Marvel Studios made a huge return to San Diego Comic-Con 2019, with Kevin Feige dropping a number of major MCU reveals and surprises. It had been expected that Marvel would unveil plans for Phase 4 of the MCU, many of which had already been the subject of rumors and reports long before SDCC, but Feige also had a few aces up his sleeve.
With Avengers: Endgame and then Spider-Man: Far From Home rounding out the 22-movie Infinity Saga, there's been some uncertainty as to what comes next, with Marvel deciding to hold back on announcing any plans until after the MCU's Phase 3 was complete. Now that's done they can lay some of their cards on the table, which is exactly what happened at Comic-Con.
Marvel only announced the movies to be released in 2020 and 2021, but even in that short time frame there's a lot coming in the MCU. On top of that, though, there were new details about those movies, further information on the Disney+ TV shows, and some great teases of what lies beyond.
The Biggest MCU Reveals From Comic-Con 2019
Marvel's panel at San Diego Comic-Con 2019 brought with it a wealth of information about their upcoming slate of movies and Disney+ TV shows from 2020-2021, along with some hints at what's coming beyond then as well. But alongside some of the confirmations of things that'd previously been reported were a few genuine shocks. Natalie Portman is not only returning for Thor: Love and Thunder as Jane Foster, but she'll also be the female Thor in the movie too.
Mahershala Ali was brought out onto the Hall H stage, where it was revealed he's going to be the new Blade. Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness will be the MCU's first fully-fledged horror movie, and feature Elizabeth Olsen's Scarlet Witch, alongside the permutations of that multiverse title. Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings will introduce the real Mandarin to the MCU and, oh yeah, the Fantastic Four and X-Men are definitely on their way as well. They're just some of the highlights, but here's every MCU reveal from SDCC 2019.
Black Widow - May 1, 2020
It's long been rumored that Black Widow would be the first MCU movie of 2020, and it was made official at Comic-Con 2019, with the May 1, 2020 release date confirmed. Scarlett Johansson is of course back in the title role, while the previously reported supporting cast was made official too. That includes Florence Pugh as Yelena Belova, David Harbour as Red Guardian, and Rachel Weisz in an unconfirmed role, while Cate Shortland will direct. It was also revealed that Taskmaster will be Black Widow's villain, and that it takes place between the events of Captain America: Civil War and Avengers: Infinity War, when Natasha Romanoff was a rogue underground agent. Footage shown in Hall H included a fight scene between Black Widow and Belova, which takes place in Budapest.
All News:
- Marvel's Black Widow Movie Cast Confirmed At SDCC 2019
- Marvel's Black Widow Movie Release Date Confirmed
- Black Widow Movie SDCC Footage Description
- Black Widow Movie Villain Confirmed As Taskmaster
The Falcon And The Winter Soldier - Fall 2020
Marvel had already confirmed that The Falcon and the Winter Soldier series was happening, but now we know that it'll be the first MCU Disney+ show to arrive, along with a few other exciting details. The Falcon and the Winter Soldier will debut on Disney+ in Fall 2020, and Anthony Mackie confirmed that he's being fitted for his Captain America suit. Alongside Mackie and Sebastian Stan will be another familiar face from the MCU, with Daniel Brühl reprising his role as Zemo from Captain America: Civil War, except this time it'll be a more comics accurate take on the character - including the purple mask.
All News:
- The Falcon & Winter Soldier TV Series Premieres In Fall 2020
- The Falcon & The Winter Soldier Tease Reveals Comic-Accurate Baron Zemo
- Anthony Mackie Is Being Fitted For His Captain America Costume
The Eternals - November 6, 2020
Another movie that's long been in the works without being made official, Marvel confirmed that The Eternals movie is indeed happening, slating it for a November 6, 2020 release date. The Eternals are a group of incredibly powerful humans who were created by the Celestials, and the film is expected to serve as an MCU prequel. Chloe Zhao has been confirmed to direct, while the cast was also announced at San Diego Comic-Con: Salma Hayek plays the group's leader Ajax; Richard Madden is Ikaris; Angelina Jolie is Thena; Brian Tyree Henry will play Phastos; Don Lee appears as Gigamesh; Lauren Ridloff is Makkari; Lia McHugh is Sprite; and Kumail Nanjiani as Kingo.
