top of page
MCU PHASE 4
PHASE FOUR WILL BE THE FOURTH PART OF THE MARVEL CINEMATIC UNIVERSE AFTER PHASE THREE.
PHASE FOUR WILL INCLUDE FIVE FILMS AND EIGHT DISNEY+ TV SERIES SET BETWEEN 2020 AND 2021.
SCROLL DOWN FOR THE D23 ANNOUNCED DISNEY+ SHOWS AND UPDATES.
DIRECTED BY: CATE SHORTLAND
CAST: SCARLETT JOHANSSON, FLORENCE PUGH, DAVID HARBOUR, RACHEL WEISZ, O-T FAGBENLE
RELEASE DAY: MAY 1, 2020
Black Widow will kick off Phase 4 and hit theaters on May 2020. It is confirmed that Black Widow takes place after Captain America: Civil War, but before Avengers: Infinity War, and draws comparisons to Captain America: The Winter Soldier for the gritty and grounded approach it has.
Marvel Studios unveiled the first Black Widow footage at their San Diego Comic-Con 2019 panel. The footage opened with a look back at Black Widow's journey so far in the MCU, with some of Natasha's most famous lines of dialogue used as voiceover, including her line about red in her ledger. The new Black Widow footage starts with a shot of Budapest with location text over the scene. It then focuses in on Natasha in a small city circle, then walking up the stairs of an apartment building. Nat pulls her gun when a voice calls through the door of an apartment, "I know you're out there."Nat responds, "I know you know I'm out here." Nat enters the apartment, there's a brief shot of a room filled with spy gadgets. She eventually comes face to face with Yelena, they're both holding they're guns at each other in identical poses. Nat suggests that they talk like grown-ups and Yelena tells her to put her gun down first. They start to fight, using classic Black Widow moves, mimicking each other. The fight is absolutely brutal, with both Natasha and Yelena using every weapon at their disposal including dish rags and kitchen knives. The scene cuts to after their fight, Nat says, "It's good to see you too, sis." The footage then features a sizzle reel of quick cuts to a variety of scenes, one of Nat running along a mountain ridge in training gear, a motorcycle chase in what appears to be Budapest, and a shot of what seemed to be a group of Black Widows in the classic black jumpsuit. At the end of the footage, Natasha is confronted by the villain Taskmaster on a bridge. He has the character's shield and mask from the comics, and he mimics all of her fighting moves, proving to be a formidable foe for Natasha. Florence Pugh plays Yelena Belova - the woman trained to replace Natasha Romanoff after she defected to the United States and the second woman to call herself the Black Widow.
DIRECTED BY: KARI SKOGLAND
CAST: ANTHONY MACKIE, SEBASTIAN STAN, DANIEL BRUHL, EMILY VANCAMP, WYATT RUSSELL
RELEASE DAY: FALL 2020
Marvel Studios has finally confirmed the release window of the Disney+ Falcon & Winter Soldier TV series. Phase 4 of the MCU will be very different, not least because Marvel Studios is producing a range of six-to-eight-episode TV shows that star actors straight from the movies. These will be available exclusively on the Disney+ streaming service.
One of the most exciting shows is Falcon & Winter Soldier, directed by Kari Skogland. Starring Anthony Mackie and Sebastian Stan, the plot is expected to deal with how Sam Wilson comes to accept the Captain America role he was offered at the end of Avengers: Endgame. Daniel Brühl will return as Baron Zemo, the villain of Captain America: Civil War.
