Ben Kingsley talks returning to the MCU with Wonder Man, his connection to the Beatles and revering Queen Elizabeth II
Despite the awards and success, the actor values his knighthood from the late Queen above all.
This article first appeared in Radio Times magazine. Sir Ben Kingsley is one of the most garlanded actors of his generation. An Academy Award winner for Gandhi, he has also received Bafta, Golden Globe and Olivier awards, and worked with directors such as Martin Scorsese and Steven Spielberg. Among his most famous roles are Itzhak Stern in Schindler’s List and Don Logan in Sexy Beast, but now he’s back in the Marvel Cinematic Universe for Hollywood satire Wonder Man, in which he plays Trevor Slattery. So, who is Trevor Slattery? Trevor is an aspiring actor who never quite hit the spotlight. After falling among thieves and posing as a murderous terrorist [in 2013’s Iron Man 3], he is imprisoned, then broken out of prison, and so returns to Los Angeles to try to recreate himself as a serious actor. This is my fourth visit to Trevor. He is a character that I would never have dreamt would span 15 years of my career. You were born Krishna Pandit Bhanji in 1943. Your father was a doctor of Gujarati Indian descent and your mum was an English actress and model – how did they meet? I believe my mother attended a Guy’s Hospital dance, where my dad was training. You changed your name to Ben Kingsley; how did you decide on that? My dad’s nickname was Ben and Kingsley is derived from his father; he was a spice trader on Zanzibar and his nickname was King Clove. As a youngster, you were taken to see the Italian film Never Take No for an Answer, and you were mistaken for one of the young actors in it. This inspired you to pursue acting – how different would your life be if you hadn’t been to the cinema that day? Oh, golly… I’m eternally grateful to the universe for placing me for those two hours in front of that flickering black-and-white screen, because it was an absolutely fundamental, primal moment. And when one looks back and thinks, what if that hadn’t happened – the whole of my life would be different. Absolutely. Without question. In another Sliding Doors moment, John Lennon encouraged you to pursue a singing career. Were you close to being a pop star? Very close. Brian Epstein, who managed the Beatles, was producing a play I was in. He introduced me to Dick James of Northern Songs, who published the Beatles’ songs, and James offered to mould me into a rock star. The following day I was offered a season at Chichester Festival Theatre. I accepted that instead, and then from Chichester was offered a role in the Royal Shakespeare Company. So the theatre snatched me, and I swam along with it. In the past you’ve talked about approaching acting as a painter, trying to create an entire portrait with one brush stroke… The single brushstroke is the one essential gesture in the character – that gesture could be physical or a feeling. For Gandhi his essential gesture was anger, but he translated that into something miraculous. In Schindler’s List the essential gesture of Itzhak Stern was that he had to witness what he witnessed. The universe placed him there to witness. In film, you’ve worked with some of the greatest directors – is there a quality they all share? There are two categories of directors. One is always auditioning you. The other says, here is the role. It’s the director who can gift the role to the actor generously that I love to work with. Peter Brook, whom I worshipped, said the worst thing a director can say: “Trust me”. The kindest thing I can say to a director is, “No, you trust me”. You won an Oscar for Gandhi in 1983. Your fellow nominees were Dustin Hoffman, Jack Lemmon, Paul Newman and Peter O’Toole. How did that feel? Watching, you could tell I was in shock. I looked like a demented wine waiter holding up my Oscar, saying, “Who ordered the chardonnay?” I mean, I was completely spaced out, and my fellow nominees were titanic stars. You’ve won many awards for film and theatre, you’re also a knight and have a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. If you could have just one thing, what would it be? My knighthood. I revered greatly the late Queen Elizabeth, her father’s nerve and the family’s nerve during the Second World War. I long to be a tribal storyteller; when my tribe says, “We have seen you, and we have heard you and we thank you,” nothing quite compares as an acceptance and an embrace. You’ve been a professional actor for 60 years. Does the job get easier or harder? Neither – I think it gets more joyful. The latest issue of Radio Times is out now – subscribe here. All 8 episodes of Wonder Man are available on Disney+ from 28 January. Check out more of our Sci-fi coverage or visit our TV Guide and Streaming Guide to find out what's on. For more TV recommendations and reviews, listen to The Radio Times Podcast.
Avengers: Doomsday release date, trailers and latest news
The full cast list has now been revealed for the upcoming MCU film – and it's certainly a star-studded affair.
We are well and truly on the road to Avengers: Doomsday, with a sequence of cryptic teasers in recent weeks revealing the key factions in Marvel's forthcoming mega-crossover. So far, the heroes spotlighted include Steve Rogers (Chris Evans) and Thor (Chris Hemsworth), both founding members of the Avengers, who made their Marvel Cinematic Universe debut 15 years ago. Of course, that's nothing compared to the tenure of Patrick Stewart, Ian McKellen and James Marsden, who reprise the roles of Professor X, Magneto and Cyclops a quarter of a century on from 2000's genre-defining hit X-Men. View oEmbed on the source website How the characters from Fox's older (and once thought-defunct) universe factor into this story is anybody's guess, but Marvel fans have been excited to see Marsden's Cyclops move substantially closer to his comic book and animated counterparts. Most recently, Disney dropped another brief teaser bringing together the Wakandans, led by King M'Baku (Winston Duke) and Shuri (Letitia Wright), plus their bitter rival Namor (Tenoch Huerta) and the recently introduced Fantastic Four. View oEmbed on the source website Avengers: Doomsday directors Anthony and Joe Russo have encouraged fans to look for "clues" in each of the teasers, with fan theories appearing at a rapid rate online – including a few that a Doctor Doom expert told us. Perceived as a make or break moment for the MCU, Doomsday is hoped to redeem a spotty period in the franchise's history, which has seen some giddy highs as well as some embarrassing lows. If you're eager to know more about the Avengers: Doomsday cast, plus the current release date and fleeting story details released so far, read on for your full guide to the hotly anticipated film. Avengers: Doomsday release date Avengers: Doomsday will be released in cinemas on Friday 18th December 2026. The epic film had previously been scheduled for early May of that year – a weekend that the MCU has previously dominated – but was forced to move as production was behind schedule. In its new spot, the Marvel flick will face formidable competition from Dune: Messiah – the third film in Denis Villeneuve and Timothée Chalamet's sci-fi saga – which means that sci-fi fans will be having a very merry Christmas indeed. Downey Jr and Chalamet recently addressed the clash at a special screening for Marty Supreme, suggesting "Dunesday" as the nickname for any double-feature events that might occur (referencing 2023's epic 'Barbenheimer'). "We'll see if we're still friends by then," joked Downey Jr (via Variety). Who will star in Avengers: Doomsday? Confirmed members Avengers: Doomsday stars Robert Downey Jr as Victor Von Doom; a towering villain that unites the combined might of several superhero teams. It's unclear precisely what Doom has planned, or if he'll have any direct connection to Downey Jr's earlier role of Tony Stark (aka Iron Man), but comic book fans know that he is not to be underestimated. It appears that Steve Rogers (Chris Evans) will play a major role in the resistance to Doom's machinations, with the first Avengers: Doomsday trailer revisiting the character after his final moments in Endgame. Previously, Deadline had reported that Hayley Atwell would also appear as Peggy Carter, which seems very likely given how the short clip references Steve's marriage and apparent fatherhood. Some fans aren't ruling out the possibility of a misdirect, however, with one theory suggesting that this version of Steve could be a member of HYDRA – adapting a controversial storyline from the source material (see 'Secret Empire'). Even before Evans's reveal, the cast of Doomsday was looking spectacularly starry, boasting the Avengers, Fantastic Four, X-Men and Thunderbolts teams, as well as wild cards Namor (Tenoch Huerta) and Loki (Tom Hiddleston). Anthony Mackie is reprising the role of Sam Wilson aka Captain America, who was tasked with putting together a new Avengers team at the end of his recent solo outing Brave New World. Likely candidates for that group include Letitia Wright's Shuri, the new Black Panther, plus Chris Hemsworth's Thor, Simu Liu's Shang-Chi, Paul Rudd's Ant-Man and Danny Ramirez's Falcon. As previously confirmed, the cast of Fantastic Four: First Steps will also reappear here, comprised of Pedro Pascal (Mr Fantastic), Vanessa Kirby (Invisible Woman), Joseph Quinn (Human Torch) and Ebon Moss-Bachrach (The Thing). First Steps director Matt Shakman said – apparently mistakenly – in an interview that Mr Fantastic would go on to be "leader" of the Avengers, but Pascal himself has since corrected the record. "It’s big news to me, that's for one," he joked, in an interview with Associated Press. "There is something that happens in the comics where he is sort of drawn in by the Avengers family and asked to be put into a leadership position. "That is something that happens in the comics. It isn't necessarily something that my character's future entails." The Thunderbolts* cast will also reappear in Doomsday, with Florence Pugh (Black Widow), Sebastian Stan (Winter Soldier), Wyatt Russell (USAgent), Hannah John-Kamen (Ghost), David Harbour (Red Guardian) and Lewis Pullman (Sentry) all credited in the announcement. Meanwhile, in a surprise move, Marvel Studios has also announced the return of several cast members from 20th Century Fox's X-Men franchise, which appears to have been revived in the wake of Deadpool & Wolverine's success. Returning from that smash-hit is Channing Tatum as Gambit, alongside franchise veterans Patrick Stewart (Professor X), Ian McKellen (Magneto), Rebecca Romijn (Mystique), Alan Cumming (Nightcrawler), James Marsden (Cyclops) and Kelsey Grammer (Beast). Both Cumming and Marsden had warm words to say about returning from a long absence, with their incarnations of Nightcrawler and Cyclops not being seen since 2003's X-Men 2 and 2014's Days of Future Past respectively. On filming Doomsday, Paradise's Marsden said (via Deadline): "It's been a blast. It really has. It's been a nice little homecoming to a role that really put me on the map. It was the first real event project that I was ever a part of, and a very beloved character – this icon from the comics. And so, to step back into that role was pretty special." Meanwhile, Cumming described it as "really healing and really nice to go back to something that was a terrible experience when I did it the first time" (in another Deadline chat), although his time on set was short as his scenes were scheduled tightly so that he could be released to host the next season of The Traitors (US). Here's the confirmed Avengers: Doomsday cast in full: Robert Downey Jr (Doctor Doom) Pedro Pascal (Reed Richards/Mr Fantastic) Vanessa Kirby (Sue Storm/Invisible Woman) Joseph Quinn (Johnny Storm/The Human Torch) Ebon Moss-Bachrach (Ben Grimm/The Thing) Anthony Mackie (Sam Wilson/Captain America) Chris Hemsworth (Thor) Letitia Wright (Shuri/Black Panther) Winston Duke (M'Baku) Paul Rudd (Scott Lang/Ant-Man) Simu Liu (Shang-Chi) Danny Ramirez (Joaquin Torres / Falcon) Florence Pugh (Yelena Belova/Black Widow) Sebastian Stan (Bucky Barnes/Winter Soldier) Wyatt Russell (John Walker/US Agent) Hannah John-Kamen (Ava Starr/Ghost) David Harbour (Alexei Shostakov/Red Guardian) Lewis Pullman (Bob/Sentry) Patrick Stewart (Charles Xavier/Professor X) Ian McKellen (Erik Lehnsherr/Magneto) James Marsden (Scott Summers/Cyclops) Rebecca Romijn (Raven Darkhölme/Mystique) Alan Cumming (Kurt Wagner/Nightcrawler) Kelsey Grammer (Hank McCoy/Beast) Channing Tatum (Remy LeBeau/Gambit) Tenoch Huerta Mejia (Namor) Tom Hiddleston (Loki) As you might have noticed, that list includes some rather glaring omissions who were thought to be all but guaranteed for the next Avengers film. The absence of Tom Holland's Spider-Man, Brie Larson's Captain Marvel, Chris Pratt's Star-Lord, Mark Ruffalo's Hulk and Elizabeth Olsen's Scarlet Witch have been greeted with particular outcry from the fanbase. However, there is hope yet that these characters could factor into the story, with Marvel teasing on its social media channels that there is "always room for more" cast members. Hugh Jackman, Ryan Reynolds and Andrew Garfield are also uncertain, with the latter Spider-Man actor recently telling GQ that he is "unequivocally" not appearing in the blockbuster. It's just so hard to believe him after No Way Home! Recently, Marvel fans have been debating the probability of Reynolds returning as Deadpool for the crossover, with a source telling The Hollywood Reporter that the Merc with a Mouth would have a role – albeit, probably a small one. Reynolds himself later cast doubt on the claim, telling Variety that he hasn't "stepped foot on set", although that may just be some creative wording from the actor – after all, he could well have filmed scenes or recorded audio remotely. As for Jackman, the actor recently appeared on The Graham Norton Show, where he told the host that he is "never saying 'never' ever again," after cancelling his post-Logan retirement for 2023 hit Deadpool & Wolverine. Sadly for fans of Fox's original X-Men cast, Famke Janssen recently revealed (via Entertainment Weekly) that Marvel Studios hasn't ever reached out to her about the prospect of a Jean Grey comeback, so the reunion may never be complete. Something to consider, though, is that this line-up is for Avengers: Doomsday only, which is one half of a two-part storyline set to conclude in 2027's Secret Wars – so it seems likely that the sequel could scoop up some late-comers. Case in point: Benedict Cumberbatch has already told Business Insider that he'll be in the "next one" as Doctor Strange, after previously assuring fans that Marvel Studios was "cooking up a storm" with its latest cinematic event. What is Avengers: Doomsday about? Avengers: Doomsday does not yet have an official plot synopsis, but the movie is set to formally introduce Victor von Doom as a major threat to the Marvel multiverse. The character made a brief appearance in the Fantastic Four: First Steps post-credits scene, where he is seen (albeit, only from behind), approaching the universe's most powerful four-year-old: Franklin Richards. What does he want with him exactly? That remains to be seen. It's possible that the intricacies are still being worked out! Producer Kevin Feige confirmed (via The Hollywood Reporter) over the summer that the script was still being worked on after cameras started rolling, which he actually views as a strength of the production. He said: "Those actors, both the ones that are playing these characters for the first or second time and the ones playing them for the 10th or 12th time, are the best in the world at it, and know these characters so well. So if they have an idea, you want to listen to it and you want to adjust to it and you want to improve it. I wouldn't want to change that." Much like Infinity War and Endgame, which became two of the highest-grossing films of all time, Doomsday and its sequel Secret Wars will serve as two parts of a larger narrative – with one leading directly into the other. Teasing the plot to The Hollywood Reporter, co-director Joe Russo said: "I think these movies are going to be a surprise to people – we found a way into the story that’s very exciting to us but we think very radical and I think it’s going to challenge audiences." In the 2016 comic book series Secret Wars, upon which the film may be inspired, Doctor Doom salvages elements of a destroyed multiverse and reforms them as 'Battleworld' – a domain in which he is the unquestioned god and ruler. Prior to this storyline, the Marvel comics had dealt with the concept of incursions, whereby one reality would collide with another, either destroying both or causing one side to take a deadly defensive action. Perhaps these terrifying events might begin occurring in Avengers: Doomsday, leading Doctor Doom to create his surreal new reality as he did in the source material – leaving enormous questions lingering for Secret Wars to answer. The post-credits scene in Thunderbolts* added weight to this theory, with Yelena Belova (Florence Pugh) addressing a "space crisis" which could well be other planets or realities on a collision course with Earth. Yelena vents frustration that her own New Avengers teams are viewed negatively by the press and public, while Sam Wilson's separately assembled team is regarded as more legitimate – and refusing to share intel. That's when an inter-dimensional ship carrying the Fantastic Four is spotted entering the atmosphere, with the team likely to be carrying a dire warning of apocalyptic threat (if the film's subtitle is any indication). Interestingly, the Thunderbolts* post-credits scene was actually filmed on the set of Avengers: Doomsday, with director Jake Schreier describing it as "a small hint of that film" (via Entertainment Weekly). Another threat to the Fantastic Four will come from a most unexpected place, with Nightcrawler actor Alan Cumming recently revealing that he's filming an action scene that involves "hitting Pedro Pascal against the head" (via Buzzfeed). No doubt Mr Fantastic and Nightcrawler will eventually reconcile to face their real adversary. Don't expect the crossover to come to a neat conclusion, though, with Captain America star Mackie apparently confirming that – as expected – Doomsday will end on a cliffhanger comparable to the catastrophic 'snap' in 2018's Infinity War. "It's one of those stories that really pushes the boundaries," he teased in an interview with Collider. The cliffhanger at the end... the last moments of the film, it really builds and sets us up for a way for the continuation of the Marvel saga, which is really exciting." Mackie added: "You see these characters, and you see how they're introduced and how they play in the universe moving forward, and no one is safe. Everyone is expendable." Why was Avengers: The Kang Dynasty cancelled? Previously, the fifth movie in the Avengers franchise was to be named The Kang Dynasty and to continue plot threads previously established in Disney Plus series Loki and Marvel blockbuster Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania. Jonathan Majors appeared in both projects as variants of Kang the Conquerer; a powerful time-travelling menace who was initially intended to be the MCU's next Thanos-level threat. However, Majors was dropped by Marvel Studios after he was found guilty of assaulting and harassing his ex-girlfriend by a jury in New York. He was convicted on two counts but acquitted of a different assault charge and of aggravated harassment. Some had expected Marvel Studios to continue the storyline with a new actor as Kang, but the company has instead decided to go in an entirely different direction with its plans. Avengers: Doomsday trailer Marvel dropped the teaser for Avengers: Doomsday in December 2025, playing first before screenings of Avatar: Fire and Ash before being released online days later. Watch here: View oEmbed on the source website Another, featuring Chris Hemsworth's Thor, followed soon after. Watch now: Avengers: Doomsday is coming to cinemas in December 2026. Check out more of our Film coverage or visit our TV Guide and Streaming Guide to find out what's on. For more from the biggest stars in TV, listen to The Radio Times Podcast.
How much is Disney Plus? What’s included in the UK price
Here's everything you need to know about Disney's streaming service, which has everything from Disney originals, Pixar, Marvel, Star and so much more.
