There are several upcoming Marvel TV shows releasing after WandaVision now that the Marvel Cinematic Universe's Phase 4 is officially underway. In 2019, Marvel Studios unveiled their plan for a massive Phase 4 following the releases of Avengers: Endgame and Spider-Man: Far From Home, but the execution of that plan was, unfortunately, hindered by the COVID-19 pandemic. The long-awaited solo Black Widow movie was supposed to release in May 2020 - 10 years after the character made her debut in Iron Man 2 - and kickoff the new era.
Although a prequel movie with little to no significant ties to upcoming storylines, Black Widow would've tied thematically with the first batch of Marvel TV shows - The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, WandaVision, and Loki - which also looked back on the MCU rather than primarily looking forward. After some more delays, and skipping 2020 entirely, Marvel Studios returned with a bang with WandaVision on Disney+. The series got off to a slow start with its sitcom-focused episodes, but it quickly ramped up midway through and became a sensation, just like Disney+'s The Mandalorian has been for two years.
Given there are 12 upcoming Marvel TV shows on the calendar, Marvel Studios and Disney+ aim to have content rolling out constantly, with seemingly no gaps between TV shows and films. Since many shows tie into future movies, that plan makes sense, but above all, it means MCU fans will have plenty of superhero content to look forward to over the next few years.
The Falcon and the Winter Soldier
Assuming the mantle of Captain America following Avengers: Endgame isn't off to a good start for Falcon in The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, which premieres on March 19, 2021. Anthony Mackie and Sebastian Stan reprise their roles as Sam Wilson aka Falcon and Bucky Barnes aka Winter Soldier, respectively, in Marvel Studios' second TV series, although it was originally supposed to be the first out of the gate after Black Widow's release.
In the six-episode season, Falcon and Winter Soldier will struggle with their partnership without Steve Rogers there to bind them, but their plight in taking on the Flag-Smashers around the world, as well as coming to terms with Steve's legacy, will be at the core of the series' story. Furthermore, they will have to contend with the U.S. government installing its own new Captain America in U.S. Agent, played by Wyatt Russell. Other characters appearing in the series include Baron Zemo (Daniel Bruhl), Sharon Carter (Emily VanCamp), James Rhodes/War Machine (Don Cheadle), and Georges Batroc (Georges St-Pierre), among others.
Loki
One of Endgame's biggest unanswered questions was what happened to the version of Loki who disappeared with the Tesseract in 2012. In the months following the movie's release, there was a lot of confusion regarding whether or not Loki created an alternate timeline with his escape from New York - and while the film's writers and directors disagree with each other on that point, the MCU's Time Variance Authority will attempt to set things right in the Loki TV series.
Premiering on June 11, 2021, Loki sees Tom Hiddleston once again return as Loki, this time living up to his name as the god of mischief. Since this Loki isn't the one that was killed in Avengers: Infinity War, he still has his villainous personality that was on display in The Avengers. Now he will be going through a series of wild adventures that only he can do, including one that makes him the MCU's DB Cooper. How it all unfolds remains to be seen, but fans will be in for quite a ride.
Owen Wilson makes his MCU debut as a member of the TVA named Mobius M. Mobius in Loki, along with Gugu Mbatha-Raw, Sasha Lane, Sophia Di Martino, Wunmi Mosaku, and Richard Grant. Plus, Marvel Studios is reportedly in development on Loki season 2, which would make it the only live-action series that is currently planned to continue beyond season 1.
What If...?
Scheduled for mid-2021 is What If...?, the first animated series from Marvel Studios to be set within the Marvel Cinematic Universe. What If...? pulls the same format from the comic books in which a story about an alternate set of events is told; what would happen if one particular moment or series of moments occurred differently? That will be the basis of What If...?, which will be led by Jeffrey Wright as Uatu the Watcher. As a member of the Watcher race, Uatu watches over the multiverse, and so, he can see how these alternate stories play out.
The best thing about What If...? is that every returning character in the series will be voiced by the people who played them in live-action, including Chadwick Boseman in his final role as T'Challa. But instead of being the Black Panther, Boseman's T'Challa is Star-Lord in What If...?, which goes to show just how bizarre the show will be.
Ms. Marvel
Iman Vellani will bring Kamala Khan to life in the MCU in Ms. Marvel, a new live-action series that will release in late 2021 and connect with Captain Marvel 2. Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige has long talked about incorporating Kamala Khan, a Muslim superhero who obtains shape-shifting superpowers, somewhere in the MCU, and Disney+ is the perfect opportunity to do so before Ms. Marvel appears in the Captain Marvel sequel. Not much is known about Ms. Marvel's story, but the series will be one of the studio's most diverse projects yet.
Hawkeye
Also coming in late 2021 is Hawkeye, which sees Jeremy Renner return as Clint Barton in a story that will set up his MCU replacement: Kate Bishop, who's played by Hailee Steinfeld. Underneath all the excitement surrounding the multiverse in MCU Phase 4 is the slew of superhero replacements Marvel is debuting - on the big and small screens. For Hawkeye, the person to take over his mantle will be Kate, who spends the limited series training to complete that objective. But beyond that, Hawkeye will also explore Clint's Ronin persona a bit more, which was glossed over in Avengers: Endgame.