D23 UPDATE
The cast of The Falcon and The Winter Soldier is growing, with Emily VanCamp reprising her role as Sharon Carter and Wyatt Russell cast as John Walker, otherwise known as US Agent. With the return of Emily VanCamp, Falcon and The Winter Soldier will be bringing together almost all of the important people from Captain America's life who are still around. We haven't seen Sharon Carter since she helped Cap and Falcon get their gear back, though, so this series could answer that question. Considering that Baron Zemo will likely be the main villain of the series, she may assist Falcon and Winter Soldier in tracking him down. As for the addition of Wyatt Russell, though, he will be following in his father's footsteps in joining the MCU; Kurt Russell previously played Ego in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2. The involvement of US Agent could indicate that the government has taken this into their own hands and created another super-soldier. This could make him somewhat of an antagonist for Falcon, as Walker could consistently challenge his position. Since Walker has also taken on the Captain America mantle in the past, the attempt to claim the mantle as his own would be an additional challenge for Falcon to overcome.
DIRECTED BY: CHLOE ZHAO
CAST: ANGELINA JOLIE, RICHARD MADDEN, SALMA HAYEK, KUMAIL NANJIANI, BRIAN TYREE HENRY, DONG-SEOK MA, LIA MCHUGH, LAUREN RIDLOFF
RELEASE DAY: NOVEMBER 6, 2020
The Eternals are a group of super-powerful and semi-immortal beings who've secretly resided on earth since its beginnings. The Eternals comic books are being adapted for the MCU by acclaimed director Chloé Zhao (The Rider), with the Eternals being portrayed by a cast that's so far said to include Richard Madden, Angelina Jolie, Kumail Nanjiani, and Salma Hayek, among others. It's long been expected to serve as one of the first movies in Phase 4. Based on Jack Kirby’s Marvel Comics series, Eternals follows an immortal human species sent to Earth to defend humans against the Deviants. They are the product of the Celestials’ manipulation of the evolution process, setting up an inevitable confrontation between good and evil.
Jolie will star as Azura aka Thena, a well-educated warrior. In the comics, Thena was born in ancient Greece, and the city of Athens was named after her. Thena’s father, Zuras, changed her birth name to complement their relationship with Zeus and daughter Athena. During the Vietnam War, Thena's sexual relationship with the supervillain Kro - the leader of the Deviants - led to the birth of twins.
Madden will play Ikaris a character with cosmic energy manipulation powers. In the comics, Ikaris is the father of Icarus, who dies after flying too close to the sun. Ikaris takes great pride in protecting the human race through modern means and even becomes a professional wrestler known as Iceberg. Ikaris has the ability to teleport but doesn't quite enjoy the experience.
Hayek will portray Ajak, the team leader. In the original comic series, Ajak - a male character - is worshipped in Central America, as the Aztecs believe him to be Quetzalcoatl, while the Incans identify him as Tecumotzin, Lord of Flight. In Neil Gaiman's Eternals miniseries, Ajak is able to communicate with the Celestials.
Lee will play Gilgamesh the group’s strongest character, a man who is often mistaken for mythological figures in the comics. Gilgamesh is known as “The Forgotten One," and once joined The Avengers. His power is comparable to Thanos. Gilgamesh can levitate and specializes in hand-to-hand combat.
Ridloff's Eternals character was originally a man in the comic book series. Like Thena, Makkari is well-educated and was also born in the ancient Greek city of Olympia. Makkari is known for being part of major historical events, such as the Trojan War and the Battle of the Alamo. The character has the ability to create cyclones by running in circles, and can also sprint at the speed of light.
