SDCC ’19 Marvel Updates: Phase 4 & Beyond

Marvel Studios took the stage in Hall H to reveal the upcoming movies and TV shows from the studio – including Phase 4 of the Marvel Cinematic Universe and what’s planned for Disney+.

President Kevin Feige was at Comic-Con 90-minute appearance in Hall H, where he announced that Avengers: Endgame has surpassed Avatar to be the highest-grossing movie of all time, and gave the updates for all ten movies and Disney+series which will be launched through 2021.

Eternals

To kick things off, Eternals was announced, starring Richard madden as Ikaris, Kumail Nanjiani as Kingo, Lauren Ridioff as Makkari, Brian Tyree Henry as Phastos, Salma Hayek as Ajak, Lia McHugh as Sprite, Don Lee as Gilgamesh, and Angelina Jolie as Thena.

The Eternals centers on a group of beings known as Eternals who use their advanced skills to protect humans in the future. The comic book series, created by Jack Kirby was, “one of the many many many things that we are actively beginning to have creative discussions about”, Feige had reportedly said.

Directed by Chloe Zhao, the movie will come to theatres on November 6, 2020.

The Falcon and the Winter Soldier

Proving that the Marvel Cinematic Universe isn’t just movies anymore, next up was the first show coming exclusive to Disney+, Marvel Studios’ The Falcon and the Winter Soldier. Anthony Mackie and Sebastian Stan are set to reprise their roles as Falcon and Winter Soldier respectively, and the show will follow these characters after the events of Avengers: Endgame. It was also revealed that Daniel Bruhl will return as the villain, Baron Zemo.

The Falcon and the Winter Soldier will come to Disney+ in the fall if 2020.

Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings

A classic Marvel comics character will make his movie debut – Shang-Chi in the Simu Liu starrer Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings. Appearing alongside Liu will be Tony Leung as the Mandarin (the real one) and Akwafina in an undisclosed role. Like Guardians of the Galaxy, neither Shang-Chi or The Eternals are household names, but it looks as though Marvel Studios is hoping that they too will have a wide, mainstream appeal.

Directed by Destin Daniel Cretton, it will hit theatres on February 12, 2021.

WandaVision

Marvel Studios’ WandaVision is an original series starring Elizabeth Olsen and Paul Bettany, reprising their roles as Wanda Maximoff/Scarlet Witch and Vision. If you remember Monica Rambeau from Captain Marvel, Teyonah Parris will be playing an adult version of her in this show.

WandaVision will arrive on Disney+ in the spring of 2021.

Loki

MCU’s favourite God of Mischief is also getting his own show. It’s an original series, starring Tom Hiddleston, will follow the character after he escaped with the Tesseract in 2012 – something that happened thanks to the time travel heist in Avengers: Endgame.

The show will premiere on Disney+ in the spring of 2021.

Doctor Strange in the Multitude of Madness

Benedict Cumberbatch will return as Doctor Strange in this sequel, alongside Elizabeth Olsen as Scarlet Witch, and this show will be linked to the events of the Disney+ series WandaVision. Doctor Strange and the Multitude of Madness will be directed by Scott Derrickson and is described as the MCU’s first horror film.

The film will cast its spell in theatres on May 7, 2021.

What If…?

The legacy of “What If…” comics is to be adapted for the small screen. The first animated series in the MCU will star Jeffrey Wright as the voice of The Watcher and many actors from across the MCU will reprise their roles as voice talents.

The Disney+ show is set to represent alternate realities in the Marvel Universe, and are going to warp our world in the summer of 2021.

Hawkeye

Another character from the MCU to get a show on the small screen is the Hawkeye. Starring Jeremy Renner as the titular character, this show will explore some of the character’s time as ronin, and also introduce Kate Bishop, who is the third character in the comics to take the Hawkeye name, after Clint Barton and Wyatt McDonald.

Hawkeye will be hitting the mark on Disney+ in the fall of 2021.

Thor: Love and Thunder

Taika Waititi returns in the director’s chair to continue the legacy of Thor: Ragnarok to the fourth movie in the franchise, Thor: Love and Thunder. Joining Chris Helmsworth and Tessa Thompson will be Natalie Portman. But guess what? This time she isn’t just returning as Jane Foster. She will become the Mighty Thor, Goddess of Thunder.

Thor: Love and Thunder will arrive in theatres on November 5, 2021.

Black Widow

We all know the Black Widow deserved a standalone movie before sacrificing her life for the Soul Stone in Avengers: Endgame. Finally, it is time. Black Widow is a prequel, starring Scarlett Johansson, Rachel Weisz, Florence Pugh, and David Harbour, which will tell us more about Natasha Romanoff before she was an Avenger.

Directed by Cate Shortland, Black Widow will come to theatres May 1, 2020.

Phase Five updates…

At the end of the presentation, Kevin Feige announced that , Fantastic Four, and the Mutants are going to be a part of the same universe, at some point down the road (with Fox now being a part of Disney). Also, Black Panther 2, Blade, Captain Marvel 2, and Guardians of the Galaxy 3 will also be a part of Phase 5.

For now, Mahershala Ali (Moonlight, True Detective) was introduced as Blade, and it’s soon slashing its way into theatres.

And that’s it! The complete coverage of the Phase 4 slate of the MCU, including all the movies and also the series premiering exclusively on Disney+.