2025 has already happened in the world of theMarvel Cinematic Universe, and included some of the most game-changing events in the franchise’s history. While the early projects of the MCU were set primarily in the years in which they were released, this went through some significant changes followingAvengers: Endgame’sfive-year time jump. 2019’sEndgamewas set primarily in 2023, and the MCU timeline is still running ahead, meaning while 2025 has only just started for us, it’s already happened in the MCU.
Marvel Studios' official timeline bookclearly explains all the major events of 2025, spanning many of Phase 4’s projects, includingShe-Hulk: Attorney at Law, Moon Knight, Ms. Marvel, Thor: Love and ThunderandBlack Panther: Wakanda Forever.While the MCU now seems to be exploring 2026, leading up toAvengers: DoomsdayandSecret Wars, 2025 was a huge year for the world of the MCU.New MCU heroesstepped up to the plate, and some of Marvel’s most powerful villains made their mark.
14Jennifer Walters’ She-Hulk Is Hired To GLK&H’s Superhuman Law Division
She-Hulk: Attorney At Law (2022)
While Jennifer Walters became enhanced by the gamma-irradiated blood of her cousin, Bruce Banner, in 2024, 2025 saw her out herself to the world as She-Hulk. After a skirmish with Titania in the courtroom,Tatiana Maslany’s She-Hulkbecame an instant celebrity, but was also fired from the district attorney’s office, possibly ending her career as a lawyer. This opened the door for her to take on a more superhuman-focused role, however, asShe-Hulk was quickly snapped up for the new Superhuman Law Division at GLK&H.
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Named after some of the founding members of Marvel Comics, Martin Goodman, Stan Lee and Jack Kirby,Goodman, Lieber, Kurtzberg and Holliwayis a prominent law firm in Marvel Comics and, now, in the MCU.The fact that She-Hulk has already become the face of GLK&H’s Superhuman Law Division is very exciting for the MCU, even though She-Hulk herself hasn’t yet been confirmed to be returning. She-Hulk and GLK&H could take on any number of cases involving superpowered individuals in the MCU’s future.
13She-Hulk Deals With Titania, Intelligencia, Emil Blonsky’s Abomination, Donny Blaze & Leapfrog (& Meets KEVIN)
After revealing herself to the world as She-Hulk, Jennifer Walters was inadvertently thrust into a world of superpowered individuals, forcing her to become a superhero in her own right, even if she didn’t want to. Her first assignment at GLK&H was to facilitate the parole ofEmil Blonsky, a.k.a. the Abomination, who had fought Walters' cousin in the streets of Harlem back in 2008’sThe Incredible Hulk.She-Hulk also had several run-ins with enhanced influencer Titania throughoutShe-Hulk: Attorney at Law.
As well as handling Titania and helping Emil Blonsky, She-Hulk also found herself embroiled in a misogynistic plot by Intelligencia, led by Todd Phelps, helped Wong deal with Donny Blaze’s unauthorized magic use and fought alongside Matt Murdock’s Daredevil to save their shared costume designer from Leapfrog.She-Hulk: Attorney at Law’sepisodic formatpresented the perfect opportunity to debut some interesting but minor characters, but the series finale might have introduced one of the franchise’s most important figures.She-Hulk proved her strength by breaking into the “real world” and convincing KEVIN to rewrite her story in a fantastic twist.
12Marc Spector & Steven Grant Work Together As Moon Knight
Moon Knight (2022)
While She-Hulk made herself known in Los Angeles in 2025, Moon Knight also revealed himself to the world further East.Until 2025, Steven Grant had no idea that he was actually an alternate personality inside the body of Marc Spector, a former mercenary who had entered into a dangerous deal with the Egyptian God of the moon, Khonshu. Oscar Isaac did a fantastic job at portrayingMarc Spector and his alters inMoon Knight, and displaying Steven Grant’s curious and courageous nature when discovering that he is the costumed antihero known as Moon Knight.
Moon Knight recently appeared as an Avenger inWhat If…?season 3, episode 1, “What If… the Hulk Fought the Mech Avengers?,” but his live-action future hasn’t been confirmed.