DIRECTED BY: DESTIN DANIEL CRETTON
CAST: SIMU LIU, TONY CHIU-WAI LEUNG
RELEASE DAY: FEBRUARY 12, 2021
Destin Daniel Cretton is confirmed to be the director of the planned 2021 release and Liu's co-stars so far include Awkwafina in an unknown role and Tony Leung as the MCU's real version of the Mandarin. The latter is a character teased in Iron Man 3 and Marvel's All Hail the King One-Shot, and the title for his actual MCU debut indicates he will be an essential piece of the movie and Shang-Chi's origin. While many thought that the Shang-Chi solo movie could simply be titled Shang-Chi, Marvel adding the Legend of the Ten Rings subtitle offers a possible glimpse into the story. The Ten Rings are an evil organization that has been a recurring threat in the MCU already. They were the ones who attacked and kidnapped Tony Stark in Iron Man and attempted to buy the Yellowjacket serum from Darren Cross in Ant-Man. Those were both smaller roles though and Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings could be their chance to have a more significant role that properly explores the group. In doing so, the Ten Rings having a larger presence in Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings also further highlights the role that Mandarin, the leader of the organization in the comics, will play. If the Ten Rings receive a mention in the title to show how large of a role they will have, then Mandarin's presence will be significant. This will further be the case if the theories that Mandarin will also be Shang-Chi's father pan out. Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings could revolve around the search for the powerful rings that Mandarin has worn throughout the comics. Each ring contains a different ability and allows the user - typically Mandarin - to manipulate matter on a molecular level, shoot beams of force, create high-speed vortexes, destroy molecular bonds, create an area of darkness, create electromagnetic energy, shoot fire, mentally manipulate individuals, shoot blasts of electric energy, and shoot intense cold.
DIRECTED BY: TBA
CAST: ELIZABETH OLSEN, PAUL BETTANY, TEYONAH PARRIS, KAT DENNINGS, RANDALL PARK
RELEASE DAY: SPRING 2021
WandaVision will take place after the events of Avengers: Endgame. Elizabeth Olsen and Paul Bettany reprise their roles as Wanda Maximoff/Scarlet Witch and Vision, this time on the small screen via the upcoming Marvel Studios Disney+ series. Marvel Studios announces Teyonah Parris will be adult Monica Rambeau in the Marvel Cinematic Universe and debut in WandaVision. In the comics, she is the best friend to Carol Danvers (Brie Larson) and receives superpowers of her own. She is even Captain Marvel for a time but is better known as either Photon or Spectrum. While she was just a kid in Captain Marvel, it taking place in 1995 and the main MCU timeline now set in 2023 gives them a quick path to bring Monica back as an adult. After appearing in WandaVision, Scarlet Witch will return in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness.
D23 UPDATE
Kat Dennings' Darcy Lewis and Randall Park's Jimmy Woo will both be returning to the Marvel Cinematic Universe in the upcoming Disney+ show WandaVision. Darcy worked as an intern for Erik Selvig and Jane Foster in the Thor movies, and Randall Park is an FBI agent who appeared as Scott Lang's parole officer in Ant-Man and the Wasp. Kevin Feige took to the stage at D23 to announce that Dennings would be returning in WandaVision alongside Randall Park's Jimmy Woo and that Kathryn Hahn has also joined the cast as a "nosy neighbor." Previously announced cast members are Paul Bettany and Elizabeth Olsen in their roles as Vision and Scarlet Witch, and Teyonah Parris as the grown-up Monica Rambeau (who appeared as a child in Captain Marvel).
DIRECTED BY: SCOTT DERRICKSON
CAST: BENEDICT CUMBERBATCH, ELIZABETH OLSEN, BENEDICT WONG
RELEASE DAY: MAY 7, 2021
Director Scott Derrickson has confirmed that the follow-up film will be the Marvel Cinematic Universe's first horror movie but said nothing of the movie's storyline or what type of horror audiences should expect. Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness could have considerable crossover potential with the rest of the MCU's Phase 4. It has already been confirmed that Elizabeth Olsen will star in Doctor Strange 2 as Scarlet Witch and that the film will connect directly to her upcoming Disney+ series, WandaVision. It could also tie into the upcoming What If...? show, which is based around the idea of alternate realities diverging from the main Marvel Cinematic Universe timeline. The only certainty in all of this is that the possibilities are as infinite as reality itself when it comes to the future adventures of Doctor Strange.
DIRECTED BY: KATE HERRON
CAST: TOM HIDDLESTON
RELEASE DAY: SPRING 2021
Disney+ TV show Loki will follow the version of Loki who escaped with the Tesseract during Avengers: Endgame. The Loki we've followed since the end of The Avengers, and who fought alongside Thor during Ragnarok, is still dead, having been killed by Thanos at the start of Avengers: Infinity War. Loki will arrive on Disney+ in spring 2021, with Tom Hiddleston reprising the role that he's previously played in six Marvel Cinematic Universe movies. A previously-glimpsed teaser image showed Loki against a backdrop that included the theatrical release of Jaws, indicating that at least one episode will be set in the 1970s.
