New Titles Incoming: Marvel Studios unveils Phase IV

At yesterday’s San Diego Comic Con (SDCC), Marvel Studios’ President Kevin Feige announced a blockbuster set of upcoming films and Disney+ (Disney’s upcoming streaming service) shows which will release over the next two years. Among the many exciting releases in the pipeline are Thor: Love and Thunder starring Natalie Portman as the female Thor, Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings starring Simu Liu as the first solo Asian lead superhero and The Eternals starring Salma Hayek, Angelina Jolie and Richard Madden as immortals. Here’s all that Marvel has in store for fans in phase four:

‘The Eternals’

The Eternals is about a group of powerful immortal aliens who were sent to Earth to protect humanity from deviants. The film, to be directed by Chloé Zhao, will also feature Lauren Ridloff as Makkari, the first deaf character in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU). The Eternals stars Richard Madden as Ikaris, Kumail Nanjiani as Kingo, Lauren Ridloff as Makkari, Brian Tyree Henry as Phastos, Salma Hayek as Ajak, Lia McHugh as Sprite, Don Lee as Gilgamesh and Angelina Jolie as Thena. It’s set to premiere on November 6th, 2020.

‘The Falcon and The Winter Soldier’

The Falcon (Sam Wilson) and the Winter Soldier (Bucky Barnes) will team up for a slew of action-packed adventures on the Disney+ original series The Falcon and The Winter Soldier. Anthonie Mackie and Sebastian Stan star in the series along with Daniel Brühl who too returns to reprise his role as the villain Baron Zemo. The series will be directed by Kari Skogland and debut on Disney+ in the fall of 2020. 

‘Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings’

Shang-Chi will fight the terrorist organization Ten Rings in Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings. The film, to be directed by Destin Daniel Cretton, will feature Simu Liu as the first solo Asian lead in an MCU movie. Tony Leung will play The Mandarin with Awkwafina joining the cast for an undisclosed role. Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings will hit theaters on February 12th, 2021.

‘WandaVision’

WandaVision explores a new take on Wanda Maximoff as Scarlet Witch and the – maybe – return of Vision to the universe. The original series will star Elizabeth Olsen and Paul Bettany along with Teyonah Parris who will play the adult Monica Rambeau. The show will stream on Disney+ in spring 2021. It will tie into Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness and is set after the events of Avengers: Endgame. The series will stream on Disney+ in spring 2021. 

 ‘Loki’

The God of mischief is set to stir up some trouble in the Disney+ original series Loki. The series will pick up after the events of Avengers: Endgame, so it looks like Loki is still dead in present time. Tom Hiddleston will reprises his role as the trickster in the series which is set to debut in the spring of 2021.

‘Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness’

Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness will be the first horror MCU film. Strange will experience a crisis of madness which will deliver him to dark places. But he won’t be alone. Scarlet Witch will join him as events of the WandaVision series will tie into the film. Benedict Cumberbatch and Elizabeth Olsen star with Scott Derrickson directing the film. Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness will arrive in theaters on May 7th, 2021.  

‘What If…?’

Based on the comic book series of the same name, What If…? is the first MCU animated anthology series coming to Disney+ in the summer of 2021. Each episode will present alternate realities to key moments in the MCU with the first episode delving into what could’ve happened if Peggy Carter had taken the Super Soldier Serum. The series will star Jeffrey Wright as the voice of The Watcher with other actors also returning to voice characters from the MCU. 

‘Hawkeye’

The original series Hawkeye will follow the story of the powerless Hawkeye who teaches somebody how to be a superhero without using their super powers. The character of Kate Bishop too will appear in the series though the actress for the role hasn’t been confirmed yet. Jeremy Renner stars in the series which is set to stream on Disney+ in the fall of 2021.

‘Thor: Love and Thunder’

As Mjolnir looks for a worthy wielder, a new Thor rises to the challenge in Thor: Love and Thunder. Natalie Portman is set to reprise her role as Jane Foster who becomes the Goddess of thunder in the film. The film also stars Chris Hemsworth and Tessa Thompson and will be directed by Taika Waititi. Thor: Love and Thunder will debut in theaters on November 5th, 2021. 

‘Black Widow’

Black Widow delves into Natasha Romanoff’s secrets and past with a host of interesting characters joining the mix. Scarlett Johansson reprises her role as the titular character and is joined by David Harbour as The Red Guardian (Alexei Shostakov), Florence Pugh as Yelena Belova, O-T Fagbenle as Mason and Rachel Weisz as Melina. The film takes place after the events of Captain America: Civil War and Taskmaster is the main antagonist. The film will be directed by Cate Shortland and will come to theaters on May 1st, 2020.

‘Blade’

A remake of the 1998 film Blade was also announced with Mahershala Ali starring as the human-vampire hybrid Blade. It has yet to be revealed whether Blade will be an original series for Disney+ or a film. Details are expected soon. 

Kevin Feige also announced an upcoming Fantastic Four film and sequels to Black Panther and Captain America. In phase four, the universe is still in need of being saved and the MCU is all set to dominate film and TV.