Marvel unveiled its Phase 4 slate of shows and films at Investor Day and you are not ready
What you need to know
- Marvel gave updates on its robust roster of films and shows at the end of Disney Investor Day.
- We got trailers for four Marvel shows headed for Disney+ including the What If...? animated anthology.
- Kevin Feige confirmed that Black Panther will not be recast but Black Panther II will continue Chadwick Boseman's legacy and tell new stories in Wakanda.
Wow. Disney Investor Day was like Comi-Con but without having to stand in lines for twelve hours to get into Hall H. Not only is Disney+ getting a lot of new content — and its first price increase — and if the slate of new Star Wars shows felt like it was too much awesome at one time, take a look at all the Marvel goodies we got today.
Marvel Original Shows
- WandaVision is just around the corner and got a brand new trailer that gets a little more in-depth into just what the frak is going on in this TV pocket dimension that Wanda seems to have found herself with a seemingly alive-again Vision.
- Falcon and the Winter is still coming in March 2021 and it got an exclusive first look for Investor Day that seems to show Falcon not putting on Cap's shield after being given it at the end of Endgame. He seeks out Bucky Barnes to help him on some high-flying missions around the globe.
- Loki got an exclusive clip that finally starts to give us some story feel — and a look at the rest of the cast, including Owen Wilson who I have a feeling I'm going to absolutely adore because he gives just as good as he gets in that elevator scene. Seeing as this Loki story takes place in the offshoot timeline, we're getting another big dose of "big bad showboating Loki", and we'll get to start that ride in May 2021.
- What If...? has been a loooooong time coming and we finally got a look at the animation style being used for this anthology series hosted by The Watcher, a Marvel character who will show the audience various alternate timelines where small changes lead to some very interesting new stories.
- Ms. Marvel gave us a sizzle reel since they've still early in production — the mention conducting interviews virtually during the pandemic — but they have their star and they have dedicated directors for this series coming to Disney+ in late 2021.
- Hawkeye is still in production and still slated for late 2021, but Kevin Feige confirmed that Haylee Steinfeld is playing Kate Bishop, who Hawkeye will be mentoring in the show. Vera Farmiga, Fra Free, and newcomer Alaqua Cox as Maya Lopez are joining the cast, and the series will be directed by Rhys Thomas and duo Bert and Bertie.
- She-Hulk has cast Tatiana Maslany as its title character for the comedy series, where She-Hulk tries to be taken seriously as a professional while being, well... huge and green. It's good to hear that both Mark Ruffalo's Hulk and especially Tim Roth's Abomination will be showing up in the series, and Feige hinted at other cameos throughout the show since Jennifer Walters is a lawyer.
- Moon Knight is still coming, but we didn't really get any new details today.
- Secret invasion was freshly announced today, and I'm pleased as punch because it's going to see the return of Samuel L. Jackson as Nick Fury. Avid readers will recognize Secret Invasion as one of the biggest comic events in the Marvel comic universe, and it's unknown how much of a crossover it might be here.
- Ironheart is getting a series, too, and Dominique Thorne will play Riri Williams. I adore Ironheart and I'm so happy to see her getting a Disney+ series, though it's presumably three years out or more.
- Armor Wars was another new series, and it will be starring Don Cheadle as War Machine who is dealing with one of Tony Stark's worst nightmares: his tech falling into the wrong hands and the world paying the price for it.
- It's not really a show, but we're getting a Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special, directed and written by James Gunn that will be shot alongside Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 and released for the 2022 Holiday season.
- Also in the GOTG vein, Groot is getting a shorts series titled I am Groot, because what else would you call a Groot series?
Marvel Films
This trailer is from 9 months ago, but the movie's still not out...
- Black Widow is still bound for theaters — I guess since we've waited this long — and it is arriving May 7, 2021.
- Shang Chi and the Ten Rings will kick off Phase 4 in theaters on July 9, 2021. Production has wrapped on the film so now it's a matter of post-production (and theaters being safe to go to again).
Production has just wrapped for Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings. Meet the fantastic cast bringing the film to life.#ShangChi and the Legend of the Ten Rings is in theaters July 9th, 2021. pic.twitter.com/EPhXPMGDukProduction has just wrapped for Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings. Meet the fantastic cast bringing the film to life.#ShangChi and the Legend of the Ten Rings is in theaters July 9th, 2021. pic.twitter.com/EPhXPMGDuk— Disney (@Disney) December 11, 2020December 11, 2020
- Captain Marvel 2 will have Ms. Marvel in it, as well as Monica Rambeau played by Teyonah Parris, who will debut that character in WandaVision.
- Eternals is still in the pipeline, the star-studded cast was already set and the release date is now November 5, 2021.
- Doctor Strange and the Multiverse of Madness is filming right now for a March 2022 release date. Xochitl Gomez is joining the cast as America Chavez and Sam Raimi is directing the film which will tie into both WandaVision and "the next Spider-Man film".
- Thor: Love and Thunder starts filming next month and has a theatrical release date of May 6, 2022. Christian Bale is joining the cast as the film's villain Gorr the God Butcher. I'm sorry, could this movie get any more weird and awesome?
- Blade is still coming and Mahershala Ali is still the title character. Still not date, but that's not a big deal.
- The title for the third Ant-Man film is Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania. This will likely be the first big lynchpin of Phase 4 as the cast includes Kathryn Newton as Cassie Lang and Jonathan Majors as Kang the Conqueror!!
- Kevin Feige acknowledged Chadwick Boseman's irreplaceable portrayal of the Black Panther and confirmed that no, the character will not be recast. Black Panther II will "explore the world of Wakanda & the rich characters introduced in the first film" instead.
Jon Watts will direct the new feature film for Marvel's First Family, Fantastic Four! pic.twitter.com/Eu26ghxbGTJon Watts will direct the new feature film for Marvel's First Family, Fantastic Four! pic.twitter.com/Eu26ghxbGT— Marvel Studios (@MarvelStudios) December 11, 2020December 11, 2020
- There's another Fantastic 4 film in development — hey, one of these days they gotta get it right, right???
Wow, that was a lot. I'm gonna go lie down before I pass out from too much awesome — you guys saw all those new Disney shows coming in the next three years, too, right?!?! — but it's worth mentioning that if you're a Marvel fan and not a Disney+ subscriber you're going to majorly miss out as Phase 4 features much more interconnectivity between the shows and movies than previous attempts (sorry, Agents of SHIELD), so if you haven't subscribed yet, time to lock into the yearly rate for the best Disney+ deal before the price goes up!
Ready for Phase Four
From Star Wars to Marvel and beyond.
Disney's streaming service is already the best place in the world to get your fix of Marvel content and it's only going to get better once Originals like WandaVision and Falcon and the Winter Soldier start arriving next year.
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Ara Wagoner was a staff writer at Android Central. She themes phones and pokes YouTube Music with a stick. When she's not writing about cases, Chromebooks, or customization, she's wandering around Walt Disney World. If you see her without headphones, RUN. You can follow her on Twitter at @arawagco.