[[{“value”:”
The Marvel Cinematic Universe is poised to have a fantastic collection of characters in the upcoming Phase 6, both new and returning. The upcoming Phase 6 is gearing up to be one of Marvel Studios’ most important phases yet, promising crossover events with the same level of impact as Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers: Endgame. Thus far, Disney has confirmed the introduction or re-appearance of several major players, both heroic and villainous.
As of the time of writing, movies confirmed for Phase 6 include Fantastic Four: First Steps, Blade, Avengers: Doomsday and Avengers: Secret Wars. The latter two films are notable for being the first major crossover since the conclusion of the Infinity Saga, promising the appearance of a great many characters. While only a few of these have been revealed yet, those that have paint a picture of what audiences can expect going into the MCU’s biggest series of films yet. In addition to this, a single TV series centered around Vision has also been put on the Phase 6 slate.
5 Marvel Characters That Must Be Included in a Midnight Sons Movie
Marvel fans have been begging for a Midnight Sons team-up movie, and if it happens, these characters must be included.
11 Mr. Fantastic
Fantastic Four: First Steps
Of course, one of the most notable additions to the Marvel Cinematic Universe ever will come with the phase’s first film, Fantastic Four: First Steps. The film will introduce the titular superhero family, including yet another leading role for Pedro Pascal, Reed Richards, a.k.a. Mister Fantastic. The brains of The Fantastic Four, Reed Richards is a brilliant scientist who leads an expedition alongside his closest friends to the cosmos, resulting in them gaining superpowers.
Mr. Fantastic and the rest of the Four also have been confirmed to return for
Avengers: Doomsday
and
Avengers: Secret Wars
, as well.
Specifically, Mr. Fantastic gains the ability of elasticity, able to stretch and contort his body to an impossible degree, though in reality this is secondary to his staggering intelligence. The closest thing The Fantastic Four has to a “main character”, Mr. Fantastic’s introduction in Fantastic Four: First Steps will be of huge significance to the MCU. Mr. Fantastic and the rest of the Four also have been confirmed to return for Avengers: Doomsday and Avengers: Secret Wars, as well.
10 The Invisible Woman
Fantastic Four: First Steps
If Reed Richards is the brains of The Fantastic Four, then Susan Storm is easily its beating heart. The close colleague and eventual wife of Richards, Susan Storm joins him on the cosmological journey that grants the team their powers, becoming The Invisible Woman. In addition to the invisibility implied by her name, Susan Storm is also capable of generating powerful forcefields, which end up having countless applications, making her one of the team’s strongest members in the comics.
In Fantastic Four: First Steps, The Invisible Woman will be played by Vanessa Kirby. Known for her appearances in the Mission Impossible series and Ridley Scott’s Napoleon, Kirby will have her work cut out for her as the team’s emotional anchor and sole female member. It’ll be refreshing to see The Invisible Woman add another powerful heroine to the MCU’s roster.
9 The Thing
Fantastic Four: First Steps
By far the most unfortunate member of The Fantastic Four, The Thing is the only part of the team whose powers come with a quite noticeable downside. Unlike the rest of The Fantastic Four, Reed Richards’ childhood friend Benjamin Grimm was cursed by his powers, giving him immense strength and durability at a price — His appearance is permanently morphed into that of a rock-like creature. This tragedy is at the crux of The Thing’s character.
The Thing is slated to be played by Ebon Moss-Bachrach of The Bear fame. In the most recent cinematic attempt at a Fantastic Four film, The Thing was an entirely CGI character. However, recent set photos of Fantastic Four: First Steps have revealed a practical Thing costume, implying a return to at least partially-tangible SFX for the latest interpretation of the character.
8 The Human Torch
Fantastic Four: First Steps
Last but not least, The Fantastic Four’s Phase 6 introduction will by rounded out by Johnny Storm, a.k.a. The Human Torch. The hotheaded brother of Susan Storm, Johnny Storm receives powers that complement his personality during Four’s fateful expedition into space. The Human Torch is a pyrokinetic capable of generating and controlling incredibly hot flames on par with the sun itself, not to mention the power to fly.
Interestingly, Johnny Storm wasn’t the first in Marvel Comics to use the title of The Human Torch, with the original being an android built in Captain America’s time.
Most recently, The Human Torch was brought back into public consciousness with a cameo by Chris Evans, who formerly played the character, in Deadpool & Wolverine. In Fantastic Four: First Steps, The Human Torch will be played by Joseph Quinn, known best for his brief role in season 4 of Stranger Things and A Quiet Place: Day One. It’ll be a treat to see Johnny Storm’s abrasive personality clash with the other characters of the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
7 Silver Surfer
Fantastic Four: First Steps
A character typically associated with The Fantastic Four and the villain Galactus, Silver Surfer is an enigmatic cosmic entity. A chrome humanoid figure always seen riding his signature surfboard, the alien hero is a Herald of Galactus, trapped in the world-devouring villain’s servitude to scout ahead to find planets for him to devour. Silver Surfer has a whole host of versatile powers, including flight, cosmic energy projection, and the ability to meld and psychically control his surfboard.
Silver Surfer is usually represented by the alien Norrin Radd, but for Fantastic Four: First Steps, another version of the character, Shalla-Bal, will be used instead. In the comics, Shalla-Bal is Norrin Radd’s love interest who only becomes the Silver Surfer herself in an alternate reality. In the MCU, Silver Surfer will be played by Julia Garner, known for series like Ozark and Inventing Anna.
