All the Marvel news from Comic-Con you need to know about
The MCU Phase 4 movies confirmed…
Marvel fans have been clamouring to know what’s coming next in the MCU ever since before Avengers: Endgame came out. It may be the end of what Marvel Studios chief Kevin Feige has dubbed the “Infinity Saga”, but there was never any doubt that more films would be on the way soon enough. The stories may be over for a number of characters, but they’re just getting started for relatively recent additions like Black Panther, Captain Marvel and Doctor Strange.
At San Diego Comic-Con, the studio unveiled its post-Endgame slate of movies and TV shows that are coming soon and making up the fourth phase of the MCU. With the upcoming arrival of the Disney+ streaming service, which still doesn’t have a UK launch date, much of what’s coming to the MCU will be new series that will be streaming exclusively. But that doesn’t mean there aren’t still loads of movies in the pipeline, here are the highlights of what Marvel announced at Comic-Con.
Black Widow
May 1, 2020
Directed by Cate Shortland, written by Jac Schaeffer and Ned Benson
This is the one we’ve known about for a while, especially because it’s filming right now and has frequently been in the news. Yep, Black Widow’s finally getting her own movie. It’ll come out next year. And, for obvious reasons if you’ve seen Avengers: Endgame, it’ll be set in the time period between Captain America: Civil War and Avengers: Infinity War. The movie will be directed by The Berlin Syndrome helmer Cate Shortland, and Rachel Weisz, Florence Pugh and David Harbour will star alongside Scarlett Johansson, who’s reprising the titular role. It’ll be interesting to kick off Phase 4 with a prequel, but this is one that fans have been eager for since at least 2010.
The Eternals
November 6, 2020
Directed by Chloé Zhao, written by Matthew K. Firpo & Ryan Firpo
The Eternals will follow Black Widow with a release date scheculed for November 6 2020. The all-star cast includes Angelina Jolie, Richard Madden, Kumail Nanjiani, Brian Tyree Henry, Salma Hayek, Lia McHugh and Don Lee. The Eternals is a slightly lesser known Marvel property, much like the Guardians of the Galaxy were, and the story is all about superbeings that evolved from the same genetic ancestors as humans. They have extraordinary powers and will likely face villains who are powerful and deadly.
Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings
February 12, 2021
Directed by Destin Daniel Cretton, written by David Callaham
Next up is Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings, Marvel’s first film with an all-Asian main cast. Simu Liu will star in the title role, with Awkwafina appearing alongside him and Tony Leung playing the real Mandarin after the first appearance of the villain was revealed to be fake in Iron Man 3. It will focus on Shang-Chi, “The Master of Kung-Fu”, and tell a story that will be about the terrorist organisation the Ten Rings that has appeared in the background of multiple Marvel movies so far (notably in Iron Man, Iron Man 2, and Ant-Man). The character of Shang-Chi in the comics is a Chinese man who has trained in martial arts since childhood, but some of the details of the character may be updated, since he was created in the 1970s.
Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness
May 7, 2021
Directed by Scott Derrickson
We’ve long been expecting a sequel to Doctor Strange, and now it’s confirmed that it’s coming. It’ll be called Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, which may just be the most fun, ridiculous and comic-booky Marvel title yet. Benedict Cumberbatch will be back, and returning director Scott Derrickson has dubbed this Marvel’s first “scary” movie. How true that is remains to be seen, but the Sinister and Exorcism of Emily Rose director definitely has some experience when it comes to horror. Oh, and Elizabeth Olson’s Scarlett Witch will turn up here too, with Marvel saying it’ll directly tie into the WandaVision Disney+ show. Expect multiverse shenanigans and alternate realities to feature heavily in what should be an especially strange and intriguing film from Marvel — it’s out in the blockbuster slot of May 7, 2021.
Thor: Love and Thunder
November 5, 2021
Written and directed by Taika Waititi
In what’s potentially the most exciting MCU announcement, Taika Waititi will be returning to the world of Thor for Thor: Love and Thunder! Given that Ragnarok is the best Thor movie and the character has seen a resurgence in popularity in most recent movies, this is tremendous news. Chris Hemsworth and Tessa Thompson will return, as will Natalie Portman, for the first time since The Dark World. In this movie, Portman’s Jane Foster will take on the mantle of the Goddess of Thunder, following a development from a popular run of Thor comics. There’s a lot to be excited about in this one.
And that’s not all!
Much of what Marvel also confirmed was for exclusive shows that’ll be arriving on the Disney+ streaming service. There’s The Falcon and The Winter Soldier, with Anthony Mackie and Sebastian Stan. It’s been revealed that Daniel Brühl will return as the villain, Baron Zemo. It’ll come out in August 2020. WandaVision, starring Elizabeth Olsen and Paul Bettany, will also come out on Disney+ in the spring of 2021, and the Loki show will come out around the same time.
There will also be a What If? animated series that’ll be reimagining events we’ve already seen, with an all-star voice cast. That’ll come out in summer 2021. And that’s not all, a Hawkeye series starring Jeremy Renner training Kate Bishop to be the next Hawkeye will come out later in 2021 too.
There are many more movies to look forward to too, including a new take on Blade with Mahershala Ali in the lead role as the vampire hunter. Fantastic Four, Captain Marvel 2, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol 3, and Black Panther 2 have all been confirmed to be in various stages of production. And Feige dropped some heavy hints about the X-Men coming to the MCU, while another Spider-Man sequel is all but guaranteed too.
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