One of the most eagerly anticipated panels at San Diego Comic-Con was certainly Marvel Studios, especially after Phase 3 ended with Spider-Man: Far From Home. During a two-hour panel, the first projects planned for Phase 4 were revealed, including theatrical films and series for Disney's new streaming service, Disney+.
The first revelation was that after a long battle, Avengers: Endgamehad become the highest-grossing movie in cinema history, overtaking Avatar. Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige confirmed the achievement with a little humor, saying:
James Cameron held that title for a long time. If you adjust for inflation, he still holds the title, and he will probably reclaim it as soon as he releases another movie. But for now, today, Hall H, thanks to you... Avengers is the highest-grossing movie in history.
The panel then proceeded to announce the next Marvel Cinematic Universe Phase 4 projects, with 10 releases planned for 2020 and 2021. They were:
Kevin Feige showing the timeline of upcoming Marvel releases.
Black Widow
After considerable speculation and rumors, the movie starring Natasha Romanoff was shown to the public for the first time. Opening Phase 4, it will take place after the events of Captain America: Civil War but before Avengers: Infinity War. Scarlett Johansson will return as Natasha Romanoff. Joining Johansson in the cast are David Harbour, Florence Pugh, O-T Fagbenle, and Rachel Weisz. Cate Shortland will direct the movie, which will open in theaters on May 1, 2020.
It was also confirmed that Taskmaster will be the main villain. Several scenes were also shown, including an action sequence in Budapest. Taskmaster appears at the end, but the footage did not reveal who was beneath the mask.
The Eternals
The Eternals is Marvel's latest attempt to bring one of its little-known properties to the big screen. Like the Guardians of the Galaxy before they received their own movie, the Eternals are largely unknown to mass audiences. The comics' premise is that they are a race that emerged from the first inhabitants of planet Earth. Their genetics were heavily modified by gods known as Celestials. What many may not know is that the Celestials already made a brief appearance in the first Guardians of the Galaxy, establishing a presence for the Eternals.
Of the actors appearing in the movie, Angelina Jolie drew the most attention with her first role in a Marvel project. She will play Thena; other cast members include Richard Madden, Kumail Nanjiani, Lauren Ridloff, Brian Tyree Henry, Salma Hayek, Lia McHugh, and Don Lee. Chloé Zhao will direct the movie, which will open in theaters on November 6, 2020.
The Falcon and the Winter Soldier
The Falcon and the Winter Soldier is Marvel Studios' first series for the Disney+ streaming service. It will star the Falcon, who now carries the mantle of Captain America, and the Winter Soldier. They will be played by their movie actors, Anthony Mackie and Sebastian Stan. The Disney+ production will be released between September and November 2020.
Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings
Marvel's next movie will once again focus on a relatively unknown character. The feature will be about Shang-Chi, a master of kung fu, with Simu Liu in the lead role. Tony Leung will play the Mandarin, a villain who originally appeared in Iron Man 3, but this time he is said to be the genuine Mandarin rather than someone pretending to be him. Destin Daniel Cretton will direct the production, scheduled to premiere in February 2021.
WandaVision
The journey through the Disney+ series continues with WandaVision, an original series starring Scarlet Witch and Vision. Elizabeth Olsen, Paul Bettany, and Teyonah Parris have been confirmed. Parris will play Monica Rambeau, an older version of Captain Marvel's friend's daughter. The series was confirmed to connect directly to the events of the Doctor Strange theatrical sequel, in addition to featuring Scarlet Witch herself. It will be available on Disney+ between March and May 2021.
Loki
Certainly one of the most anticipated Disney+ series, Loki follows Thor's brother, the God of Mischief, after he steals the Tesseract in an alternate timeline created by the time travel in Avengers: Endgame. Tom Hiddleston will reprise his role. The series will premiere on the streaming platform between March and May 2021.
Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness
Marvel's most famous sorcerer returns in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, featuring Benedict Cumberbatch and Elizabeth Olsen. It is said to be Marvel's first "horror" movie. The film will connect directly to WandaVision and will also feature Scarlet Witch herself. Scott Derrickson returns as director. The movie will open in theaters on May 7, 2021.
What If...?
What If...? will be the first animated series produced by Marvel Studios. Each episode is intended to show what would have happened in the Marvel Cinematic Universe if an event had unfolded differently from the canonical movies. Every featured character will be voiced by the actor who played them in live action. The animated series will be available on Disney+ between June and August 2021.
The characters confirmed so far are Killmonger (Michael B. Jordan), Bucky Barnes/Winter Soldier (Sebastian Stan), Hulk (Mark Ruffalo), Loki (Tom Hiddleston), Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson), Thor (Chris Hemsworth), Thanos (Josh Brolin), Peggy Carter (Hayley Atwell), Black Panther (Chadwick Boseman), Nebula (Karen Gillan), Hawkeye (Jeremy Renner), Scott Lang (Paul Rudd), Hank Pym (Michael Douglas), Dum Dum Dugan (Neal McDonough), Howard Stark (Dominic Cooper), Kraglin (Sean Gunn), Jane Foster (Natalie Portman), Kurt (David Dastmalchian), Dr. Abraham Erskine (Stanley Tucci), Korg (Taika Waititi), Arnim Zola (Toby Jones), Korath (Djimon Hounsou), Grandmaster (Jeff Goldblum), Yondu (Michael Rooker), Taserface (Chris Sullivan), and Thanos (Josh Brolin).
Hawkeye
Another revealed series was Hawkeye. It will star Jeremy Renner and will also feature Kate Bishop, the female Hawkeye. The series will arrive on Disney+ between September and November.
Thor: Love and Thunder
The Norse god returns in his own movie with Thor: Love and Thunder. The fourth film will bring back Chris Hemsworth and Tessa Thompson, while Taika Waititi will once again direct. One of the movie's most unexpected revelations was confirmation that Natalie Portman would return as Jane Foster, playing a female version of Thor as happened in the comics. The film will open in theaters on November 5, 2021.
Blade
Just when everything seemed to be over, another surprise arrived for panel attendees and fans around the world. Mahershala Ali will play the vampire hunter Blade in a new movie, this time set in the MCU. Blade was one of the first Marvel characters to receive a movie, released in 1998.
Marvel Studios' Blade does not yet have a defined theatrical release date, but it is believed to premiere in 2022.
More still to come
During the panel, Kevin Feige also confirmed that other films are still on the way for Phase 4, but their development has either not yet begun or remains in its early stages, so he intends to reveal more details about them in the future. These include Captain Marvel 2, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, Black Panther 2, a new Fantastic Four, and a new X-Men set in the MCU.
Unlike the other phases, Kevin also confirmed that Phase 4 will not end with an Avengers movie. This time, the focus will be more on the characters than on large-scale events capable of shaking the entire universe.
We had a movie this year called Avengers: Endgame, and it is practically an ending, as you saw, for several characters. [...] So Phase 4 is about beginnings, and Phase 4 is about learning new things about characters you thought you knew, such as Black Widow; meeting incredible new characters such as the Eternals and Shang-Chi; going on new adventures with Doctor Strange and Thor; and these Disney+ shows that I promise will be spectacular and something no one was expecting."
Spider-Man will also appear in MCU Phase 4, but Sony Pictures will be responsible for revealing when it plans to release the web-head's third feature film in theaters.