Disney Plus is now a well-established giant in the streaming world thanks to its continuous releases of original shows, new films and gripping series. For families, its child-friendly options include films such as the live-action Lilo & Stitch, as well as classics like The Lion King, Toy Story, and The Incredibles. While its growing selection of adult-focused content includes ongoing releases like The Bear, Only Murders in the Building, and reality hits like The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives. That's not forgetting the Marvel Cinematic Universe films and series, like the brand-new addition of Thunderbolts. Plus there's the Star Wars shows, including The Acolyte and Andor. Read more the best Disney Plus deals here. We've also got round-ups of the best Disney Plus shows and best Disney Plus movies, so you can delve deeper into what Disney Plus is all about – including compatible devices and the price increase. Get Disney Plus from £5.99 a month Jump to: What is Disney Plus: What's included in the UK subscription? How much does Disney Plus cost in the UK? How do I sign up for Disney Plus in the UK? How many people can watch Disney Plus at once? How many devices can you use Disney Plus on? What TV shows are on Disney Plus? What movies are on Disney Plus? Is Disney Plus worth it? Can I download Disney Plus films and TV shows? What is Disney Plus: What's included in the UK subscription? Disney Plus is a major streaming service owned by The Walt Disney Company which features a host of new and past TV series and films from Disney and its many subsidiaries. That means you can not only expect to find Disney projects like Lilo and Stitch but also shows and films from: Pixar Marvel Star Wars Fox National Geographic Star ITVX Disney Plus subscribers have access to a range of shows and films made by Disney's creative studios (FX, Fox, 20th Century Studios, ABC, Searchlight and Freeform). Also, Hulu titles are often added. From award-winning movies including Poor Things to TV shows including Family Guy, Grey’s Anatomy and Buffy the Vampire Slayer. See our guide to can you watch Hulu in the UK to see what you can watch with a Disney subscription. As per streaming services like Netflix, you don't have to buy each show or film you watch; instead, you pay a monthly subscription for access to all titles on the service’s massive library. Disney Plus has now released two new cheaper subscription plans to help you save on your membership. The Standard with Ads plan usually costs just £5.99 a month. This plan includes access to 1080p Disney content which can be streamed across two devices; you will have adverts and will be unable to download content to play offline. Check out the Disney Plus ad tiers explained for more. The plan above this, the Standard plan, costs £9.99 a month and has all the benefits of the Standard with Ads membership, plus there are no adverts and you can download content to watch offline on two devices. If you want to go all out, then the Premium plan could be the one for you. For £14.99 a month, you can enjoy ultra-high definition (4K HDR) ad-free content streamed and downloaded across four devices. Get Disney Plus from £5.99 a month How much does Disney Plus cost in the UK? The cost of your Disney Plus subscription depends on the plan you've chosen. The Standard with Ads plan usually costs £5.99 a month. The Standard plan costs £9.99 a month or £99.90 a year, and the Premium plan costs £14.99 a month or £149.90 a year. Disney Plus sometimes runs deals, such as the £1.99 per month offer, which sees you secure the streaming service for less. Get Disney Plus from £5.99 a month How do I sign up for Disney Plus in the UK? You can sign up to Disney Plus on their website or through the Disney Plus app. You can download the app on most Android and Apple devices, as well as most Smart TVs and Amazon Fire TV Stick. You can also sign up via your PS5 or Xbox Series X games console. Check out our guide to find out how to download the Disney Plus app. You’ll be able to sign up for the service through Sky Q and NOW – Disney Plus will be available as an add-on. How many people can watch Disney Plus at once? The amount of devices you can stream Disney Plus on simultaneously depends on the plan you've signed up for. The Standard with Ads and Standard plans allow streaming on two devices, while Premium subscribers can stream on four devices at once. How many devices can you use Disney Plus on? You can also register up to ten devices, and Disney Plus will support seven profiles. The Disney Plus app can be downloaded on most Apple and Android devices, Smart TVs and Amazon Fire TV streaming devices, as well as consoles such as the PS5 and Xbox Series X. What TV shows are on Disney Plus? Top Star Wars, Marvel, Pixar and Fox shows are available for all subscribers, including: Star Wars series The Acolyte, where a Padawan reunites with her Jedi Master to investigate a series of crimes Also there's Star Wars' Andor, a series that acts as a prequel to the movie Rogue One. Marvel Studios is rolling out an ambitious slate of shows set in its cinematic universe, which started with WandaVision and continued with Agatha All Along. Season five of Only Murders in the Building, a comedy series fronted by Steve Martin, Martin Short and Selena Gomez, whose apartment building is plagued by a series of incidents. Star Originals including Welcome to Wrexham, a docuseries about Ryan Reynolds's purchase and ownership of one of professional football's oldest clubs, which is soon returning for its third season. National Geographic shows like the new series of Animals Up Close with Bertie Gregory, which shows us the daily lives of some of the world’s most extraordinary animals in new detail. Cartoon shorts like I Am Groot series two and Forky Asks a Question from the world of Toy Story. 32 seasons of hit animation series The Simpsons and new episodes of its sister show Futurama. All seven seasons of Star Wars: The Clone Wars, an animated series delving into what happened between Episode II and Episode III, as well as a second series of spin-off Star Wars: The Bad Batch. Percy Jackson and the Olympians was a treat for Rick Riordan fans which came out for a second season last year. Get Disney Plus from £5.99 a month What movies are on Disney Plus? Disney Plus hosts a gigantic library of classic Disney movies (think Snow White) alongside Star Wars, Marvel, Pixar and Fox movies. The biggest films to look out for include… The Marvel Cinematic Universe. Almost all of the MCU superhero films will be available to watch, including Thunderbolts. Oscar nominees such as the The Banshees of Inisherin, Alien: Romulus, and Elton John: Never Too Late. Snow White - Disney's latest foray into live-action remakes starring Halle Bailey as Ariel. Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker, along with all the previous Star Wars films, are available on Disney Plus. Disney Plus original movies including Strange World and Lady and the Tramp. 20th Century Fox classics including Mrs Doubtfire. The entire Pixar collection, including new release Elio. The X-Men movies, including the acclaimed X-Men: Days of Future Past. Get Disney Plus from £5.99 a month Is Disney Plus worth it? There’s certainly a lot going for the subscription service, with the Standard with Ads plan (costing £5.99 a month) and the Disney Plus Standard plan (costing £9.99 per month) being cheaper than Netflix’s standard package (£12.99). At the launch of the service, a weak spot for Disney Plus was that its content was almost exclusively child and teen-friendly, leading to a shortage of mature titles for adults to dive into. However, that totally changed with the inclusion of Star in 2021 - oh, and just in case you're a parent nervous about your little ones watching something they should, here's our explainer on the Disney Plus parental controls. Marvel Studios also regularly produces original television series for Disney Plus set in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, and with Secret Invasion, Eyes of Wakanda, and Loki all launching in the last few years, Disney has quickly established itself as the streamer of choice for comic book aficionados. Disney Plus may well be the best streaming service for Marvel fans, Star Wars lovers or those with children - or indeed anyone with an interest in the streaming service's rapidly growing choices for both young and old, at a very reasonable price. Can I download Disney Plus films and TV shows? Yes, you can download titles and watch them later on the Disney Plus app. You can only do so on iOS or Android devices, currently, you're unable to watch Disney offline on PCs or game consoles. Downloads will last 30 days. Get Disney Plus from £5.99 a month Want more Disney? Check out our guides to how to get Disney Plus on your smart TV and recommendations of Disney Plus offers, or visit our TV Guide and Streaming Guide. Plus, here's the Apple AirPods Pro 3 UK release date and Apple Watch Ultra 3 UK release date.
How to watch the Marvel movies in the Spaghetti Order
Updated all the way up to Fantastic Four: First Steps, here's a full explanation of the MCU and Avengers Spaghetti timeline. It might just change your life.
The Marvel Cinematic Universe is an unprecedented project, changing Hollywood with its pioneering multiyear storytelling and canny utilisation of the post-credits scene. Besides fuelling speculation and excitement for future instalments, the post-credits scene also served as the basis for an MCU viewing method known as the 'Spaghetti Order'. The ethos behind the technique, first floated by writer Jonathan Sim in 2018, was to be guided from chapter to chapter by these post-credits scenes, which was intended to provide a seamless viewing experience. Of course, Sim could hardly have predicted how vast and difficult to follow the franchise would become over following years, which is perhaps why his page on the spaghetti method hasn't seen an update since Multiverse of Madness released in 2022. In admiration of the idea, we here at RadioTimes.com have taken it upon ourselves to apply the Spaghetti Order to Marvel Phases 4 and 5, which proved to be a bigger undertaking than even we expected. However, the outcome of this work is a suitably jumbled viewing order that we think makes about as much sense of the MCU's chaotic later stages as could possibly be achieved. Read on, true believers, for how it works. How to watch the Marvel movies in order – Spaghetti Order To recap, the Spaghetti order follows sound and simple reasoning: basically, if a post-credit scene alludes to another film, the thinking is that you should watch that film next, if possible. And that's it. Here's how that looks in practice for the first three phases of the MCU. Phase One Iron Man (2008) The Incredible Hulk (2008) Iron Man 2 (2010) Thor (2011) Captain America: The First Avenger (2011) The Avengers (2012) In the case of Phase 1, nothing actually changes from the original release date order. That's because the first six MCU films fit fairly tightly together with their post-credit shenanigans. In Iron Man’s post-credits scene, we see Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr) learn about the Avengers Initiative. The character then appears again in the closing moments of The Incredible Hulk, which thus leads into Iron Man 2. And at the end of that outing, Phil Coulson (Clark Gregg), finds Thor's hammer, which ushers to screen – you guessed it – Thor. At its finish, Thor alludes to the Tesseract, an object we learn more about in Captain America: The First Avenger. And at the end of Captain America: The First Avenger? There’s essentially a trailer for Avengers Assemble. Later on, you'll miss this simplicity. Phase Two Iron Man 3 (2013) Thor: The Dark World (2013) Guardians of the Galaxy (2014) Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 (2017) Captain America: The Winter Soldier (2014) Avengers: Age of Ultron (2015) Ant-Man (2015) As per Phase One, the second block of MCU movies follows a fairly clear structure, post-credit-wise. However, you've probably noticed one major outlier: Guardians of the Galaxy Vol 2, a film that was originally part of Phase 3. What gives? At first, it might not be clear why this is the case. After all, the post-credit scene of its predecessor primarily features a swaying sapling Groot and unlikely Howard the Duck cameo. But, as Sim argues, a key twist in the sequel movie carries more emotional weight if the films are watched back-to-back – and notably, they do follow each other immediately on the MCU timeline. Phase Three Captain America: Civil War (2016) Spider-Man: Homecoming (2017) Black Panther (2018) Doctor Strange (2016) Thor: Ragnarok (2017) Avengers: Infinity War (2018) Ant-Man and the Wasp (2018) Captain Marvel (2019) Avengers: Endgame (2019) Spider-Man: Far From Home (2019) Here's where it starts to get a tad more complicated. Although the last five films on this list remain in their original order, there’s a fair bit of jostling at the start. The reasons are exactly what you'd expect. Due to an after-credits scene featuring Tom Holland's web-head, Captain America: Civil War should lead straight into Spider-Man: Homecoming, according to Spaghetti logic. And, as Civil War also introduced viewers to Black Panther, the thinking is that you should then watch T'Challa's origin story (starring the late Chadwick Boseman as the King of Wakanda). After that, you revert back to the MCU chronological order, meaning you watch Doctor Strange, followed by Thor: Ragnarok. All things considered, it's so easy that even Drax could manage it (sorry, Drax). Marvel Phase Four and Five Spaghetti Order explained From Phase Four, the MCU's once-meticulous planning went off the rails. At the time of writing, several post-credits scenes are still waiting to be followed up on, rendering the original spaghetti method strategy impossible to honour in every instance – that means thematic links become more important. To help us with this task, we've opted to lump Phases Four and Five into one mega-phase as there is essentially nothing to separate them plot-wise, but rather an awful lot of connective tissue. Furthermore, the fragmentation of the MCU means that a single spaghetti strand (or 'spaghetto' according to Bon Appétit) doesn't really cut it anymore, so instead we have four strands to be consumed in order. Let's begin. Part 1: Espionage (+Eternals) branch Black Widow (2021) Hawkeye (2021) Echo (2024) Daredevil: Born Again (2025) The Falcon and the Winter Soldier (2021) Black Panther: Wakanda Forever (2022) Secret Invasion (2023) Eternals (2021) Captain America: Brave New World (2025) Thunderbolts* (2025) The Phase 4 and 5 spaghetti order starts off rather neatly, with Black Widow teasing Yelena Belova's role in Hawkeye; Echo then spins out of that show, and sets up Kingpin for his new gig in Daredevil: Born Again. Lovely stuff. Shifting gears slightly, The Falcon and the Winter Soldier has a Wakandan subplot – including a guest appearance from Dora Milaje member Ayo (Florence Kasumba) – making Black Panther: Wakanda Forever a suitable follow-up. If you have any sense, you'd skip Secret Invasion (it's awful), but any die-hard fans can head there next as it brings back James Rhodes and Everett Ross from the preceding two chapters, respectively. At some point we have to shoe-horn Eternals into the mix, as the plot of Captain America: Brave New World spills out of its climactic finale. And Thunderbolts* sits neatly next in line. Now let's get weird. Part 2: Magic & Multiverse branch WandaVision (2021) Spider-Man: No Way Home (2021) What If...? season 1 (2021) Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness (2022) Agatha All Along (2024) Ironheart (2025) It's time to put the 'multiverse' into Multiverse Saga. Unfortunately, this is a migraine-inducing nightmare, due to the significant overlap between this branch and the Kang & TVA branch (part 3, below). Ultimately we've opted to keep them separate for two reasons. Firstly, viewing like this gives you an in-depth examination of both Wanda Maximoff and Doctor Strange, plus a whistle-stop tour of sorcery in the wider MCU – ultimately leading to a long sought-after introduction. Second, no matter how good Loki might be, the series and its associates are somewhat compromised by their connection to the aborted Kang the Conqueror storyline. So, let's consider them a detour to be taken later. One final note: although What If...? season 1 dropped before No Way Home, we advise swapping them in the order (the animated series functions nicely as a Multiverse of Madness prologue, given that Doctor Strange and Captain Carter are prominent in both). Part 3: Kang & TVA branch Loki season 1 (2021) Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania (2023) Loki season 2 (2023) Deadpool & Wolverine (2024) Besides the dropping of Kang as an overarching villain, Loki is also undercut by its season 1 finale going unacknowledged by Spider-Man: No Way Home, making it unclear which MCU entry can truly claim responsibility for sparking the multiverse. Still, the Loki season 2 ending will probably be factored into the character's return in Avengers: Doomsday, and the establishment of the TVA is important context for Deadpool & Wolverine, so the series shouldn't be cut out entirely. Part 4: Cosmic branch Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings (2021) She-Hulk: Attorney at Law (2022) Ms Marvel (2022) The Marvels (2023) Thor: Love and Thunder (2022) The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special (2022) Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 (2023) Moon Knight (2022) Werewolf by Night (2022) Marvel Zombies (2025) Fantastic Four: First Steps (2025) Shang-Chi kicks off this strand, with She-Hulk being an optional follow-up as it adds context to Abomination and Wong's fleeting cameo appearance. (No, Daredevil's She-Hulk role doesn't really make sense here, but I'm doing my best.) Captain Marvel's Shang-Chi cameo launches us into her side of the MCU, which expands with Ms Marvel and The Marvels. Then we'll head over to Thor: Love and Thunder, which lightly re-establishes the Guardians in a slapstick opening sequence. Moon Knight is pretty self-contained, but provides essential context for the Blade Knight alt-universe character in Marvel Zombies. Werewolf by Night is completely pointless, but feel free to sandwich it in-between for an offbeat supernatural trilogy. Phase 6's The Fantastic Four: First Steps fits nicely here as a wholesome – but still firmly cosmic – palate cleanser after all that spooky stuff. It also shifts focus back to the main MCU narrative in time for the Doomsday crossover. How to watch Marvel Phase Four and Five spaghetti method – in review So, considering all the context above, here is our suggestion for an MCU Phase 4 and 5 spaghetti method. (It's not perfect, but it's the best we could do.) Black Widow (2021) Hawkeye (2021) Echo (2024) Daredevil: Born Again (2025) The Falcon and the Winter Soldier (2021) Black Panther: Wakanda Forever (2022) Secret Invasion (2023) Eternals (2021) Captain America: Brave New World (2025) Thunderbolts* (2025) WandaVision (2021) Spider-Man: No Way Home (2021) What If...? season 1 (2021) Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness (2022) Agatha All Along (2024) Ironheart (2025) Loki season 1 (2021) Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania (2023) Loki season 2 (2023) Deadpool & Wolverine (2024) Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings (2021) She-Hulk: Attorney at Law (2022) Ms Marvel (2022) The Marvels (2023) Thor: Love and Thunder (2022) The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special (2022) Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 (2023) Moon Knight (2022) Werewolf by Night (2022) Marvel Zombies (2025) Fantastic Four: First Steps (2025) (Note that What If...? seasons 2 and 3 and Your Friendly Neighbourhood Spider-Man have been omitted from this order because they don't really feed into the larger MCU narrative in any meaningful way.) Stream the Marvel Cinematic Universe on Disney Plus. Add Marvel shows to your watchlist on the <a id="OWA8b702c45-bee9-94e4-f018-57518e78041b" title="https://www.radiotimes.com/download-the-app/?af_xp=custom&pid=website&c=editorial_content&is_retargeting=true&af_reengagement_window=30d" href="https://www.radiotimes.com/download-the-app/?af_xp=custom&pid=website&c=editorial_content&is_retargeting=true&af_reengagement_window=30d" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" data-outlook-id="449c28d9-909e-4aab-b6b8-153454f55d5e" data-auth="NotApplicable" data-linkindex="0">Radio Times: What to Watch app – download now for daily TV recommendations, features and more. View Affiliate Playlist on the source website Check out more of our Film coverage or visit our TV Guide and Streaming Guide to find out what's on. For more TV recommendations and reviews, listen to The Radio Times Podcast.
30 Marvel quiz questions and answers: How well do you know the MCU?
Even superheroes have a night off - here are some marvellous questions to kick off your next quiz!
It's been a bumpy year for Marvel fans, but many true believers are holding out hope for a blockbuster year to come, with a new Spider-Man film and the first of two Avengers crossovers just around the corner. What better way to get excited than with a good old fashioned quiz? Your friends at RadioTimes.com have compiled this list of 30 MCU-related questions to get your memory of the hit franchise working. Spanning from the very first phase of the epic project to its most recent entries, including the Halloween-themed Marvel Zombies and retro-future delight Fantastic Four: First Steps, this quiz should work out whose been paying the closest attention. If you find yourself struggling, don't worry! There should be plenty of time to brush up on your MCU knowledge ahead of Avengers: Doomsday, with no new films planned until next July's Spider-Man: Brand New Day. That said, the franchise's small screen escapades will continue, with meta comedy Wonder Man scheduled for January and a second season of Daredevil: Born Again to follow in the spring. Once you’re done with the Marvel questions, why not try our TV pub quiz, film pub quiz, music quiz or sport pub quiz? There are also many more rounds available as part of our bumper general knowledge pub quiz. Marvel quiz questions Who made Captain America's shield? What is the name of the Fantastic Four's android assistant, who lives with them in the Baxter Building? Which beloved comic book writer cameoed in every Marvel film up to Avengers: Endgame? Who was the first deaf superhero to be introduced to the MCU? Which fictional element is the source of global political tension in Captain America: Brave New World? Which infamous character made cameos in each entry of the Guardians of the Galaxy trilogy? What is Black Widow's real name? On what planet was the Soul Stone hidden in Infinity War? In Marvel Zombies, which MCU character appears as a floating head in a jar? What was the final film in Marvel Studios' "Phase Four"? Which Marvel film did Kenneth Branagh direct? Which MCU character is described as having "the power of a thousand exploding suns"? In which film's post-credit scene did Thanos first appear? Name the two MCU films in which Blade has made an appearance. What is the name of the magical book that corrupts Wanda Maximoff? Who was the first female superhero to appear in the title of an MCU film? What is the comical real name of Gael García Bernal's character in Werewolf by Night? Which Phase 5 film saw the return of Kelsey Grammer as the X-Men's science genius Hank McCoy aka Beast? Harrison Ford played Thaddeus Ross in Captain America: Brave New World – but who did he inherit the role from? Who is Tony Stark's favourite band, whose songs feature prominently in the first two Iron Man films? What species is Loki revealed to be? What country does Wanda Maximoff come from? Before becoming Vision, what is the name of Iron Man's AI butler? Which TWO MCU movies are tied with the lowest critic scores on Rotten Tomatoes (as of October 2025)? What Top Gun character is Captain Marvel's cat named after? Who was the first actor to play James Rhodes (aka War Machine) in the MCU? Which long sought-after Marvel villain finally debuted in Ironheart – and who played them? Who killed Tony Stark's parents? Agent Phil Coulson went on to become the main character on which spin-off TV show? Which SIX characters made up the Illuminati in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness? Marvel quiz answers Howard Stark HERBIE Stan Lee Makkari (in The Eternals). Maya Lopez aka Echo is incorrect, as she debuted about two weeks later (in Hawkeye). Adamantium (best known as the material of Wolverine's claws) Howard the Duck Natasha Romanoff Vormir Scott Lang / Ant-Man Black Panther: Wakanda Forever Thor Bob / The Sentry (from Thunderbolts*) – trivia: in the comics, it's actually a million exploding suns. The Avengers Eternals (played by Mahershala Ali in a voice cameo) and Deadpool & Wolverine (played by Wesley Snipes) The Darkhold Wasp Jack Russell The Marvels William Hurt AC/DC Frost Giant Sokovia JARVIS Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania and Captain America: Brave New World (both at 46% approval) Goose Terrence Howard Mephisto (played by Sacha Baron Cohen) Bucky Barnes aka The Winter Soldier Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. Baron Karl Mordo, Captain Peggy Carter, Blackagar Boltagon AKA Black Bolt, Maria Rambeau AKA Captain Marvel, Reed Richards AKA Mr Fantastic and Charles Xavier AKA Professor X. View Riddle on the source website Can't get enough quizzing? Try some of our other quizzes now: General knowledge quiz questions and answers Kids general knowledge quiz questions and answers TV quiz questions and answers Music quiz questions and answers Sport quiz questions and answers Food and drink quiz questions and answers Christmas quiz questions and answers Geography quiz questions and answers Easy pub quiz questions and answers The Crown quiz questions and answers Friends quiz questions and answers Game of Thrones quiz questions and answers Breaking Bad quiz questions and answers Peaky Blinders quiz questions and answers Soaps quiz questions and answers Netflix quiz questions and answers Doctor Who quiz questions and answers Harry Potter quiz questions and answers Disney quiz questions and answers James Bond quiz questions and answers Star Wars quiz questions and answers Most movies and series from the Marvel Cinematic Universe are available to stream on Disney Plus. Sign up to Disney+ from £5.99 a month. Check out more of our Sci-Fi coverage or visit our TV Guide and Streaming Guide to see what's on tonight. For more TV recommendations and reviews, listen to The Radio Times Podcast. Add Marvel shows to your watchlist on the <a id="OWA8b702c45-bee9-94e4-f018-57518e78041b" title="https://www.radiotimes.com/download-the-app/?af_xp=custom&pid=website&c=editorial_content&is_retargeting=true&af_reengagement_window=30d" href="https://www.radiotimes.com/download-the-app/?af_xp=custom&pid=website&c=editorial_content&is_retargeting=true&af_reengagement_window=30d" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" data-outlook-id="449c28d9-909e-4aab-b6b8-153454f55d5e" data-auth="NotApplicable" data-linkindex="0">Radio Times: What to Watch app – download now for daily TV recommendations, features and more.
Marvel Zombies release date, trailer, latest news
Brace yourself for Marvel Animation's darkest project yet.
