Why ‘X-Men’ Should Be the MCU’s May 2028 20th Anniversary Release

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While Phase Six of the Marvel Cinematic Universe is still happening, Marvel Studios and fans are already thinking about what comes next. Only three movies are currently planned for Phase Six: Spider-Man: Brand New Day, Avengers: Doomsday, and Avengers: Secret Wars, which is scheduled for release in December 2027. There’s a lot of talk that Avengers: Secret Wars will essentially reboot the MCU, dramatically changing the entire series.

Marvel Studios has updated its movie release plans. They’ve pushed a film originally scheduled for February 18, 2028, to July 26, 2028. This means the first Marvel Cinematic Universe movie after Avengers: Secret Wars will now come out on May 5, 2028. That date is particularly important because it’s three days after the 20th anniversary of the first Iron Man movie and the start of the MCU. Considering this milestone and the beginning of Phase Seven, what better film to launch this new era than X-Men?

‘X-Men’ Will Kick Off the Mutant Saga and MCU’s 20th Anniversary Celebration

As a huge Marvel fan, I really think the X-Men deserve that May 5, 2028 release date – it would be the perfect way to launch Phase 7 and celebrate the MCU’s 20th anniversary! It just feels right that the anniversary is kicked off with a team they couldn’t even touch back when Iron Man started everything. It’s a great visual for how far the MCU has come. We started with a hero most people hadn’t heard of, and now we’re beginning a new chapter with a fresh take on one of Marvel’s biggest properties – a franchise that really defined the early 2000s in movies.

As a huge Marvel fan, I’m really hoping Phase 7 kicks off with something truly new. Look, the X-Men are iconic, and we’ll get a nod to the Fox movies with Avengers: Secret Wars, but a full-on reboot feels like a perfect way to start fresh within the MCU. Unlike Black Panther 3 or Doctor Strange 3, which would feel like continuations of what came before, an X-Men movie could be a completely new franchise. It’d send a message that even with some of our favorite Avengers retiring, Marvel has tons more stories and characters ready to take center stage. It’s about proving the universe is still brimming with potential.

As a longtime Marvel fan, let me tell you, the potential with the X-Men is huge. They have so many characters and storylines that Marvel could easily dedicate an entire phase of movies just to mutants and still not cover everything! While I don’t expect that to happen, the buzz is strong that phases seven through nine will be known as “The Mutant Saga,” following the patterns of the Infinity Saga and the Multiverse Saga. And if that’s the direction Marvel is heading, I think X-Men should be the very first film to kick it all off. The current release date – May 5th, 2028 – is especially cool because it marks the 20th anniversary of the original Iron Man and the start of the MCU as we know it.

2018 marked a decade for the Marvel Cinematic Universe, celebrated with the release of Avengers: Infinity War, which set the stage for a major storyline. Now, as the MCU reaches its 20-year milestone with Iron Man, the introduction of the X-Men feels like the perfect way to begin a new chapter after the events of Avengers: Secret Wars, as Kevin Feige has hinted. The celebrations aren’t stopping there, and Marvel Studios might be planning something huge for 2028, showcasing their biggest characters and proving they have many more stories to share even after Avengers: Secret Wars.

The Rest of the MCU’s 20th Anniversary Slate

Looking ahead, a sequel to Black Panther 2 is likely to be released in 2028, marking the 10-year anniversary of the original Black Panther film from February 2018. Black Panther 3 could start Phase Seven of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, potentially debuting in the first weekend of May – a slot usually reserved for Marvel’s biggest movies. However, Marvel might hold that date and aim for December 15, 2028, instead. This week before Christmas is typically used for Disney’s most important releases, like the Star Wars sequels, the Avatar films, and both Avengers: Doomsday and Secret Wars. A December release would also put Black Panther 3 in contention for awards season. Black Panther is the only MCU film to receive a Best Picture nomination, and with Ryan Coogler’s upcoming film Sinners, Disney and Marvel may want to position Black Panther 3 as another Oscar contender, potentially concluding Coogler’s Black Panther trilogy.

A Fantastic Four movie would have been a great fit for the holidays, but Marvel Studios seems to be considering a summer release instead – potentially July 28, 2028, three years after The Fantastic Four: First Steps. Another option is May 4, 2029. This later date would give the film a prime summer launch and playfully connect it to the 4th of the month, something Marvel often aims for with its releases.

If a sequel to First Steps isn’t released until 2029, several other movies could fill the July 28, 2028 release date and contribute to a major 20-year anniversary celebration for the Marvel Cinematic Universe, alongside films like X-Men and Black Panther 3. A sequel to Shang-Chi is long awaited and would arrive seven years after the first film. Other possibilities include the often-discussed Young Avengers, Doctor Strange 3, or even a fifth Thor movie, if it’s feasible.

Fans are still waiting for the reboot of Blade, which was first announced in July 2019. Releasing it in July 2028 would be fitting, as it’s just before the 30th anniversary of Wesley Snipes’ original Blade film from 1998. Both X-Men and Blade would be great choices to start the MCU’s 20th anniversary year, given that the original Blade and X-Men movies were key to launching the superhero movie craze of the 2000s – a trend that continues today and ultimately paved the way for Iron Man and the entire Marvel Cinematic Universe.

Although Marvel Studios hasn’t officially announced its plans after Avengers: Secret Wars, things are starting to come together. With Jake Schreier directing an X-Men film and rumors suggesting Sadie Sink will play Jean Grey in a Spider-Man project, the X-Men seem most likely to kick off Phase 7 of the MCU. Giving the X-Men – once Marvel’s biggest comic book franchise – their own movie would be a fitting way to mark the 20th anniversary of Iron Man, the film that launched the Marvel Cinematic Universe and revolutionized filmmaking.

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2026-03-29 18:34