies: The Winter Soldier and 2025’s original Marvel Zombies series while continuing to expand this undead corner universe What If…? introduced in 2021.

That said, Phase 7 has four live-action projects debuting in 2028, and a smattering of others that are either in the works or rumored. Not all are direct sequels, but many will be impacted directly by past MCU projects.

Every Upcoming Marvel Phase 7 Movie & Show – And How They’ll Tie To The MCU

X-Men

First up is X-Men on May 5, 2028, Marvel Studios’ first movie after Avengers: Secret Wars and their first shot at the mutants without any baggage from the 20th Century Fox universe. 

Jake Schreier’s reboot brings a fresh roster, but its biggest link to Phase 6 is Jean Grey (Sadie Sink) after being introduced in Spider-Man: Brand New Day. There, Peter Parker (Tom Holland) may have accidentally built the X-Men’s worst nightmare. With Bill Metzger (Tramell Tillman) on the loose, that tech could resurface as early as that 2028 film, making it a direct sequel (of sorts) to Brand New Day. 

Sink is also reportedly in Secret Wars, giving Jean and possibly even other mutants another opportunity to be shown to wide audiences before their new movie.

Ghost Rider

Shawn Levy’s Ghost Rider is a wild card, riding its way into theaters on July 28, 2028, with Ryan Gosling in the saddle and no obvious MCU predecessor. Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.’s Robbie Reyes (Gabriel Luna) is the closest thing, but Marvel Studios’ relationship with that show is complicated at best. In this case, expect no connection.

The juicier thread is Ironheart, which finally introduced Mephisto (Sacha Baron Cohen). Johnny Blaze became Ghost Rider through a deal with Mephisto in the comics, so if Gosling’s take goes in a similar direction, the devil is already open for business.

Black Panther 3

Wakanda’s next chapter is the most straightforward sequel of the bunch. Black Panther III brings back Academy Award-winning director and mastermind Ryan Coogler, Shuri (Letitia Wright), and M’Baku (Winston Duke). 

It also hands the mantle to Prince T’Challa II (David Jonsson), the son of T’Challa (Chadwick Boseman) introduced as a boy at the end of Black Panther: Wakanda Forever. And since Shuri and M’Baku suit up as Black Panther in Avengers: Doomsday, the fallout from Doomsday and Secret Wars will all lead into Black Panther III.

Zodiac

Over on Disney+, 2028’s Zodiac is a newly announced spy thriller, so technically it’s not a sequel to anything, but it’s clearly connecting to some past stories. 

Its logo mirrors the classic S.H.I.E.L.D. insignia in a way that doesn’t look accidental. For a lot of people, S.H.I.E.L.D. definitively fell in Captain America: The Winter Soldier, but for many, Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. was where the true story took place, ending in 2020 after seven seasons. It’s not confirmed by any means, but a new series being influenced by the former Marvel ABC show seems possible, if not likely.

Then there’s Nova, Marvel’s long-awaited space adventure that fans have been expecting for over a decade. After a reportedly scrapped Disney+ series, Loki‘s Michael Waldron is in early development on a Nova movie with the possibility of him directing it. 

Its clearest MCU predecessor is 2014’s Guardians of the Galaxy, which introduced Xandar’s intergalactic police force, the Nova Corps. The Corps hasn’t been seen in live action since, and Avengers: Infinity War revealed Thanos decimated Xandar offscreen for the Power Stone. Whenever Nova lands, possibly around 2029 or 2030, it might be time to reestablish this corner of the galaxy for a new generation of fans.

Deadpool 4 / X-Force

It’s hard to imagine Marvel Studios isn’t considering a fourth movie to follow Deadpool & Wolverine’s multiversal team-up with Wolverine (Hugh Jackman). After all, that blockbuster earned over $1.3 billion back in 2024, an R-rated record at the time.

Ryan Reynolds isn’t 100% confirmed for Avengers: Doomsday, but an official Doomsday shirt sneaks him in, and it’s become quite obvious to anyone paying attention that Deadpool will be in this movie.

Reynolds is also rumored to want Cable (Josh Brolin) back from Deadpool 2, which could revive that film’s ill-fated X-Force. Co-creator Rob Liefeld is all for it, saying there was“so much more meat on those bones”with Brolin’s version.

The more intriguing question is what Deadpool’s status in the MCU will be after Secret Wars, and how he’ll still be around when the entire roster of X-Men is being recast, again.

Luke Cage and Iron Fist

Finally, Luke Cage (Mike Colter) and Danny Rand (Finn Jones) could be headed for a rumored Heroes for Hire project. In the comics, the duo founded the team as street-level heroes who get paid to help everyday people. 

Daredevil: Born Again’s Season 3 could be setting the stage for it, with both reportedly in big roles after Season 2 revealed Luke’s overseas work for Mr. Charles (Matthew Lillard). 

At this point, any Phase 7 project team-up with these two would also build on their original Netflix shows and 2017’s The Defenders.