Spinning off from season 1, episode 5 of Marvel's animated What If...? series, Marvel Zombies takes place in a version of the MCU that's been ravaged by, you guessed it, a zombie apocalypse. And, in keeping with the zombie genre, it's set to be a lot darker than your typical Marvel fare. The upcoming miniseries takes cues from the Marvel Zombies comics, which feature zombie versions of various iconic Marvel heroes and villains. As you'd expect, this sets the scene for a brutally violent horror story, pitting human survivors like Shang-Chi and Ms Marvel against a ravenous zombie horde. Like the one-off animated snapshots we got in the What If...? anthology series, Marvel Zombies will also feature an all-star voice cast of established MCU actors. With the show's premiere fast approaching, here's everything you need to know about Marvel Zombies, including its new trailer and when you can watch the series. Marvel Zombies release date Marvel Zombies will premiere on Disney Plus on Wednesday 24th September 2025. The miniseries will run for four episodes, all of which will arrive on 24th September. These episodes will probably be about half an hour long each, although that hasn't been confirmed. Marvel Zombies plot Over at Marvel.com, the plot of Marvel Zombies is described as follows: "After the Avengers are overtaken by a zombie plague, a desperate group of survivors discover the key to bringing an end to the super-powered undead, racing across a dystopian landscape and risking life and limb to save their world." This story began in a standalone episode of Marvel's What If...?, which introduced the post-apocalyptic Marvel Zombies setting. The episode concluded with a ragtag team of survivors escaping a zombie horde: Spider-Man, Black Panther, and Ant-Man's head in a jar. This ending also teased Zombie Thanos as an upcoming villain. The new trailer introduces a wild selection of characters from across the MCU, led by Shang-Chi (Simu Liu) and his friend Katy (Awkwafina), along with Yelena Belova (Florence Pugh) and Red Guardian (David Harbour). We also see glimpses of numerous Marvel A-listers including zombie versions of Captain America and Scarlet Witch. Since this is a standalone story set in an alternate timeline, Marvel Zombies has free rein to kill off as many characters as it likes. And judging by the gory tone of the trailer, this miniseries will definitely have a high body count. Marvel Zombies cast Marvel Zombies will bring together an all-star voice cast from around the MCU, playing characters from the Avengers movies, Shang-Chi, Ant-Man, Thor and more. Simu Liu as Shang-Chi Awkwafina as Katy David Harbour as Red Guardian Elizabeth Olsen as Scarlet Witch Florence Pugh as Yelena Belova Paul Rudd as Ant-Man Wyatt Russell as John Walker/U.S. Agent Hailee Steinfeld as Kate Bishop Tessa Thompson as Valkyrie Dominique Thorne as Ironheart Iman Vellani as Ms Marvel Randall Park as Jimmy Woo The miniseries will also include zombie versions of characters like Namor, Hawkeye, Captain America, Captain Marvel and Okoye from Black Panther, but these may not be speaking roles due to the whole zombie situation. Marvel Zombies age rating Marvel Zombies will be rated TV-MA, the American TV classification for mature viewing. That isn't surprising considering the bloody and violent content of the trailer, which is full of characters getting hacked to pieces. Given that the main MCU franchise tends to be more kid-friendly, this is a rare move for Disney Plus, joining spinoffs like Daredevil: Born Again in the more adult-rated corner of the franchise. Is there a Marvel Zombies trailer? Yes! You can watch the Marvel Zombies trailer here: View oEmbed on the source website Marvel Zombies will premiere on Wednesday 24th September 2024 on Disney Plus. Additionally, Marvel's What If...? seasons 1-2 are available to stream on Disney Plus. Season 3 coming soon. Sign up to Disney Plus from £4.99 a month. View Affiliate Playlist on the source website Check out more of our Sci-Fi coverage or visit our TV Guide and Streaming Guide to find out what's on. For more from the biggest stars in TV, listen to The Radio Times Podcast.
Spider-Man star Tom Holland responds to James Bond casting rumours: "There's speculation"
With Daniel Craig vacating the role of 007 after 15 years in the job, the hunt for the next James Bond is heating up, and one of the bookies' favourites is playing coy about it all. Speculation about who could be the next Bond is rampant, following reports that the shortlist for the iconic role has been whittled down to three: Harris Dickinson, Jacob Elordi and Tom Holland. Now, Holland has broken his silence on the situation, acknowledging it but choosing not to divulge too much information about what may be going on. In a video on Gordon Ramsay's YouTube channel in which the pair chat while making a fried chicken sandwich, Ramsay wryly asked Holland: "Ever thought about using the word 'James' with future movies going forward?" Holland, smiling, immediately replied: "Listen, there's speculation at the minute. We'll keep it to a minimum for now," before adding: "We'll get there one day." View oEmbed on the source website Although reluctant to share any details, Holland didn't hide his enthusiasm for the role of Bond. "Every young British actor, it's the pinnacle of working in our industry," he explained. "I already consider myself to be the luckiest kid alive. I could never have dreamed to have the career that I've had." While Bond may be the pinnacle, Holland is currently still hard at work on the fourth film in the MCU's Spider-Man series, Spider-Man: Brand New Day, with filming getting under way in Glasgow earlier this week. On the Bond side of things, the new Amazon-led production has continued to add to its ranks, with Peaky Blinders creator Steven Knight joining as a writer alongside previously announced director Denis Villeneuve. Whoever ends up as 007 will have big shoes to fill, with Daniel Craig's 15-year stint delivering some of the franchise's most popular films, such as Casino Royale and Skyfall. Check out more of our Film coverage or visit our TV Guide and Streaming Guide to find out what's on. For more TV recommendations and reviews, listen to The Radio Times Podcast.
Will there be a Hawkeye season 2? Jeremy Renner says he's "getting ready"
The actor sounded optimistic about Clint Barton's future in his latest interview.
Hawkeye star Jeremy Renner has reignited speculation of a follow-up to his popular 2021 miniseries, following years of uncertainty about the future of Clint Barton. Disney Plus and Marvel Studios have been tight-lipped about when we might see the avenging archer back in action, partly due to the severe injuries sustained by Renner in a nightmarish 2023 accident. Fortunately, the star has made a miraculous recovery, returning to work on his Paramount Plus drama Mayor of Kingstown and revealing just last month that he's "getting ready" for a Marvel comeback. It remains to be seen whether that means a full second season of Hawkeye on Disney Plus or a supporting role in one of the upcoming Avengers films, but one way or another the future is sounding bright. Here's all the latest updates on a potential Hawkeye season 2, including Renner's comments in full. Will there be a second season of Hawkeye? Disney Plus has not yet renewed Hawkeye for a second season, but recent comments from star Jeremy Renner suggest that more episodes could be on the cards. The actor told Empire Magazine that his "body's getting ready" to reprise the role of Clint Barton, after sustaining life-threatening injuries in a horrific snow plow accident in January 2023. "I'm always happy to be in that world," he told the publication, roughly two-and-a-half years later, in July 2025. "I'm sure we'll end up doing season 2, and do other things. And I'm happy to do it. My body's getting ready for something like that. "I don't know if anybody wants to see me in tights, but my body will look good in the tights." Renner said that he transformed his lifestyle to be focused around "health and wellness," which he credits for helping him get "better and stronger" during a lengthy rehabilitation process. But while the actor's physical health now appears to be less of a factor in Hawkeye's potential to return, another matter that needs further attention seems to be negotiating a salary for the Mayor of Kingstown star. In May of this year, Renner made headlines by claiming that Disney had "asked" him to do Hawkeye season 2, but for only half of the money that they paid the first time around. On the High Performance podcast, he said: "I'm like, 'I'm sorry, why? Did you think I'm only half the Jeremy because I got ran over? Maybe that's why you want to pay me half of what I made on the first season?'" "We didn't see eye to eye on that, sadly. I still love the character, I'd still love to do it but I had to defend myself. It was a little disheartening that it didn't happen, but that's fine." Perhaps his more optimistic tone in the Empire chat is an indication of productive conversations over the last few months, but that's merely speculation. For now, we'll just have to wait and see whether Hawkeye will get a second chance in the limelight. View Affiliate Playlist on the source website When could a potential Hawkeye season 2 be released? Following Jeremy Renner's recovery from his serious injuries, filming on Hawkeye season 2 could conceivably get underway in the near future – but finding a space for the project in Marvel's schedule could be tough. The studio is on the cusp of a major shake-up expected to come out of the upcoming Avengers films Doomsday and Secret Wars, with rumours of a refreshed continuity on the other side. How exactly Renner's Clint Barton will fit into the next phase of the Marvel Cinematic Universe remains to be seen, but it's possible that the franchise's major characters will be out of action until after Secret Wars releases in December 2027. For that reason, we wouldn't expect to see a potential Hawkeye season 2 until 2028 at the very least. What happened to Jeremy Renner in his accident? At the beginning of 2023, reports emerged that the actor had suffered serious injuries while attempting to stop his snow plow from hitting his nephew. A report obtained by CNN revealed that, during the attempt to stop or divert the Pistenbully vehicle, Renner was "pulled under the vehicle by the track and run over". The actor survived the horrifying incident, but required multiple surgeries and two weeks of around-the-clock treatment in an intensive care unit in order to save his life. In January 2024, almost one year after his accident, Renner had made significant strides in his recovery process – including learning how to walk again after breaking 30 bones – but he still had a longer journey ahead of him. "I'm just so blessed that I have so many things to live for," he told CNN. "I have a giant family, I have a 10-year-old daughter. I would've disappointed and really messed up a lot of people's lives if I would've passed, and so there's a lot for me to get better for." View oEmbed on the source website As of July 2025, the actor was closer to his former self, telling Empire that "I just feel stronger than I've been" and admitting that he may never have developed such a renewed focus on living healthily if the accident hadn't happened. He added: "I [still] have some issues, and tendon issues and certain limitations of flexibility and mobility, but I spent a lot of time on getting better and stronger, and I wouldn't if I didn't get crushed." Who could star in a potential Hawkeye season 2? If Hawkeye returns for a second season, it seems safe to assume that stars Jeremy Renner and Hailee Steinfeld would share the screen once again as Clint Barton and Kate Bishop. The first chapter seemed to set Kate up as the Marvel Universe's principal archer, as Clint continued to eye the quiet retirement with his family that has been hinted at since 2015's Avengers: Age of Ultron. However, as Renner is on his feet and working again, it seems inevitable that Clint's quiet life will once again be disrupted by his superhero duties, whether to face down more criminal gangs or a larger universal threat. One villain that could be brought back is Vera Farmiga's Eleanor Bishop, the shady mother of Kate, who fans of season 1 suggested could become a present day version of Madame Masque. Another incarnation of the comic book villain appeared in Hayley Atwell's short-lived Agent Carter television series, but given its 1940s setting and minimal influence on broader MCU canon, Farmiga's take could easily be an entirely separate entity. Facing off against her own mother would be devastating for Kate, but she might find an unexpected ally in Tony Dalton's Jack Duquesne (aka Swordsman), who has since become a crime-fighting vigilante himself as seen in Daredevil: Born Again. Speaking of that fellow New York City-based show, we wouldn't expect Vincent D'Onofrio's Kingpin to return for any future Hawkeye episodes, given that he's plenty busy at the moment rekindling his old feud with Matt Murdock (Charlie Cox). On the other hand, Alaqua Cox could perhaps reprise the role of Maya Lopez aka Echo, who hasn't been seen since her self-titled Disney Plus spin-off back in January 2024. Here's a round-up of the Hawkeye characters who could potentially return if the show is renewed for season 2. Jeremy Renner as Clint Barton / Hawkeye Hailee Steinfeld as Kate Bishop / Hawkeye Tony Dalton as Jack Duquesne / Swordsman Vera Farmiga as Eleanor Bishop Alaqua Cox as Maya Lopez / Echo Linda Cardellini as Laura Barton / Agent 19 Ben Sakamoto as Cooper Barton Ava Russo as Lila Barton Cade Woodward as Nathaniel Barton What would the plot be for a potential Hawkeye season 2? A potential second season of Hawkeye would have plenty of storytelling avenues to explore, including further establishing Kate Bishop's role in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. We last saw the character in 2023 blockbuster The Marvels, where she was approached by Kamala Khan (Iman Vellani) about putting together a team, which would presumably be the MCU's Young Avengers. However, that long-gestating subplot, which began being discussed back in 2020, seems to be going nowhere fast, so perhaps they'd shift focus back to Kate's feud with her crime boss mother, Eleanor. Meanwhile, the season finale of Hawkeye performed a major retcon by revealing that Linda Cardellini's Laura Barton is a former SHIELD operative, who once went by the codename Agent 19. In the comics, that title relates to Bobbi Morse, aka Mockingbird, a superhero, secret agent and ex-wife to Clint Barton, but her MCU appearances have thus far been limited to Agents of SHIELD (where she was played by Adrianne Palicki). The reveal of Cardellini's Laura as this universe's Agent 19 could well be setting up a more comics-accurate dynamic for future episodes, with fans surely eager to see the couple take down foes together in whatever trials come next. Is there a trailer for Hawkeye season 2? Not yet – alas, we don't even know if Hawkeye has been renewed yet! We'll update this page with updates as they come in. Hawkeye is streaming exclusively on Disney Plus. View Affiliate Playlist on the source website Check out more of our Sci-fi coverage or visit our TV Guide and Streaming Guide to find out what's on. For more TV recommendations and reviews, listen to The Radio Times Podcast. 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Fortnite Fantastic Four skins: Release date and how to get
As we near the start of the next Fortnite season, Epic Games is rounding off the ongoing super season in a big way! To celebrate the release of The Fantastic Four: First Steps, Fortnite has introduced a collection of Fantastic Four skins to the game. So, if you're curious about the Fortnite Fantastic Four skins and are wondering how to get them, read on for everything you need to know! Fortnite Fantastic Four skins release date The Fortnite Fantastic Four skins release at 1am on 26th July 2025 in the Item Shop. For those of you in the Americas, that translates to 25th July at 5pm PT / 8pm ET. This coincides with the release of the film itself on the same date. However, while this is the full release date, players had the chance to unlock the skins before they were available in the shop via the Fantastic Four Cup, a Squads Cup that took place on 23rd July. How to get the Fortnite Fantastic Four skins Each member of the Fantastic Four has received their own unique skin in the Fortnite Item Shop. The four skins are based on their characters from the film, meaning all you Pedro Pascal fiends out there will be able to play as Hollywood's current favourite son in-game. All of these skins will be available in the Fortnite Item Shop, either on their own or as part of a Bundle, with one mega Bundle containing all the new cosmetics together! Here's how much everything will cost: Fantastic Four Full Bundle – 3,600 V-Bucks (Includes everything) Reed Richards Bundle – 1,600 V-Bucks (Includes Fantastic Fists Pickaxe and Fantastic Calculations Emote) Susan Storm Bundle – 1,600 V-Bucks (Includes Psionic Orbs Pickaxe and Force Field Shatter Emote) Johnny Storm Bundle – 1,800 V-Bucks (Includes Torch's Flame Pickaxe and Flame On! Emote) The Thing Bundle – 1,500 V-Bucks Fantastic Four Space Craft Glider – 800 V-Bucks Sue's Fantastic Logo Back Bling – 300 V-Bucks Johnny's Fantastic Logo Back Bling – 300 V-Bucks Four Girder Pickaxe – 800 V-Bucks It's Clobberin' Time! Emote – 300 V-Bucks Fantastic Free Weight Back Bling – 300 V-Bucks View Green Video on the source website Discover more with Fortnite creative map codes: Fortnite horror maps | Fortnite action-adventure maps | Fortnite hide and seek maps | Fortnite Zone Wars maps | Fortnite fighting maps | Fortnite parkour maps | best Fortnite creative maps | Fortnite Squid Game map codes | Fortnite Monopoly code | Fortnite I'm A Celebrity Get Me Out Of Here code | Fortnite Doctor Who map code Check out more of our Gaming coverage or visit our TV Guide and Streaming Guide to find out what's on. For more from the biggest stars in TV, listen to The Radio Times Podcast.
Marvel's Phase 6 release dates: All upcoming films and TV shows
With The Fantastic Four: First Steps now in cinemas, Phase 6 is officially underway.
There's no denying that the Marvel Cinematic Universe has had a bumpier ride than usual over the past couple of years – in fact, Marvel Studios boss Kevin Feige has even admitted as much in recent interviews. Feige told The Hollywood Reporter and other press that a rapid expansion in the number of projects the studio made "devalued" its output, adding: "It’s that expansion that I think led people to say, 'Do I have to see all of these? It used to be fun, but now do I have to know everything about all of these?' "And I think The Marvels hit it hardest where people are like, 'OK, I recognise her from a billion-dollar movie. But who are those other two? I guess they were in some TV show. I’ll skip it.'" The studio now hopes to put this more rocky period behind it with the launch of its brand-new phase, Phase 6, which has kicked off with The Fantastic Four: First Steps. Where the first three phases which made up The Infinity Saga all culminated (give or take a project) with an Avengers movie, The Multiverse Saga has played out a little differently. This time around, Avengers movies have been reserved for the grand finale of the entire saga – and, as we reach Phase 6, that's now just around the corner. The next couple of years are therefore shaping up to be the biggest for the MCU in quite some time. Two new Avengers movies are currently scheduled to debut in 2026 and 2027, with former Iron Man star Robert Downey Jr set to return to the franchise, this time to play big bad Doctor Doom. In the meantime, we've still got plenty of other projects to look forward to, from animated shows like Eyes of Wakanda to live-action Disney Plus projects like Wonder Man – and that's not even mentioning Spider-Man: Brand New Day. There are also a number of projects which don't currently have release dates, and therefore aren't necessarily part of Phase 6. These include the new X-Men reboot movie, and Mahershala Ali's Blade, if that ever actually arrives. Scroll on for everything you need to know about Marvel's Phase 6 schedule. Meanwhile, if you want to read more about the Phase just gone, check out our Phase 5 guide here. Marvel's Phase 6 release dates: All upcoming films and TV shows While there are already a lot of projects on Marvel's Phase 6 slate thus far, we are expecting it to still build out further. After all, most of the projects currently announced are for Disney Plus, while there are only four films currently confirmed. While we already know others are on the way in future, some of these could make their way into the official list for Phase 6, or completely new additions could be confirmed. Phase 6 is kicking off with The Fantastic Four: First Steps, while it is expected to culminate in huge Avengers sequel Secret Wars, which will pick up after the end of 2026's Avengers: Doomsday. View Green Video on the source website Confirmed Phase 6 line-up The Fantastic Four: First Steps (24th July 2025 in cinemas) Eyes of Wakanda (27th August 2025 on Disney Plus) Marvel Zombies (3rd October 2025 on Disney Plus) Wonder Man (December 2025 on Disney Plus) Daredevil: Born Again season 2 (March 2026 on Disney Plus) Spider-Man: Brand New Day (31st July 2026 in cinemas) Vision Quest (2026 on Disney Plus) Your Friendly Neighbourhood Spider-Man season 2 (2026 on Disney Plus) The Punisher Special Presentation (2026 on Disney Plus) Avengers: Doomsday (18th December 2026 in cinemas) Avengers: Secret Wars (17th December 2027 in cinemas) View Affiliate Playlist on the source website A number of other MCU projects have been announced for cinemas and Disney Plus, which could become part of Phase 6 or may potentially end up at a later point in the ongoing franchise. These include an Armor Wars film starring Don Cheadle's War Machine (originally a Disney Plus series), sequels for Black Panther and Shang-Chi and the long-delayed Blade film starring Mahershala Ali. That's not to mention the reboot of the X-Men franchise or the already announced third season of animated Spider-Man show Your Friendly Neighbourhood Spider-Man. Possible Phase 6 films and TV shows Armor Wars (in cinemas) Black Panther 3 (in cinemas) Shang-Chi 2 (in cinemas) Untitled X-Men film (in cinemas) Blade (in cinemas) Your Friendly Neighbourhood Spider-Man season 3 (on Disney Plus) Marvel Cinematic Universe films and TV shows are available to stream on Disney Plus. Sign up to Disney Plus for £89.90 a year and £4.99 a month. Check out more of our Movies and Sci-Fi coverage or visit our TV Guide and Streaming Guide to find out what's on. For more TV recommendations and reviews, listen to The Radio Times Podcast.
Fantastic Four: First Steps ending explained and full spoilers – was Galactus defeated?
The latest MCU entry is in cinemas now – warning: spoilers ahead!
