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Since 2019, Kevin Erdmann has been one of Screen Rant's Senior Staff Writers, covering all kinds of Superhero and Star Wars media with Easter egg breakdowns, theory pieces, breaking news, and more. A huge Star Wars & MCU fan, Kevin also loves Batman (because he's Batman), but could talk for hours about why Nightwing is DC's greatest hero.
With 8 years of total experience covering entertainment and pop culture, Kevin has gotten the chance to interview top creatives and talent, and has also attended major media events like Disney's D23 convention.
Majoring in Cinema Studies with a minor in Comics and Cartoon Studies from the UofO, Kevin lives in Oregon with his wonderful wife, adorable dog, and sinister cat who is no doubt currently plotting his demise.
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Disney is positioning 2026 as a major reset for two of its biggest franchises. This year, both Star Wars and the Marvel Cinematic Universe are prioritizing greater stability and renewed confidence in the respective brands.
The playbook looks to be the same with Disney's most high-profile movies in 2026. With big theatrical event releases, returning creative teams, and major nostalgia plays, here's how both Lucasfilm and Marvel Studios are very much operating in parallel this year.
The Mandalorian & Grogu and Avengers: Doomsday Are Both Releasing in 2026
The Mandalorian & Grogu marks Star Wars’ first theatrical release since The Rise of Skywalker in 2019. Rather than launching a brand-new story or saga, Lucasfilm is going with a continuation from one of its most successful Disney+ series, transforming an already beloved story into a big-screen event (which should help reestablish Star Wars at the box office).
Set after the events of The Mandalorian, the film is expected to follow Din Djarin and Grogu helping the New Republic government track down lingering Imperial Remnant leaders across the Outer Rim. Pedro Pascal is also set to return as Djarin, with Grogu continuing to be the most adorable audience draw the Star Wars fandom has ever seen.
The Mandalorian series successfully kicked off the live-action era of Star Wars television. As such, it makes sense that Disney and Lucasfilm are using it as the foundation for Star Wars' return to the theaters for the first time in six years.
Likewise, Avengers: Doomsday is set to play a remarkably similar role for the MCU in 2026. Positioned as the beginning of the end for the Multiverse Saga, the film is set to bring multiple Marvel heroes together from various realities.
The film also reflects a shared reliance on familiarity. Both Chris Evans and Robert Downey Jr. are set to return, Thor is evoking his Infinity War era, and the Russo Brothers’ return as directors signals a deliberate return to Marvel’s most trusted creative formula.
Both Movies Have The Same Goal: Banking On Nostalgia and Past Success
At their core, both films share the same mission: getting audiences reinvested by leaning on recognizable characters, tones, and creators, proving that both Lucasfilm and Marvel Studios still understand what made these franchises resonate, especially when they were at their peaks.
The Mandalorian & Grogu will benefit from characters who are already pop culture icons. At this point, Din Djarin and Grogu require little to no reintroduction with mainstream audiences, allowing the Star Wars movie to function as both a continuation of the series and to prove the potential Star Wars can still have at the modern-day box office.
Avengers: Doomsday mirrors that same approach by reaching back and evoking the MCU's most beloved era at the end of the Infinity Saga with Avengers: Infinity War and Endgame. Bringing back Evans and Downey reconnects the MCU to its original emotional core, while the Russos’ return reassures fans that peak MCU storytelling is (hopefully) back on track.
The involvement of Fox-era X-Men actors further reinforces the nostalgia strategy. Marvel Studios is using the multiverse to generate even long-standing fan attachment, ensuring immediate investment even before we know the full stakes of Avengers: Doomsday or the specifics of its overall plot.
It's also noteworthy that Pedro Pascal is also starring in Avengers: Doomsday as Mister Fantastic, meaning he's set to be a prominent actor in both of Disney's biggest 2026 releases (another fun parallel between the two projects).
Beyond 2026, Both Disney Studios Are Preparing For Even Bolder Releases
It should also be mentioned that Disney does have ambitions to extend both franchises further after their releases in 2026. Both studios appear to be using familiar projects as a buffer in 2026, creating financial and creative stability before launching bigger and bolder stories going forward in 2027 and beyond.
For Star Wars, that leap will likely come with Star Wars: Starfighter in 2027, directed by Shawn Levy and starring Ryan Gosling. Unlike The Mandalorian & Grogu, the film is expected to explore new characters and corners of the galaxy, signaling a renewed willingness to expand beyond legacy-driven storytelling with a story set five years after the events of the Skywalker Saga.
