Image via Getty / Jesse Grant / Stringer
Not content to let a bit of a bummer week get in the way of some good business, Marvel Studios head Kevin Feige took the stage at Disney’s biennial D23 expo this weekend to further outline plans for the MCU’s Phase 4 and beyond. While we were left to speculate just what they had left to talk about after a barn burner presentation at Comic-Con, turns out there were still plenty of surprises left in the tank. In short, the future of Marvel will be even more tied to Disney+ than we thought, as three new series that will span into 2022 (!) were unveiled, bringing the total up to nine series on the streaming platform. Additionally, we got just a bit more context on the upcoming and previously announced movies and series, including some truly surprising cast additions for WandaVision, The Eternals, and Falcon and the Winter Soldier.
Let's break it all down and speculate about what’s to come.
'Spider-Man'
While Feige didn’t address the Spider-Man Sony fracas on stage, he did follow up with Entertainment Weekly after the D23 presentation and said that he felt “gratitude and joy” about the situation. Furthermore, he stated that “It was never meant to last forever. We knew there was a finite amount of time that we’d be able to do this, and we told the story we wanted to tell, and I’ll always be thankful for that.” Despite the hopeful speculation that both parties will come back to the table sooner or later, now it sounds like there’s not much hope to come to a conclusion that somehow reverses the situation. Tom Holland himself addressed attendees during the Pixar section of D23 presentation stating a bit of the obvious: “It’s been a crazy week, but I want to let you know I’m grateful from the bottom of my heart. I love you 3,000.” Cue the waterworks.
'The Falcon and the Winter Soldier'
Given that the first Disney+ show will focus entirely on two characters that meant so much to Steve Rogers, it also tracks that we’d see the return of another character that meant a great deal to Steve: Emily VanCamp’s Sharon Carter will also be part of the Falcon and The Winter Soldier series. While VanCamp was ultimately cagey about what her character will be doing, it’s safe to assume she’ll have some role to play in helping Sam and Bucky take down whatever nefarious plan Daniel Brühl’s Baron Zemo has in store. We can’t say the same for the other character that Feige revealed: John Walker, otherwise known as U.S. Agent, will join the series played by indie stalwart Wyatt Russell. In the comics, Walker briefly took over the Captain America mantle before coming more of an outright U.S.-sanctioned hero, leading the U.S. Agent moniker. I anticipate that’s the version we’ll see here, with Walker being tasked by the American government to hunt down Bucky and Sam. Looks like our boys have more than enough trouble on their plates, which will lead a promised “deeper dive on both of their past and both of their presents” in the wake of Endgame.
'WandaVision'
Initially I speculated that WandaVision might be Mad Men with superheroes, turns out I wasn’t that far off the mark. However, Feige revealed a much more interesting comparison for the tone of the Scarlett Witch and Vision series: The Dick Van Dyke Show. In a brief teaser shown to D23 attendees, footage from Wanda and Vision’s time in the MCU was cut alongside footage from that iconic show, interspersed with moments of static and a slightly off-kilter laugh track. In addition to the already announced adult version of Captain Marvel’s Monica Rambeau, Feige stated that Randall Park’s Jimmy Woo (last seen in Ant-Man and the Wasp) and Kat Dennings’ Darcy (last seen in Thor: The Dark World) will also be involved in the series somehow. They’ll also be joined by a “nosy neighbor” played by the G.O.A.T Kathryn Hahn.
All of this lends more evidence to the theory that the show might take place entirely in Wanda’s head as she struggles to come to terms with the passing of Vision. I’ll also take this moment to once again recommend Tom King and Gabriel Hernandez Walta’s Vision series, which sees the titular hero try to adjust to life in suburbia with an android family, only to end in absolute chaos. There’s a rumor King himself might be involved in the show, so why not go ahead and catch up now?
'What If...?'
The real takeaway was the first glimpse of the rumored Peggy Carter as Captain America short. Clad in the Union Jack, a ripped Captain Carter looks to do battle in World War II instead of Steve Rodgers (who instead was seen piloting a mech). Other brief looks confirmed speculation about a potential Marvel Zombies episode and showed T’Challa in place of Star Lord attempting to steal the power stone, a la Guardians of the Galaxy’s now famous opening.
'Moon Knight'
Of all the new series outlined at D23, Moon Knight is the one that I find most fascinating. A deep cut character, even for comic book fans, Moon Knight is basically the closest thing Marvel has to a direct Batman clone. As it goes in the comics, former Marine turned mercenary Marc Spector hops around the world going from job to job until he ends up in Egypt on assignment. While there, he comes upon an archeological dig and through a series of mishaps, is left for dead. A group of Egyptians then find and recover Spector and bring him to a temple dedicated to the moon god Khonshu (a slight Marvel tweak to the actual Egyptian moon god Khonsu). Spector is granted supernatural powers to fight for vengeance on behalf of the god. After returning from death, he assesses a small fortune and uses those finds to continue his fight against evil. However, that power ultimately comes at a cost—Spector would go on to develop multiple personality disorder.
