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What We Learnt From Marvel’s Huge SDCC Panel

Written by TC Phillips -

Earlier this month, Marvel Studios released Spider-Man: Far from Home, the 23rd and final film in what has now been officially dubbed as the MCU’s Infinity Saga. 11 years of the world’s most ambitious cinematic experiment came to a close with the current webslinger’s second solo outing, and fans the world over were desperate to get the slightest hint of what the MCU’s future would bring post-Thanos.

Well, Marvel Studios rewarded its fans’ patience in spades this past weekend, unveiling a massive line-up at the 2019 San Diego Comic-Con International. Revealing plans for the MCU’s Phase 4 and beyond, Marvel is bringing a wealth of both new and familiar characters to the big screen over the next few years.

So, let’s take a closer look at what the MCU’s future plans look like:

Black Widow

In the first official film of Phase 4, fans will get to say one last goodbye to a favourite Avenger, who valiantly sacrificed herself during the events of Avengers: Endgame. News of Black Widow’s solo film had been doing the rounds well before the official announcements at SDCC, but now we have an official release date of May 1, 2020.

More interesting, we also have official confirmation of the appearance of Yelena Belova, played by Florence Pugh, who fans of the comics will know also trained in the infamous Red Room which taught Natasha Romanoff and ended up assuming the mantle of Black Widow following Natasha’s death. Does this mean we’ll also see the mantle being handed over in the big-screen MCU?

The Eternals

Phase 4’s second film out of the gate will be the big-screen adaptation of Jack Kirby’s The Eternals, a near-immortal branch of humanity created by the Celestials (and interestingly the precursor which saw the introduction of the Mutant X gene into humankind – thus laying the groundwork for the potential introduction of the X-Men into the MCU).

The Eternals boasts an impressive cast which includes the likes of Angelina Jolie, GoT’s Richard Madden and Salma Hayek, and is slated for a November 2020 release.

The Falcon and the Winter Soldier

The Falcon and the Winter Soldier will be the first MCU limited series for the new Disney+ streaming service and will debut in the second half of 2020. Following on from the events of Avengers: Endgame, no doubt we will see Sam Wilson coming to terms with being the next to assume both the shield and mantle of Captain America, as he teams up with Bucky Barnes to face down an old enemy: Daniel Brühl’s Baron Zemo from Captain America: Civil War.

Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings

Marvel fans were left a little disappointed following the release of Iron Man 3, when it was revealed that fan-favourite Iron Man villain The Mandarin was actually an imposter and an actor by the name of Trevor Slattery. In a Marvel One Shot short film released on the Blu-Ray of Thor: The Dark World, we actually learnt that the real Mandarin still exists and now we’re finally getting the chance to meet him.

Featuring the MCU’s first Asian superhero, Shang-Chi is Marvel’s “Master of Kung-Fu” who first made his comic debut in 1973. Being played by Chinese-Canadian actor Simu Liu, Shang-Chi will face down Tony Leung Chiu-wa, one of Asia’s most successful actors, in the long-anticipated role of the true Mandarin.

Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings will hit cinemas in February 2021.

WandaVision

During the final climactic battle of Avengers: Infinity War, Thanos tore the mind stone straight from Vision’s head, killing him in the process. Whilst it is unclear exactly how Wanda Maximoff will be reunited with her android love interest in this series, it has been revealed by both Kevin Feige and Doctor Strange director Scott Derrickson that the events in the show will tie directly into the Doctor Strange sequel and will raise a number of questions about the existence of the multi-verse in the MCU, so it’s a good bet we’ll be seeing an alternate reality version of Paul Bettany’s Vision.

Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness

Director Scott Derrickson, who prior to helming the first Doctor Strange film was more accustomed to making horror movies, is planning to return to his roots and is touting the Doctor Strange follow-up as the MCU’s first horror influenced film. Joining Benedict Cumberbatch in his return as the Sorcerer Supreme is Elizabeth Olsen’s Scarlet Witch fresh from the events of her Disney+ series.

Loki

Marvel fans were mortified when Thor’s brother, the Trickster god Loki, was murdered by Thanos at the start of Avengers: Endgame, and despite numerous theories and appeals the Russo brothers still insisted that Tom Hiddleston’s character was truly dead.

Well, thanks to some tricky time travelling by Tony Stark and pals during Avengers: Endgame, an alternate version of Loki managed to abscond with the Tesseract, and MCU boss Kevin Feige confirms the Disney+ Loki series will follow directly on from what happened directly after that.

Loki is planned to be released on Disney+ following the release of Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness.

What If..?

The first official animated series of the MCU, What If..? will feature the voice of Westworld’s Jeffrey Wright in the role of The Watcher, a non-Earthly being who observes the multiverse. In this series, many of the MCU’s onscreen stars will return to voice alternate versions of the characters facing different scenarios to those that we have previously seen on the big screen.

So far some of the characters confirmed to appear, and voiced by their original onscreen actors, will be: Thanos, Killmonger, Bucky Barnes, Bruce Banner/The Hulk, Loki, Nick Fury, Thor, Peggy Carter, Black Panther, Nebula, Hawkeye, Ant-Man, Hank Pym, Jane Foster, Korg, the Grandmaster and Yondu just to name a few.

What If…? Is set to release mid-2021 on Disney+.

Hawkeye

The last of Marvel’s confirmed Disney+ series, Hawkeye will see Jeremy Renner return as the Avenger’s bowmaster, Clint Barton, alongside the character of Kate Bishop, who in the comics also assumed the mantle of Hawkeye and was a core member of the Young Avengers. No doubt this series will most likely see Barton pass the torch to his chosen successor.

Hawkeye will be released toward the end of 2021 on Disney+.

Thor: Love and Thunder

Fans were ecstatic to learn that Thor: Ragnarok’s Taika Waititi was set to return to the director’s chair for Thor 4, and now we have an official title and release date. Following on from the events of Avengers: Endgame, it has been revealed that not only will Natalie Portman’s Jane Foster return to the franchise, but the movie will follow in the footsteps of the comics which saw her character assume the powers and mantle of the God of Thunder from Thor Odinson.

The final film in the MCU’s two-year Phase 4, Thor: Love and Thunder, is set for a November 2021 release date.

Phase 5 and Beyond

Even if all of that wasn’t enough for Marvel fans, two other big pieces of news were revealed by Marvel boss Kevin Feige during his panel at SDCC. First off, Guardians 3, Captain Marvel 2, and Black Panther 2 are confirmed to be in various stages of pre-production, but the big news is that after years of rumours, it has been confirmed that the Daywalker himself, Blade, will be making his way into the MCU.

Whilst no dates have been confirmed, the new Blade reboot will see the role once played by Wesley Snipes taken by Luke Cage’s Mahershala Ali.

And in our other big reveal, whilst we always knew Marvel’s first family would be making their way home following the Disney/Fox merger, Kevin Feige has confirmed that the Fantastic Four will officially be getting an MCU reboot.

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