In the many years since the MCU first got under way with Iron Man in 2008, we've seen so many classic Marvel Comics characters arrive on the big screen that it's hard to keep count – but there had always been four rather notable absences from the extended universe. The Fantastic Four – Mister Fantastic, the Invisible Woman, the Human Torch and The Thing – have appeared on the big screen before (although some fans may wish to forget those previous outings) but never as part of the MCU. Until now. The Fantastic Four: First Steps has just arrived in UK cinemas as the franchise's third film release of the year, and according to reviews it's a suitable introduction for Marvel's First Family as they prepare to spearhead next year's Avengers: Doomsday. But how does this film set the stage for that one? Read on for a full recap of the events that take place in the new film, and answers to some big questions you may be left with after watching the movie. But beware: there are obviously some *major spoilers* ahead. The Fantastic Four: First Steps ending explained – full spoilers for MCU's latest After our introduction to the characters and their origins, the film really gets going when the inhabitants of Earth-828 are visited by the Silver Surfer (Julia Garner) and told their planet has been marked for destruction by fearsome, all-powerful cosmic being Galactus (Ralph Ineson). This prompts the Fantastic Four to attempt a negotiation with the cosmic being at a distant star system, where they are presented with an especially unappealing ultimatum: he will spare their planet, but only if Reed Richards (Pedro Pascal) and Sue Storm (Vanessa Kirby) give up their unborn child, who he believes will have huge cosmic power. Much of the rest of the film is concerned with watching the quartet try to work their way out of this pickle. Things look especially rough for them when the public – who had once worshipped them – turn squarely against them, convinced they should hand Galactus the child to save the rest of the planet. But of course, this is the Fantastic Four we're talking about, and however bleak and hopeless the situation might look, you can rest assured that a genius plan will be presented at one point. View Green Video on the source website In this case, Reed comes up with an idea involving the use of an experimental teleportation bridge device he has created – which he hopes to use to move the entire planet to a different solar system out of Galactus's reach. This is quite an undertaking – given the device has so far only been used to transport an egg about six feet – but with help from the rest of the planet, they are able to build a new system which should just about allow the plan to come to fruition. Alas, it proves not to be so simple. Just as they put the plan into motion, the Silver Surfer – who had been trapped for a month since their last encounter – reappears and destroys almost all of the teleportation bridges. Before she can get to the final one, in Times Square, Johnny Storm (Joseph Quinn) makes a heroic intervention. He had previously taken a shine to her, and has now been able to learn her language – piecing together that her name is Shalla-Bal and that she had only become Galactus's herald in order to prevent her own planet from being devoured. He also allows her to listen in to recordings from all the planets who have been devoured since she became Galactus's right hand, and it all appears to prove too much for her as she flees the scene. Amid all this, Reed and Sue reluctantly land on a new plan. They will use their baby – who has now been born and named Franklin – as bait to lure Galactus to Times Square, where they will then force him towards the bridge and teleport him far away. Reed estimates that they will have only 37 seconds to achieve this goal. At the last minute, Johnny attempts to trick Galactus by taking Franklin back to their HQ in the Baxter Building and leaving an empty pod in his place – but the cosmic being isn't so easily fooled and duly descends on the real child. An almighty fight ensues, that sees Reed stretched to an extremely uncomfortable extent by Galactus before Ben Grimm (Ebon Moss-Bachrach) is able to come to his rescue – using his iconic "It's clobbering time!" catchphrase in the process. Is Galactus defeated in The Fantastic Four: First Steps? After Reed is saved by Ben, he manages to retrieve Franklin – and it falls to Sue to face up to Galactus. She does so spectacularly, using her shield-generating powers to push him towards the portal. Initially, she seems to have been successful, but having over-exerted herself with such prolonged use of her powers, Galactus manages to re-emerge with only 10 seconds of the time limit remaining. View Green Video on the source website In a desperate attempt to force Galactus back inside the portal, Johnny is ready to sacrifice himself – but thankfully the need for him to do so vanishes when Shalla-Bal reappears and sends both her and Galactus into the portal and away from Earth-828 for good. So in a sense, Galactus is defeated – at least as an immediate threat. But we wouldn't be betting against a return later down the line by any stretch, even if he is currently in a void millions of lightyears away, trapped with a now supremely dissatisfied assistant. But it's a big wide multiverse out there, and we already know that the Fantastic Four will very shortly be leaving Earth-828 to join the existing MCU. He'll be back... surely. Does Sue Storm die in The Fantastic Four: First Steps? With Galactus taken care of, you might expect the attention to immediately turn towards celebration – but there's one pretty major obstacle that prevents an instant outpouring of joy: Sue has been mortally wounded in her attempts to push Galactus away. A devastated Reed tries desperately to revive her using CPR, but his attempts seem to be fruitless; she looks well and truly dead as a doornail. That is, until Reed tearfully places baby Franklin on her chest – and she begins to show signs of life once again. So Franklin really is a very powerful baby – armed with 'The Power Cosmic' – and it's a mighty relief they were able to save him from Galactus. He'll certainly be playing a big part in future MCU instalments... The Fantastic Four: First Steps is now showing in UK cinemas. Check out more of our Film coverage or visit our TV Guide and Streaming Guide to find out what's on. For more TV recommendations and reviews, listen to The Radio Times Podcast.
The Fantastic Four: First Steps – release date, trailer and MCU news
Fans have been waiting a long time for a successful Fantastic Four film. The beloved comic book characters have been brought to the big screen in two previous poorly received incarnations – first in 2005 and 2007 and then again in 2015 – and hopes have been high that this latest version might finally do them justice. Well, based on the critical reception, those fans might just be in luck. Our own RadioTimes.com review of The Fantastic Four: First Step awarded it 4 stars and called it the MCU’s best movie in a while – a sentiment that has also been repeated elsewhere. It will come as a major boost as Marvel hopes to get back to its box office performances of old, after both Captain America: Brave New World and Thunderbolts* struggled to draw in crowds, with the franchise also hoping to drum up enthusiasm for next year's Avengers: Doomsday. Of, course the actors chosen to play the four characters are all popular Hollywood faces, but star Pedro Pascal recently admitted that he'd seen some backlash to the decision to hire him as the new Mr Fantastic. "I’m more aware of disgruntlement around my casting than anything I’ve ever done," he recently told Vanity Fair, outlining some of the complains as, "He’s too old. He’s not right. He needs to shave." Still we imagine those complaints are dwarfed in number by those very exciting to see what the Last of Us star will bring to the table now that the film is out in cinemas. This incarnation of the Fantastic Four are set to be front and centre in the aforementioned Avengers: Doomsday and Secret Wars, which sees Robert Downey Jr introduced as a version of their legendary arch-nemesis Doctor Doom – and there's even rumblings he could show up in a post-credits scene here.. After three underwhelming adaptations, comic book fans are hoping that the Fantastic Four's moment of glory has finally arrived – read on for everything you need to know before seeing First Steps. The Fantastic Four: First Steps release date The Fantastic Four: First Steps arrived in uK cinemas on Thursday 24th July 2025 – meaning it's available to watch in cinemas now. It is the third and final Marvel blockbuster of the year following February's Captain America: Brave New World and May's Thunderbolts* – and is intended to set the stage for next year's big crossover Avengers: Doomsday. First Steps cycled through multiple other release dates before landing on its current spot, after successive MCU shake-ups caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, Hollywood strikes and other factors. View oEmbed on the source website The film's launch comes only two weeks after James Gunn's Superman reboot, which had promoted concern from some fans that the nostalgic and colourful comic book flicks could split the movie-going audience. For now, we'll just have to wait and see, but the box office hopes will certainly have been improved by some strong reviews for this latest MCU entry. The Fantastic Four: First Steps cast – who stars in the Marvel epic? The Fantastic Four: First Steps stars Pedro Pascal (The Last of Us), Vanessa Kirby (Mission: Impossible), Joseph Quinn (Stranger Things) and Ebon Moss-Bachrach (The Bear) in the lead roles. Pascal and Kirby will play husband-and-wife Reed Richards and Sue Storm, perhaps better known by their superhero names Mr Fantastic and The Invisible Woman. Meanwhile, Quinn has been tapped to play Sue's hot-headed younger brother Johnny Storm aka The Human Torch, while Moss-Bachrach takes a partially motion-capture role as Ben Grimm, who is transformed into loveable bruiser The Thing. First Steps will bring one of the Fantastic Four's most iconic foes to live-action for the first time (no, 2007's dust cloud variant doesn't count), with The Green Knight's Ralph Ineson tapped to voice planet-eating entity Galactus. Ozark's breakout star Julia Garner has been cast as one of his heralds, Shalla-Bal, who will be this universe's Silver Surfer – but don't worry Norrin Radd fans, it's quite likely we'll be getting him further down the line too. <img src="https://images.immediate.co.uk/production/volatile/sites/3/2024/07/Fantastic-Four-First-Steps-Joseph-Quinn-Ebon-Moss-Bachrach-Pedro-Pascal-Vanessa-Kirby-5fe73df.jpg" width="3000" height="2000" alt="The Fantastic Four stars Joseph Quinn, Ebon Moss-Bachrach, Pedro Pascal and Vanessa Kirby standing next to each other in front of boarding for San Diego Comic-Con 2024. Moss-Bachrach has his arms around Quinn and Pascal and is looking at Quinn. Pascal is resting his head against Moss-Bachrach's shoulder. Kirby is looking to the side and has her hand in front of Pascal's chest." title="The Fantastic Four stars Joseph Quinn, Ebon Moss-Bachrach, Pedro Pascal and Vanessa Kirby" /> On her character, Garner teased (via Deadline): "There's this mystery about her, and there's this sense of this ambiguous energy going on of whether she's good or not. She is the herald of Galactus, so she works for Galactus, but you're not sure where she stands. "Does she stand with her boss, or is she just doing what she's told? She has this mysterious energy about her, and slowly that mystery will get solved with the audience throughout watching it." Black Bird's Paul Walter-Hauser, Poker Face star Natasha Lyonne and Ted Lasso favourite Sarah Niles have also been cast, however Hollywood legend John Malkovich will no longer be part of the film after Shakman confirmed his scenes had been cut, In May 2025, voice actor Matthew Wood was added to the cast as HERBIE (as reported by Deadline), a friendly domestic android who helps out around the Fantastic Four's home in the Baxter Building. Wood is best known for playing General Grievous in the Star Wars franchise, although presumably this will be a less menacing character for him to get to grips with. Voice performances aside, he is also a professional sound editor. A plausible rumour also suggests that Robert Downey Jr could feature in the film's post-credits scene as Doctor Doom – perhaps the Fantastic Four's most famous nemesis – but this is just speculation for now. At any rate, it won't be long before Marvel's First Family come face-to-mask with the dastardly ruler of Latveria, with the core four set to reprise their roles in Avengers: Doomsday less than a year after this film's release. What is Fantastic Four: First Steps about? The official synopsis for Fantastic Four: First Steps, courtesy of Disney, reads: "Set against the vibrant backdrop of a 1960s-inspired, retro-futuristic world, Marvel Studios' The Fantastic Four: First Steps introduces Marvel's First Family... as they face their most daunting challenge yet. "Forced to balance their roles as heroes with the strength of their family bond, they must defend Earth from a ravenous space god called Galactus and his enigmatic Herald, Silver Surfer. And if Galactus' plan to devour the entire planet and everyone on it weren't bad enough, it suddenly gets very personal." For the uninitiated, Galactus is an enormously powerful cosmic entity who can only survive by consuming planets, sometimes doing so with some remorse. He made his debut in the pages of Fantastic Four comics back in 1968 and has been a recurring foe for the team ever since. The character has never been accurately portrayed in live-action, however, with the closest attempt being 2007's Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer, where he was reduced to a cloud of space dust – as opposed to the towering purple figure known to fans (see below). In April 2025, footage from Fantastic Four: First Steps was screened for attendees of trade show CinemaCon, revealing that Sue Storm will be pregnant in the upcoming film. This will be major news to fans of the super-team as both of Sue and Reed's children go on to have major roles in the comic books; son Franklin is a powerful mutant, while daughter Valeria is a genius who develops an unlikely bond with Doctor Doom. Don't be surprised if Sue gives birth by the end of First Steps and those children are then rapidly aged-up, as was the case with the Scarlet Witch and Vision's offspring in WandaVision and its follow-up Agatha All Along. It has also been rumoured that lesser Fantastic Four villain Mole Man could appear in First Steps, perhaps as a secondary villain disposed of earlier in the film. Meanwhile, Joseph Quinn recently teased that we're likely to see a rather different version of Johnny Storm compared with previous versions, explaining to Entertainment Weekly that he's no longer "this womanising, devil-may-care guy" fans might be familiar with. "He’s a man that leads with a lot of bravado, which can be an affront sometimes. But also he’s funny," Quinn said. "Myself and [Marvel Studios boss] Kevin [Feige] were speaking about previous iterations of him and where we are culturally. "He was branded as this womanising, devil-may-care guy, but is that sexy these days? I don’t think so. This version of Johnny is less callous with other people’s feelings, and hopefully there’s a self-awareness about what’s driving that attention-seeking behaviour." Marvel's Fantastic Four: First Steps trailer Marvel dropped a teaser trailer for The Fantastic Four: First Steps in February 2025, which garnered more than 200 million viewers in its first 24 hours across all online platforms (via The Hollywood Reporter). If you're one of the few not to have seen it yet, check it out below: View Green Video on the source website The studio followed that up with a second – slightly longer – trailer in April, this time including footage of Julia Garner as the Silver Surfer. Watch it below: View Green Video on the source website The excellent final trailer for the film was released in June, and begins with a quick look at Mark Gatiss's character, as he introduces the quarter to an adoring crowd. But while the trailer teases plenty of the gorgeous '60s inspired aesthetics and once again suggests a fun, quirky style, it also gives fans their best look yet at the danger posed by the film's big bad, Galactus – and it certainly looks like he means business. Check out the trailer below: View Green Video on the source website Is First Steps linked to Fantastic Four (2005) or Fant4stic (2015)? That's likely to be a firm no. Produced by Marvel and 20th Century Fox, two Fantastic Four movies were released in 2005 and 2007, starring Ioan Gruffudd as Mr Fantastic, Jessica Alba as the Invisible Woman, Michael Chiklis as The Thing, Julian McMahon as Doctor Doom and a pre-Captain America Chris Evans as the Human Torch. Evans actually reprised that early role in last year's Deadpool & Wolverine, where he was decisively retired by the sadistic Cassandra Nova (played by Emma Corrin). Marvel and Fox collaborated on another screen version of the Fantastic Four in 2015, this time with Miles Teller as Mr Fantastic, Kate Mara as the Invisible Woman, Jamie Bell as The Thing, Toby Kebbell as Doctor Doom and a pre-Killmonger Michael B Jordan as the Human Torch. These adaptations are not currently linked to First Steps, however, with Marvel Studios most likely wanting their latest reboot to stand on its own. That said, with several of Fox's X-Men now confirmed to be returning for Avengers: Doomsday, it seems that anything is possible in terms of comebacks from across the multiverse. The Fantastic Four: First Steps is now out in UK cinemas. Check out more of our Film coverage or visit our TV Guide and Streaming Guide to find out what's on. For more from the biggest stars in TV, listen to The Radio Times Podcast.
Fantastic Four cast: Full list of actors in MCU film First Steps
Marvel has officially announced the cast for the upcoming Fantastic Four reboot.
The wait for a new incarnation of the Fantastic Four is almost upon us – and it looks like fans might finally have the top-notch adaptation of Marvel's First Family they've long been hoping for. With the review embargo now lifted, The Fantastic Four: First Steps sits at an impressive approval rating of 86% on review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes from a total of 132 reviews, including our own 4-star verdict which called it "a vivacious, beautifully rendered and largely enjoyable comic book spectacle". Of course, for a long time ahead of the announcement there was much speculation about which four actors would become the third group to play the legendary characters on the big screen, and most fans seemed delighted when it emerged who had been chosen in February 2024. Director Matt Shakman recently revealed that there were no auditions or chemistry reads when it came to casting Pedro Pascal, Vanessa Kirby, Joseph Quinn and Ebon Moss-Bachrach, telling Variety: "I believe in finding the people who I have an instinct are right for the part.” Meanwhile, Moss-Bachrach recently spoke exclusively to RadioTimes.com about his first time meeting his co-stars, explaining: "Joe, Pedro and I were at Pinewood doing some rehearsal, and we were looking for Vanessa – and she was at the gym. "So we all sort of tracked her down and burst into her little training session. And that was that: our first moment together. I'll never forget that." Of course, there are several other big names included in the cast as well – from villains played by Ralph Ineson and Julia Garner to characters played by Natasha Lyonne, Sarah Niles and Mark Gatiss. However there is no room for the previously announced John Malkovich, with Shakman revealing that the veteran actor's small role had been cut. Read on for everything you need to know about the cast of Fantastic Four and where you've seen the actors before. Fantastic Four: First Steps cast – full list of actors The confirmed cast list is as follows: Pedro Pascal as Mister Fantastic/Reed Richards Vanessa Kirby as The Invisible Woman/Susan Storm Joseph Quinn as The Human Torch/Johnny Storm Ebon Moss-Bachrach as The Thing/Ben Grimm Julia Garner as Silver Surfer/Shalla-Bal Ralph Ineson as Galactus Paul Walter Hauser as Harvey Elder/Mole Man: Natasha Lyonne as Rachel Rozman Sarah Niles as Lynne Nichols Mark Gatiss as Ted Gilbert Matthew Wood as the voice of HERBIE Read on for everything you need to know about the characters and who plays them. Pedro Pascal plays Mister Fantastic/Reed Richards Who is Reed Richards? The MCU’s stretchiest superhero, who is also known as Mister Fantastic. Richards is a brilliant scientist and the partner of Susan Storm. During a panel at San Diego Comic-Con last July, Pascal said (via Deadline) that his favourite part about joining this cinematic universe is the "new family". What else has Pedro Pascal been in? The actor has previously appeared in popular series such as Narcos, Game of Thrones and The Last of Us, as well as films such as Kingsman: The Golden Circle and The Equalizer 2. Vanessa Kirby plays The Invisible Woman/Susan Storm Who is Susan Storm? Susan Storm, AKA the Invisible Woman, is the first female superhero to be created by Marvel, and she can turn invisible and generate immense force fields. Storm is the partner of Reed Richards. Kirby has said that she and Quinn bonded as on-screen siblings. "I don’t think I’ve laughed so much in a rehearsal period before," she recalled at the panel at San Diego Comic-Con. "When you read the comics, you feel a lot of joy... hopefully we can bring that into the movie." What else has Kirby been in? Kirby is best known for starring as Princess Margaret in the first two seasons of The Crown as well as her role as The White Widow in the Mission: Impossible films. Other film credits include Pieces of a Woman, Everest, Me Before You, Fast & Furious Presents: Hobbs & Shaw, Napoleon and The Son. Kirby had been rumoured for the role for months and told Comicbook.com in 2023 that taking up the mantle "would be an honour" when she was asked if she might play the Invisible Woman. Joseph Quinn plays The Human Torch/Johnny Storm Who is Johnny Storm? Storm, AKA the Human Torch, is a superhero who can combust into a burning-hot flame. Johnny is the younger brother of Susan Storm. What else has Joseph Quinn been in? Quinn won audiences over with his performance as Eddie Munson in Netflix's Stranger Things. He also appeared as Arthur Havisham in Dickensian and Enjolras in Les Misérables. On the big screen, he has been building up an impressive filmography, with roles in the likes of A Quiet Place: Day One, Gladiator II and Warfare, and a future role as George Harrison in Sam Mendes's four-part Beatles biopic. Ebon Moss-Bachrach plays The Thing/Ben Grimm Who is Ben Grimm? A pilot who is turned into The Thing, an almost Hulk-sized person with the appearance of rock and stone. Traditionally, Grimm is the best friend of Reed Richards. During the panel at San Diego Comic-Con, Moss-Bachrach said he was still processing putting on the superhero suit of Ben Grimm. "I got a nice text message from Mark Ruffalo. It just demystified the process of motion capture," he said. What else has Eben Moss-Bachrach been in? The actor is no stranger to Marvel, having previously played David Lieberman in Marvel series The Punisher on Netflix. Bachrach is best known to audiences for playing Richie in Hulu series The Bear. He also starred as Desi Harperin in HBO's The Girls. Julia Garner plays Silver Surfer/Shalla-Bal Who is Silver Surfer/Shalla-Bal? A female alien from the planet Zenn-La who serves as the herald of the planet-devouring being known as Galactus. In the comics, the original Silver Surfer was a man named Norrin Radd whose love interest on his homeworld was Shalla-Bal. What else has Julia Garner been in? Garner is best known for her award-winning role as Ruth Langmore in the Netflix crime drama Ozark, but she has also starred in numerous films including The Assistant and The Royal Hotel. Garner portrays the Silver Surfer through motion capture. Ralph Ineson plays Galactus Who is Galactus? Galactus is a powerful cosmic villain who is capable of destroying planets as he must devour them to survive. He was once an ordinary man called Galan. What else has Ralph Ineson been in? The actor is best known for his appearances in the likes of The First Omen, The Creator, Game of Thrones and The Witch. Paul Walter Hauser plays Harvey Elder/Mole Man Who is Harry Elder/Mole Man? The ruler of an underground society known as Subterranea, Harry had previously come up against the Fantastic Four but now has an alliance with Sue. What else has Paul Walter Hauser been in? Hauser has starred in several acclaimed movies, including biopic I, Tonya and Richard Jewell, while TV credits include Cobra Kai, I Think You Should Leave and Black Bird. Speaking to The Direct, Hauser said: "So I think our movie, Fantastic Four: First Steps, to me, only speaking from my opinion, everything I witnessed and took part in, everything I felt while in the presence of the creatives on the film, I believe we are the Marvel movie of the year." Natasha Lyonne plays Rachel Rozman Who is Rachel Rozman? A school teacher who has a flirtatious relationship with Ben Grimm. What else has Natasha Lyonne been in? The star is best known for appearing in Orange Is the New Black. Other credits include Russian Doll, Poker Face, Scary Movie 2 and But I'm A Cheerleader. More recently, she starred alongside Elizabeth Olsen and Carrie Coon in the Netflix film His Three Daughters. Sarah Niles plays Lynne Nichols Who is Lynne Nichols? Lynne is the CEO of the Future Foundation. What else has Sarah Niles been in? Niles is best known for starring in comedies Ted Lasso and Catastrophe. She also recently starred in ITV drama Riches. Mark Gatiss as Ted Gilbert Who is Ted Gilbert? A talk show host who presents the self-titled Ted Gilbert Show, where The Fantastic Four appear as guests. What else has Mark Gatiss been in? A very well-known face to British TV fans, Gatiss has been seen in Sherlock, The League of Gentlemen, Doctor Who, Nolly, Dracula, Taboo, Moonflower Murders, Wolf Hall, and the all-new Bookish, among many others. Film credits include The Mercy, The Favourite, Operation Mincemeat, and Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning. Who else stars in Fantastic Four? HERBIE, the Fantastic Four's faithful robot companion, will also appear in the film, voiced by sound editor and voice actor Matthew Wood – also known for voicing General Grievous in the Star Wars franchise. HERBIE's appearance was first teased in a comic-style illustration of the big-screen Fantastic Four that was released last year. View Green Video on the source website In addition, it has been heavily speculated that Robert Downey Jr will make a post-credits scene appearance as the Fantastic Four villain Doctor Doom/Victor Von Doom ahead of his major role in Avengers: Doomsday. However, we'll have to wait and see! Read more: Fantastic Four director says cast must get chemistry right amid Pedro Pascal rumours Fantastic Four director on upcoming reboot: “It's gonna be fun" Fantastic Four is set for release in cinemas on 24th July 2025. Check out more of our Film coverage or visit our TV Guide and Streaming Guide to find out what's on. For more TV recommendations and reviews, listen to The Radio Times Podcast.
