‘Avengers: Doomsday’ Deserves All the Buzz, but Marvel Has Another 2026 Release Deserving of More Attention
In the world of film, Marvel’s Avengers reign supreme, and with good reason. The cinematic Avengers franchise has grossed billions at the box office worldwide, the team-up movies have consistently been rewarded high scores on Rotten Tomatoes, and the ensemble of heroes under Iron Man (Robert Downey Jr.) and Captain America’s (Chris Evans) leadership has created a standard that subsequent superhero movies are pushed to strive for (*cough, cough DC Comics and The Justice League).
That being said, it should come as no surprise that numerous critics and millions of fans around the world have the highest of expectations for the 2026 release ofAvengers: Doomsday. Especially when you add that Downey Jr. and Evans are both returning to the MCU for the project. Many industry forecasters are even predicting that the blockbuster will have the biggest box office performance of 2026.
Yet, despite all the well-deserved anticipation, Marvel has another release scheduled for 2026 that I’m even more excited to watch than Avengers: Doomsday. One that can be seen from the comforts of a sofa with a Disney+ subscription.
‘X-Men '97’ Is Back with New Episodes in the Summer of 2026
That’s right, I’m talking about the revived animated series focusing on the heroic story of my personal favorite group of superheroes (and villains).
When X-Men ‘97 Season 1 debuted back in March 2024, it did so with lots of fanfare. For many millennials, the show served up a big bowl of nostalgia, as it’s a continuation of the early 90s animated X-Men series. And moving past nostalgia, X-Men ‘97 is actually written incredibly well. It may be a cartoon, but the storylines feel mature, culturally relevant, and engaging. The nearly perfect Rotten Tomatoes score of 99% that season 1 received is well-deserved.
With so much wind in its sail from Season 1’s performance, I’m left to wonder why more people aren’t eagerly anticipating Season 2, which was announced to arrive in the summer of 2026. Season 1 ended with the mutants spread in teams across the globe and in different time frames, so there are plenty of storylines to look forward to. The only drawback is that show fans will again probably have to exercise patience with the powers that be at Marvel and Disney, as Season 2 episodes are likely be rolled out weekly, similar to the release format of Season 1.
‘X-Men ‘97’ Isn’t the Only Big Thing Hitting Disney+ in 2026
If you don’t have a Disney+ subscription now, you’ll definitely want to get one in the new year. Not only is X-Men ‘97 Season 2 debuting, but so are some other spinoffs, reboots, and new seasons that are likely going to be well-worth the monthly subscription.
Here are some other big premieres coming to Disney+ in 2026.
- Wonder Man (January 27)
- Daredevil: Born Again Season 2 (March 4)
- Malcolm in the Middle: Life's Still Unfair(April 10)
- Vision Quest (release date TBD)
- Snowfall spinoff (release date and official show title TBD)