Following the delays to Avengers: Doomsday and Avengers: Secret Wars to December 18, 2026 and December 17, 2027 respectively, MCU fans were left wondering what the untitled Marvel movie originally set for July 23, 2027 might be.
Assuming Marvel still intends to release a movie in this slot, it will now be the only MCU film between Avengers: Doomsday and Avengers: Secret Wars, with Spider-Man: Brand New Day now going first on July 31, 2026.
Needless to say, fans have many theories on what could fill this MCU slot. “I think Doctor Strange 3 is the most likely,” one fan wrote in a comment on a recent Reddit post in r/MarvelStudiosSpoilers. “But I feel like there’s a slight possibility that it’s the MCU’s X-Men, depending on how things go for the Fox X-Men in Doomsday.”
A lot of fans seem to be leaning toward a new Doctor Strange project as a front runner. “Probably Doctor Strange 3 imo. (Maybe Shang-Chi 2, which I would rather tbh.),” one user wrote on X / Twitter, while another mused: “I’m hoping that Dr. Strange III is World War Hulk.” Could be cool, for sure. Likely? Maybe not as much.
“Doctor Strange 3 is the most realistic choice for Marvel movie between Doomsday and Secret Wars. Blade is definitely pushed to post Secret Wars now,” another fan wrote on Reddit — but one user had strong words in response. “No, the most realistic choice is BP3, a film both Marvel and Coogler have actually talked about making,” they wrote in a reply comment, referencing Black Panther 3. “It should be his next film.”
They weren’t the only one who felt that Black Panther 3 was being unfairly left out of the conversation — which makes sense, especially on the heels of the success of Sinners. “So weird that everyone is talking about DS3, a film with no director that no one has talked about,” a commenter noticed on Reddit. “Meanwhile Black Panther 3 is right there.”
Turned out, several fans felt BP3 was a big contender. “It feels furthest along than everything else,” one Redditor said of the film. “I think it’ll be Black Panther 3 or (outside chance) Doctor Strange 3.”
“I feel like there’s a chance Black Panther 3 is the ‘27 movie,” another Redditor asserted. “Nate Moore when he announced he was leaving Marvel said he was going to produce Black Panther 3 before exiting fully and Denzel [Washington] said they wrote a part for him before any of us even knew the movie was being worked on.”
But another user noted that that timing doesn’t exactly line up — and that it could shift based on Moore’s actual exit. “Nate Moore has actually already exited Marvel Studios. He has just been cast in the next season of Survivor lol,” the fan explained. “He said he will come back to produce BP3, not that he will stay on until that movie comes out.”
Other fans are convinced that the MCU’s Blade could finally see the light of day, even though it was recently shelved despite having Mahershala Ali attached to the project since 2019. “I think Blade was secretly shot,” one user wrote, while another questioned, “Could it be Blade? Lol.”
However, someone also brought up a pretty good point: “Whatever this MCU film is in-between Doomsday & Secret Wars, it will likely be one that enhances the story of those films. I don’t think Blade is (nor should it be) the film to do that.”
“I wanna say Blade but that’s definitely not gonna happen,” another X/ Twitter user contemplated before suggesting a deeper cut for the 2027 slot. “MAYBE a Young Avengers / Champions movie (would most likely be a show but holding onto hope).” Another Redditor also had an out-of-the-box idea for what could fill the slot. “How about a Midnight Sons team-up movie led by Blade and introducing Ghost Rider as well and set on Battleworld?” they wrote.
Funnily enough, a few users think someone will swing in and steal the slot. “Sony will take that spot for Spider-Man: Brand New Day,” one Twitter user wrote, while another doubled down, “Spider-Man: Brand New Day will move there. Simple.”
Lex Briscuso is a film and television critic and a freelance entertainment writer for IGN. You can follow her on Twitter at @nikonamerica.