Fantastic Four: First Steps' Rotten Tomatoes score finally revealed after wave of reviews
Just how Fantastic is this new version of Marvel's first family?
Phase 6 of the MCU is about to kick off with the release of The Fantastic Four: First Steps - and we now know what the first batch of critics to have seen the movie thought of it. The initial Rotten Tomatoes score is in for the film, with the rating reflecting the percentage of reviews to have been released thus far that skew positive rather than negative. At the time of writing on Wednesday 23rd July, the film has a Tomatometer score of 86% from 130 views, making it easily the highest rated film outing for the Fantastic Four to date, and a strong start for Phase 6. That also puts it just behind the most recent MCU film Thunderbolts*, which is on 88%, but above all other Phase 5 movies including Captain America: Brave New World, Deadpool & Wolverine, The Marvels, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol 3 and Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania. The Fantastic Four: First Steps, which is the 37th film in the MCU and one of the shortest to date, introduces Pedro Pascal's Reed Richards/Mr Fantastic, Vanessa Kirby's Sue Storm/Invisible Woman, Joseph Quinn's Johnny Storm/Human Torch and Ebon Moss-Bachrach's Ben Grimm/The Thing. These versions of the characters are not, at first, in the main universe of the MCU, and are instead in their own retro-futurist universe. However, knowing that they will appear in Avengers: Doomsday, and considering the post-credits scene of Thunderbolts*, we imagine that won't last long. This is the last MCU film to be released this year, although a number of other Disney+ projects are set to follow. Then, next year, fans can get ready to see Tom Holland's Spider-Man back on the big screen in Spider-Man: Brand New Day, while the end of the year will bring Avengers: Doomsday, the first Avengers film since 2019's Endgame. View Green Video on the source website The Fantastic Four: First Steps is in UK cinemas from Thursday 24th July 2025. Check out more of our Film coverage or visit our TV Guide and Streaming Guide to find out what's on. For more TV recommendations and reviews, listen to The Radio Times Podcast.
Ironheart ending explained: What does that game-changing cameo mean?
Ironheart is upping the stakes, with a finale akin to a Shakespearean tragedy. Following a six-episode set-up for supervillain, Parker – aka the Hood (Anthony Ramos) – Riri (Dominique Thorne) finally came face to face with the real 'big bad', and his introduction signals a major shift in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. After weeks of speculation, Ironheart confirmed fan theories by revealing that Mephisto, played masterfully by Sacha Baron Cohen, had been pulling the strings from the start, and influencing Parker to achieve his own mysterious goals. It was a grand finale, which, frankly, left viewers with more questions than answers, as Ironheart remained steadfast in its exploration of grief, above all else. Heartbreakingly, episode 6 was all about the lengths that Riri was willing to go to get the AI version of Natalie (Lyric Ross) back, but after taking down Parker, and quite literally making a deal with the devil, a misguided Riri has plunged the MCU into a world of chaos. Here, we break down that game-changing finale and explain why Mephisto's cameo is so cataclysmic... Who is Mephisto? And what does his cameo mean for the MCU? Episode 6 began by unravelling a key mystery. Opening with a flashback, fans learned that it was during a robbery with his late cousin John (Manny Montana) that Parker first encountered Mephisto. After he and John had split up to avoid the police, Parker had fled into a tunnel, where a cloaked figure offered to help him escape. Desperate to get away, Parker agreed and stepped through a door into a diner, where he sat down with the extra-dimensional demon. Tempted by Mephisto's offer to give him the tools with which he could achieve his deepest desires, Parker agreed to team up with the magic wielder. Determined to become so "stupid, disgusting, greasy rich" that he'd have more money than the father who abandoned him, Parker agreed without knowing Mephisto's real identity or his dark motives. Once they'd struck a deal, Mephisto left Parker with the hood and promised to stay in touch, giving him the means to assemble a crew and start robbing the companies that his father, Arthur (Paul Calderón), had controlling interests in. So, who exactly is Mephisto? As fans of Marvel Comics well know, the character is also referred to as the Monarch of Evil. Recognised as one of the greatest manipulators, he often strikes bargains with human beings for his own gain, while drawing power from their souls. In the comics, Mephisto has been known to target the likes of Peter Parker/Spider-Man and Norrin Radd/Silver Surfer, among others. While it's unknown how Sacha Baron Cohen's version will specifically impact the MCU, Dominique Thorne has suggested that he'll pop up again. "My gut is telling me that that is not the last we have seen of him, and I don't think that is the last that we've seen of him in connection with Parker, and obviously, clearly not with Riri," she told Deadline. "I think Mephisto is probably in for a bit more of a headache than he bargained for with Miss Riri Williams. I think regardless of what Mephisto thinks is going to happen, Riri most certainly has other plans in mind." What happened to RiRi in the Ironheart finale? As the episode shifts from the past to the present, we find Riri desperate to recover the AI version of Natalie, after Zelma's (Regan Aliyah) magic resulted in her deletion. While Riri was given a second chance by Joe – AKA Zeke Stane (Alden Ehrenreich) – who lied to Parker by pretending he'd killed her, Riri risks it all and goes after the hood, convinced that its powers will help bring Natalie back. As she arrives to confront Parker, Riri is met by Joe, who, as a result of his bionic enhancements, has been programmed to protect Parker at all costs. Forced to fight her old friend, Riri manages to get the upper hand and reprograms Joe, giving him back his freedom. While Joe is somewhat grateful, he tells Riri that he has a lot of anger left in him and that they still have unfinished business. As she heads upstairs, Riri fights Parker in his apartment, glimpsing how much the hood has corrupted his mind and body. When she activates the emergency protocol in her suit, Parker thinks he's finally won, but as he shoots Riri, he realises that the version in front of him is a hologram. At that exact moment, Riri emerges and takes him by surprise, claiming the hood for herself and leaving a crying Parker in pain. Just as she's leaving, Riri encounters Mephisto downstairs. After mistaking him for Dormammu, the villain in Doctor Strange, he reveals his true identity and strikes a deal with Riri, thus allowing her to replace Parker. In the final moments of the episode, there's a small time jump, and we see Riri continuing to work on her suit with both technology and magic. When Natalie suddenly appears, a delighted Riri asks her to run diagnostics, before realising that the Natalie in front of her is actually real, and that Mephisto has brought her back from the dead. As Riri hugs her best friend, the camera zooms in on her arm, which, just like Parker's, has begun to be corrupted with dark veins. What happened in the post-credits scene? The post-credits scene brought us back to Parker, who is utterly lost without his hood. Tracking down Zelma, he asks her for some "heavy-duty magic" and "supreme-like help". As Zelma contemplates his offer, the scene fades to black. Could this be the start of a new partnership? Looks like we'll have to wait and find out. Marvel's Ironheart is streaming now on Disney+. View Affiliate Playlist on the source website Check out more of our Sci-Fi coverage or visit our TV Guide and Streaming Guide to find out what's on. For more from the biggest stars in TV, listen to The Radio Times Podcast.
Marvel movies in order: How to watch in MCU chronological and release order
It's been a busy – if somewhat up-and-down – year for the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU), and last week saw the franchise's third big-screen release of 2025. The Fantastic Four: The First Steps arrived in cinemas at a vital time for the series, after the year's two prior films – Captain America: Brave New World and Thunderbolts* – had failed to truly ignite the box office in the same way as we're used to. But so far the new film seems to have done the job, opening to impressive figures after a wave of positive reviews. Interestingly – if these kind of things tend to interest you, at least – the film is the first entry in Phase 6 of the franchise and also somewhat shakes up the MCU's chronological timeline. Technically, the 1964 setting means it takes place earlier than all but one of the previous entries in the franchise, 2011's Captain America: The First Avenger, but this is slightly confused by the fact that this film actually occurs in a completely different continuity, on Earth-828 rather than Earth-616. The film's central quartet – played by Pedro Pascal, Vanessa Kirby, Joseph Quinn and Ebon Moss-Bachrach – are set to go on to play a major role in the star-studded upcoming Avengers 5, now titled Doomsday, but it remains to be seen exactly how they'll stumble in to the existing continuity. We'll just have to wait and see for now, although the post-credits scene may give us a hint. Of course, no Marvel fan wants to miss out on any in-jokes, references, Easter eggs or post-credits scenes – so where exactly do you need to start in the monumental MCU as it heads into its sixth phase? Have no fear, RadioTimes.com has you covered in how to watch Marvel movies and TV shows in order – including both chronological and release date order. Sit back, relax and get ready for your Marvel marathon, because we could do this all day. Or, if you're looking forward to what's coming next, check out what Marvel's head of TV had to say about the recent criticism the studio has been facing and the shows in development. Marvel movies in chronological order Looking at the Marvel series in chronological order, it's actually Captain America: The First Avenger that is set earliest, taking place during the Second World War, where a skinny Steve Rogers is first dosed with the incredible Super Soldier Serum. Sign up to Disney+ for £4.99 per month to watch nearly every movie Some fans believe that this is the best way to watch the MCU movies as elements are introduced as the characters in the story encounter them – for instance, this method makes Nick Fury's Infinity War cameo more satisfying, as viewers will already have the context provided by Captain Marvel (released in cinemas the following year). However, there are other cases in which this is a detriment, such as Ant-Man and the Wasp, which is largely set before the events of Infinity War, but its own post-credits scene spoils the ending to the epic crossover movie. The following list of films and TV series are based on Disney+'s official viewing order. Here are the Marvel movies in chronological viewing order: Captain America: The First Avenger (1942) Fantastic Four: First Steps (1964*) Captain Marvel (1995) Iron Man (2010) Iron Man 2 (2011) The Incredible Hulk (2011) Thor (2011) The Avengers (2012) Thor: The Dark World (2013) Iron Man 3 (2012) Captain America: The Winter Soldier (2014) Guardians of the Galaxy (2014) Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 (2017) Avengers: Age of Ultron (2015) Ant-Man (2015) Captain America: Civil War (2016) Black Widow (2016, excluding post-credits scene) Black Panther (2016) Spider-Man: Homecoming (2016) Doctor Strange (2016-2017) Thor: Ragnarok (2017) Ant-Man and the Wasp (2017) Avengers: Infinity War (2017) Avengers: Endgame (2017-2022) Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings (2023) Spider-Man: Far From Home (2023) Eternals (2023, excluding flashbacks) Spider-Man: No Way Home (2024) Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness (2025) Thor: Love and Thunder (2026) Black Panther: Wakanda Forever (2026) Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania (2026) Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 (2026) The Marvels (2026) Deadpool & Wolverine (2026) Captain America: Brave New World (2026-27) Thunderbolts* (2027) Additionally, considering the complicated relationship with rights to the character, you may also need to check out our Spider-Man movies in order page. Sign up to Disney+ for £4.99 per month to watch nearly every movie Marvel movies in release order The easiest way to catch up on the MCU is to watch the Marvel movies in release date order, which also neatly categorises the MCU story into its distinct "phases". In release date order, the MCU begins with 2008's Iron Man. It continues up to the present, including the MCU's TV shows, and then delves into future releases which have been announced, including hotly anticipated Avengers: Doomsday. The Infinity Saga Phase One Iron Man (May, 2008) The Incredible Hulk (June, 2008) Iron Man 2 (May, 2010) Thor (May, 2011) Captain America: The First Avenger (July 22, 2011) Avengers Assemble (May 4, 2012) Phase Two Iron Man 3 (May, 2013) Thor: The Dark World (November, 2013) Captain America: The Winter Soldier (April, 2014) Guardians of the Galaxy (August, 2014) Avengers: Age of Ultron (May, 2015) Ant-Man (July, 2015) Phase Three Captain America: Civil War (May, 2016) Doctor Strange (November, 2016) Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 (May, 2017) Spider-Man: Homecoming (July, 2017) Thor: Ragnarok (November, 2017) Black Panther (February, 2018) Avengers: Infinity War (April, 2018) Ant-Man and the Wasp (July, 2018) Captain Marvel (March, 2019) Avengers: Endgame (April, 2019) Spider-Man: Far From Home (July, 2019) The Multiverse Saga Phase Four WandaVision (TV series) (January, 2021) The Falcon and The Winter Soldier (TV series) (March, 2021) Loki season 1 (TV series) (June, 2021) Black Widow (9th July 2021) Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings (3rd September 2021) Eternals (5th November 2021) Hawkeye (24th November 2021) Spider-Man: No Way Home (17th December 2021) Moon Knight (TV show -30th March 2022) Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness (5th May 2022) Ms Marvel (TV show - 8th June 2022) Thor: Love and Thunder (8th July 2022) She-Hulk (TV show - 18th August 2022) Werewolf By Night (TV special - 7th October 2022) Black Panther: Wakanda Forever (11th November 2022) The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special (TV special - 25th November 2022) Phase Five Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania (17th February 2023) Guardians of the Galaxy Vol 3 (5th May 2023) Secret Invasion (TV show - 21st June 2023) Loki season 2 (TV show - 6th October 2023) The Marvels (10th November 2023) Echo (TV show - 9th January 2023) Deadpool & Wolverine (25th July 2024) Agatha All Along (TV show - 18th September 2024) Captain America: Brave New World (14th February 2025) Daredevil: Born Again (TV show - 5th March 2025) Thunderbolts* (2nd May 2025) Ironheart (TV show - 24th June 2025) Phase Six Fantastic Four: First Steps (24th July 2025) Eyes of Wakanda (TV show - 1st August 2025) Spider-Man: Brand New Day (31st July 2026) Vision Quest (TV show - 2026) Avengers: Doomsday (18th December 2026) Avengers: Secret Wars (17th December 2027) Future MCU movies and TV shows Blade (Movie - TBC) Armour Wars (Movie - TBC) Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings sequel (Movie - TBC) Wonder Man (TV show - TBC) Untitled X-Men movie (Movie - TBC) So, we still have a wealth of Marvel series left to enjoy in the next few years - and beyond! What Marvel movies are available on Disney Plus? As Marvel is owned by Disney, you can watch most of the MCU movies whenever you like if you're a subscriber to the studio's very own streaming service: Disney Plus. The following Marvel Cinematic Universe movies are available on Disney Plus. Iron Man The Incredible Hulk Iron Man 2 Thor Captain America: The First Avenger The Avengers (Avengers Assemble) Iron Man 3 Thor: The Dark World Captain America: The Winter Soldier Guardians of the Galaxy Avengers: Age of Ultron Ant-Man Captain America: Civil War Doctor Strange Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 Spider-Man: Homecoming Thor: Ragnarok Black Panther Avengers: Infinity War Ant-Man and the Wasp Captain Marvel Avengers: Endgame Spider-Man: Far From Home Black Widow Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings Eternals Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness Thor: Love and Thunder Black Panther: Wakanda Forever Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 The Marvels Deadpool & Wolverine Captain America: Brave New World There are a few movies missing from the platform at the time of writing, specifically Spider-Man: No Way Home. The following MCU television series and specials are also available on Disney Plus: WandaVision The Falcon and the Winter Soldier Loki seasons 1 and 2 What If...? season 1 Hawkeye Moon Knight Ms Marvel I Am Groot seasons 1 and 2 She-Hulk: Attorney At Law Werewolf By Night The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special Secret Invasion Echo Agatha All Along Daredevil: Born Again Ironheart Sign up to Disney Plus for £4.99 per month to watch nearly every movie How to download and watch Marvel movies As we laid out above, most of the Marvel movies are available to stream on Disney Plus. Sign up to Disney Plus for £4.99 per month to watch nearly every movie However, you can also download the films from the service to watch on the go. Here's your step-by-step guide. Open your Disney Plus app (see how to download). At the home screen, search for the film you want to download to your device. Tap on the download arrow icon at the bottom menu of the Disney Plus app. To see and watch your downloaded titles, visit the “Downloads” tab on the app’s bottom menu. You can download an unlimited number of movies from the Disney Plus mobile app. Your downloaded shows will only be able to watch so long as you’re a subscriber to the service. You can also buy, rent and download each Marvel movie on Amazon (you do not need to be an Amazon Prime Video customer to do this). Wondering what else you can watch on Disney Plus? Take a look at our best Disney Plus series guide or the best Disney Plus movies. Check out more of our Film coverage or visit our TV Guide and Streaming Guide to find out what's on. For more TV recommendations and reviews, listen to The Radio Times Podcast. For Marvel merch, head to our guide to the best Marvel gifts.
Marvel Studios' Blade: Release date, cast and latest news
The superhero vampire hunter is certainly taking his time on his way into the MCU.
It's been six years since a new Blade film starring Mahershala Ali was first announced, yet a troubled development process has meant cameras have yet to even start rolling on the project. Both Bassam Tariq and Yann Demange have at one time or another boarded and subsequently exited the project as director, the script has reportedly undergone numerous rewrites and a number of supporting actors have pulled out after they were cast, including Aaron Pierre and Delroy Lindo. Even Ali's own lawyer described all the goings-on as "the craziest thing in my professional experience". Late in 2024, Marvel boss Kevin Feige confirmed that the film is still in the works, saying: "We love the character, we love Mahershala’s version of him. And rest assured: whenever we change direction with a project, or are still trying to figure out how it fits into our schedule, we let the public know. "You’re up to date on what’s going on. But I can tell you that the character will be coming to the MCU." However, more recently, while promoting the release of his film Jurassic World Rebirth, Ali has been slightly less assured that the project will actually happen – even if he himself is still keen. He told The Hollywood Reporter: "I’m just taking it a day at a time. I’m doing the best work I can. I just did a movie called Your Mother Your Mother Your Mother that I'm very excited about, that I got to scratch my stunts itch. "I got to do some sword work in that, it's a wonderful story. I would love for Blade to happen. We’ll see. I don’t know where Marvel is at right now. I’m just looking for the next great part, I really am." Reiterating his desire to make the film, he also told Variety that they should "call Marvel" when asked about Blade, adding: "I’m ready. Let them know I’m ready." But what else do we know about the current status of Blade, is it still happening, and when might we finally see it on the big screen? Read on for everything you need to know. Marvel Studios' Blade release date speculation If the original plan had been stuck to, the film would already have come and gone. It was initially slated to arrive in cinemas on 3rd November 2023, before that was then moved to 6th September 2024 and then again to 7th November 2025. Now, there's no release date currently slated at all and it's not clear when it will finally be released. Despite a few false starts – including Kevin Feige telling Entertainment Weekly in February 2023 that "cameras roll in, like, the next 10 weeks or so," – there is also still no sign when production will even begin on the film, which still doesn't even have a director attached. The earliest we can therefore expect to see the film, realistically, is at some point in 2027, although even that seems unreasonably optimistic at this juncture. It may even be 2028 before we've had the chance to see Blade, if it indeed does make it to the big screen – but whatever happens we'll be keeping a close eye out for any updates. The film was first officially announced at San Diego Comic-Con 2019 by Kevin Feige and he was joined on stage by star Mahershala Ali. Who’s in the cast of Blade? The following cast members have been confirmed for Marvel Studios' Blade. Mahershala Ali as Blade/Eric Cross Brooks Mia Goth as Lilith As noted, double Oscar winner Mahershala Ali has been cast in the central role of Blade, the half-vampire daywalker who hunts down creatures of the night in the Marvel universe. Ali previously appeared in Netflix’s tie-in Marvel series Luke Cage as villain Cornell “Cottonmouth” Stokes and in the animated movie Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse, so he definitely has some superhero pedigree, and apparently, he was pivotal in getting the Blade reboot made in the first place. According to Marvel boss Kevin Feige, immediately after bagging his Best Supporting Actor Oscar for Green Book, Ali called him to set up a meeting, and then pitched the concept of a Blade movie starring himself. "When Mahershala calls, you answer," Feige told the Hollywood Reporter. Mia Goth has also been confirmed to star in the film as Lilith, a comic book supervillain. In 2024, she said of the delays to the film's production that those behind it "really care, they do. They want to make a great movie. That’s the sense that I get from them and that feels good." Beyond that it is currently anyone's guess as to who will star. Delroy Lindo (Da 5 Bloods) and Aaron Pierre (Rebel Ridge) had previously been attached in mystery roles but both have subsequently exited the project, and there is no word yet on who might replace them. We'll keep you updated when we hear more. Is there a trailer for the new Blade film? As the new Blade film has yet to officially begin filming, there is no sign of a trailer for the new film. We will update this article and share the footage as soon as it becomes available. Wasn’t there a Blade movie before? Yes there was – three in fact, all of which starred Wesley Snipes as the titular vampire-hunter from 1998 to 2004, and which are sometimes credited with kicking off the modern age of superhero cinema in which we’re now living. The first Blade and Blade II were particularly critically acclaimed and also starred Kris Kristofferson, Stephen Dorff, Donnie Yen, Danny John-Jules and Donal Logue among others, though third movie Blade: Trinity (which added Ryan Reynolds and Jessica Biel to the action) was less popular and ended the franchise (apart from an attempted TV reboot with a new cast in 2006). And despite some consternation from his fans (who would have liked to see him return) Snipes previously gave Ali his blessing in taking over the role. “To all the DAYWALKERS losing their minds right now, chillaaxx,” said Snipes in a statement to TheWrap. “Although the news comes as a surprise, it’s ALL GOOD. Such is the ‘business’ of ‘entertainment!’ Much peace to the MCU crew — always a fan. Honor and respect to the grandmaster Stan. “Congratulations and Salaam to Mahershala Ali, a beautiful and talented artist whose expressions I look forward to experiencing for many years to come. Inshallah, we will someday work together.” Of course, Snipes then returned to play Blade in a supporting role in Deadpool & Wolverine, as one of band of forgotten characters in the void who the title characters recruited. In that film, he joked that "there's only ever gonna be one Blade" - with all the delays to this new film's production, it's now not so clear how much of a joke it will end up being. Little is known about the plot of the reboot, but Blade’s backstory – a half-vampire called Eric Brooks determined to exterminate all bloodsuckers using his skills and supernatural abilities – is sure to make for a very different entry to the Marvel Cinematic Universe when it eventually does arrive. Check out more of our Film coverage or visit our TV Guide and Streaming Guide to find out what's on. For more from the biggest stars in TV, listen to The Radio Times Podcast.