D23 UPDATE
Marvel Studios reveals Loki TV show has recruited director Kate Herron for all six episodes at D23 Expo 2019. It was previously confirmed that Michael Waldron will serve as head writer on the series, while Hiddleston himself confirmed the six-episode count for Loki. Hiddleston wasn't in attendance at the D23 panel but did send a video message in which he said, "This journey that you and I have been on isn’t over yet. In fact, it’s only just begun." Meanwhile, Herron hinted at what's to come in the TV show, saying, "We’re taking Loki to an entirely new part of the MCU." And Waldron teased the questions the Loki TV show aims to answer, "Loki will explore questions we all have: Where did Loki go after Endgame? Could he ever make a friend? Will the sun shine on him again?” Feige rounded out the Loki teases with a promise that it's going to be an ambitious show for Marvel Studios.
DIRECTED BY: BRYAN ANDREWS
CAST: HAYLEY ATWELL, CHADWICK BOSEMAN, JOSH BROLIN
RELEASE DAY: SUMMER 2021
Like the comic series by which it's inspired, the show will be an anthology where each episode puts a spin on a key moment from MCU history and explores how events might've played out differently as a result. More than two dozen MCU actors were officially announced for the What If? series, which arrives in summer 2021. The selection is a mix of recently active players in the franchise - Anthony Mackie, Josh Brolin, Tom Hiddleston, Michael Douglas, and Chadwick Boseman - alongside those fans haven't seen in quite a while, such as Stanley Tucci, Toby Jones, and Dominic Cooper. Jeffrey Wright has been cast as The Watcher in Marvel's What If...? who will narrate the series. The first story to get the alternate events treatment is the origin of Captain America, which in this case will see Peggy Carter be the one to take the super-soldier serum and don the star-spangled leather, leaving Steve Rogers a scrawny kid who nevertheless still fights alongside her, instead joining the war against the Nazis and the Red Skull by using an armored battle suit created by Howard Stark.
D23 UPDATE
Feige confirmed what the series premiere will be about at Disney's Investor Day earlier this year; it will ask, "What if Peggy Carter became Captain America?" The story premise puts a new spin on the superhero's origin story as told in Captain America: The First Avenger, where Atwell originated the role of Peggy Carter in live-action. Atwell, along with a number of other MCU movie actors will reprise their roles for What If...? when the show premieres in Summer 2021. Feige took the stage along with Atwell and the show's head writer Ashley Bradley and director Bryan Andrews. Together, they revealed the first image from What If...?, which depicts what Peggy Carter will look like as Captain America, though she's sporting the Union Jack instead of the typical stars and stripes, which makes sense since she hails from England, not America. It was also confirmed that we will get one What If? episode for every MCU movie to date which means that we will have at least 23 episodes in the animated Disney+ series.
DIRECTED BY: TBA
CAST: JEREMY RENNER
RELEASE DAY: FALL 2021
Marvel's Hawkeye TV show will be coming to Disney+ in fall 2021 and will see Clint Barton's young protégé Kate Bishop make her debut in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. The show was officially announced during Marvel Studios' panel at San Diego Comic-Con along with other series like The Falcon and The Winter Soldier, WandaVision, and Loki. Jeremy Renner will be returning as Hawkeye after recently helping to save the world in Avengers: Endgame. The role of Kate Bishop has yet to be cast since Hawkeye likely won't go into production for another year, but Renner himself appeared onstage during the official announcement and offered a few details about what to expect from the show. "What I get to do in the show ultimately is shepherd an amazing character, ultimately a better version of me and the sentiment of that is the fiber of what Hawkeye is, at least what I think Hawkeye is — a superhero without superpowers and I get to teach someone else to be a superhero without superpowers.”
