From X-Men casting reveals to multiverse teases in Avengers: Doomsday, here’s all that’s expected from Marvel as it lines up its next era for Disney’s fan expo
A glimpse at Sadie Sink in ‘Spider-Man: Brand New Day’
The Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) is now adopting a brand new direction with the release of Spider-Man: Brand New Day— Marvel Studios’ first major theatrical release of 2026. The movie is accompanied in Marvel’s slate only by Avengers: Doomsday, which will be released later this year during December.
During a power packed presentation at San Diego Comic-Con (SDCC) in July, the big-ticket studio, shared a peek into the projects that we will be seeing in the upcoming years, including Ghost Rider starring Ryan Gosling and the next instalment in the Black Panther saga, Black Panther 3 starring actor David Jonsson as Prince T’Challa II, the next to take up the Wakandan mantle.
With the Phase 6 slate of the MCU nearing a climax with Avengers: Doomsday and Avengers: Secret Wars, the overall story is expected to venture into the era of the X-Men. Ahead of the big Disney fan convention D23 that will be held on August 14, where many major projects set within the MCU often get major updates to fans, here’s a preview of all that we expect will make headlines from the big day. [Spoilers for those who are yet to catch Spider-Man: Brand New Day]
Casting bombshells, multiversal teases and a recalibrated streaming slate set the stage for Marvel to unveil its X-Men era and Avengers: Doomsday roadmap at D23
1. The new era of X-Men
In frame (L-R): Kit Connor, Sadie Sink and Samara Weaving
The age of mutants has finally arrived in the MCU after much speculation for years. Sadie Sink’s portrayal of Jean Grey has laid grounds for this new-age laying down first appearances of superheroic beings carrying the X-gene, as described in the comics. With reports revealing Heartstopper fame Kit Connor being cast as Cyclops/Scott Summers and Ready or Not film series’ Samara Weaving being cast as Emma Frost in the upcoming X-Men reboot film being directed by Thunderbolts* director Jake Schreier, this project is speculated to have the biggest reveals in terms of cast and characters at D23.
2. MCU’s TV pipeline
Paul Bettany as White Vision and Vision in Wandavision
When WandaVision was released as part of MCU’s strategic inclusion of TV series-based, much was speculated about the tie-ins into the feature projects alongside character explorations of vital roles like Wanda/Scarlett Witch, Loki, Vision, Sam Wilson/Captain America, Bucky Barnes and more. With that trajectory now being changed, the MCU is now treading the TV show waters carefully. With a show like Wonder Man now being cancelled, as per reports and projects like Marvel Spotlight series and tightly paced multi-season shows like VisionQuest and Daredevil now becoming the new norm, much is now speculated about what the studio will present on the D23 stage this ywar.
3. The return of the Avengers
As the first Avengers film since 2019, there is still much left to speculation about how the stories with characters, whose arcs began almost 30 years ago, are going to come full circle in Avengers: Doomsday.Looking into the past, Marvel Studios head Kevin Fiege had earlier also revealed at SDCC that Avengers: Endgamewill get a re-release ahead of Doomsday and will be rebranded as Avengers: Endgame Encore.As per reports this film is expected to tie into the much-anticipated film of this year in some form narratively. D23 would be the perfect stage for a small tease to viewers about what this would all be about and few other exciting revalations about Avengers: Doomsday or an intital peek at what Avengers: Secret Wars would entail.
4. The animation agenda
A screen grab from X-Men ’97 (Season 1)
The studio’s animation shows like Marvel Zombies and the What If…? sries have had immense success over the years. With the revival of the old X-Men animated TV show making a return as X-Men ’97, fans have been treated to a well-designed, articulated and written storyline. With the show’s second season concluding right before the D23 expo, we can also expect to hear some news and see some peeks coming from the stage. Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man is another animated show that was well-recieved and was reported to be worked on for a second season. Fans can be hopefull to hear an update on that as well.
5. The secret beyond the Secret Wars
While speculations and the rumour mills fuel the conversation around Marvel’s future projects beyond Secret Wars, with news around the X-Men and projects around featuring characters seemingly becoming the brand new focus for Phase 7, D23 seems like the perfect oppurtunity for the studio to give fans a peak into what can be expected in the form of early logos, working titles and more!
Avengers Doomsday
Spider-Man Brand New Day
MCU Phase 6
D23 Marvel Announcements
Marvel D23 Preview
MCU 2026 Release Slate
What to expect at D23 Marvel Showcase
