Marvel has been pretty busy with the Cinematic Universe (MCU) they've created, and while you might have thought they'd dial things back a bit after the epic Avengers: Endgame, you'd be wrong. At the San Diego Comic-Con they revealed plenty of plans for Stage 4 of the MCU, and we can expect a lot next year and in 2021.
On May 1 next year we're getting a standalone Black Widow film to celebrate Scarlett Johansson's character, who has had far less of the spotlight than her Avengers teammates. We already know that Taskmaster will be an enemy in this film, and we'll get more of a sense of Black Widow's history.
Speaking of underappreciated members of the MCU, The Falcon and The Winter Soldier will be coming to Disney+, giving these heroes a chance to further represent themselves in this show, continuing the long line of Marvel shows we're used to seeing (except this time on Disney's upcoming streaming platform). WandaVision was also announced for Disney+, coming in spring of 2021 and reuniting Scarlet Witch and Vision, as well as a Loki series at the same time, focusing on Thor's mischievous brother.
The Eternals was perhaps one of the biggest reveals of the event, which will focus on this overlooked part of the Marvel franchise, focusing on an alternate strand of humanity. Angelina Jolie, Salma Hayek, and more are in the cast, and this is coming on November 6 next year.
On February 6, 2021, we get Shang-Chi and The Legend of the Ten Rings, with Marvel once again looking to introduce us to a series we may not have heard of. We didn't get too many details on this, but Destin Daniel Cretton will be directing, with Simu Liu starring.
On May 7 of that year Benedict Cumberbatch will also be returning in Doctor Strange In The Multiverse Of Madness, which director Scott Derrickson will bring to life, and stranger still is the What If? series, hitting Disney+ in summer of 2021. This series will explore alternate possibilities and scenarios, like Agent Carter becoming Captain America, and will join the Hawkeye series on Disney+, due to land in autumn 2021.
We had heard rumours about the new Thor before Comic-Con, but we got some very exciting news at the show, as director Taika Waititi revealed Thor: Love and Thunder, before handing the hammer to none other than Natalie Portman. Her character will actually become a female Thor, and on top of that Valkyrie was also confirmed as an LGBTQ+ superhero, and we can expect all this on November 5, 2021.
As if all this wasn't enough, Mahershala Ali also took to the stage simply to wear a Blade hat, revealing that the series was indeed returning. No release date was attached, and details weren't shared, but considering it's been a long time since Wesley Snipes brought Blade to life, this is worth being excited about.
We didn't get full reveals of anything else, but we were told in passing that Marvel is working on Black Panther and Captain Marvel sequels, as well as trying to bring Fantastic Four and X-Men into the MCU. A third Guardians of the Galaxy is also on the way, so there's plenty to look forward to.
What's the highlight here?