Marvel's Mutant Saga Priorities Reportedly Include Black Panther 3, X-Men and Blade, but No Fantastic Four 2

Industry insider Alex Perez at The Cosmic Circus reported which films Marvel Studios was prioritizing for the Mutant Saga. His list included Black Panther 3, the X-Men reboot, Shang-Chi 2, Spider-Man 5, Avengers 7, Thunderbolts 2, Blade and Midnight Sons. The name missing from that list surprised me most: a Fantastic Four sequel.

Take this with a grain of salt. Perez and Lizzie Hill at The Cosmic Circus have a proven track record, so their reports deserve more weight, but "No scooper gets everything right." Perez also left off one film that is already in the works. Because Kevin Feige has given the length of the next saga, this list may show nearly the whole slate.

Black Panther 3 and the X-Men reboot were always going to lead the Mutant Saga

Black Panther 3 had been confirmed as in development for the better part of two years. Ryan Coogler said he was writing the script, and he was bringing Denzel Washington in. As I have reported before, we may meet the new Black Panther cast by Avengers: Secret Wars. This film has been in preproduction the longest, so it is no surprise that Marvel is prioritizing it. I always expected it to be one of the first films out of the gate.

The X-Men reboot was just as predictable. Fans have called the next saga the Mutant Saga for the better part of half a decade. Given everything written about it online, Kevin Feige might find it harder to give the saga an official name other than the Mutant Saga. The defining feature of the MCU after Avengers: Secret Wars is the arrival of mutants and a brand new X-Men cast. It is safe to assume a large share of resources is going into that, because it sets the MCU up for decades and sagas to come.

Shang-Chi 2 was a foregone conclusion with Destin Daniel Cretton still in the fold

Perez also listed Shang-Chi 2. While promoting Spider-Man: Brand New Day, Destin Daniel Cretton said the sequel was always in the works. He said it was delayed by COVID, the actors' strike and the way the Marvel slate works, which sometimes leaves years between a first film and its sequel.

It has been a long time coming. Since Marvel kept Cretton involved through Spider-Man, I think Shang-Chi 2 was a foregone conclusion among the films we could expect in the next saga. This one is no surprise at all.

Avengers 7 could bring Doctor Doom back for another round

Spider-Man 5 and Avengers 7 also made Perez's list. From what I have reported earlier, Spider-Man 5 seems to have a much quicker target date than the long gap between No Way Home and Spider-Man: Brand New Day. There is also word that the Russos may already be developing the next Avengers film.

I think that film may be Avengers: Secret Wars Part 2. I do not mean a two part release in 2027 and 2028. I mean a film that arrives after another full saga and brings back Doctor Doom. I honestly think the next step for Marvel is a serialized villain who returns in a major film. Instead of a one off big bad, Marvel could build major crossovers that take several films to defeat him. Spider-Man 5 and Avengers 7 seem very likely alongside the first three films.

Thunderbolts 2 is a curious priority for Marvel

The next films on the list are much more curious. Perez reported that Marvel Studios was prioritizing Thunderbolts 2. By a lot of metrics, Thunderbolts did not perform at the box office or with the fandom. I like Thunderbolts too, but I have a sneaking suspicion that some of its characters will not survive Avengers: Doomsday or Avengers: Secret Wars. Where Marvel plans to take a sequel, and why, is very curious to me.

It also seems a little surprising given what I think Marvel's approach will be. The studio looks set on avoiding the mistakes it made at the start of the Multiverse Saga coming out of the Infinity Saga. Jake Schreier is also moving over to direct the X-Men, and it does not seem like he would want to go backwards and make another Thunderbolts film.

Blade and Midnight Sons both being on the list surprised me

Perez said Blade and Midnight Sons are also priorities. As someone who reports on this every day, I think Midnight Sons looks like a consolation for the Blade film, a way to keep Mahershala Ali around after Marvel could not get Blade off the ground in a way that did the character justice. Oscar Isaac recently spoke about it publicly, saying Midnight Sons was a much more serious project than his Moon Knight series. That suggests how carefully Marvel is treating it.