Avengers: Secret Wars – Release date, cast speculation and plot theories
Secret Wars will be the culmination of nearly two decades of MCU stories – with a founding member returning in a new role.
The Marvel Cinematic Universe as we know it will change in the upcoming mega-crossover Avengers: Secret Wars – but unfortunately, we'll be waiting longer than expected for the blockbuster to hit cinemas. Marvel Studios has delayed the project by several months, which fans are hoping will allow for some proper quality control, following the critical panning of February's Captain America: Brave New World. Thunderbolts* fared better in terms of reviews, but failed to draw audiences back to cinemas, posting an even worse box office gross ($371 million and counting) than the already disappointing Cap sequel ($415 million). Avengers: Doomsday and Secret Wars directors Anthony and Joe Russo aren't oblivious to the waning popularity of the Marvel films – and they have a plan that they hope will revitalise the embattled franchise. "The MCU has got quite large, that's for sure," said Anthony in an interview with The Times. "I mean, frankly, we struggle with that same issue. But part of the reason Joe and I decided to go back is exactly what you're talking about. "There needs to be more of a central narrative. That was something we were very specific about when we worked with Marvel [before]. We would like to bring the focused narrative back." If you're hoping for a return to the MCU's former glory, read on for everything we know so far about Avengers: Secret Wars. Avengers: Secret Wars release date Avengers: Secret Wars is scheduled to be released in cinemas on Friday 17th December 2027, following a major delay to both upcoming Marvel crossovers. Doomsday and Secret Wars had previously been pencilled in for May 2026 and 2027 respectively, but were pushed back by seven months each, meaning both will now be festive releases instead. The news isn't entirely surprising, as fans and industry pundits were doubtful that Marvel Studios would be able to turn around a blockbuster of such enormous scale in a year (note that Doomsday only commenced filming in April 2025). Fans have also speculated that the delay could make time to make creative tweaks to the two films, which might be deemed necessary following the box office disappointments of Captain America: Brave New World and Thunderbolts*. Generally, breathing space for the team to proceed with proper care and attention can only be a good thing for the mammoth projects, especially given that many of the MCU's recent flops have felt rushed or poorly thought-out (in this writer's opinion). So, while the 17-month gap between Fantastic Four: First Steps and Avengers: Doomsday will be tough for comic book fans, there is reason to be optimistic that what comes next will be worth the wait. Avengers: Secret Wars cast – confirmed and rumoured names Robert Downey Jr will star in Avengers: Secret Wars (and the preceding film Doomsday) as fan favourite comic book villain Doctor Doom. It's yet to be explained how this role will relate to his earlier work as Tony Stark, but co-director Anthony Russo has confirmed that Iron Man's noble sacrifice in 2019's Endgame is "part of the story" in this long-awaited sequel (via The Times). Doctor Doom's comic book arch-nemeses, the Fantastic Four, will be following him into the two crossover flicks, played by Pedro Pascal (Mr Fantastic), Vanessa Kirby (Invisible Woman), Joseph Quinn (Human Torch) and Ebon Moss-Bachrach (The Thing). Benedict Cumberbatch has also confirmed to Variety that his fan-favourite Doctor Strange will have a major role in Avengers: Secret Wars, which should more than make up for his absence from the Doomsday cast list. Here's an overview of the confirmed Avengers: Secret Wars cast so far – expect this to grow substantially in the coming months, with Deadline reporting that more than 60 established MCU characters could appear across Doomsday and this sequel. Robert Downey Jr as Victor von Doom aka Doctor Doom Benedict Cumberbatch as Stephen Strange aka Doctor Strange Pedro Pascal as Reed Richards aka Mr Fantastic Vanessa Kirby as Sue Storm aka Invisible Woman Joseph Quinn as Johnny Storm aka Human Torch Ebon Moss-Bachrach as Ben Grimm aka The Thing Which Avengers: Doomsday cast members could return for Secret Wars? It's hard to say whether the entire Avengers: Doomsday cast will be back for Secret Wars as it's quite possible that certain heroes could be killed off in the first half of the crossover event. Marvel fans were particularly surprised to learn that the entire Thunderbolts/New Avengers team would be returning for the film, alongside several key players from 20th Century Fox's thought-defunct X-Men franchise. It wouldn't be a total shock to see a couple of the New Avengers used as cannon fodder in the opening act, or perhaps to see the Fox X-Men's entire reality collapse in the run-up to Secret Wars. For now, though, it's anybody's guess who will make it through. Based on our own theories of the franchise's priorities, we'd predict that Anthony Mackie's Sam Wilson, Florence Pugh's Yelena Belova, Chris Hemsworth's Thor, Simu Liu's Shang-Chi and Letitia Wright's Black Panther are likely survivors. Here's a reminder of the confirmed Avengers: Doomsday cast members, who are yet to be announced for Secret Wars: Anthony Mackie (Sam Wilson/Captain America) Chris Hemsworth (Thor) Letitia Wright (Shuri/Black Panther) Winston Duke (M'Baku) Paul Rudd (Scott Lang/Ant-Man) Simu Liu (Shang-Chi) Danny Ramirez (Joaquin Torres / Falcon) Florence Pugh (Yelena Belova/Black Widow) Sebastian Stan (Bucky Barnes/Winter Soldier) Wyatt Russell (John Walker/US Agent) Hannah John-Kamen (Ava Starr/Ghost) David Harbour (Alexei Shostakov/Red Guardian) Lewis Pullman (Bob/Sentry) Patrick Stewart (Charles Xavier/Professor X) Ian McKellen (Erik Lehnsherr/Magneto) James Marsden (Scott Summers/Cyclops) Rebecca Romijn (Raven Darkhölme/Mystique) Alan Cumming (Kurt Wagner/Nightcrawler) Kelsey Grammer (Hank McCoy/Beast) Channing Tatum (Remy LeBeau/Gambit) Tenoch Huerta Mejia (Namor) Tom Hiddleston (Loki) With Secret Wars set to serve as the concluding chapter of Marvel's multiverse saga, some fans are hoping it will be the last hurrah for several actors from the pre-MCU years of comic book cinema. Particularly high on fan wish lists are Tobey Maguire and Andrew Garfield (last seen in Spider-Man: No Way Home) as well as Hugh Jackman (whose future was left open by the Deadpool & Wolverine ending). As for current MCU talent, fans are calling for Brie Larson's Captain Marvel to get another chance in the spotlight, and demanding redemption for Elizabeth Olsen's Scarlet Witch after 2022's controversial Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness. On the latter point, there's reason to be confirmed, with Olsen telling The Hollywood Reporter that she won't be in London during the back-to-back shoot of Doomsday and Secret Wars, as she continues to focus instead on non-Marvel projects. The actor has previously criticised how Wanda Maximoff's character arc was handled post-WandaVision, stating that Marvel execs seemingly "didn't know what to do with" the complex antihero after Jac Schaeffer's celebrated miniseries (via Collider). A less expected return is also on the table for Gwyneth Paltrow's Pepper Potts, with the actor recently telling fans that she "might" have a role in the upcoming blockbusters, but "nothing is confirmed" just yet (see Deadline). Given her character's close ties with Tony Stark, with whom she has an on-and-off relationship and, eventually, a daughter, it's quite possible that Marvel could bring her back in connection with the Downey Jr's own shock return. Meanwhile, Daredevil: Born Again star Charlie Cox has told Variety that he wants to "do it all" now that he's back as Hell's Kitchen's resident vigilante, adding that "so long as long as they'll have me [in the movies], I'm there". However, with Born Again season 2 filming (in New York) at the same time as the Avengers movies (in London), this particular hero might not be stepping up to the big leagues just yet. We'll update this page when further Secret Wars casting announcements are made. What could happen in Avengers: Secret Wars? There have been two major Secret Wars storylines in the comic books, which are very different in style and substance despite sharing the same title. Starting in 1984, the first Secret Wars saw the most famous heroes and villains of the Marvel Universe transported to Battleworld by a cosmic entity known as the Beyonder, and forced to duke it out for his entertainment. While commercially successful, the comic event was panned by critics at the time for its shallow story, although it remains a nostalgic favourite among fans who were growing up at the time. In 2015, a modern take on Secret Wars unfolded to a much warmer critical reception, seeing Earth-616 (the main Marvel Universe) collide with the Ultimate Marvel Universe (birthplace of Miles Morales) in a cataclysmic incursion. In an attempt to prevent complete annihilation, Doctor Doom harnesses the power of the Beyonders to create a new Battleworld, which is an amalgamation of every alternate reality in the Marvel Universe. Naturally, he also installs himself as God and Emperor. The heroes and villains of the Marvel Universe have no memory of their life before Doom's new order, which is why most don't question the strange new reality they find themselves in. Given the significant role of Doom in the later version, we'd expect this to be the foundation for 2027's Avengers: Secret Wars, but expect the film to deviate from the source material at times (as was the case with Civil War and Infinity War). Is there an Avengers: Secret Wars trailer? Not yet! We'll update this page when footage becomes available. Avengers: Secret Wars is coming to cinemas on Friday 7th May 2027. Check out more of our Film coverage or visit our TV Guide and Streaming Guide to find out what's on. For more from the biggest stars in TV, listen to The Radio Times Podcast.
David Tennant reveals he wanted Fantastic Four role before Pedro Pascal got the part
One super smart doctor is not enough for him, eh?
When it comes to media darlings, you would be hard-pressed to name many better candidates than David Tennant and Pedro Pascal. The ever-popular Tenth/Fourteenth Doctor from Doctor Who and Joel of The Last of Us fame, respectively, Tennant and Pascal, have each developed their own broad and dedicated fan followings. And it appears that those followings may include each other, or at least, one of them does, as David Tennant has revealed that he initially wanted to play Pascal's role of Reed Richards in the upcoming Fantastic Four reboot. On Saturday (24th May 2025), MCM Comic Con at Excel London was buzzing when superstar Tennant was welcomed to the Main Stage (and livestreamed to two others due to his popularity) to discuss his eclectic career. A crowd of the actor's devoted fans had the opportunity to ask questions. Among them, one fan asked Tennant, regardless of likelihood, gender or age, which superhero and supervillains he would most like to play. "I think in terms of supervillains, I got the best one with Kilgrave," he responded, referencing his manipulative villain in Netflix’s MCU series Jessica Jones. "In terms of superheroes, I did slightly have my eye on Reed Richards, and unfortunately, it looks like they’ve gone in a different direction,” Tennant answered with a smile. He added: "Although if it has to be someone, I’m very happy for it to be Pedro Pascal." View Green Video on the source website Pascal has certainly been a popular choice. Reed Richards is, of course, the leader of Marvel's Fantastic Four as Mister Fantastic and will be played by Pascal in the upcoming new take on the characters as they enter the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Pascal will be joined in the Fantastic Four cast by Vanessa Kirby as Invisible Woman/Susan Storm, Joseph Quinn as Human Torch/Johnny Storm, and Ebon Moss-Bachrach as The Thing/Ben Grimm. But while Tennant may be missing out on Mister Fantastic, he certainly has enough on his plate at the moment to keep him busy. He has just wrapped filming on Good Omens season 3, and has his new, weekly show on ITV, The Genius Game, as well as a recent appearance on The Assembly. Check out more of our Sci-fi coverage or visit our TV Guide and Streaming Guide to find out what's on this week. For more from the biggest stars in TV, listen to The Radio Times Podcast.
Marvel confirms release date delays for Avengers: Doomsday and Secret Wars
Get ready for a very Avengers Christmas.
When it was announced that Avengers: Doomsday had started filming in April, just over a year before it was set to be released in May 2026, many wondered how it could possibly be finished in time. Now, it turns out, it won't be - instead the film has been delayed to a new release date, as has its sequel, Avengers: Secret Wars, with which it is filming back to back. Avengers: Doomsday will now be released around the Christmas period, on 18th December 2026, with Secret Wars following on 17th December 2027. This means Doomsday is currently scheduled to be released on the exact same day as Dune: Part Two sequel, Dune: Messiah - although it wouldn't be a surprise if there was some movement on that front before we get there. Filling Avengers: Doomsday's original slot in May 2026 will instead be the long-awaited sequel to The Devil Wears Prada, which will also be released by Disney. Read more: Lilo & Stitch director explains why Stitch is less violent in live-action version James Bond contender for next 007 says "sign me up" This shake-up in the MCU schedule also means that Spider-Man: Brand New Day, the latest film starring Tom Holland, will be released before either of the new Avengers movies, rather than in between them as was originally planned. The cast for Avengers: Doomsday was confirmed earlier this year, with a whopping 27 characters having been confirmed, and more expected to be announced in due course. Amongst those returning for the film are original Avengers such as Chris Hemsworth's Thor, New Avengers such as Florence Pugh's Yelena Belova, Fantastic Four characters such as Pedro Pascal's Reed Richards and X-Men characters such as Sir Patrick Stewart's Professor X. They will all be facing off against Robert Downey Jr's Dr Doom, with the actor returning to the franchise having previously played Iron Man between 2008 and 2019. Avengers: Doomsday is coming to cinemas on 18th December 2026. Check out more of our Film coverage or visit our TV Guide and Streaming Guide to find out what's on. For more from the biggest stars in TV, listen to The Radio Times Podcast.
X-Men MCU reboot release date speculation, cast rumours and news
The original mutants are coming back – but the MCU's own team are close behind.
It's an exciting time to be an X-Men fan as Marvel Studios embarks on a nostalgia-fuelled revival of the film franchise, enlisting the likes of Patrick Stewart and Ian McKellen for its upcoming Avengers: Doomsday. The news came as quite a surprise when it broke back in March of this year, with most fans expecting Marvel to focus its attention on launching new versions of the iconic characters, rather than revisiting the once-retired crew. Now, the prevailing theory seems to be that Doomsday and Secret Wars will bid a dramatic farewell to the older continuity, unless Hugh Jackman does indeed choose to keep playing Wolverine until he's 90. It's no secret that the Marvel Cinematic Universe has been navigating choppy waters in recent years, which is perhaps why the studio is in talks with one of the few filmmakers to deliver them a recent hit with critics. Read on for all the latest news, rumours and speculation on the X-Men reboot – including a possible release window for the hotly anticipated project. X-Men MCU reboot release date speculation Marvel has yet to announce when its X-Men reboot will be released, but we do know that it will be sometime after 2027's mega-crossover event Avengers: Secret Wars. Speaking at a Disney content showcase (via Deadline), producer Kevin Feige confirmed as much: "I think you will see that [mutants storyline] continues in our next few movies with some X-Men players that you might recognise. "Right after that, the whole story of Secret Wars really leads us into a new age of mutants and of the X-Men. Again, [it's] one of those dreams come true. We finally have the X-Men back." It seems likely that this "new age" will involve recasting at least some of the existing characters, despite Deadpool & Wolverine's gag that the actors are contracted until they reach 90 years old (notably, Patrick Stewart and Ian McKellen are almost there). X-Men fans have been waiting a long time to see the beloved team reassemble in live-action, with an MCU incarnation originally announced at 2019's San Diego Comic-Con – shortly after Disney's acquisition of 20th Century Fox. Alas, it isn't over yet: while there's no confirmed timeline just yet, we wouldn't expect to see the MCU's X-Men reboot in cinemas any sooner than 2028. In the meantime, though, characters from the Fox films have been added to the Avengers: Doomsday cast. Which X-Men are already in the MCU? Marvel Studios has introduced several X-Men characters into the MCU in recent years, with 2023's box office smash-hit Deadpool & Wolverine adding two of the most popular mutants. Ryan Reynolds and Hugh Jackman reprised their respective roles from earlier entries, for a cameo-filled extravaganza that also folded Dafne Keen's Laura (aka X-23) and Channing Tatum's long-delayed Gambit into MCU continuity. Prior to that film, we'd seen Patrick Stewart reprise the role of Charles Xavier aka Professor X for an alternate universe scene featured in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness. Alas, that version of the character was made short work of by an out-of-control Scarlet Witch (Elizabeth Olsen), meaning that he'll be playing an entirely separate variant – likely the original Fox version – in the forthcoming Avengers: Doomsday. Another direct X-Men connection was established in 2023's The Marvels, with a perplexing post-credits scene that saw Monica Rambeau (Teyonah Parris) seemingly transported to an alternate universe. There, she was shocked to be faced by her mother, Maria (Lashana Lynch), and a certain mutated scientist named Hank McCoy aka Beast (played by Kelsey Grammer, returning from Fox's X-Men films The Last Stand and Days of Future Past). Grammer is one of the legacy X-Men actors confirmed to be returning for Avengers: Doomsday, so here's hoping we'll get some resolution to that confounding plot twist in the imminent blockbuster. Joining Stewart and Grammer – in what could be a swan-song for the original X-Men cast – are Ian McKellen as Magneto, James Marsden as Cyclops, Alan Cumming as Nightcrawler and Rebecca Romijn as Mystique. In terms of original mutants, the MCU also has Kamala Khan aka Ms Marvel (Iman Vellani), who was revealed to have mutant genes at the end of her six-part introductory Disney Plus series. At the time, Vellani told Marvel.com: "I emailed Kevin Feige in all caps. I was like, 'Are you doing this like for real? Are you sure? I'm so honoured!' I was like yelling at him through an email. I was freaking out. "This is the biggest deal in the world, and the fact that it's happening in our show is crazy." Notably, this is a major change from the comic books, where the character was originally an Inhuman (although, the source material has since been retroactively tweaked to match up with the live-action version). Aligning Kamala with the considerably more popular X-Men should ensure she has a bright future in the MCU, although comic book purists may be irked to see her shoehorned into iconic storylines that she never originally appeared in. Besides individuals, Marvel has also introduced a key location from the X-Men lore to its cinematic universe, that being Wolverine's favoured hideout Madripoor – which was depicted in 2021's The Falcon and The Winter Soldier. Could that be where Jackman's clawed mutant headed after the events of Deadpool & Wolverine? We'll just have to wait and see. X-Men reboot cast rumours: Who could star? Marvel is yet to announce any cast members for its MCU-set reboot of the X-Men, but there are plenty of rumours circulating as to who could inherit the wide range of iconic roles. Some of the speculative fan castings that have gained the most attraction include Taron Egerton as Wolverine, Harris Dickinson as Cyclops and Julia Butters as Kitty Pryde – but not one of them is confirmed right now. Addressing the online chatter, Egerton told The New York Times: "I'd be excited but I'd be apprehensive as well, because Hugh [Jackman] is so associated with the role that I'd wonder if it'd be very difficult for someone else to do it. "Hopefully if it does come around, they'll give me a shot." Additionally, the rumour mill started spinning into overdrive when Stranger Things breakout star Sadie Sink bagged a mystery role in Spider-Man: Brand New Day, with some online commenters questioning whether she could be the MCU's Jean Grey. Things do appear to be taking shape behind the camera, however, with screenwriter Michael Lesslie (The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes) and director Jake Schreier (Thunderbolts*) reportedly eyeing the project. Marvel Cinematic Universe films and streaming shows are available on Disney Plus. View Affiliate Playlist on the source website Check out more of our Sci-Fi coverage or visit our TV Guide and Streaming Guide to find out what's on. For more from the biggest stars in TV, listen to The Radio Times Podcast.
Marvel's Thunderbolts* release date, plot, trailer and latest news
UK fans will get a slightly earlier release date than expected.
