The Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) is a media franchise and shared fictional universe that is the setting of superhero television series based on characters that appear in Marvel Comics publications. The MCU first expanded to television with series from Marvel Television that released from 2013 until 2020 on ABC, Netflix, Hulu, and Freeform. Marvel Studios—the production studio behind the films—began releasing series on Disney+ in 2021. These series feature greater interconnectivity with the feature films than those from Marvel Television, with many actors reprising their roles from the MCU films and the Marvel Television series. Animated series are produced by Marvel Studios Animation and beginning with Agatha All Along, live-action series are released under Marvel Studios' own Marvel Television label.
As part of Phase Four, WandaVision began streaming in 2021, and was followed by The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, the first season of Loki, the first season of the animated series What If...?, and Hawkeye, while Moon Knight, Ms. Marvel, and She-Hulk: Attorney at Law were released in 2022. Phase Five includes Secret Invasion, the second season of Loki, and the second season of What If...? in 2023; Echo, Agatha All Along, and the third season of What If...? in 2024; and the first season of the animated series Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man, the first season of Daredevil: Born Again, and Ironheart in the first half of 2025. Phase Six includes the animated miniseries Eyes of Wakanda and the first season of the animated series Marvel Zombies in the second half of 2025; Wonder Man, the second season of Born Again, and VisionQuest in 2026; and the second season of Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man and the third season of Born Again scheduled for 2027. Phases Four and Six also include Special Presentations.
Several MCU actors reprise their roles as the lead characters in their own series, including Elizabeth Olsen as Wanda Maximoff / Scarlet Witch and Paul Bettany as Vision in WandaVision, with Bettany later headlining VisionQuest; Anthony Mackie as Sam Wilson / Falcon and Sebastian Stan as Bucky Barnes / Winter Soldier in The Falcon and the Winter Soldier; Tom Hiddleston as the titular character in Loki; Jeremy Renner as Clint Barton / Hawkeye in Hawkeye; Samuel L. Jackson as Nick Fury and Ben Mendelsohn as Talos in Secret Invasion; Charlie Cox as Matt Murdock / Daredevil in Daredevil: Born Again, while also starring in She-Hulk: Attorney at Law and Echo; and Dominique Thorne as Riri Williams / Ironheart in Ironheart.
Other actors joining the franchise headline their own series as well. Hailee Steinfeld joins Renner in Hawkeye as Kate Bishop / Hawkeye; Oscar Isaac stars in a dual role as Marc Spector / Moon Knight and Steven Grant / Mr. Knight in Moon Knight; Iman Vellani portrays Kamala Khan / Ms. Marvel in Ms. Marvel; Tatiana Maslany stars as Jennifer Walters / She-Hulk in She-Hulk: Attorney at Law; Alaqua Cox is introduced as Maya Lopez / Echo in Hawkeye before headlining Echo; Kathryn Hahn is introduced as Agatha Harkness in WandaVision before starring in Agatha All Along; and Yahya Abdul-Mateen II portrays Simon Williams in Wonder Man.
In animated series, Jeffrey Wright narrates What If...? as the Watcher; Hudson Thames voices Peter Parker / Spider-Man in Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man, after playing the role in What If...?; and Eyes of Wakanda features a different cast for each episode. Many actors reprise their roles in What If...?, including Olsen, Bettany, Mackie, Stan, Hiddleston, Jackson, Thorne, Steinfeld, Isaac, and Hahn. Charlie Cox reprises his role in Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man, while Marvel Zombies features Olsen, Thorne, Steinfeld, Vellani, and Thames as part of the ensemble cast.
Phase Four