The Watcher and a Celestial are surprise additions to the Marvel Studios Marvel Cinematic Universe Phase 4 D23 banner, joining other confirmed characters. Last month at San Diego Comic-Con 2019, Marvel Studios head Kevin Feige unveiled their Phase 4 slate with release dates for movies and Disney+ TV shows alike. Much of the slate has been previously reported, but Feige still had a few surprise revelations up his sleeve.
One of these announcements included Jeffrey Wright being cast as The Watcher for Marvel's What If... Disney+ TV show. Further, though it wasn't touched upon during the Marvel Studios panel, Eternals concept art confirmed Celestials would appear in the upcoming MCU movie. Feige did confirm the full Eternals cast at SDCC - or, at least, those who will play the superheroes on the titular team. It's unclear who will bring the Celestials to life on screen. For now, though, Marvel Studios' Phase 4 D23 banner includes both The Watcher and a Celestial.
This weekend, Marvel Studios' parent company Disney is hosting their biannual D23 Expo at the Anaheim Convention Center in California. To celebrate all their wide range of properties, Disney has decked out the convention center with banners featuring characters from franchises like Star Wars, Pixar and Marvel. (One Marvel D23 banner even includes Spider-Man.) Certain banners focus especially on Phase 4 of the MCU and these include characters that are starring in upcoming projects. Further featured on these D23 banners are The Watcher and a Celestial. See images of the banner, including a closeup of The Watcher and Celestial, below, provided by Screen Rant's Mansoor Mithaiwala.
Since the Watcher and the Celestials were previously teased at SDCC, it's not totally unexpected they'd be included on a banner that teases upcoming Phase 4 projects. But they also noticeably standout as the only characters who haven't previously been seen in Marvel Studios movies. All told, the banner includes Black Widow, Hawkeye, Loki, Falcon (who's becoming the new Captain America), Winter Soldier, Doctor Strange, Valkyrie, the Watcher, the Celestial, Thor, Scarlet Witch and Vision. Aside from the Watcher and the Celestial, all of these characters are headlining Phase 4 movies or TV shows, making them the odd ones out.
That said, the Watcher and the Celestial are perhaps the least spoilery characters Marvel Studios could have chosen to include on the banner alongside the other characters. The studio hasn't yet revealed what Natalie Portman's Jane Foster will look like as Thor, nor have any official images of the Eternals cast been released. Even Falcon, who's set to become Captain America, isn't wearing his new suit or sporting Steve Rogers' shield. The inclusion of the Watcher and the Celestial may be surprising, but it makes the banner much less revealing than it could have been. Perhaps more will be revealed by Marvel Studios during the Walt Disney Studios D23 panel on Saturday.
Photo source: Mansoor Mithaiwala