All News:
Shang-Chi And The Legend Of The Ten Rings - February 12, 2021
It was reported last year that Shang-Chi was in development at Marvel Studios, but now they've officially confirmed it'll be part of Phase 4, with Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings slated for release on February 12, 2021. Shang-Chi, which centers around its titular hero, a great martial artist, will be directed by Destin Daniel Cretton (Short Term 12), while it was also revealed that Simu Liu (Kim's Convenience) will play the character in the MCU. Tony Leung, meanwhile, was revealed to be playing the MCU's REAL Mandarin, finally picking up on the character tease after Iron Man 3 and MCU One-Shot All Hail The King.
All News:
- Shang-Chi Release Date Confirmed For 2021
- Marvel Casts Simu Liu As Shang-Chi
- Shang-Chi Casts Tony Leung As The MCU's Real Mandarin
- Marvel's Shang-Chi Movie Officially Titled Legend Of The Ten Rings
WandaVision - Spring 2021
Marvel had already confirmed that WandaVision, a TV series centered around Scarlet Witch and Vision, was in the works for Disney+, but at San Diego Comic-Con 2019 there were some more big reveals about the MCU TV show. It was confirmed that the series will arrive in spring 2021 and take place after Avengers: Endgame. Even more intriguingly, WandaVision will feature an adult version of Captain Marvel's Monica Rambeau, to be played by Teyonah Paris, and will also connect to Doctor Strange 2. Elizabeth Olsen and Paul Bettany are both back, though Marvel isn't revealing how Vision is in the series just yet.
All News:
- WandaVision Series Takes Place After Avengers: Endgame
- WandaVision Disney+ Series Premieres Spring 2021
- Adult Monica Rambeau Cast For WandaVision Series
- Scarlet Witch Will Star In Doctor Strange 2; Connects To Disney+ Series
Doctor Strange In The Multiverse Of Madness - May 7, 2021
Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness is now set for release on May 7, 2021. The first Doctor Strange landed back in 2016 and, despite setting up a sequel, it's taking a long time for Doctor Strange 2 to arrive. After previously assuring fans it was happening, Comic-Con brought some firm details on when the sequel will land in the MCU, and some other fascinating reveals. Scott Derrickson is once again directing with Benedict Cumberbatch to star, while Elizabeth Olsen's Scarlet Witch will also feature in some capacity. Derrickson also confirmed Doctor Strange 2 will be the MCU's first full horror movie, while the multiverse is also going to play a major role.
All News:
- Doctor Strange 2 Title Is In The Multiverse Of Madness
- Doctor Strange 2 Release Date Confirmed: May 7, 2021
- Doctor Strange 2 Is The MCU's First Horror Movie
Loki - Spring 2021
Loki was the first MCU TV show to be confirmed for Disney+, with Tom Hiddleston set to reprise his role as the God of Mischief, although it was revealed at Comic-Con that fans will have to wait until spring 2021 to see it. As expected, Loki's death in Avengers: Infinity War remains permanent, and this will instead focus on the 2012 version of Loki who stole the Tesseract in Avengers: Endgame.
All News:
- Loki Died In Infinity War; TV Show Follows Alternate Version From Endgame
- Loki Disney+ TV Show Release Confirmed For Spring 2021
What If...? - Summer 2021
What If...? stands apart from the rest of the MCU offerings, in that it'll be an animated series focusing on alternate scenarios from across MCU history. It'd already been confirmed that Chris Evans and Hayley Atwell would be part of the voice cast, with Evans' Steve Rogers becoming Iron Man, and Atwell's Peggy Carter becoming Captain America in What If...?. At Comic-Con, Marvel revealed that 25 MCU actors in total would be reprising their roles, including Paul Rudd, Natalie Portman, Michael B. Jordan, and Samuel L. Jackson, while Jeffrey Wright will voice The Watcher, a Celestial being assigned to observe Earth.
