In the years since Iron Man birthed the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Marvel Studios has been a regular visitor to Hall H at San Diego's annual Comic-Con, setting tongues wagging by assembling the cinematic Avengers on stage for the first time, or having Tom Hiddleston's Loki come out in full costume and ordering the crowd to kneel before him. This year was certainly no exception: blowing away worries about how the company would follow the first three phases, capped with Avengers: Endgame and Spider-Man: Far From Home like dust in the wind, studio boss Kevin Feige unveiled a more ambitious, more diverse slate of movies and TV shows than ever before.
Though some projects had been hinted at, leaked, basically announced or rumoured, the panel was the chance for Feige, his team and the various filmmakers to clarify the shape of the MCU as it moves into Phase 4. And with so many announcements and news stories arriving, we decided to look at what's coming up chronologically, gathering the information and helping you figure out what the heck is coming to screens big and small in the next couple of years. Yes, we said couple of years, as the crammed Phase 4 is set to run from early next year until late 2021, a much shorter span than Phase 3.
BLACK WIDOW
1 May, 2020
Further along than any of its Phase-mates, the film that finally promises to explore Scarlett Johansson's Natasha Romanoff in a real way is actually in production right now, having shot for 30 days already under the direction of Cate Shortland.
Partly set after the events of Captain America: Civil War the film will also, as long suspected, dig into the Widow's past. "I think that’s what drew me to the story is she has so many secrets and she’s got so much vulnerability and that’s what makes her such a great heroine," Shortland said at the panel. "In this film we get to understand her past and she gets to put all the pieces of herself together and come out a whole person.”
"I don’t think I could have played this iteration of Natasha 10 years ago, it would have been a very different film," Johansson said. "I get to play Natasha as a fully realized woman in all her many facets, and I’m excited to see fans to see what she perceives to be that flawed side of her. And I’m looking to wipe out that red in my ledger."
Also on stage with Johansson were co-stars Florence Pugh (who plays Yelena Belova, a "sister figure" to Natasha, who clashes with her from time to time), David Harbour (as Alexi, a man part of the Soviet Union's Cold War answer to Captain America, also known as the super soldier Red Guardian), Rachel Weisz as Melina Vostokoff (aka Iron Maiden), a woman who has been through the Red Room training program that spawned both Widow and Yelena several times, and O.T. Fagbenle as Mason, a fixer who helps Natasha.
Given that it has been shooting, there was actual footage to share, which included a scene of Johansson and Pugh in rough combat (think Jason Bourne more than, say, Thor), a montage of scenes from both the MCU past and the film itself, and finally, a look at one of the other main villains of the film, Taskmaster. Find out more about him here. We only see the character in costume, mind, not who is playing them. One the film's concept artists has posted an image of his work on the character via Instagram.
You can read more our report on the Black Widow panel here.
THE FALCON AND THE WINTER SOLDIER
Autumn 2020, Disney+
While the Marvel universe has extended its tendrils out to TV before – for the likes of Agents Of SHIELD and the various Netflix shows – the connection has always been largely tenuous, with SHIELD having the odd crossover and the Defenders barely acknowledging the MCU timeline. All that changes with the dawning of the Disney+ streaming service and the shows run directly by Feige and co, which will weave into the main Phase 4 story.
First up will be this buddy action drama, with Anthony Mackie and Sebastian Stan returning to the roles they've made their own on the big screen. With Empire TV series veteran Malcolm Spellman as head writer, joined by John Wick's Derek Kolstad, the show has Kari Skogland as a director. While none of the behind-the-scenes crew were present at the panel, Mackie and Stan strode on stage, with Mackie carrying the Captain America shield. The show will be set after the events of Avengers: Endgame which (spoiler alert) saw Sam "Falcon" Wilson become the new Cap. Mackie said in an interview before the panel that he'd already been fitted for the new Cap suit at least once.