6 Doctor Doom
Avengers: Doomsday
One of the longest-awaited villains in the Marvel Cinematic Universe will finally be arriving in Phase 6, with an entire Avengers movie to his name. Victor von Doom, also known as Doctor Doom, is a genius inventor and master sorcerer known as one of the most threatening tyrants in Marvel Comics. While he’s most commonly associated with The Fantastic Four, Doom is routinely a big enough threat to warrant a response by the entirety of Marvel’s cast.
In either case, the MCU’s hefty investment of his return will likely be worth it.
Replacing Kang as the series’ next overarching big bad, Marvel Studios made the controversial decision to bring Robert Downey Jr. back to the franchise as the character. It remains to be seen if this casting implies that Doom will be a variant of Iron Man, or simply an entirely new character to benefit from Robert Downey Jr.’s impressive acting abilities. In either case, the MCU’s hefty investment of his return will likely be worth it.
5 Galactus
Fantastic Four: First Steps
While Doctor Doom will get an entire crossover movie dedicated to his introduction, The Fantastic Four will need a different villain to contend with in their own solo film. Enter Galactus, a new Celestial in the MCU to be introduced in Fantastic Four: First Steps. Known for his habit of devouring worlds, Galactus is an immensely powerful being whose appearance could easily spell the end of the MCU’s main Earth.
Galactus has been disappointingly represented in a superhero film before, showing up in Fox’s Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer. Here, Galactus’ proud design as an armored humanoid was sadly reduced to an angry, sentient purple cloud, making his appearance unworthy of the character’s very name. Luckily, it seems the MCU will be doing the character justice, with teaser footage of Fantastic Four: First Steps showing a gargantuan Galactus’ face peering through the top floor of a skyscraper.
4 Doctor Strange
Avengers: Doomsday
Not every anticipated character appearance in Phase 6 will be a completely new face, with Benedict Cumberbatch’s Doctor Strange making a hotly-awaited return. First showing up in 2016’s Doctor Strange, Dr. Stephen Strange has slowly become one of the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s most beloved and ubiquitous active heroes. Doctor Strange’s last appearance in the series was in 2022’s Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, which helped open up the MCU’s multiple dimensions.
Since his debut, Doctor Strange has gradually morphed into the closest thing the MCU has to a replacement for Tony Stark. Showing up as a supporting role in Thor: Ragnarok and Spider-Man: No Way Home, Doctor Strange has managed to accrue an impressive amount of screen time and experience. As the former Sorcerer Supreme and one of the most powerful magic users of the MCU, his efforts will likely be invaluable in the upcoming Avengers: Doomsday.
3 Vision
Untitled Vision Series
One of the most powerful members of the Avengers, Vision’s absence ever since his death in Avengers: Infinity War has been felt sorely in the MCU. While he technically reappeared in WandaVision as both a magically reconstructed simulacrum crafted by Wanda and a re-animated android crafted by S.W.O.R.D., neither version of Vision has been seen since, with the latter “White Vision” fleeing the scene of the series with no explanation. With Phase 6, the character will finally get a dedicated MCU project.
Fans have speculated that the series will see Vision create his own synthetic family as he does in the comics.
The untitled Vision series, previously referred to as Vision Quest, aims to bring back White Vision as the next true iteration of the character, expanding on his activities since WandaVision. Fans have speculated that the series will see Vision create his own synthetic family as he does in the comics, possibly introducing even more versions of himself to the MCU. It’ll be fascinating to see whether Vision’s journey will intersect with the events of Avengers: Doomsday or Avengers: Secret Wars.
2 Ultron
Untitled Vision Series
Vision himself won’t be the only robotic character returning from the dead in his as-of-yet untitled Disney+ series. It’s since been confirmed that James Spader’s Ultron will also be making his grand re-appearance in the show as well, showing up for the first time since Avengers: Age of Ultron. For as many problems as the film had, James Spader’s silky voice as Ultron was a wasted gem that should’ve gotten more time to breathe in MCU canon.
Luckily, Ultron might finally get his chance to be the crossover villain he deserves to be thanks to his supposed resurrection in Vision’s series. There are many avenues the series could take when it comes to explaining his revival, from a S.W.O.R.D. recreation program to an escaped Ultron thrall that somehow survived the Battle of Sokovia. It’ll be exciting to see how Ultron fits into Phase 6.
1 Blade
Blade (2025)
If there’s one confirmed Phase 6 character whose arrival seems the most tenuous, it’s Mahershala Ali’s Blade. A half-human, half-vampire hybrid with all of the undead creatures’ strengths, but none of their weaknesses, the daywalker Blade is best known for being played by Wesley Snipes in the original late 90s/early 2000s trilogy. Now, the MCU promises to provide a new take on the character as provided by the Oscar-winning actor Mahershala Ali.
Snipes’ recent cameo in
Deadpool & Wolverine
even lampshaded this, suggesting that Marvel Studios is already well-aware of the film’s reputation.
Unfortunately, the troubled production of the MCU’s Blade paints an ominous picture, with the film having already exchanged directors, writers, and release dates multiple times. Snipes’ recent cameo in Deadpool & Wolverine even lampshaded this, suggesting that Marvel Studios is already well-aware of the film’s reputation. Hopefully, Blade’s introduction in Phase 6 of the MCU will be well worth the long, grueling wait.
Upcoming MCU Movies
“}]] Phase 6 will be a big one for the MCU’s roster. Read More