Moon Knightwas set entirely in 2025, so this was a huge year for Marc Spector, Steven Grant and the mysterious third alter, Jake Lockley. Spector battled Arthur Harrow and his monsters in Europe and a London museum, while Grant helps their wife, Layla El-Faouly, track down Ammit’s ushabti.Spector and Grant became a more unified individual after their experience with Taweret in the Duat, and soon learned exactly how to work as one. This culminated in an epic battle between Moon Knight and Arthur Harrow, and Khonshu and Ammit, yetMoon Knight’s MCU futureis still uncertain.
11Layla El-Faouly Becomes The Scarlet Scarab
While 2022’sMoon Knightput Oscar Isaac’s costumed hero front-and-center, the 2025-set series also introduced another formidable, godly-empowered hero in the MCU.Moon Knight’sfinale saw May Calamawy’s Layla El-Faouly become the avatar to the Goddess Taweret, transforming her into theScarlet Scarab, the MCU’s first Egyptian superhero.As the Scarlet Scarab, El-Faouly received similar gifts to those of Moon Knight, divinely empowered by Taweret just as Spector was by Khonshu, and this was a brilliant development for the MCU.
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By debuting Layla El-Faouly as the Scarlet Scarab, Marvel Studios brought anotherpowerful female hero into the MCU, making 2025 an even more exciting year.She was such an interesting addition that El-Faouly’s version of the Scarlet Scarab went on to appear in Marvel Comics, but her future in the MCU hasn’t yet been confirmed. It would be a shame for the Scarlet Scarab to be forgotten by Marvel Studios after such an impressive debut, as she deserves to have a role in the MCU for many years after 2025.
10Scott Lang Publishes His Book
Black Panther: Wakanda Forever (2022) & Ant-Man & The Wasp: Quantumania (2023)
A blink-and-you’ll-miss-it news ticker inBlack Panther: Wakanda Foreverconfirmed that 2025 was also the year thatScott Lang published his book, “Look Out for the Little Guy.“This book detailed his superhero career, and revealed details of the Avengers' actions duringAvengers: Infinity WarandEndgame, ensuring the world knew of the heroism of Earth’s Mightiest Heroes and their allies.“Look Out for the Little Guy” was later released as a physical book you can buy in the real world, following on from Scott Lang’s tour inAnt-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania.
Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumaniawas the first movie in the MCU’s Phase 5, but also one of the MCU’s most controversial, especially after Jonathan Majors was arrested and convicted in 2023, removing Kang the Conqueror from the MCU.
Because of him revealing the Avengers' actions in “Look Out for the Little Guy,“Scott Lang became a true celebrity inAnt-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania. This was a great place for him to pick up prior to journeying into the Quantum Realm to battle Kang the Conqueror, which seemingly takes place in 2026, though this hasn’t yet been confirmed by Marvel Studios, only hinted at. Scott Lang’s book presents a turning point for the MCU, as the public is now completely aware of the Avengers' actions, leaving very few secrets.
9Namor Hunts Riri Williams & Attacks Wakanda
Black Panther: Wakanda Forever (2022)
Revealing the existence of Scott Lang’s book wasn’t the only event inBlack Panther: Wakanda Foreverto happen in 2025, as the majority of the sequel’s main storyline also took place in this year.These events began when the CIA used vibranium-tracking technology designed by Riri Williams to find vibranium in the ocean, promptingNamor and the Talokanilto finally come out of hiding. This spurred Shuri and Okoye to bring Riri Williams to Wakanda, but this led Namor right to their door, and he proved himself a significant threat.
Namor is a steadfast leader and protector of his underwater society, and this was put front-and-center when he waged war on Wakanda, flooding the streets of the Golden City and blowing up its main tower,killing Queen Ramondain the process.This was a devastating attack for Wakanda, ridding the secretive African nation of its newest monarch only a year after the sudden death of T’Challa. Even so, this was a remarkable show of strength for Namor, and one that prompted Shuri to take some desperate action.
8Share Becomes The New Black Panther
Marvel Studios elected not torecast T’Challa’s Black Pantherafter Chadwick Boseman’s sudden passing in 2020, which spurred Ryan Coogler to write T’Challa out ofBlack Panther: Wakanda Forever, having the Wakandan King and protector die because of an undisclosed illness.This left a huge void in the MCU, as Wakanda was left without a Black Panther, since Killmonger had the remaining heart-shaped herbs destroyed inBlack Panther. Letitia Wright’s Shuri is one of the smartest people in the MCU, however, so this didn’t stop her.
