The MCU’s Post-Secret Wars Reset Plan Is Starting To Become Clear With Exciting 2028 Slate

The Marvel Cinematic Universe is heading for a reset after Avengers: Secret Wars, and the 2028 movie lineup has started to take shape. Marvel Studios hasn’t officially announced what lies beyond 2027, and they won’t to be sure to avoid spoiling anything about the Multiverse Saga’s conclusion. But the Marvel machine never stops, and that means many titles are in active development for the next saga.

Kevin Feige previously confirmed the MCU will reboot after Secret Wars, which he said was “about beginnings” and that Marvel is viewing what comes next as a “reset, singular timeline.” Feige’s MCU reboot comments have sparked plenty of discussions about what exactly the next era of the massive franchise will look like.

The only thing Marvel has revealed to this point is release dates. There are untitled Marvel Studios movies on Disney’s schedule for February 18, May 5, November 10, and December 15 of 2028. It’s unclear if all of those dates will ultimately receive new MCU movies or if some could be passed off to other Disney productions.

We’re still years away from any such confirmations about the MCU’s 2028 movie slate and how many of those dates are filled. But a few titles are well-positioned to come out then and help kickstart an exciting new Saga for the franchise.

Black Panther 3 & The MCU’s X-Men Are Aiming For 2028 Releases

T’Challa wears Black Panther’s final vibranium mask on a bright yellow background

Regardless of how many release dates Marvel keeps for themselves in 2028, two of the slots appear to be already occupied, unofficially. Development is well underway on Black Panther 3 and the X-Men reboot, with releases the year after Avengers: Secret Wars seemingly the plan.

Black Panther 3 has been in development a bit longer, with Ryan Coogler working on it following Black Panther: Wakanda Forever‘s release in 2022. Its status as a Multiverse Saga release or a Phase 7 title remained up in the air, though. The former has now become impossible based on timing, and a recent Black Panther 3 update revealed a targeted 2028 release.

The MCU sequel is going to be Coogler’s first movie after making Sinners. He’s “fired up” about making the movie, which should enter production sometime in late 2026 or anytime in 2027 depending on the specific release date Marvel has in mind. Given the franchise’s history, the February 18 or November 10 dates in 2028 could be planned for Black Panther 3.

Meanwhile, Marvel Studios has also started to make headway on the much-anticipated X-Men reboot. Michael Lesslie was hired to write the script in 2024. Marvel was then so happy with Thunderbolts* that they hired Jake Schreier to direct it this year. No cast members have been officially announced, though.

Still, the X-Men reboot is very far along in development. Schreier even confirmed a few months ago that it was in pre-production. That would position the film well to start filming once Marvel Studios has wrapped up Avengers: Secret Wars. It’d make sense for Marvel to plant X-Men on the May 5, 2028 date given the title’s expected importance to the next decade of MCU storytelling.

Strengthening Black Panther 3 and X-Men‘s place as 2028 titles is the fact that not many other in-development films are in as strong a position to come out that soon. Shang-Chi 2 or The Fantastic Four 2 could, with key creatives likely returning for each. Titles like Blade, Doctor Strange 3, or Ryan Reynolds’ mystery Deadpool film lack attached filmmakers.

Black Panther 3 & X-Men Would Be A Great Start To The MCU’s Reset After Secret Wars

Cyclops runs in front of his X-Men team in From the Ashes comic cover

Even if Black Panther 3 and X-Men prove to be the only MCU movies that come out in 2028, they would still be a fantastic way to launch the reset universe. A post-Secret Wars landscape can begin with two of Marvel’s biggest and most beloved properties.

Black Panther 3 would be a chance for the MCU to bring back a major franchise that’s reached unprecedented levels of acclaim and dominated the box office. Its placement after Secret Wars could even be purposeful, if it is ultimately led by a new T’Challa introduced through the multiverse reset.

Such a possibility would still come with plenty of familiarity among the cast, allowing Black Panther 3 to bring in several characters audiences already know and love. Shuri, M’Baku, Okoye, Nakia, T’Challa’s son, Namor, and more could all be featured. So too could other major heroes, like Captain America.

If Black Panther 3 is the big returning franchise for 2028, then the X-Men reboot would be Marvel’s chance to launch a tentpole series that will be of the utmost importance to the reset universe. Audiences already know this property, but not with Feige’s guiding hand.

There’s a good chance we’ll get to meet at least a few of the X-Men team members throughout Avengers: Doomsday and Secret Wars — possibly even in Spider-Man: Brand New Day if theories about Sadie Sink playing Jean Grey are accurate.

With speculation that the next chapter of the MCU could even be called the Mutant Saga, this reboot coming after Secret Wars could give us a glimpse of what the MCU’s long-term future looks like.

I also wouldn’t count out these two titles having some level of connection, should they both arrive in 2028. Namor is a mutant, and Storm has a storied history with Wakanda and Black Panther in the comics that has never been brought to the big screen.

Planning on Black Panther 3 and X-Men coming in 2028 could be part of Marvel’s goal of strengthening the interconnectivity between each film, recapturing some of the universe-wide storytelling that’s been lost after Avengers: Endgame. For those reasons, if this is the MCU‘s 2028 slate, it’ll be a great start to this reset universe.

Cast

Robert Downey Jr., Chris Evans, Scarlett Johansson, Samuel L. Jackson, Jeremy Renner, Chris Hemsworth, Mark Ruffalo, Edward Norton, Paul Rudd, Tom Holland, Tom Hiddleston, Anthony Mackie, Cobie Smulders, Brie Larson, Chadwick Boseman, Sebastian Stan, Chris Pratt, Dave Bautista, Zoe Saldana, Bradley Cooper, Vin Diesel, Pom Klementieff, Josh Brolin, Karen Gillan, Clark Gregg, Paul Bettany, Don Cheadle, Benedict Cumberbatch, Evangeline Lilly, Simu Liu, Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Angelina Jolie, Kit Harington, Salma Hayek, Richard Madden, Barry Keoghan, Gemma Chan, Ma Dong-seok, Brian Tyree Henry, Kumail Nanjiani, Lauren Ridloff, Lia McHugh, Jonathan Majors