By all accounts from industry insiders, Midnight Sons is what we get instead of Blade. So the fact that Marvel was reportedly still looking at both surprises me. Until someone inside Marvel Studios, such as Kevin Feige, makes an actual announcement, which we have not had for an extended slate in a while, I will not believe Marvel is returning to Blade. The studio tried with four directors and five or six writers. If it could not get the film made then, I do not know what would have changed. Midnight Sons could belong on the list, but not alongside Blade.

Deadpool 4 is the film already in the works that Alex Perez left off

As I mentioned at the top, another film is definitely in early development, and insiders have indicated it is a priority. Ryan Reynolds has said he is writing the next Deadpool installment. Insiders have indicated it could be an X-Force style film focused on characters who will not be part of the X-Men reboot, possibly a small team of Storm, Cable and Wolverine.

I have said that bringing in Cable right away could be complicated. If the MCU is only beginning Jean Grey and Scott Summers' early love story, with Cable being their son from the future, I just feel there would be a time, a place and a nuance to introducing him further down the road. Still, according to Jeff Sneider, Deadpool 4 could be one of the very first films after Avengers: Secret Wars. Sneider has even heard Marvel may put Deadpool 4 ahead of the X-Men.

That fits the strategy. Deadpool has already shown it can perform well at the box office in the same month as a major Avengers film. The latest one broke a billion dollars, and even half of that would be a home run. Ryan Coogler is also a known commodity whose films sell outside the MCU, and Black Panther 3 with a new Black Panther should be huge, especially if the casting is right and we meet the character in Secret Wars. The last thing Marvel wants is to repeat its post Infinity Saga mistake of not picking its opening films and franchises as well as it could have. Deadpool also works on such a different level from the rest of the MCU. His irreverent tone undercuts even serious stakes, so I think he is the perfect companion for a film like Secret Wars.

This list may cover the entire Mutant Saga

Kevin Feige has said the saga runs from 2028 to 2032, which is only five years. At Marvel's current pace of two films a year, that means about 10 films. Take the eight titles from Alex Perez and add Deadpool 4 and Thor 5, which are almost certain to happen even if they do not come early, and you get those 10 films.

There are no experimental franchises on that list. More importantly, there is no Fantastic Four sequel, which to me is "the biggest glaring hole here."

The missing Fantastic Four 2 is the biggest surprise

Jeff Sneider called Robert Downey Jr. as Doctor Doom months before it happened. He broke many Brand New Day scoops and reported that Sadie Sink was joining the MCU as Jean Grey. Recently, he said he had heard that if Marvel makes Fantastic Four 2, Matt Shakman would not return to direct. He phrased it as an if, and now the next saga reportedly has no plans for the Fantastic Four.

I am not surprised that The Fantastic Four did not do better at the box office. I am very surprised that a sequel is missing, for two reasons: what the franchise means to Marvel, and the cast Marvel assembled. I think a follow up will happen no matter what. If I am right about Doctor Doom returning for another Secret Wars five years later, Marvel would need another Fantastic Four film to establish the backstory between Reed and Doom. That relationship is clearly missing, since both characters are arriving in the MCU close together just before the final saga.

An Iron Man 4 with Robert Downey Jr. would be the easiest call

There is one more title I want to float. Marvel's problem has not been a lack of wow factor so much as predictability, since it used to announce characters and projects five or ten years ahead. It no longer does that, so a title from out of left field could still create real wonder. The easiest choices would be Iron Man 4 with Robert Downey Jr. returning, or another Captain America film with Chris Evans back as Steve Rogers, even if Sam Wilson stays in the role. That would return to classic MCU, and not only for nostalgia.

If Avengers: Secret Wars is the reboot we think it is, and Marvel uses it to erase what it believes went wrong in the Multiverse Saga, now might be the time for that kind of announcement. As I put it, "it would be hard for me to imagine anything that would make people more excited than announcing that there's an Iron Man 4 coming out with Robert Downey Jr. back as Iron Man."

If I had to bet, though, I would say he stays as Doctor Doom for a while rather than playing two MCU roles at once. Marvel may leave Iron Man off the board until it eventually recasts him. That sounds crazy to say, but at some point it has to happen.

If Doctor Doom does not return for another Secret Wars, who do you think the next big bad will be?