Thunderbolts*, the latest entry in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, has landed in cinemas, launching several MCU characters back onto our screens. The blockbuster brings together a team of reformed baddies and puts them up against a seemingly insurmountable threat. Assembled by the sinister Contessa Valentina Allegra de Fontaine (Julia Louis-Dreyfus), the Thunderbolts include Florence Pugh's (Black Widow) Yelena Belova and Sebastian Stan's (The Winter Solider) James Buchanan Barnes, Wyatt Russell's John Walker, David Harbour's Red Guardian, and several other MCU characters. Early reactions and reviews for Thunderbolts* have been overwhelmingly positive, with our own review describing the new movie as "a welcome return to the amusingly fractious action antics that made the Avengers and Guardians of the Galaxy so entertaining and watchable". So, if you're curious to know more, here are all your essential details on the MCU's next big thing. Alternatively, if you've already watched the new movie, and want a breakdown of that epic post-credits scene, then why not check out our explainer? Marvel's Thunderbolts* release date UK Marvel's Thunderbolts* is set to be released in cinemas in the US on Friday 2nd May 2025 but, in the UK, fans will get to see the film a day earlier on 1st May, according to the Film Distributor's Association (FDA). The film moved around the calendar multiple times during production, but ultimately landed on the coveted May spot, where it holds the prestigious responsibility of commencing the summer movie season. Marvel Studios once carried this out with aplomb year-in year-out, but the franchise has hit choppy waters recently, meaning that there's some pressure on Thunderbolts* to help whip it back into shape. It is the second MCU film of the year, sandwiched between February's disappointing Captain America: Brave New World and July's The Fantastic Four: First Steps, with the trio all feeding into next year's crossover Avengers: Doomsday. View Affiliate Playlist on the source website Marvel's Thunderbolts* cast Marvel's Thunderbolts* is a team film with a large ensemble cast led by Florence Pugh as Yelena Belova (the new Black Widow) and Sebastian Stan as Bucky Barnes, the Winter Soldier. The film also features familiar faces from several earlier entries in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, seemingly hoping to develop some of the franchise's memorable supporting players. David Harbour (Red Guardian) and Taskmaster (Olga Kurylenko) return from 2021's Black Widow, while Wyatt Russell is back as John Walker (aka US Agent) after debuting in Disney+ series The Falcon and the Winter Soldier. Meanwhile, Hannah John-Kamen reprises the role of Ghost from 2018's Ant-Man and the Wasp, while Julia Louis-Dreyfus returns as the enigmatic CIA director Valentina 'Val' Allegra de Fontaine (last seen in Black Panther: Wakanda Forever). Of course, the film will also add new characters to the MCU, with the most notable addition being Lewis Pullman (Outer Range) as troubled Bob Reynolds, better known as The Sentry. The character, who tows the line between hero and villain in the comic books, was originally set to be played by Beef and Invincible actor Steven Yeun, who ultimately dropped out due to filming delays. Another casualty of the Hollywood strikes was The Bear's breakout star Ayo Edebiri, who was initially set to play Valentina's light-hearted assistant Mel; the role subsequently went to Miracle Workers star Geraldine Viswanathan. In addition to the confirmed names, there are several rumoured cameos for Marvel's Thunderbolts*, including Rachel Weisz as Melina Vostokoff, Laurence Fishburne as Bill Foster, Harrison Ford as Thaddeus Ross and Daniel Brühl as Baron Zemo. Alas, none are guaranteed to appear at the time of writing, so it would be wise to measure your expectations for now. Speaking to RadioTimes.com on whether he will be making an MCU comeback, Brühl said: "Even if I could [say yes]… I couldn't, you know? The only thing I can say is [what] everybody knows: I'm not dead!" Here's an overview of the confirmed Thunderbolts* cast members: Florence Pugh as Black Widow/Yelena Belova Sebastian Stan as Winter Soldier/James Buchanan "Bucky" Barnes David Harbour as Red Guardian/Alexei Shostakov Wyatt Russell as U.S. Agent/John Walker Hannah John-Kamen as Ghost/Ava Starr Olga Kurylenko as Taskmaster/Antonia Dreykov Lewis Pullman as Sentry/Bob Julia Louis-Dreyfus as Contessa Valentina "Val" Allegra de Fontaine Geraldine Viswanathan as Mel Chris Bauer as TBC Wendell Edward Pierce as TBC Marvel's Thunderbolts* plot – What is it about? The official synopsis, courtesy of Disney, reads: "Marvel Studios assembles an unconventional team of antiheroes— Yelena Belova, Bucky Barnes, Red Guardian, Ghost, Taskmaster and John Walker. "After finding themselves ensnared in a death trap set by Valentina Allegra de Fontaine, these disillusioned castoffs must embark on a dangerous mission that will force them to confront the darkest corners of their pasts. "Will this dysfunctional group tear themselves apart, or find redemption and unite as something much more before it's too late?" An element of the plot that has provoked speculation is the inclusion of an asterisk (*) at the end of the film's title, which suggests that the Thunderbolts could be a codename or have a revelatory second meaning. Producer Kevin Feige was coy when quizzed on the matter, telling crowds in April 2024 that "we won't talk anymore about that until after the movie comes out". Notably, the Thunderbolts* trailer sees several characters express doubt about their team name, suggesting it could be replaced by something punchier at the end of the film. View oEmbed on the source website Is there a trailer for Marvel's Thunderbolts*? There is! Three trailers have now been released, giving us a good look at the film, its central team and their dynamic together, one of which aired during the Super Bowl. Check out that 'Big Game' teaser below: View oEmbed on the source website You can also find the longer Thunderbolts* teaser trailer here: View oEmbed on the source website Meanwhile, a so-called "special look" at the film was released online to mark Disney's fan event D23 as it took place in Brazil. You can watch that promo right now too: View oEmbed on the source website MCU films are available to stream on Disney+. Sign up to Disney+ for £79.99 a year and £7.99 a month. Check out more of our Film coverage or visit our TV Guide and Streaming Guide to find out what's on. For more from the biggest stars in TV, listen to The Radio Times Podcast.
Jeremy Renner says he rejected Hawkeye season 2 after his salary was halved
The series premiered during the 2021 festive season.
Jeremy Renner has put forward one explanation for why we haven't seen a second season of Hawkeye on Disney Plus, claiming that he was offered a halved salary to reprise his role in a follow-up. The series debuted in 2021 and put Renner's supporting Avengers character centre-stage for the first time, delving into his family life and mentorship to promising young archer Kate Bishop (played by Sinners star Hailee Steinfeld). Like most of the live-action Marvel shows on Disney Plus (except Loki), Hawkeye did not return for a second season despite reasonably good viewership and critical reception. Speaking on the High Performance podcast, hosted by Jake Humphrey and Damian Hughes, Renner explained that Disney broached the topic of a second season of Hawkeye following his recovery from a horrific snow plow incident. "They asked me to do season 2, and they offered me half the money," he said. "I'm like, 'Well, it's going to take me twice the amount of work for half the amount of money, and eight months of my time, essentially, to do it for half the amount'. "I'm like, 'I'm sorry, why? Did you think I'm only half the Jeremy because I got ran over? Maybe that's why you want to pay me half of what I made on the first season?'" The Mayor of Kingstown star didn't blame Marvel Studios itself for the salary dispute, instead adding: "This is like, just Disney, not even really Disney. It’s just the penny pinchers, the accountants." Claiming he told them "to go fly a kite" after the surprising turn of events, he concluded: "We didn't see eye to eye on that, sadly. I still love the character, I'd still love to do it but I had to defend myself. It was a little disheartening that it didn’t happen, but that's fine. "I'm happy to let that go because my body's probably thanking me, time and time again, that I'm not doing it right now. But, we'll see." Renner suffered more than 30 broken bones among other life-threatening injuries after being run down by a snow plough in a nightmarish accident on New Year's Day 2023, which he has detailed in a new memoir titled My Next Breath. Marvel Studios and Disney have yet to comment on Renner's claims. Hawkeye is available to stream on Disney Plus. Check out more of our Sci-Fi coverage or visit our TV Guide and Streaming Guide to find out what's on. For more from the biggest stars in TV, listen to The Radio Times Podcast.
Daredevil: Born Again season 1 ending explained - is there an end credits scene?
Spoiler warning for Daredevil: Born Again season 1 episode 9, Straight to Hell.
The first season of Daredevil: Born Again has come to an epic conclusion. Last week in the Marvel Cinematic Universe revival series, which continued on from the three seasons of Netflix's Daredevil, saw Matt Murdock (Charlie Cox) end up taking a bullet from Bullseye/Benjamin 'Dex' Poindexter (Wilson Bethel) while attending the Black and White Ball being held by the ruthless Mayor Wilson Fisk (Vincent D'Onofrio). Murdock had just learned that Fisk did not order the hit that saw Bullseye kill Foggy Nelson (Elden Henson), but that instead this was orchestrated by Wilson's equally ruthless wife, Vanessa Fisk (Ayelet Zurer). Meanwhile, Wilson himself was about to reveal Matt's alter ego of Daredevil to his new partner, Dr Heather Glenn (Margarita Levieva), who has also been acting as the Fisks' marital therapist, before Bullseye's arrival to shoot the Kingpin ended in Matt's life being in danger. So, what went down in the epic finale of Daredevil: Born Again season 1? Here's everything you need to know. *Spoiler warning for Daredevil: Born Again season 1 episode 9* Daredevil: Born Again season 1 ending explained Who dies in the Daredevil: Born Again season 1 finale? Commissioner Gallo (Michael Gaston) is the main casualty from the finale as Wilson Fisk punishes his mutinous plans by crushing Gallo's skull with his bare hands in front of his enforcers. It's a particularly gruesome scene, probably the most brutal from across the season's run. What happens after Matt Murdock is shot? Of course, Matt survives! Matt is taken to the hospital to recover, and he relays his findings about Vanessa Fisk ordering the hit on Foggy via Bullseye to his colleague Kirsten McDuffie (Nikki M James) and a disbelieving Heather, the latter of whom eventually leaves. While Matt recovers, Fisk sends his underling Buck Cashman (Arty Froushan) to kill Murdock in hospital and aid the cause for Fisk sending the city into lockdown alongside a city-wide power cut. Matt flees his room, however, before Cashman can get to him and heads to a staff room where he encounters an old face... Why does The Punisher/Frank Castle return? In the hospital, Matt hides out in a staff room when he encounters a clean-shaven and costumed-up The Punisher/Frank Castle (Jon Bernthal), who reveals a friend contacted him to come and save Matt's life and get him to safety. Soon, Fisk's Anti-Vigilante Task Force (AVTF) arrives at the hospital and a brutal shoot-out and fight occurs between them and The Punisher, who a suited-up Daredevil soon joins. Naturally, Daredevil and The Punisher win the fight, despite Matt protesting again at Frank's ever-brutal methods. Matt finds the bullet casing of one of the task force members and it belongs to the killer of White Tiger/Hector Ayala (Kamar de los Reyes), confronting the shooter who shows no remorse for his actions. Matt knocks him unconscious and remembers his past moments of brutality as he considers whether to kill the shooter, but a frustrated Frank kills him instead. As the pair argue, a grenade is thrown into the room but Matt notices and the pair flee from the window to safety on the street below. Does Karen Page return? Yes, following Matt and Frank's escape from the hospital, Karen Page (Deborah Ann Woll) arrives in a car to pick up Matt and Frank. It becomes clear that Karen called on Frank to help Matt after learning of Bullseye's escape from prison, and also hopped on a plane from San Francisco to New York. Matt relays his discoveries surrounding Foggy's murder to Karen, and they set off to get the lawyer's old files for further evidence. Frank chooses to not go with the pair and stays at his hideout, to the disappointment of Karen who doesn't believe his lack of care about what is going on. Rooting through their old files, Matt reveals he heard the heartbeats of Frank and Karen when they spoke to each other - suggesting romantic feelings - but Karen also asked if he had heard hers when she saw Matt again. It seems we may have a superhero love triangle here for Karen! What is Wilson Fisk's plan for the city? <img src="https://images.immediate.co.uk/production/volatile/sites/3/2025/03/OTK-104-10786R-b556ce1.jpg" width="8256" height="5504" alt="On the right, Vincent D'Onofrio as Wilson Fisk places his hands on the shoulders of Michael Gandolfini as Daniel Blake who stands on the left of the image, while Zabryna Guevera as Sheila Rivera looks at the scene in the background in Daredevil: Born Again." title="Daredevil: Born Again" /> Mayor Fisk wants to use his Anti-Vigilante Task Force (AVTF) to take full control of the city in light of the shootings and Bullseye's escape but recognises that he needs a city-wide disaster to put the city into lockdown, so he organises a power cut to close off bridges and tunnels. He also wants to flush out anyone not loyal to his cause, which soon becomes apparent to be advisor Sheila Rivera (Zabryna Guevara), who has conversations with an unsettled Commissioner Gallo. However, a conflicted Sheila recorded the conversation, and as a result, Gallo was picked by an old colleague and brought to Fisk and his underlings. Fisk brutally beats and kills Gallo in front of his followers, crushing his skull with his bare hands. Meanwhile, true believer Daniel Blake (Michael Gandolfini) is seen interviewing city council members to understand their loyalty and also blackmails those questioning Fisk's behaviour. When the power cut ends and the restrictions are lifted, Fisk gives a broadcast to the city. He announces the Safer Streets initiative and reveals Gallo's 'resignation', enforces an 8pm curfew, and places New York City under martial law to prevent illegal vigilante activity. "Never forget, I love New York," proclaims Fisk. Later, we see Wilson and Vanessa pay a visit to Red Hook and in cages are the imprisoned council members, along with a bound Frank Castle. Why did Vanessa Fisk have Foggy Nelson killed? Matt and Karen find that Foggy Nelson had stumbled on evidence of Vanessa legally laundering money and engaging in otherwise criminal activity at Red Hook free port. Matt realises that the Fisks want to build their own lawless city-state to carry out their criminal schemes with no limit to what they can get away with. It's clear that Wilson realises what Vanessa did, but the pair's loyalty to each other remains solid. The season ends with the pair sitting down to a glamorous dinner and toasting their success. The Punisher and the Anti-Vigilante Task Force (AVTF) Frank Castle is drawn back into a brutal conflict with the Anti-Vigilante Task Force (AVTF) and they eventually capture and bind him. Task Force member Powell (Hamish Allan-Headley) invites Castle to join them and reveals how much they hero worship him, but Frank angrily rebukes them. As a result, the officers begin to violently beat Frank, who remains plucky regardless. What happens to Dr Heather Glenn? Dr Heather Glenn pays a visit to Wilson Fisk's office, where she clearly still trusts him, and he soon asks her to be his administration's Commissioner of Mental Health. Looked upon by Cashman, Heather accepts the offer from Fisk. What is Daredevil's plan to take on Fisk? After Karen makes Matt see that violently confronting Fisk won't win the battle against Fisk, he realises they will need an army to take on the Kingpin. At Josie's bar, Matt and Karen discuss how he has a darker side to him but she tells him that Foggy knew his light and his dark sides but believed in Matt anyway, just like she does. In the bar, surrounded by allies, including Angie Kim (Ruibo Qian) and Cherry (Clark Johnson), Matt makes a speech outlining that "The City Without Fear" can take back their community from those threatening it. Daredevil: Born Again season 1 finale end credits scene A post-credits scene sees an imprisoned Frank Castle strike up a conversation with a task force member and begin shaking his hand before breaking his hand and arm through the cage. Frank is as brutal as ever! Daredevil: Born Again is available to stream on Disney Plus. Sign up to Disney Plus now for £4.99 per month or £79.90 for a full year. Check out more of our Sci-Fi coverage or visit our TV Guide and Streaming Guide to find out what's on. For more f
Doctor Who star joins cast of Fantastic Four: First Steps
Two space-bending worlds collide in newly released footage of the Marvel movie.
Following the release of a trailer earlier this year, more exciting footage of The Fantastic Four: First Steps was shown at CinemaCon in Las Vegas last week. The new trailer showcased some previously unknown cast members, including an actor that will be very familiar to Doctor Who fans. That's right, Mark Gatiss has joined Marvel's '60s-set space adventure. As noted by IGN, he plays the host of The Ted Gilbert Show, a talk show clearly modelled after popular variety shows of the era, and can be heard recounting the Fantastic Four's journey thus far. Gatiss is no stranger to the world of space-bending sci-fi, both in front of and behind the camera. He has been heavily involved with Doctor Who since the '90s, having written books, episodes and audio adventures for the franchise, as well as appearing as four different characters – Professor Lazarus, Danny Boy, Gantok and most recently The Captain. Gatiss will be joining Pedro Pascal, Vanessa Kirby, Joseph Quinn and Ebon Moss-Bachrach as the titular team – Reed Richards, Sue Storm, Johnny Storm and Ben Grimm/The Thing. As with the trailer released earlier in the year, the new footage didn't show Reed Richards using his stretching powers or a full Galactus reveal, but it did give us shots of Julia Garner's Silver Surfer in action. It also confirmed that Sue Storm is pregnant, and teased the dangers the foursome – and New York – will face at the hand of Galactus. Read more: Doctor Who unveils new episode 1 images – what has Mrs Flood seen? The Fantastic Four: First Steps is coming to cinemas on 25th July 2025. Check out more of our Film coverage or visit our TV Guide and Streaming Guide to find out what's on. For more from the biggest stars in TV, listen to The Radio Times Podcast.
Avengers: Doomsday has a clear path to success – if Marvel leans into an unexpected story
The studio needs to look to a particular '80s comic book series.
We now know that Avengers: Doomsday is likely to be based on the highly acclaimed Secret Wars comic from 2015, but Marvel would be better off taking inspiration from somewhere much sillier: the original Marvel Super Heroes Secret Wars. This 1984 series was the first time a comics company had brought all its top superheroes together into one big story, and it was created with the highest of all artistic aims in mind – selling action figures. Marvel had done a deal with Mattel to produce a range of plastic toys based on its characters, and both companies agreed that a new series would be a great sales gimmick. Market researchers asked adolescent boys what they thought the two most exciting words in the world were, and after removing some of the ruder responses the answers were "Secret" and "Wars", so that was the title. The story was written with a similar focus, with each of the 12 issues featuring several big fights which you could re-enact only if you had enough action figures to bash together. There was also at least one scene where all the characters stood in a line and introduced themselves, just so that new readers would know which ones to ask for at Christmas. This would be particularly useful for the modern MCU. After 35 movies and 17 years we could all do with scenes where characters say: "Hello everyone, I’m Namor the fish bloke and this is my pal M'Baku from Black Panther." Marvel Super Heroes Secret Wars contained plenty of other great ideas, like exciting team-ups, sci-fi bulldozers, brand new costumes (with associated action figures) and, in issue four, the baddies dropping a billion ton mountain range on top of the heroes. Who wouldn’t want to see that on the big screen? View Green Video on the source website Silliness like this is a vital part of superhero storytelling, allowing us to accept grand concepts and cosmic ideas because we've already gone along with people in skin tight costumes chucking cars at each other. Unfortunately this makes some very serious and grown-up directors ashamed of their source material, because they think bigger boys and film critics will tease them. Making movies for boring people leads to boring movies, with the prime example being Zack Snyder's angst-ridden epics which, at heart, were still about a flying Space Jesus and a tooled-up Elon Musk. The trailer for James Gunn’s Superman recognises this, revelling in the glorious silliness of Krypto the Superdog and his doggy cape, while his Guardians of the Galaxy movies extracted high excitement and big emotions from a talking racoon and his best friend who is a tree. The early MCU embraced this too, with the utter daftness of billionaires building their own giant robot suits and a military superweapon waltzing about in the least camouflaged uniform ever. Avengers: Endgame even had a final punch-up that had to keep pausing for characters to say: "Hello it is me, Gwyneth Paltrow from the Iron Man films." Excitingly, the new cast list reveals another similarity to the original Secret Wars. Both have four separate teams of superheroes - the Avengers, the X-Men (with Professor X and Magneto returning from the original X-Men movies), the Fantastic Four, and a group of baddies, here represented by the cast of Thunderbolts. In the comics, these teams were constantly getting into misunderstandings and fights before finally being brought together by none other than Doctor Doom. Doom was the hero of the 2015 Secret Wars as well, although only the '80s one had him growing to a 30-foot-tall giant with a futuristic new costume that just so happened to be available from all good toy shops. Importantly, the original series also had Doom curing his facial scarring and taking his mask off. This would be hugely appealing for the Disney accountants, who surely wouldn’t want to pay several million dollars to hide Robert Downey Jr's expensive face behind a bit of metal. And that’s surely the key point. Despite what comics superfans think, Disney isn’t making these movies just to annoy us - it's also doing it to make money, just like the original series was. When Marvel announced the follow-up to the original Secret Wars at a retailers conference in 1985, it was roundly booed for running out of new ideas. Its sales manager Carol Kalish waited for quiet and then said: “Let's be honest. Secret Wars was crap, right? But did it sell?" The room erupted in cheering, and sales went through the roof. If the modern MCU can learn from this, maybe without deliberately making the movie rubbish, then they might find similar results from a dive back into daftness. Avengers: Doomsday is coming to cinemas in May 2026. Check out more of our Film coverage or visit our TV Guide and Streaming Guide to find out what's on. For more from the biggest stars in TV, listen to The Radio Times Podcast.
Daredevil: Born Again release date, trailer, plot, latest news
Daredevil is back – and it's dark and gritty as ever!