Other heroes expected to appear in Hawkeye include Florence Pugh's Yelena Belova aka Black Widow, who will be making her first MCU appearance in the Black Widow movie, and Alaqua Cox's Maya Lopez aka Echo, a deaf Native American who was originally the first Ronin in Marvel Comics; in the new series, she could potentially take over that role for Clint.
Moon Knight
In 2019, Marvel Studios announced plans to develop a TV series on Marc Spector aka Moon Knight. Often described as Marvel's version of Batman, Moon Knight is an avatar for the Egyptian God of the Moon, Khonshu; he's used his former life as a mercenary to build a vast fortune and uses gadgets to fight crime. However, he also has superpowers that correspond with the phases of the moon and has three aliases, which later resulted in him developing schizophrenia. Currently, there are no story details regarding Moon Knight, but the series will star Oscar Isaac as the eponymous hero and Ethan Hawke as the villain, who remains unknown at this time. The series will consist of six episodes, all of which will release sometime in 2022.
She-Hulk
Starring Tatiana Maslany as Jennifer Walters, She-Hulk sees Bruce Banner's cousin develop Hulk abilities after she gets a blood transfusion from him. She-Hulk has been described as a courtroom drama and legal comedy in which Walters will defend her fellow superpowered characters in what's known as "superhero law," presumably referring mainly to the Sokovia Accords. In addition to seeing She-Hulk make her MCU debut, there's also excitement around Mark Ruffalo appearing as Hulk in the series alongside the return of Tim Roth as Emil Blonksy aka Abomination; Blonsky was last seen in The Incredible Hulk and his whereabouts have been a mystery in the MCU ever since. She-Hulk has the opportunity to close the book at that film for good.
The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special
Because of James Gunn's initial firing from Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, there was a delay in when the film would release. It was originally planned for 2020, but even if the pandemic didn't happen, it wouldn't release for another few years due to Gunn signing up for The Suicide Squad. Still, Marvel wants to give fans something to tide them over, and that's where The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special comes in. Something like Marvel's version of The Star Wars Holiday Special, the Guardians of the Galaxy-themed TV special will air in late 2022 and see the main cast return in their roles, since the special will be filmed during production on Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3; it will also take place between the events of the second and third movies.
Secret Invasion
Fans have long awaited a Secret Invasion adaptation in the MCU, and while it's finally happening, it won't be the grand, Avengers-filled story that took place in the comics. Instead, Samuel L. Jackson and Ben Mendeloshn will lead Secret Invasion as Nick Fury and Talos, respectively, while they tackle a sect of Skrulls taking hold on Earth. In the comic story, the Skrulls spent years invading Earth and establishing themselves using their shape-shifting abilities, in many instances replacing superheroes. Parts of the story will need to be changed since Skrulls aren't villains in the MCU, though that doesn't mean there aren't villainous groups among them, and there won't be nearly as many characters in the show. Filming is expected to begin in April 2021.
Ironheart
Whether it was always planned this way or not, Iron Man undoubtedly became the core of the MCU - and his death will be felt throughout Phase 4. But while everyone thought Spider-Man was being set up as Iron Man's replacement, that character instead may be Riri Williams aka Ironheart, who will be played by Dominique Thorne on Disney+. In the comics, Riri Williams is a super-genius like Tony Stark, and she develops her own iron suit while studying at MIT. She's later sanctioned as a superhero by Tony, but since he's no longer around, that part of her story will have to be adjusted. Like with many other Marvel TV shows coming in the near future, very few details have been revealed about Ironheart, but the series certainly will be the first step in Riri Williams becoming the MCU's new Iron Man.
Armor Wars
Following his appearance in The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, Don Cheadle will return as James "Rhodey" Rhodes aka War Machine in Armor Wars, a new series in which Stark tech falls into the wrong hands. Since Tony Stark is dead, presumably this means Rhodey will have to take on the task of securing the tech himself.
Almost immediately after he became Iron Man, Tony Stark feared what would happen if his suit or technology were weaponized by his enemies, and that fear will be at the heart of Armor Wars. Part of the comic book storyline the show is based on was already incorporated into Iron Man 2, particularly with Justin Hammer and his company's attempts at recreating the Iron Man suit. At the time, Tony said other countries and groups were probably 10 years away from achieving what he had already done, and given the in-universe and real-life timeline, he was spot on. There's currently no planned release date, but filming will begin in 2021 on Armor Wars, thus meaning it'll likely release sometime in 2022.
Wakanda TV Series
The latest Marvel TV series to be announced is a Wakanda-based show, which will be helmed by Black Panther director Ryan Coogler. Little to nothing is known about the story, scope, or focus, but based on Disney's announcement, this series may only be first of many Black Panther-related TV shows; however, what exactly those shows will be is currently unknown. It's possible the series will spin out of Black Panther 2's story, which is in development and still on track to release in May 2022.
Key Release Dates
-
Black Widow
Release Date:2021-07-09 -
Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings
Release Date:2021-09-03 -
Eternals
Release Date:2021-11-05 -
Doctor Strange In the Multiverse of Madness
Release Date:2022-05-06 -
Thor: Love and Thunder
Release Date:2022-07-08 -
Black Panther: Wakanda Forever
Release Date:2022-11-11 -
captain marvel 2
Release Date:2023-07-28