Marvel’s equivalent gamble is 2027's Avengers: Secret Wars. Positioned as the Multiverse Saga’s conclusion, it promises massive consequences, likely clearing the board for a new status quo and opening the door for Marvel’s own X-Men era and more status quo shifts for the MCU's future.
Viewed together, Disney’s approach becomes clear: 2026 is about restoring confidence through familiarity, while 2027 represents transformation. As a result, the hope looks to be that Star Wars and the MCU may finally regain a greater degree of sustainable momentum and engagement than either has seen in the last couple of years.
Ultimately, Star Wars and the MCU are rightly chasing the same outcome. They want their audiences excited, confident, and emotionally invested before taking some exciting leaps in the near future.
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Created by George Lucas
First Film Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope
Cast Mark Hamill, James Earl Jones, David Prowse, Carrie Fisher, Harrison Ford, Daisy Ridley, Adam Driver, Ian McDiarmid, Ewan McGregor, Rosario Dawson, Lars Mikkelsen, Rupert Friend, Moses Ingram, Frank Oz, Pedro Pascal
TV Show(s) The Mandalorian, Andor, Obi-Wan Kenobi, The Book of Boba Fett, Ahsoka, The Acolyte, Star Wars: Skeleton Crew, Lando, Star Wars: The Clone Wars, Star Wars Rebels, Star Wars: The Bad Batch, Star Wars: Resistance, Star Wars: Young Jedi Adventures, Star Wars: Visions
Movie(s) Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace, Star Wars: Episode II - Attack of the Clones, Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith, Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope, Star Wars: Episode V - The Empire Strikes Back, Star Wars: Episode VI - Return of the Jedi, Star Wars: Episode VII - The Force Awakens, Star Wars: Episode VIII - The Last Jedi, Star Wars: Episode IX- The Rise of Skywalker, Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, Solo: A Star Wars Story, Star Wars: The Clone Wars, Star Wars: Dawn of the Jedi, Star Wars: New Jedi Order
Character(s) Luke Skywalker, Han Solo, Rey Skywalker, Emperor Palpatine / Darth Sidious, Obi-Wan Kenobi, Ahsoka Tano, Grand Admiral Thrawn, Grand Inquisitor, Reva (The Third Sister), The Fifth Brother, The Seventh Sister, The Eighth Brother, Yoda, Din Djarin, Grogu, Anakin Skywalker/Darth Vader, Leia Organa, Ben Solo/Kylo Ren
Star Wars is a multimedia franchise that started in 1977 by creator George Lucas. After the release of Star Wars: Episode IV- A New Hope (originally just titled Star Wars), the franchise quickly exploded, spawning multiple sequels, prequels, TV shows, video games, comics, and much more. After Disney acquired the rights to the franchise, they quickly expanded the universe on Disney+, starting with The Mandalorian.
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Created by Kevin Feige
First Film Iron Man
Upcoming Films Blade, Avengers: Doomsday (2026), Avengers: Secret Wars
First TV Show Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.
Upcoming TV Shows Marvel Zombies, Wonder Man, Vision Quest
Cast Robert Downey Jr., Chris Evans, Scarlett Johansson, Samuel L. Jackson, Jeremy Renner, Chris Hemsworth, Mark Ruffalo, Edward Norton, Paul Rudd, Tom Holland, Tom Hiddleston, Anthony Mackie, Cobie Smulders, Brie Larson, Chadwick Boseman, Sebastian Stan, Chris Pratt, Dave Bautista, Zoe Saldana, Bradley Cooper, Vin Diesel, Pom Klementieff, Josh Brolin, Karen Gillan, Clark Gregg, Paul Bettany, Don Cheadle, Benedict Cumberbatch, Evangeline Lilly, Simu Liu, Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Angelina Jolie, Kit Harington, Salma Hayek, Richard Madden, Barry Keoghan, Gemma Chan, Ma Dong-seok, Brian Tyree Henry, Kumail Nanjiani, Lauren Ridloff, Lia McHugh, Jonathan Majors
The Marvel Cinematic Universe is a multimedia superhero franchise that began in 2008 with Paramount's Iron Man starring Robert Downey Jr. The franchise quickly grew in popularity, with Disney eventually buying out Marvel Entertainment in 2009. The MCU consists of dozens of movies and TV shows, most notably Avengers: Endgame, WandaVision, and Loki.
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