Batman, but crazy, is a great concept, but outside of Iron Man 3 and Jessica Jones—the latter of which isn’t technically an in continuity MCU show—there haven’t been many opportunities for Marvel to really dig in and address such a dramatic theme. Mental health is a sensitive subject and could go very poorly if handled in the wrong way, so mark me down as cautious on this one. No casting or showrunner announcement was made at D23, which makes sense given the show won’t debut until 2022, but this will certainly be a project to really keep an eye on.
'She-Hulk'
Just as surprising as the Moon Knight series announcement was the fact that She-Hulk will finally make her MCU debut in a Disney+ series of her own. Thought to be stuck in the same legal bind as the Hulk (Universal Studios still own the rights to any solo Hulk film, which is why he’s mostly been relegated to appear as a secondary character) it’s long been considered that we wouldn’t get a chance to see Bruce Banner’s gamma-powered cousin in the MCU. That will change with this series that’s set to launch at some point in 2022.
After getting a life-saving blood transfusion from Bruce, Jennifer Walters is imbued with the same strength and green glow as her cousin—only she has full control over her transformation and powers, and just as much the articulate and smart in Hulk-Mode as she is normally. Those smarts make her one of the best legal minds in Marvel Comics, an element that will most likely be included in this series. Superhero Ally McBeal sounds like a great pitch for a series and it won’t be nearly as dour as Daredevil—Jennifer is a fun and jubilant character that will make for a near perfect fit alongside the jokey tone the MCU loves so much. For those looking to get a sense of what this show will most likely be like, I’d highly recommend the Dan Slott and Juan Bobillo comic book run that started in 2004.
'Ms Marvel'
Arguably the best fictional character to come out of New Jersey since Tony Soprano, Ms. Marvel will finally make her MCU debut in a Disney+ show that’s set to release in late 2021 or early 2022. The series will focus on the Pakistani-American character of Kamala Khan, who was co-created in 2015 by Marvel editors Sana Amanat and Stephen Wacker. It’s also safe to assume that the show will pull directly from the bestselling and Eisner-nominated series by G. Willow Wilson and Adrian Alphona. Ms. Marvel is one Marvel publishing biggest successes in recent years and a character that fans had been clamoring to see in the MCU since Captain Marvel was announced.
In that series, New Jersey high schooler Kamala Khan gains shape-shifting powers after being exposed to Terrigen Mists activated by the Inhumans. Considering the Inhumans television show on ABC was an absolute disaster, I would bet we won’t see an exact one-to-one recreation of her origin in the show. However, I would bet on Brie Larson’s Carol Danvers being a critical part of the show; in the comics, Kamala chooses the name Ms. Marvel after seeing Carol in action, so it seems like a safe bet we’ll see a version of those events here. Writer Bisha K. Ali, who helmed Hulu’s Four Weddings and a Funeral series, will be the showrunner. After the series wraps, Khan will go on to appear in Marvel movies with Captain Marvel 2 seeming like a natural fit.
'Loki'
Feige didn’t have too much new to share about this Disney+ series outside of the fact that Sex Education’s Kate Herron will direct all six episdoes from scripts written by Harmonquest’s Michael Waldron. As discussed before, we’ll likely see a time-traveling Loki get up to all kinds of mischief across numerous decades across the world.
'Black Widow'
A slightly extended version the Comic-Con trailer for Black Widow was shown, setting up more of the tone for the upcoming solo film using footage of Tony Stark and Natasha Romanoff’s Civil War conversations as a foundation for Nat’s love for duplicity. There was also finally footage of David Harbour’s Red Guardian; rocking a gold tooth and calling Nat “family,” he’s clearly being positioned as the Russian equivalent to Captain America. Florence Pugh’s Yelena Belova also has a bit more to do, referring to Natasha as her “sister,” mostly likely due to their shared experience training together as children.
'The Eternals'
Outside of showing off the new swanky and very Jack Kirby-inspired costumes, Feige had a few more members to add to already stacked cast of Chloé Zhao’s The Eternals. After being spoiled by Deadline, Feige officially confirmed that Eternals will be a mini Game of Thrones reunion, as Kit Harington will join the previously cast Richard Madden. Harington will be playing Dane Whitman, better known as the Black Knight. A master swordsman, the Black Knight has some minor magical powers that enhance his speed and strength. However, his inclusion in this movie is likely due to the fact that Whitman has quite a history, becoming romantically involved with Sersi. Fitting, then, that Crazy Rich Asians actress Gemma Chan will be playing that character, in a role that’s being hailed as one of the film’s leads. Finally, British actor Barry Keoghan (Chernobyl, The Killing of a Sacred Deer, Dunkirk) will join in the role of Druig, a master manipulator of matter and energy.
'Black Panther II'
As if all of these new announcements weren’t enough, we were given a final and formal announcement that the Ryan Coogler-written and directed sequel to Black Panther will officially bow on May 6, 2022. Coogler was quick to tease that the film’s title will not be Black Panther 2, while also remaining extremely coy about the sequel’s villain. I hope that there’s a chance it’ll be Kraven the Hunter, given the fact Coogler has made it public known that he’s a fan of the infamous Spider-Man villain, but given the, uh, current situation with Marvel and Sony, I’m not sure about the possibilities of that coming true. While 2022 seems like ages away, Coogler was keen to say that all involved are “. . .hard at work on it trying to give you something special. We’re gonna take our time; we want it to be right.” I’m confident it will absolutely be worth the wait.