The Fantastic Four: First Steps doesn’t hit theaters until July, but it seems Marvel Studios already knows what it has. As noted by Variety, a sequel to the upcoming MCU reboot is already in development — and Disney may have subtly confirmed it. In a surprise scheduling move, the studio dated an untitled Marvel movie for December 15, 2028, making it the fourth feature film on Marvel’s calendar for that year. That alone is a bit eyebrow-raising. Disney CEO Bob Iger has spent much of the past year publicly vowing to slow down Marvel’s output after acknowledging the studio had “lost a little focus by making too much.”

In an investor call this May, he admitted, “We turned to all of our creative engines, including Marvel, and had them produce a lot more… we’ve all admitted to ourselves that we lost a little focus. By consolidating a bit and having Marvel focus much more on their films, we believe that will result in better quality.” So why suddenly announce four Marvel movies for 2028?

That December slot is especially notable because of how Marvel’s current slate is spaced. After Fantastic Four: First Steps opens this July, the studio is releasing only two movies in 2026 (Spider-Man: Brand New Day and Avengers: Doomsday) and two in 2027 (Avengers: Secret Wars and an untitled July release). That 2028 film? Maybe it’s Fantastic Four 2.

This wouldn’t be the first time Marvel preemptively locked a release date before publicly confirming a sequel. And considering how much First Steps is expected to relaunch a fresh saga — not unlike Iron Man did in 2008 — a sequel feels like a safe bet. Even with the MCU‘s recent stumbles (Captain America: Brave New World, go sit in the corner), early buzz around Fantastic Four has been encouraging.

What Is ‘The Fantastic Four: First Steps’ About?

Set in a retrofuturistic 1960s version of the MCU, the reboot stars Pedro Pascal, Vanessa Kirby, Joseph Quinn, and Ebon Moss-Bachrach as Marvel’s First Family. Directed by Matt Shakman, the film is said to blend cosmic adventure with emotional resonance, something the franchise has been missing since the Infinity Saga ended in 2019.

The reboot also marks a pivot toward Marvel’s newly acquired Fox characters, with Avengers: Secret Wars expected to be the Multiverse Saga’s swan song before the studio focuses more heavily on the X-Men and Fantastic Four moving forward. There are other possibilities for that December 2028 release — Blade, Black Panther 3, or even an X-Men solo entry. But given the timing and the confirmation that a Fantastic Four sequel is already in development, the signs are too strong to ignore.

The Fantastic Four: First Steps opens in theaters on July 25, 2025.

via Collider