Hawkeye - Fall 2021
The last of the pre-confirmed Disney+ MCU TV shows, it was revealed at SDCC 2019 that Hawkeye will debut on the streaming service in fall 2021. Jeremy Renner is reprising his role as Clint Barton, but he won't be working alone. In Hawkeye, he'll be training up a young protégé in the form of fan-favorite comic book character Kate Bishop, although no casting has been revealed yet.
Thor: Love And Thunder - November 5, 2021
Thor: Love And Thunder was revealed at San Diego Comic-Con as the official title of Thor 4, which itself had only been reported to be happening earlier in the week. As expected, Taika Waititi is directing Thor 4 after previously helming Thor: Ragnarok, with Chris Hemsworth and Tessa Thompson both returning as well. The biggest MCU reveal about Thor 4, however, was that Natalie Portman will not only reprise the role of Jane Foster, but that she's also going to become Female Thor, with Portman wowing the crowd as she came onstage and lifted Mjolnir. Thor 4 is set for release on November 5, 2021, which as it stands will close out the MCU's Phase 4.
All News:
- Thor 4: Chris Hemsworth & Tessa Thompson Confirmed To Return
- Thor: Love and Thunder Release Date Confirmed For November 2021
- Natalie Portman Will Play Female Thor In The MCU
Blade
Blade is coming to the MCU! In the final reveal from the Marvel Comic-Con panel, Kevin Feige introduced Oscar-winner Mahershala Ali to the stage, where it was then revealed that he'll be starring as the Daywalker in the MCU's Blade movie. Since it was the end of the panel there weren't any other details revealed, which means there's no release date set - although 2022 seems likely - but it's still a big shocker.
Fantastic Four
It was always going to happen at some point after the Disney-Fox merger was finalized, but now it's official: the Fantastic Four are coming to the MCU. This was another that Feige just quickly dropped in at the end of the Comic-Con panel, which makes sense since Marvel couldn't begin working on Fantastic Four until the deal was complete, so there wasn't too much to announce. Still, it's nice to know that it's happening, and if Feige is mentioning it now, that should mean it's within the next few years (around 2023 seems most likely).
X-Men
Kevin Feige didn't directly mention the X-Men by name at the end of Marvel's San Diego Comic-Con 2019 panel, although fans were left with little doubt as to who he meant when he said the word "mutants". As with Fantastic Four, Marvel wasn't able to develop X-Men plans until the deal with Fox was complete, so it's still the early stages of this, and the mutants tease suggests they might be doing something slightly different with it, but it nonetheless means that the X-Men are indeed coming to the MCU.
Black Panther 2
There wasn't much revealed about Black Panther 2 at SDCC, which is a slight surprise given Black Panther's box-office success, but Feige did drop a quick mention of it in at the end, confirming that the MCU sequel is definitely happening. With release dates still open in 2022, there's a good chance that's when Black Panther 2 will release.
Captain Marvel 2
Captain Marvel 2, like with Black Panther 2, was only briefly mentioned by Feige at the Marvel SDCC 2019 panel. The first Captain Marvel made over $1 billion at the box-office, so a sequel was always likely to be in the MCU's future, but it's now 100% official at least.
Guardians Of The Galaxy 3
The Marvel Studios panel at Comic-Con took place exactly one year after James Gunn was fired from Guardians of the Galaxy 3 but, despite his return to the franchise, there was no mention of Guardians of the Galaxy 3 beyond another quick line from Feige at the end. It is definitely coming to the MCU at some point, but since Gunn has to work on The Suicide Squad first there's no concrete release date in place.
Characters Missing From The MCU Comic-Con Reveals
For all Marvel's panel at San Diego Comic-Con 2019 brought with it a lot of huge MCU reveals, there were still some major characters who were left out of the equation. It's been previously suggested that there'll be an Ant-Man 3, but if that is happening then Marvel isn't announcing it right now. Similarly, it's widely expected Spider-Man 3 will be made too, although it's more likely Sony will be the ones to reveal that. Finally, there was no talk of Avengers 5. Marvel will certainly make Avengers 5 at some point in the MCU's future, but in the immediate aftermath of Avengers: Endgame they're letting the team rest for a while.