But while the heroes were there in person, the villain of the show also wanted to make himself known, as Daniel Brühl's Baron Zemo, last seen in Captain America: Civil War, broke into the panel with a threatening video message and the revelation that he'll be using the comicbook version's iconic purple mask. "Beat you once, we can beat you twice," Mackie said once the video had played. Beyond that, no details were revealed. See our news story on the Disney+ shows' panel here.
THE ETERNALS
6 November, 2020
Scheduled first in the panel and finally, officially announced after months of trade magazine casting leaks, Marvel's Eternals boasts one of the starrier casts of recent MCU times, at least in terms of people who were big names before they joined the movies.
With Feige promising "something entirely new, entirely different for the MCU," the producer added that, "this film is full Jack Kirby." What does that mean? Expect yet more galactic action, giant set pieces and a timeline that spans eons instead of years.
Director Chloé Zhao is in charge of bringing that vision to life, with a cast that includes Richard Madden as Ikaris, Kumail Nanjiani as Kingo, Lauren Ridloff as Makkari, Brian Tyree Henry as Phastos, Salma Hayek as leader Ajak, Lia McHugh as Sprite, Don Lee as Gilgamesh, and Angelina Jolie as Thena. (find out more about the various characters right here){href='https://marvel.fandom.com/wiki/Eternals_(Homo_immortalis)' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferrer'}).
"It’s about this group of incredible immortals, but through their journey we’re going to get to explore what it means to be human and humanity in our time on this planet," Zhao told the crowd, while Madden described their characters as "a race of immortal aliens sent to earth by the celestials to protect humankind from the deviants."
Ridloff marks another step forward for Marvel casting, portraying the first deaf hero in the MCU. "I do have a son and he asked me, after he read Greek mythology, 'What does honour mean?'" she said at the panel. "This. This is what honour means. I am so honored to be here." Nanjiani quipped that this is the first time he's been able to get into Hall H.
Our original report on the film's announcement is right here.
SHANG-CHI AND THE LEGEND OF THE TEN RINGS
12 February, 2021
Looking to do for Asian audiences and representation that Black Panther did for African-Americans, the film based on the Shang-Chi comicbooks has been known for a while, but Feige was finally able to share some casting information.
Bringing Short Term 12 director Destin Daniel Cretton on to the stage, Feige let him do the honours when it came to announcing his lead. "I grew up with friends that were Japanese, Chinese, Korean... that’s the norm in Hawaii. It’s amazing to see Kevin and his team create an MCU that reflects all the beautiful colors that we see in this room," Cretton said. He, in turn introduced the person the studio has picked to play the lead. Chinese-Canadian actor and stunt performer Simu Liu, who was only hired for the role last week after Cretton screen-tested a number of potentials.
Not on stage were fellow new castmembers Awkwafina (in a still-mysterious role and Tony Leung, who is playing the Mandarin. Yes, the original and very real Mandarin, not Trevor Slattery.
WANDAVISION
Spring 2021, Disney+
Back to the Disney+ field of streaming shows for one of the most anticipated. We'd already known that Elizabeth Olsen and Paul Bettany would be returning as Wanda "Scarlet Witch" Maximoff and the artificial intelligence/infinity stone-powered being called Vision for WandaVision. Feige had the pair step on stage to talk about the show.
"If you thought that logo was strange, wait until you see this show. It’s unlike anything we’ve done before," Feige said, with Olsen adding, "It’s gonna get weird, we’re gonna go deep, we’re gonna have lots of surprises and we’re going to finally understand Wanda Maximoff as the Scarlett Witch."
For his part, Bettany is mostly surprised he'll be back in costume (or at least a chunky knit jumper). "I have no idea. Last thing I knew I died in Infinity War so I literally have never been this confused in front of this many people. Every time we get to do this the stories get richer and richer and this is the richest of all... I hope you love it because this is going to be surprising and weird."
And back to Feige... "I can’t tell you how exciting and different and strange that show is going to be." Strange would be a big keyword for the show as it was also revealed that the show will have a role in leading up to the Doctor Strange sequel, Doctor Strange In The Multiverse Of Madness, and that Olsen will appear in that movie (more on that below).
