Disney will feature a new face for both Marvel Studios and Star Wars as the studio moves into the back half of 2025. Both major franchises are pushing ahead with a few high-profile releases in theaters and on Disney+ after starting the year with mixed results. With so many sub-franchises under their watch, this means a changing of the guard will also be in place for top-billing status.
Disney held a panel at CineEurope 2025 between June 16 and June 19 in Barcelona, Spain. To celebrate its slate of projects still to be released in the second half of 2025 and the first half of 2026, the studio printed new marketing material highlighting characters from over half a dozen of its biggest franchises, including heavy-hitters from Marvel and Disney.
As part of its marketing, Disney shared a massive banner featuring characters from Pixar, Walt Disney Animation Studios, 20th Century Studios, Marvel Studios, Lucasfilm, and Searchlight Pictures.
Marvel Studios utilized a picture of Pedro Pascal's Reed Richards from The Fantastic Four: First Steps, while Star Wars showed off Pascal's other famous role, Din Djarin/The Mandalorian, from 2026's The Mandalorian and Grogu.
Pascal is one of Disney's biggest names, thanks to the work he has already put in on The Mandalorian on Disney+. He will continue with Star Wars by leading in 2026's The Mandalorian & Grogu, which will keep up the story established in The Mandalorian and The Book of Boba Fett.
While plot details are still largely unknown, most of the characters from past animated and live-action Star Wars projects are expected to return, along with a few new faces.
Before that, Pascal will take on his first Marvel Studios project by playing Reed Richards in The Fantastic Four: First Steps alongside Vanessa Kirby, Joseph Quinn, and Ebon Moss-Bachrach. Their titular team will join forces to take on the MCU's Galactus, who will be hellbent on destroying their universe.
The Fantastic Four: First Steps debuts on the big screen on July 25, 2025, while The Mandalorian & Grogu hits theaters on May 22, 2026.
How Pedro Pascal Will Drive Disney's Success in 2025 & 2026
Pedro Pascal is already one of the biggest names in the entertainment industry, boasting credits in the Star Wars and DC universes before his upcoming debut in the MCU. Now, after taking the spotlight once again next to Chris Evans and Dakota Johnson in The Materialists, the next year will only continue to give him opportunities to put forth impressive performances.
The Fantastic Four is already generating massive hype for the MCU as Pascal gets ready to lead one of Marvel's most iconic teams of heroes into their first Marvel Studios movie. Joining forces with an elite cast of co-stars to go against Galactus, they will then be set to team up with the Avengers and the X-Men in Avengers: Doomsday, in which dozens of heroes will fight Robert Downey Jr.'s Doctor Doom.
While Pascal's MCU powers for Reed Richards have only been minimally teased in marketing, fans are anxious to see him go against powerful enemies while also showing his skills as a father for the first time with the addition of Franklin Richards.
He will then provide his vocal efforts to Din Djarin as he comes back to the Star Wars universe for the first time since 2023's The Mandalorian Season 3. Many hope he gets a moment to shine by removing his helmet, which has only been seen a couple of times in the Mando storyline, but he will have a massive impact on that film regardless, as he fights a new round of enemies.
With so much more of Pedro Pascal to see in the coming weeks and years, he is sure to be one of Disney's most bankable stars, with Reed Richards and Din Djarin both possibly in for long runs in their respective universes.
Richard Nebens joined The Direct in March 2020, now serving as the site's Senior Writer and also working as an assistant editor and content creator. He started his journalism career as a hobby in 2019 and is passionate about sharing news and stories from the entertainment industry, especially comic book movies, comedy, and sci-fi. Richard looks to expand his knowledge about movies and TV every day, and he is eager to stay locked into the latest releases and breaking news at every opportunity.
