Marvel hit us with an awful lot of information about the fourth phase of the MCU at San Diego Comic-Con this weekend. From prequels to sequels and TV shows to new heroes, here is everything you need to know about the MCU's much-anticipated fourth phase.
Black Widow (May 2020)
Perhaps the only bad news during Marvel's MCU announcement was how long we have to wait for phase four to get underway. Yes, it's less than a year away, but only just. The much-talked-about prequel Black Widow will get things underway. The movie will be set shortly after the events of Captain America: Civil War, so when Natasha Romanov sided with Captain America and disappeared for a while. It seems as if she was battling Taskmaster during her downtime and we're looking forward to seeing that battle manifest on the big screen.
Eternals (November 2020)
Later that year, Marvel's Eternals will make its cinematic debut. Much like the Guardians of the Galaxy, this was one corner of the comic book world we never expected to see manifest itself in the movie realm. As rumored, the cast for this one is star-studded, and will indeed be headed up by Angelina Jolie. The Eternals are incredibly powerful beings, and we can't wait to see what role they'll play in the MCU.
Shang-Chi and The Legend of the Ten Rings (February 2021)
Asian superhero Shang-Chi will finally join up with the MCU in February of 2021. As Marvel continues to pioneer a franchise that tries to include heroes of all races, genders, religions, and so forth, it is expected that Shang-Chi will break ground in much the same way as Black Panther did before it. Again, Shang-Chi is not a hero we expected to see leap off the pages of Marvel's comic books and into the MCU, but another that we can't wait to meet.
Dr. Strange in the Multiverse of Madness (May 2021)
Fear not fans of what has come before these new arrivals. We will be getting a few sequels to accompany these new movies. The first of which will be a second chapter in the Dr. Strange saga. Although there is very little detail surrounding what this movie will involve, it is currently being described as the first horror movie in the MCU. Plus, its title would suggest that Mysterio was indeed mistaken about there not being a multiverse.
Thor: Love and Thunder (November 2021)
The news that was broken by Marvel at SDCC that has got us most excited involve the details about the next installment in the Thor franchise. The MCU hasn't included Natalie Portman for some time. However, that will all change in 2021, when Portman returns to the MCU not as a mere mortal, but as Female Thor. We wonder what the original God of Thunder will make of that.
Three More Sequels In 2022
It seems as if 2022 will be a big year for the MCU. Three more movies will be released as part of phase four within the first seven months. However, Marvel was reluctant to reveal what those movies will be. Since it did also confirm that Guardians, Captain Marvel, and Black Panther sequels are all in the pipeline, it would make sense that those are the three we can expect to see return in 2022.
Fantastic Four and Blade
That's right, Marvel is having one more crack at turning the repeatedly troubled Fantastic Four into a successful franchise. This time around, it will be going all-in by intertwining it with the rest of the MCU, so no turning back or bailing out. Plus, there will be a new Blade movie, perhaps the biggest announcement made by Marvel at SDCC. The movie's lead will be Mahershala Ali of Luke Cage fame. Does that mean he has technically already been a part of the MCU as Cottonmouth? We'll let you ponder that one.
Disney+ TV Shows
Alongside all of these movies will be a number of different TV shows, all of which will likely be Disney+ originals/exclusives. These include The Falcon and Winter Soldier, WandaVision featuring Scarlett Witch, Hawkeye, What If? which explores alternate realities within the MCU, and last but not least, Loki. We're keeping our fingers crossed that last one stems from the moment Thor's pesky half brother stole the Tesseract when the Avengers went back in time during Endgame.