After a thrilling appearance in Spider-Man: No Way Home and then in She-Hulk: Attorney at Law, Charlie Cox's Daredevil is now back on our screens in Daredevil: Born Again. The series returned with a thrilling opening two episodes which left the titular hero with a dark new status quo after the brutal loss of his best friend, Foggy Nelson (Elden Henson). Picking up a year on from Foggy's death, Matt has given up his life of vigilantism, and his other close friend Karen Page (Deborah Ann Woll) has moved to San Fransisco. Choosing to focus on his career as a lawyer, Matt soon finds that Daredevil may need to return once again now that Kingpin/Wilson Fisk (Vincent D'Onofrio) is now the Mayor of New York. So, as we eagerly anticipate the third episode of the new series which now includes a new expanded cast of characters, here is all you need to know about Daredevil: Born Again. Daredevil: Born Again release date Daredevil: Born Again returned to Disney+ in the UK on Wednesday 5th March 2025. The release date was announced by producer Sana Amanat during a panel at New York Comic Con. The series was initially targeting a spring 2024 release, but was thrown severely off course when it underwent a creative overhaul midway through production, and then took a further hiatus for the WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes. Addressing the behind-the-scenes turmoil, Cox told TVLine that the characters in Born Again are now "much closer" to the versions from the Netflix series. Vincent D’Onofrio added: "It’s hard to comment because I want to say so much about... the change that happened, but in the end, the last few months of work that we did was quite intense and written beautifully and directed beautifully, so we can only hope for the best. "Personally, I think it’s as intense as we’ve ever been." In April 2024, filming wrapped on the first season of Daredevil: Born Again, which will consist of nine episodes (rather than the initially reported 18) and be part of the Marvel Cinematic Universe's Phase Five. The full release schedule is available here. View Affiliate Playlist on the source website Is there a Daredevil: Born Again trailer? Yes! Check out the first trailer for Daredevil: Born Again below: View oEmbed on the source website What will the plot of Daredevil: Born Again be? Born Again is set to pick up where the original series left off. "There was talk early on about reinventing the whole thing, to see if Matt was a slightly different person," Cox previously told Empire. "But it ended up more of a continuation." The official synopsis reads: "In Marvel Television's Daredevil: Born Again, Matt Murdock (Charlie Cox), a blind lawyer with heightened abilities, is fighting for justice through his bustling law firm, while former mob boss Wilson Fisk (Vincent D'Onofrio) pursues his own political endeavours in New York. "When their past identities begin to emerge, both men find themselves on an inevitable collision course." As we know from the trailer and from the end of Echo, Fisk is now mayor of New York City - but, of course, Matt doubts his intentions. It seems the pair will both face up to their pasts while trying to move forward. Scardapane also previously teased that Born Again is "much darker" than the original series. He told SFX: "I really feel that Netflix's Daredevil, which I know in my blood, was much more noir, and this show is more New York crime story. "It has elements of The Sopranos and King of New York. There's a feeling for those classic '90s crime tales. It has a pace and a scope that, for a lot of reasons, Netflix wasn't able to do. They were very dark, cinematically, not necessarily story-wise, although there were some dark elements. We're much darker." How did Daredevil season 3 end on Netflix? The third season of Daredevil that was released on Netflix ended with Wilson Fisk being brought down by the likes of Matt Murdock, Karen Page and more. Fisk agreed to return to prison in return for Matt not exposing Fisk's beloved wife Vanessa and her involvement in the death of a federal agent. Meanwhile, the psychopathic former federal agent Benjamin "Dex" Poindexter turned on his master Wilson Fisk, but was left paralysed in a fight with the Kingpin. However, in the final scene, we saw Dex undergoing an experimental treatment to mend his spine - suggesting he will return for revenge on Murdock and Fisk. Finally, Murdock reunited with former flame Karen Page and best friend and fellow lawyer Foggy Nelson, and made clear he would like to work with them again. It remains to be seen just how much of the Daredevil series will remain canon. When did we last see Wilson Fisk? Kingpin/Wilson Fisk, played by Vincent D'Onofrio, last appeared in the Marvel Cinematic Universe series Echo on Disney Plus, with his adoptive niece Maya seeking bloody revenge for the death of her father. Miraculously, he survived a shot to the head from Maya, with D'Onofrio ominously telling TVLine: "If you’re a fan of Kingpin and Daredevil – the old comics – you know that Kingpin never dies." Crucially, the mid-credits scene shows Kingpin deciding to run for mayor of New York City, setting up a major storyline in Daredevil: Born Again. Said scene shows Kingpin back on his plane, as he tells his aide: "I want a meeting with all the other heads. We need to stabilise the situation before it spirals out of control." Looking at the TV, he notices a debate about the race for for mayor of New York City – and how there's no clear frontrunner yet – before clearly deciding he's the man for the job. Before then, he appeared in the series Hawkeye on Disney Plus when he was revealed in the penultimate episode to be the chief antagonist of the show. Fisk was shown to be in league with Eleanor Bishop (Vera Farmiga), whose late husband owed him money. When Bishop tried to end their partnership, Fisk tried to kill her but was stopped by her daughter Kate (Hailee Steinfeld). The series also introduced Fisk's surrogate niece and protégée Maya Lopez, who commands the gang known as the Tracksuit Mafia for her uncle. Lopez wanted revenge on the assassin Ronin – the former alias of Clint Barton (Jeremy Renner) – for the murder of her father William Lopez (Zahn McClarnon). Barton revealed to Lopez that he was hired by an informant in the Tracksuit Mafia to kill her father, causing her to suspect her lieutenant and best friend Kazimierz "Kazi" Kazimierczak (Fra Fee). After a confrontation that saw her kill Kazi, Lopez is armed with the knowledge that her "uncle" Fisk orchestrated her father's death. Following his escape from the authorities after his encounter with the Bishops, Fisk came face to face with Lopez who confronted him at gunpoint before a shot rang out. This storyline was picked up by 2024 miniseries Echo on Disney Plus, as outlined above. When did we last see Matt Murdock? We also last saw Matt Murdock, played by Charlie Cox, in the Disney Plus series Echo. In a brief appearance, teased in a clip released before the show aired, Daredevil came face to face with Maya. Before then, Daredevil was seen in She Hulk: Attorney at Law. Cox appeared alongsideTatiana Maslany in the finale episode of the series, taking on a mission with Jennifer Walters. He told EW at the time: "I think I'm still coming to terms with it. It still feels too good to be true. I really had put this to bed emotionally; I didn't think that this was going to happen. I literally don't have the words to describe it. I feel incredibly grateful." It came after his surprise appearance in Spider-Man: No Way Home. Daredevil: Born Again is airing weekly on Disney+. Stream Daredevil seasons 1-3 now. Sign up to Disney+ for £4.99 a month or £79.90 a year. Check out more of our Sci-Fi coverage or visit our TV Guide and Streaming Guide to see what's on tonight. For more from the biggest stars in TV, listen to The Radio Times Podcast.
Daredevil recap: Everything you need to know before Born Again
The Devil of Hell's Kitchen has returned!
Hell's Kitchen calls and the Devil waits for no one – it's almost time for Daredevil: Born Again! Charlie Cox is making his return as Matt Murdock/Daredevil for the new Disney Plus show, a continuation of the Netflix series that was cancelled in 2018. He's joined by a whole host of familiar faces, including Elden Henson as Foggy, Deborah Ann Woll as Karen, Vincent D'Onofrio as Wilson Fisk/Kingpin, Jon Bernthal as Frank Castle/The Punisher, and Wilson Bethel as Bullseye. But what can we expect from those returns? Showrunner Dario Scardapane has reassured fans about Karen's comeback, at least, telling RadioTimes.com: "I was fortunate enough to work with Deborah Ann Woll in The Punisher. "I knew when I met with [Marvel] the first time that Karen Page, as a character, as an entity, as part of this world, is super important. So I'm very excited for the fans and everybody to see how that evolves and what's to come. "Without giving too much away, I could say that if that relationship and if that character matters to you, you will be very satisfied." But it's been a long time since Netflix's Daredevil was last on our screens and, since then, Matt has been busy, popping up in The Defenders, Spider-Man: No Way Home, and She-Hulk. Kingpin has been much the same, with a prominent role in Echo. So, before we return to Hell's Kitchen, here's a full recap and everything you need to know before Daredevil: Born Again. What happened in Daredevil? Full recap Daredevil season 1 (2015) Of course, we first met Cox's Matt Murdock in Netflix's Daredevil, which left fans heartbroken when it was cancelled after three seasons. In season 1, we were introduced to kind-hearted lawyers Murdock and Nelson, who saved an innocent Karen Page from being framed for murder – and then from being murdered herself. With nowhere to go, Karen started to work for Murdock & Nelson and formed a close bond with the pair of them. An accident in Matt's youth left him blind, but with incredibly heightened senses, leading him to become the vigilante Daredevil. Left disillusioned with how much the law could do to prevent the increasing levels of crime in Hell's Kitchen, he decided to settle scores and save whoever he could himself – but it certainly didn't come without its complications. The big bad in season 1 was mob boss Wilson Fisk, AKA Kingpin, who kills and orchestrates the death of countless people throughout the season as well as having key figures in the police, media, and government under his thumb. By the end of the season, Fisk and his cronies are finally arrested. But Fisk has left a trail of death in his wake, including Nelson & Murdock client Elena Cardenas, journalist Ben Urich – and his work isn't done. Daredevil season 2 (2016) In season 2, with Fisk in prison, multiple gangs attempt to take control of Hell's Kitchen – but chaos ensues when a vigilante who becomes known as The Punisher starts murdering criminals. We learn he's a former Marine named Frank Castle, whose family was murdered during a shootout between two gangs – the Irish and the Dogs of Hell. After being apprehended by Daredevil, Castle is soon arrested (with Daredevil letting Sergeant Brett Mahoney take the credit in an attempt to restore public faith in the police). With Karen and Matt striking up a (brief) romance, Matt is visited by his ex-girlfriend Elektra, who needs help dealing with the Japanese arm of the Roxxon Corporation, who her father had dealings with. Matt agrees to help Elektra investigate the Yakuza. They find out they're both fronts for the ancient group The Hand. Meanwhile, Nelson & Murdock agrees to represent Castle to help find out what happened to his family – but he refuses to accept a plea deal, pleading not guilty, starting a public trial. Matt is late to the trial due to his dealings as Daredevil and his relationship with Foggy fractures. Taking the stand, Castle wrecks his own defence and is sent to prison, where he meets Fisk. Fisk uses Castle, getting him to kill another inmate and making false promises about information about his family – but he does arrange for his release from prison. The final episode sees The Hand taking people Murdock has helped hostage, including Karen. Matt and Elektra fight off The Hand and rescue the hostages, with Castle later offering his help, and Elektra sacrifices herself. However, the final scenes of the season show Elektra's body being placed into an ancient device, hinting that she could be brought back to life. Daredevil season 3 (2018) Season 3 sees an escalating battle between Matt and and Fisk. Throughout the season, Kingpin had manipulated FBI Special Agent Benjamin "Dex" Poindexter into becoming a Daredevil imposter – but this all comes to a head when it's revealed that Kingpin killed a woman Poindexter cared about. After a brutal fight between the three of them, Daredevil forces Kingpin to agree to return to prison (to avoid Vanessa, played by Ayelet Zurer, ending up behind bars instead). Meanwhile, Poindexter suffers a broken back and the final scene shows him undergoing surgery and becoming the comic book villain Bullseye – who is confirmed to return in Born Again. Aside from that chilling moment, Daredevil season 3 ends on an unexpectedly happy note, with Matt, Foggy Nelson (Elden Henson) and Karen Page (Deborah Ann Woll) agreeing to establish their own law firm. What happened to Daredevil in The Defenders? (2017) The next time we catch up with Matt is in 2017's The Defenders, where he's established as a pro bono lawyer, with the series showing him and the team, including Jessica Jones (Krysten Ritter), Danny Rand (Finn Jones), and Luke Cage (Mike Colter) in a battle against The Hand. After the final battle, it's believed Matt has died, with Foggy and Karen left heartbroken – until a final scene reveals that he's still alive. Unlike Daredevil, The Defenders only lasted for one season and it would be four years before we saw Daredevil back on screens. What happened to Daredevil in Spider-Man: No Way Home? (2021) Gasps were heard in cinemas across the world as Matt Murdock made a surprise appearance in one of the MCU's most highly-anticipated movies of all time. Appearing as Peter Parker's (Tom Holland) lawyer, Matt casually saves Peter from a brick flying through the window – but doesn't reveal his secret, simply saying: "I'm a really good lawyer." It's a brief cameo, but it does everything it needs to in order to re-integrate Matt back into the MCU. What happened to Daredevil in She-Hulk: Attorney at Law? (2022) In the final two episodes of She-Hulk, Daredevil rocks up with a new suit – and it seems he was set up as a love interest for Tatiana Maslany's Jennifer Walters. After a very meta season finale, the series ends with Matt attending a family barbecue. Happily ever after! Right? Well, until Maya Lopez enters the mix, that is... What happened to Daredevil and Kingpin in Echo? (2024) Matt only appears for a brief cameo in Echo, as he's seen fighting Maya Lopez (Alaqua Cox) in the opening scenes. But Fisk has a major role, as Maya's adoptive uncle. When Maya discovers he's the man responsible for her father's death, she shoots him in the eye – but, of course, he doesn't die. After recovering from his injuries, Fisk offers tells her that he will give her his criminal empire if she agrees to return with him to New York. However, she leaves without him. View Green Video on the source website In revenge, Fisk kidnaps Maya's grandmother Chula and cousin Bonnie, and threatens to kill her family for betraying him. Using her powers, Maya takes Fisk back to a memory of his father beating his mother in an attempt to help him let go of his anger. A mid-credits scene shows Fisk deciding to run for Mayor of New York City. Echo is streaming now on Disney Plus. Check out the rest of our Sci-Fi and Fantasy coverage, or visit our TV Guide and Streaming Guide to see what’s on tonight. Try Radio Times magazine today and get 12 issues for only £1 with delivery to your home – subscribe now. For more from the biggest stars in TV, listen to The Radio Times Podcast.
Captain America: Brave New World offers up surprise cameo – confirming new character detail
A familiar face pops up towards the end of the latest MCU instalment.
**WARNING: Contains spoilers for Captain America: Brave New World** Cameo appearances, Easter eggs and well-kept secrets have always been a big part of the MCU – and so it's no surprise to see that pattern continue in the franchise's latest release, Captain America: Brave New World. The film is the first big-screen outing for Anthony Mackie's Sam Wilson since he graduated from the role of Falcon to become the new fully-fledged Captain America, and finds him at loggerheads with new US president Thaddeus 'Thunderbolt' Ross owing to a plot that includes the indestructible metal Adamantium, a mind-control influenced assassination attempt and a dramatic international fallout. Much has been made ahead of the film's release about how it links back to some previous entries in the long-running interconnected universe – with the likes of 2008's The Incredible Hulk and 2021's Eternals key touchstones – but there is also a major cameo from someone who has long had a key role in the Captain America films in particular. Scroll down to find out who... Sponsored by Vue Save up to 30% on the latest releases at Vue in 2025 Are you a movie lover who always wants to be up to date with the latest releases? Then you're in luck, as RadioTimes.com readers can enjoy new films at Vue for less. Customers will receive up to 30% off films with Vue Pass, as long as they have a RadioTimes.com account. It's a great time for new releases, with films such as Wicked, Nosferatu, The Brutalist and Moana 2 taking UK cinemas by storm. Head to your nearest Vue to catch these movies and more for up to 30% less if you're signed up as a RadioTimes.com member. Save up to 30% with Vue Pass In what will no doubt come as good news for MCU fans, the familiar character who makes an unexpected – and admittedly rather brief – appearance in the film is Bucky Barnes AKA The Winter Soldier, played as ever by Sebastian Stan. Bucky makes his appearance towards the end of the film, popping in on his old pal Sam to comfort him while he is visiting his critically injured friend Joaquin Torres – AKA the new Falcon – in hospital. In the scene, it is confirmed that Bucky is now a congressman, and after he gives an inspirational pep talk to Sam they share a joke about how it was actually written by his speechwriter. That's about as far as the conversation goes, but the exchange does appear to give Sam a lift. Of course, Stan will soon be reprising his role in a more meaningful capacity in the next MCU entry Thunderbolts*, which will presumably go into rather more detail about what he's been up to since the events of The Falcon and the Winter Solider and how his life has changed since running for political office. Stan is returning to Marvel after what has been the most successful year of his career so far – at least as far as awards and acclaim go. He is nominated for Best Actor at the upcoming Oscars for his turn as Donald Trump in The Apprentice and has already won the Golden Globe Award for Best Actor – Musical or Comedy for his role in A Different Man. Captain America: Brave New World is now showing in UK cinemas. Check out more of our Film and Sci-Fi coverage or visit our TV Guide and Streaming Guide to find out what’s on. For more from the biggest stars in TV, listen to The Radio Times Podcast.
Daredevil: Born Again risks losing what made original Netflix show so special
Its success hinges on it understanding the assignment.
Since it was first announced, fans of Daredevil have been concerned that Disney Plus's new series Born Again won't live up to the original - but recent comments from showrunner Dario Scardapane have prompted us to wonder whether their concerns might be well-founded. The original Netflix show, starring Charlie Cox and Vincent D'Onofrio, followed a lawyer-turned-vigilante in his efforts to save Hell's Kitchen from becoming a crime-ravaged hellscape. But when he starts to become known as the Devil of Hell's Kitchen and the crime lord he's attempting to take down becomes the face of the city's relief efforts, questions are raised about morality and what really makes a hero. Daredevil: Born Again has been in the works for years and, at one point, was entirely creatively reworked, seemingly to become more of a sequel rather than a reboot. Original stars of the show are set to return, and showrunner Scardapane has confirmed he wanted it to take on an even "darker" tone than the original - so any fears about the show being "Disney-fied" or losing its distinctively violent nature have been quelled. So far so good! <img src="https://images.immediate.co.uk/production/volatile/sites/3/2025/01/OTK-101-34289R-336217b.jpg" width="6000" height="4000" alt="Karen Page (Deborah Ann Woll), Daredevil/Matt Murdock (Charlie Cox) and Foggy Nelson (Elden Henson) in Daredevil: Born Again walking down a street" title="Karen Page (Deborah Ann Woll), Daredevil/Matt Murdock (Charlie Cox) and Foggy Nelson (Elden Henson) in Daredevil: Born Again" /> But, while promoting the upcoming series, the showrunner has given his take on the original show and how the new version will differ - and those comments have made some of us very, very nervous. "The earlier show, at its best, was fantastic," he told SFX. "At its worst, it was two characters in a room talking about what a hero is. I felt that had been done. "I’m not taking swipes. I just didn’t want to hear characters grousing about their lot in life. I wanted to see them doing things." He added: "I really feel that Netflix’s Daredevil, which I know in my blood, was much more noir, and this show is more New York crime story. "It has elements of The Sopranos and King of New York. There’s a feeling for those classic 1990s crime tales. It has a pace and a scope that, for a lot of reasons, Netflix wasn’t able to do. They were very dark, cinematically, not necessarily story-wise, although there were some dark elements. We’re much darker." Of course, that's just one part of a wide-ranging interview, but what he's described as those moments of two characters sitting in a room talking about what a hero is are actually the heart of the show, even giving the show its identity in its early days. For one, Matt Murdock's questions about his own morality are crucial to the series, and those moments where he actively examines that (not least the scenes where he pays visits to his priest, Father Lantom) add a complexity to his character that we wouldn't have had otherwise. At no point is he sure he's doing the right thing - and he often worries he's no better than those he's fighting against. That attitude filters down, causing complications in his relationships, most prominently with those closest to him, Foggy Nelson (Elden Henson) and Karen Page (Deborah Ann Woll). The connection between Matt, Foggy and Karen is the backbone of the show, with the trio doing their best to keep each other grounded, honest and, crucially, alive. <img src="https://images.immediate.co.uk/production/volatile/sites/3/2025/01/OTK-101-33106R-f31342f.jpg" width="8256" height="5504" alt="Karen Page (Deborah Ann Woll) and Daredevil/Matt Murdock (Charlie Cox) in Daredevil: Born Again sitting on a bench, talking" title="Karen Page (Deborah Ann Woll) and Daredevil/Matt Murdock (Charlie Cox) in Daredevil: Born AgainKaren Page (Deborah Ann Woll) and Daredevil/Matt Murdock (Charlie Cox) in Daredevil: Born Again" /> Those connections are what made so many of us continue coming back to the show. Sure, the violence, the action, and the enthralling villains were part of the success, but Matt needed someone to fight for - and that need was beautifully realised in the depth of his friendships with Foggy and Karen. Despite the pair of them originally not set to return for Born Again, thankfully that decision was reversed and they'll both be reprising their roles. But do Scardapane's comments suggest that these crucial parts of the original show will be neglected? Yes, it's great that the show will maintain its dark tone, but this should never be at the expense of moments that gave the series its heart. View oEmbed on the source website After all, what would the original show have been without the backstory of how Matt and Foggy met and the scene we'd all been waiting for, when Foggy discovered Matt's true identity? Or the heartbreaking moments with Elena Cardenas that proved the need for a law firm like Nelson & Murdock? Or Matt's visits to Father Lantom that saw him admitting his murderous urges against Kingpin, while grappling with his morality and religion? So far, the creative team behind Daredevil: Born Again have made what appear to be some very shrewd decisions, most prominently in reworking the show to serve as a sequel rather than a reboot. In bringing Daredevil back to screens, Scardapane and his team have a huge opportunity to foster nostalgia for an iconic Netflix hit and re-engage fans who might otherwise have been lost to Marvel as a result of its less-than-impressive current era. But, in the excitement of them bringing back the show's dark tone, its brutal violence, and its most iconic villain, it's essential that they don't underestimate the power of quiet moments, discussions about morality, and exploring the relationships at the heart of the show further. In short, they cannot afford to squander that chance by simply misunderstanding the assignment. View Affiliate Playlist on the source website Daredevil: Born Again premieres on Disney Plus on Tuesday 4th March 2025. 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