MCU Kicking Off Phase 7 With a Major Sequel

It looks like the MCU's Phase Seven will begin with a movie that Marvel fans have been waiting patiently for.

Sadly, for those who are fans of the Sorcerer Supreme, or should I say former Sorcerer Supreme, it looks like we’ll have to wait a little while longer for Benedict Cumberbatch to return in Doctor Strange 3.

However, speaking of a third movie in an MCU series, it looks like Black Panther 3 might be arriving before the strangest doctor in the Marvel universe.

As reported by The Direct, according to entertainment industry insider Jeff Sneider on a recent episode of The Hot Mic podcast, it’s been claimed that Black Panther 3 will arrive in February 2028.

“I'll give you something bigger right now. It's already out there, but it's legit. Black Panther 3, that's February 2028,” claimed Sneider. “That's gonna start production at the top of 2027, and that will be in theatres February 2028.”

We’re currently in Phase Six, which began with The Fantastic Four: First Steps last month, and as we build to Avengers: Secret Wars, we’re first being treated to Spider-Man: Brand New Day and Avengers: Doomsday in between.

It’s unclear what will happen following the conclusion of Avengers: Secret Wars, but it’s all part of the fun, not knowing and enjoying the MCU build-up.

It’s widely believed that either during Avengers: Secret Wars or after, we will see the introduction of the new X-Men. That being said, as far as we know, the X-Men do not exist in the MCU’s Earth-616.

Assuming the X-Men do exist on another Earth (which is likely), Doctor Strange 3 could be a way to introduce the fan-favourite mutants.

What’s more, seeing as it’s unclear who will be the next Black Panther, Doctor Strange would also be a perfect character to bring over the X-Men and another T’Challa from another universe to exist in ours.

Of course, the above is pure speculation on my part, so we’ll just have to see how events play out in the MCU over the next couple of years.

Avengers: Secret Wars is currently scheduled to be released on 17 December 2027.