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After the death of her mother and Namor’s growing threats on Riri Williams, Shuri finished developing a synthetic heart-shaped herb, using a vibranium bracelet gifted to her by Namor to complete her work. This allowed her to step up and become theMCU’s new Black Pantherin 2025, which gave her the abilities necessary to take down Namor.Despite the introduction of this exciting new hero, Marvel Studios still hasn’t brought Shuri’s Black Panther back to the MCU, and recent reports of T’Challa’s possible recasting have thrown her future as a hero into doubt.
7Maya Lopez Returns To Tamaha, Learns About Her Ancestry & Takes On Kingpin
Echo (2024)
While the majority of the MCU’s 2025-set stories were released as part of Phase 4,Echowas released in January 2024 as part of the MCU’s Phase 5, and the first series to release under theMarvel Spotlight banner.Echopicked up after the events ofHawkeye, which ended with Alaqua Cox’s Maya Lopez shooting her “Uncle,” Wilson Fisk, a.k.a. Kingpin. Following this,Maya Lopez returned to her home in Tamaha, Oklahoma, inEcho, going back to her roots to come to terms with her realization that her father figure is a formidable villain.
The next series scheduled to release under the Marvel Spotlight banner isWonder Man, which is expected to premiere in December 2025.
In Tamaha, Maya Lopez learned about her ancestry, leading all the way back to the first Choctaw leader, Chafa.Her lineage grants her incredible abilities, as her ancestors echo through her, which allows her to finally bring Kingpin to his knees inEcho’sfinale. Maya Lopez’s connection to Daredevil inEchosuggests she may return to theMCU in the upcomingDaredevil: Born Againseries, which could develop her story past 2025. It was wonderful to see Native American culture represented so beautifully inEcho, so hopefully this continues.
6Gorr’s Daughter Dies & He Renounces The Gods
Thor: Love & Thunder (2022)
Even after the events ofShe-Hulk: Attorney at Law, Moon Knight, Black Panther: Wakanda ForeverandEcho, 2025 was far from over in the MCU. Next came the events of 2022’sThor: Love and Thunder, which began with the tragic death ofGorr’s daughter, Love, who fell victim to the famine and drought on Gorr’s world.Love’s death led Gorr into the presence of his God, Rapu, who revealed that he didn’t care an ounce about his followers, prompting Gorr to claim the Necroswordfor himself and use it to slay Rapu and renounce the MCU’s Gods.
Marvel Studios received criticism for wasting both Christian Bale and Gorr the God Butcher inThor: Love and Thunder.
Gorr the God Butcher began his journey to the Altar of Eternity, where he could wish for all the universe’s Gods to be eradicated, and Eternity would have granted this wish.The Necrosword granted Gorr unmatched powers, and made him capable of killing Gods with ease, a fate that befell the likes of the Sky Lords of Indigarr, Falligar the Behemoth and many more unidentified deities.Christian Bale’s Gorrwas truly haunting, and his quest to destroy the MCU’s Gods made 2025 a very dangerous year for these powerful beings.
5Kamala Khan Becomes Ms. Marvel
Ms. Marvel (2022)
After Gorr had claimed the Necrosword, but before Thor had caught wind of his actions, back on Earth,Kamala Khan found her great-grandmother’s mysterious bangleand unlocked her mutant-Djinn hybrid genes. This gave her access to the energy from the Noor Dimension that was already inside her DNA, allowing her to create hard-light constructs, which enabled her to become the young Jersey City superhero, Ms. Marvel.Kamala Khan quickly became a fan-favorite in the MCU’s Phase 4, thanks in part to Iman Vellani’s incredible performance.
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Once she had unlocked her powers, Kamala Khan learned about her heritage as a Clandestine, and fought alongside the Red Daggers and her school friends to stopNajma and the other Clandestinefrom unleashing the Noor Dimension on Earth. Kamala even found herself time traveling back to 1942 during the Partition to save her grandmother, before eventually dealing with the Department of Damage Control as Ms. Marvel.Kamala Khan has been set up as one of the most exciting new heroes in the MCU, so it surely won’t be long before she returns after her experience inThe Marvels.