DIRECTED BY: TAIKA WAITITI
CAST: CHRIS HEMSWORTH, TESSA THOMPSON, NATALIE PORTMAN
RELEASE DAY: NOVEMBER 5, 2021
Chris Hemsworth and Tessa Thompson will reprise their roles, and Natalie Portman is making a surprise return as Mighty Thor. Love and Thunder will likely encompass Valkyrie's search for a queen to rule New Asgard with her (a fact Thompson confirmed at SDCC 2019) and we can expect the potentially tense reunion Jane and Thor will have as Jane assumes Thor's role and takes his powers. Jeff Goldblum is also teasing that his Marvel Cinematic Universe character, Grandmaster, could appear in Thor: Love and Thunder.
DIRECTED BY: TBA
CAST: TBA
RELEASE DAY: 2021
Marvel Studios is developing a live-action Ms. Marvel TV show, which will introduce Kamala Khan to the MCU. Based on the Ms. Marvel comic book series, writer Bisha K. Ali will serve as showrunner on the TV show. Ali is currently working on Hulu and Mindy Kaling's Four Weddings and a Funeral TV show. In the comics, Ms. Marvel was the superhero name of Carol Danvers, but then she became Captain Marvel. That paved the way for the comics to introduce Kamala Khan in a 2013 issue of Captain Marvel before spinning her off into her own series as the new lead character of the Ms. Marvel comic series. Kamala is a Pakistani American teenager from New Jersey who gains superpowers through Terrigenesis. A fan of Captain Marvel, who's well-known in Kamala's universe, she takes on the moniker of Ms. Marvel to honor the elder superhero. Kamala Khan will appear in Marvel Cinematic Universe movies too, following her debut in Ms. Marvel. The series can give her 6-8 hours worth of exploration as a character before then jumping to a role in a movie - likely in Captain Marvel 2. This series could even include the first meeting between Kamala and her superhero idol if Larson is convinced to appear.
DIRECTED BY: TBA
CAST: TBA
RELEASE DAY: 2021
Marvel Studios has officially announced a Moon Knight TV series that will stream exclusively on Disney+. Moon Knight lends himself better to a creative TV show than to a movie. His confused mental state means that the best comic book writers have been able to create sophisticated, intelligent arcs that make it difficult for readers to work out what's real and what isn't. That's perfect for a TV series, where both the episodic format and the longer duration are perfect for immersing viewers in Moon Knight's perception of reality.
DIRECTED BY: TBA
CAST: TBA
RELEASE DAY: 2021
Jennifer Walters aka She-Hulk is getting a standalone series of her own too. Jennifer Walters is the cousin of Bruce Banner in Marvel Comics and a successful lawyer. When she is severely injured, though, Bruce is used to give her a blood transfusion. The gamma radiation from his blood gave Jennifer the same Hulk powers of Banner. But, the noticeable difference between them was that Jennifer was able to gain her regular intelligence when in her She-Hulk form. This is something Bruce Banner recently achieved in Avengers: Endgame by becoming Smart Hulk, but it was an easier process for Jennifer. She-Hulk will likely give Marvel Studios another chance to keep Mark Ruffalo around and watch as a new Hulk emerges to take his place. The passing of the mantle idea is something that will occur in quite a few other Disney+ series' too. But, now that Walters is set to be the focus of She-Hulk, it shouldn't be too long before she appears in the MCU movies as well.
MCU PHASE 5
Blade movie starring Mahershala Ali will be part of the Marvel Cinematic Universe's Phase Five. The MCU Phase Four release slate, which currently consists of five movies and eight Disney+ TV shows, will only last for two years (2020-2021) before Marvel moves on to Phase Five.
Kevin Feige also confirms that Guardians of the Galaxy 3, Black Panther 2, Captain Marvel 2, Fantastic Four and The X-Men now called Mutants movies are in the works.
bottom of page