Which MCU Sequels Are Most Likely Dead After Disney"s Update?
After Disney's recent comments, several rumored sequels in the Marvel Cinematic Universe might not see the light of day. Since kicking off with 2008's Iron Man, the MCU has become the biggest shared franchise in cinema history, with the release of Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania marking the 31st film in the MCU. Marvel Studios shows no sign of stopping, as many more films and Disney+ series' are planned for the remainder of the Multiverse Saga. Even so, the MCU's critical reception has been dwindling in recent years, causing Disney to announce significant changes for the future of the franchise.
Speaking at March 2023's Morgan Stanley Technology, Media and Telecom Conference, Disney CEO Bob Iger posed that, while sequels "typically worked well for [Marvel]," future MCU sequels may not always be a guarantee. While this could mean bad news for the original Avengers, the announcement comes following the poor reception to Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania, Peyton Reed's third installment in the Ant-Man franchise, and Taika Waititi's Thor: Love & Thunder in the MCU's Phase 4. Iger's comments could jeopardize several rumored and planned upcoming sequels in the MCU since they simply may not be necessary to progress the characters' stories.