Finally, some more casting news for the show, and a definite surprise. If Beale Street Could Talk's Teyonah Parris will also appear, playing someone we've met before, albeit in her younger days. She'll be Monica Rambeau, last seen as a precocious kid in Captain Marvel, and the daughter of Maria (Lashana Lynch). Here, she's an adult and comicbook fans will know she has her own experiences with superpowers, eventually becoming the hero known as Photon){href='https://marvel.fandom.com/wiki/Monica_Rambeau_(Earth-616)' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferrer'}.
LOKI
Spring 2021, Disney+
Arriving around the same time as WandaVision will be the continuing adventures of everyone's favourite trickster god, Loki. Still played by Tom Hiddleston, this will pick him up after Avengers: Endgame and he grabbed the Space Stone, vanishing to we know not where. This series will explain the "where". Hiddleston – glad in a t-shirt and jeans, not his full costume this time - arrived to talk it up and explain who this Loki is. "You guys saw Avengers, right? He’s still that guy. And just about the last thing that happened to him was that he got Hulk-smashed, so there’s a lot of psychological evolution that hasn’t happened yet, but Kevin has generously showed me what his plans are – I can’t tell you any of them — but its is one of the most exciting creative opportunities I think I’ve ever come across." No kneeling this time, but there was some chanting.
The most recent details on the show before Comic-Con had Rick And Morty veteran Michael Waldron writing and producing the show, though nothing was said about the production details at the panel. See our news story on it, along with the other shows here.
Doctor Strange In The Multiverse Of Madness
7 May, 2021
Bandersnatch Courvoisier is back! Sorry... Benedict Cumberbatch. Yes, Dr. Stephen Strange will indeed have his sequel, already in development for a while from director Scott Derrickson.
Feige introduced Derrickson (wearing a Night Monkey shirt in a nice nod to Spider-Man: Far From Home), and the veteran horror man confirmed that he's looking to take the MCU into new places. "When I came and talked to Kevin about doing a sequel I said I don’t wanna do just another sequel to do a sequel. If we’re gonna do it, it has to go into the territory that drew me into the Doctor Strange comics in the first place, which is how they dipped into the gothic and the horror and the horrific, and we’re gonna make the first scary MCU film." But lest you think that means R-rated gore, Feige was quick to add, "It’s gonna be PG-13 and you’re going to like it!"
Cumberbatch arrived on stage to the usual screams and cheers, and stood for a rousing chorus of happy birthday. He was joined by Elizabeth Olsen, who, is was revealed, will be appearing alongside him as Scarlet Witch, with WandaVision (as mentioned above) tying in.
No further details were offered at this time, so fans of Chiwetel Ejiofor's Mordo will have to wait to see if he's the villain this time. Our news story on the film's chunk of the panel can be found lurking here.
WHAT IF?
Summer 2021, Disney+
Marvel characters have been all over animation in the past, but What If? marks the first time that the Marvel Studios team has directly overseen one. It had been previously announced, but the basic concept for the Disney+ series follows on from the comicbook one-shot ideas that explore odd questions and situations in the Marvel universe. What if Agent Carter became Captain America, say? What if Loki found Thor's hammer? The list in endless, and from the looks of the casting image shown at the panel, the initial cast for the show could be described the same way. Michael B. Jordan, Sebastian Stan, Josh Brolin, Mark Ruffalo, Tom Hiddleston, Samuel L. Jackson, Chris Hemsworth, Hayley Atwell, Chadwick Boseman, Karen Gillan, Jeremy Renner, Paul Rudd, Michael Douglas, Neal McDonough, Dominic Cooper, Sean Gunn, Natalie Portman, David Dastmalchian, Stanley Tucci, Taika Waititi, Toby Jones, Djimon Hounsou, Jeff Goldblum, Michael Rooker and Chris Sullivan are all involved so far.
