MCU Phase 4: Guardians Holiday Special and every other movie and show release date

MCU Phase 4 is in the final throes of its existence. The curtain is about to drop on the latest phase of the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU), with only one more project set to be released.

That production will be The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special, which gate crashes the Disney Plus holiday season party on November 25. After that, it’ll be time to wave goodbye to the Marvel slate of movies that have served us well since July 2021, as well as the phase that officially kicked off the MCU’s TV series era on Disney’s streaming platform.

If you’re after more news on the Guardians’ next big adventure, a round-up of every MCU Phase 4 movie and show to date, and a look ahead to Marvel Phase 5 and beyond, you’ve come to the right place. Below, we’ll run you through that and more as we begin the countdown to the end of Marvel Phase 4. So, hop to it, dear reader!

MCU Phase 4 release dates

There’s only one MCU Phase 4 project left before Marvel’s current slate ends. That’s The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special, which rounds out Marvel’s Phase 4 slate on Friday, November 25.

As for all of the MCU Phase 4 films and shows that have been released so far, check out our spoiler-free reviews of each one below:

• WandaVision (TV show)
• Falcon and the Winter Soldier (TV show)
• Loki (TV show)
• Black Widow
• What If…? season 1 (TV show)
• Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings
• Eternals
• Hawkeye (TV show)
• Spider-Man: No Way Home
• Moon Knight (TV show)
• Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness
• Ms Marvel (TV show)
• Thor: Love and Thunder
• I Am Groot (TV show)
• She-Hulk: Attorney at Law (TV show)
• Werewolf by Night (TV special)
• Black Panther: Wakanda Forever

Upcoming MCU Phase 4 films and TV shows

The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special

Release date: Friday, November 25

A Holiday Special that’ll be under 40 minutes long (according to director James Gunn), this MCU Phase 4 project will likely evoke the notoriously bad Star Wars Holiday Special from 1978, of which Gunn is a fan. 

Its first teaser arrived on October 25, one month ahead of its release, and confirmed what its story will entail. Basically, Star-Lord is sad because the Gamora he knew is dead and the one who’s now alive in the MCU (thanks to Endgame’s events) doesn’t know who he is. So Drax and Mantis decide to kidnap his favorite actor – Kevin Bacon – to cheer him up. Expect plenty of slapstick moments and other comedy-imbued events to play out.

The main Guardians cast will all feature, it sounds like it’s going to be canon – it’s set before the third Guardians movie and after Thor 4 – and Gunn has called it the “greatest thing I’ve ever done. Oh, and Gunn says it’ll have a mixed tape of songs to rival previous Guardians movies. High-fives all round.

There are rumors of wild cameos, including speculation that Mark Hamill could appear as Santa Clause. Cosmo the Dog, a sentient canine, will also make their MCU debut before featuring in Guardians of the Galaxy Volume 3.

Gunn has confirmed it’ll be the epilogue to MCU Phase 4, so don’t expect the Guardians Holiday Special to kickstart Phase 5. And speaking of…

Marvel Phase 5 and beyond

Marvel revealed its entire slate of Phase 5 movies and TV shows at Comic-Con 2022, as well as confirming the first three (or four, depending on where Deadpool 3 fits in) projects that’ll make up Marvel’s Phase 6 slate.

Check out every confirmed Phase 5 and Phase 6 project below:

• Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania (February 17, 2023)
• What If…? season 2 (TV show, early 2023)
• Secret Invasion (TV show, spring 2023)
• Guardians of the Galaxy Volume 3 (May 5, 2023)
• Echo (TV show, mid-2023)
• Loki season 2 (TV show, summer 2023)
• The Marvels (July 28, 2023)
• Ironheart (TV show, late 2023)
• X-Men ’97 (animated TV show, late 2023)
• Agatha: Coven of Chaos (TV show, late 2023/early 2024)
• Daredevil: Born Again (TV show, early 2024)
• Captain America: New World Order (May 3, 2024)
• Thunderbolts (July 26, 2024)
• Blade (September 6, 2024)
• Deadpool 3 (Phase 5 or Phase 6 movie, November 8, 2024)
• Spider-Man: Freshman Year (animated TV show, 2024)
• Marvel Zombies (animated TV show, 2024)
• Fantastic Four (Phase 6 movie, February 14, 2025)
• Avengers: The Kang Dynasty (Phase 6 movie, May 2, 2025)
• Avengers: Secret Wars (Phase 6 movie, May 1, 2026)

For more Marvel-based content, read our Marvel movies in order guide. Alternatively, find out where we ranked every MCU film to date and which Marvel villains we think are the best (and worst) ones in the MCU so far.