Following the major release date delays for Avengers: Doomsday and Secret Wars, the Marvel fallout is starting to hit Hollywood.
That includes canceled MCU release dates, a delay in Kevin Feige’s big X-Men plans, and reports that Disney CEO Bob Iger isn’t happy.
What’s going on?
MCU post-Endgame has been a bust
To put it bluntly, the MCU has been a massive failure since Endgame. Most of the movies and all of the Disney+ shows have underperformed. Fans aren’t watching, and they’re not spending their money.
The latest flops from Feige include Thunderbolts and Captain America: Brave New World. Disney even listed Brave New World as a loss in its most recent investor report. Thunderbolts is now projected to make even less than Cap 4. Up next is Fantastic Four, which already looks shaky, facing major summer competition from James Gunn’s Superman and Jurassic World Rebirth.
Avengers delayed, MCU release dates pulled
On Thursday, Disney officially announced a shift in the release schedule. Avengers: Doomsday is moving from May 1 to December 18, 2026, and Avengers: Secret Wars is now set for December 17, 2027.
Additionally, Disney removed three untitled Marvel movies from the schedule. They are now simply listed as “Untitled Disney” projects:
- February 13, 2026
- November 6, 2026
- November 5, 2027
X-Men pushed to 2028
The changes to the Avengers schedule also mean the X-Men reboot is getting pushed.
With Secret Wars now hitting in December 2027, Feige’s planned “new age of mutants” can’t kick off until 2028 at the earliest. Marvel still has three open dates in 2028, and one is assumed to be for the X-Men:
- February 18, 2028
- May 5, 2028
- November 10, 2028
Bob Iger not happy
With Marvel struggling, it’s now being said that Bob Iger is disappointed.
Iger already confirmed that streaming lost Disney billions—also thanks in part to Star Wars—and stated they’ll pull back on Marvel and Star Wars. That means fewer projects and smaller budgets (looking at you, Daredevil).
One rumor suggests Feige and Iger are clashing over the direction of the X-Men. Reportedly, Feige wants the film to push a political message, while Iger wants a straightforward, action-packed blockbuster.
Industry insider Jeff Sneider weighed in, reporting Iger isn’t thrilled about the lack of Marvel output in 2026, especially with only one Marvel Studios movie confirmed so far (Spider-Man: Brand New Day is from Sony):
“…I’m told that Disney’s Bob Iger will be very disappointed if he only gets one film (or 1.25 movies) out of Marvel next year — at the very end of the year, no less — even if it is an Avengers movie with the irresistible hook of RDJ trading in his Iron Man armor to play Doctor Doom.”
That suggests Iger expected at least one other Marvel movie in 2026, in addition to Spider-Man 4 and Avengers: Doomsday.
However, that now seems unlikely, as any 2026 film would already need to be in production.
It’s worth pointing out that Iger is leaving Disney in 2026, two years before Feige’s X-Men launch. His successor hasn’t been announced, but is expected to be named in early 2026.
MCU on hiatus
That said, the MCU is basically going on a hiatus for nearly 18 months following the Fantastic Four’s July 2025 release until Doomsday hits in December 2026.
Fans are hoping it gives Feige time to right the path, however, it has to be questioned how many of them will still be around.
MCU release date schedule:
- 7/25/25: The Fantastic Four First Steps
- 7/31/26: Spider-Man: Brand New Day (Sony)
- 12/18/26: Avengers: Doomsday
- 7/23/27: Untitled Marvel film
- 12/17/27: Avengers: Secret Wars
- 2/18/28: Untitled Marvel film
- 5/5/28: Untitled Marvel film
- 11/10/28: Untitled Marvel film