Overseeing it all – from a character POV, not as producer – will be a new addition to the MCU: Jeffrey Wright. He'll be The Watcher, an established character in the comics){href='https://marvel.fandom.com/wiki/Uatu_(Earth-616)' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferrer'}, who will act as a sort of Rod Serling-in-the-Twilght-Zone narrator. Wright emerged on stage after a brief clip was shown to describe his character as "a non-earthly being who observes all things. He’s watching over the multiverse, and occasionally may or may not intervene with the doings of Earthlings. Other than that, he’s off doing his own thing."
What If? was covered in our news story on the various Disney+ shows.
HAWKEYE
Autumn 2021, Disney+
Last of the Disney+ series announced was once featuring Jeremy Renner's Clint Barton. Renner ran through the crowd to arrive on stage, clearly excited to show some more sides of Hawkeye. "The fiber of what Hawkeye is, at least what I think Hawkeye is, is a superhero without superpowers. And I get to teach someone else how to be a superhero without super powers,” Renner said. “I think that’s an amazing sentiment to share with people, because that means everyone can be a superhero."
That someone, in case you were wondering, is a young woman named Kate Bishop, who has comicbook history with Clint. No casting was announced for her, but that's hardly surprising given that the show is still at an early stage. Get more info here.
THOR: LOVE AND THUNDER
5 November, 2021
That Taika Waititi is getting the band of Chris Hemsworth and Tessa Thompson back together for a fourth Thor movie was something that had already leaked. But Feige was at least able to make a couple of announcements. With Thompson jokingly asking Hemsworth if he's "thunder" and she's "love", the question was asked whether the new king of Earth's Asgard will be looking for a queen. "She has some ideas, I’ll keep you posted,” Thompson said, confirming Valkyrie's LGBTQ status (with Feige later saying that there will be a number of such characters across the new movies and shows). Next, she she’ll focus on "reinvesting in her people, and a cool thing is to create refuge for any person that might need it. That, to me, is the idea of a perfect Asgard, the kind of kingdom she’d want to rule over."
But that wasn't the biggest news. The biggest news was that Natalie Portman's Jane Foster will be back in the Thor fold, but with a radical new role: she'll be a new, female Thor (more properly known as The Mighty Thor), as based on the comics run by Jason Aaron. Quite how it'll go down has yet to be revealed, but Portman arrived on stage to accept Mjolnir from Waititi. See the news story right here.
BLADE
Just when you thought it was all over, Feige introduced Moonlight and (in keeping with the Marvel theme) Luke Cage actor Mahershala Ali, who arrived on stage with a baseball cap that bore the name of the character he'll be playing in the future – Blade. Yes, the "Daywalker", a half-human, half-vampire warrior who hunts bloodsuckers and strives for revenge against the vamp that killed his mother. You can learn more about him via his official Marvel Comics profile. The character was most famously brought to the screen in 1998's Blade, played by Wesley Snipes, who would go on to portray him in 2002's Blade II (directed by Guillermo del Toro) and 2004's Blade Trinity. What form the new outing for the character will take remains to be seen; no details were offered at the panel itself.
And there's more...
Even with a long panel running time, there wasn't room for Feige to officially announce everything and, like Blade, the following films will likely fit into Phase 5. But he couldn't leave without generating yet more buzz, including the fact that the X-Men and Fantastic Four characters will indeed be worked into the MCU (Feige coyly talked about them as "rumours") while also confirming that sequels to Black Panther and Captain Marvel are in the works, along with James Gunn's planned Guardians Of The Galaxy Vol 3. That last one will have to wait until Gunn has completed work on The Suicide Squad, and while we were surprised not to see Panther's follow-up further along, we do know that co-writer/director Ryan Coogler is busy on the script, and that they'll announce more when there's something to say.
Plus, don't forget that there is still corporate overlords Disney's own convention event, D23, scheduled for 23-25 August this year, with the morning of the 24th set aside for Disney's film slate, so we can expect more news next month.