Marvel Studios officially unveiled the much-anticipated lineup for Phase 4 of the Marvel Cinematic Universe at the SDCC, signaling the beginning of a new era after Avengers: Endgame had brought the Infinity Saga to a close. With Kevin Feige confirming as many as 10 projects over the course of the next 2 years or so, we have a ton of exciting stuff to unpack.
Black Widow – May 1, 2020
The long-overdue Black Widow movie will be set between the events of Captain America: Civil War and Avengers: Infinity War. While we still await the official trailer to land, we know that the movie has Rachel Weisz in a prominent role and Stranger Things star David Harbor plays a character called Alexei(!), while the main villain is the Taskmaster. The footage revealed at ComicCon apparently hints at a grounded espionage movie and promises answers about the ‘Budapest’ mission that has been referenced several times by Nat and Clint.
Eternals – November 6, 2020
The Eternals is about a group of immortal beings who use their advanced skills to defend the world from the evil Deviants (Sidebar: The Mad Titan, Thanos was a Deviant himself.) Feige confirmed that the movie will feature a stellar ensemble cast of Richard Madden, Kumail Nanjiani, Brian Tyree Henry, Salma Hayek, and Angelina Jolie.
The Falcon And The Winter Soldier – Autumn, 2020
Marvel’s first Disney+ show is the Anthony Mackie/Sebastian Stan starrer, which follows the duo’s adventures after the events of Endgame, with Anthony Mackey set to don the star-spangled costume of Captain America for the very first time. Daniel Brühl’s Zemo, who was last seen as a prisoner at the Raft (Captain America: Civil War), is set to reprise his villain role, but this time modeled around his comic counterpart. The teaser apparently shows him in a purple mask, reciting the code words from Civil War and saying, “I simply wanted to say hello to some old friends… Gentlemen, I’ll be seeing you very soon.”
Shang-Chi and the Legend of the 10 Rings – February 21, 2021
The other new hero being introduced in Phase 4 is the Master of Kung-Fu himself, Shang-Chi who’ll be facing off against the actual Mandarin, (not the fake one played by Ben Kingsley in Iron Man 3) but the original one who was briefly teased in the one-shot clip, Iron Man: All Hail the King.
WandaVision – Spring, 2021
The mini-series, spanning a total of 6 episodes, is set to reunite the super-powered couple of Wanda Maximoff/Scarlet Witch and Vision, with Elizabeth Olsen and Paul Bettany reprising their respective roles. Hopefully, this format allows Marvel to explore more of the Scarlet Witch’s origin story and her chaos magic. With Marvel branding it as a “mega-event series” and Kevin Feige declaring that “it’s unlike anything we’ve done before”, I cannot wait to see what’s in store for my favorite Avenger. WandaVision will also feature cameos from other MCU characters, including Monica Rambeau from Captain Marvel.
Loki – Spring, 2021
Another Disney+ series, Loki will likely follow the titular ‘God of Mischief’ after he escaped with the Tesseract in Avengers: Endgame. I’m expecting this to be a fun romp, with Tim Hiddleston hinting it as “one of the most exciting creative opportunities I’ve come across”.
Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness – May 7, 2021
For me personally, the most exciting announcement from ComicCon was that Elizabeth Olsen will co-star as Scarlet Witch in the Doctor Strange sequel and that the events of the WandaVision streaming show will directly tie-in the movie. Doctor Strange mentoring Wanda to unlock her true potential makes for a logical and compelling arc, and opens up so many intriguing possibilities, including House of M. I’m really hoping that this will be the movie that lays the groundwork for introducing the Fantastic Four and the X-Men in the MCU.
What If…? – Summer, 2021
The first animated MCU show will star Jeffrey Wright (Westworld) as The Watcher, an all-seeing alien who explores different alternate possibilities of the MCU’s known history.
Hawkeye – Autumn, 2021
Another of the MCU projects announced for the Disney+ streaming service, Hawkeye will likely serve as the epilogue to the Hawkeye’s story arc, with Jeremy Renner’s Clint Barton passing on the torch to Kate Bishop, the next Hawkeye.
Thor: Love and Thunder – November 5, 2021
The second most exciting announcement from the Marvel SDCC panel was that Natalie Portman will be wielding Mjolnir alongside the returning Men in Black duo of Chris Hemsworth and Tessa Thompson in Thor: Love and Thunder, set to be directed by the brilliant Taiki Waititi.
Excited much? Wait, there is more. Kevin Feige dropped more major surprises, all the while claiming he doesn’t have time to discuss them. Oscar-winner Mahershala Ali is all set to play the role of Blade, the iconic vampire-hunter. There are sequels on the way for Black Panther, Captain Marvel, and Guardians Of The Galaxy, while movies for the MCU’s mind-blowing new additions: the Fantastic Four and the X-Men are in the ‘not-too-distant-future’.
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