There were a number of bombs dropped my Marvel Chief Kevin Feige at Comic-Con. Black Widow footage and revelations. Mahershala Ali starring in a Blade reboot? Natalie Portman as Thor in part 4?! Ryan Penagos recaps all bombshells for folks who didn't make the big show.
Black Widow
Black Widow is the 2021 feature film based on the Marvel Comics character of the same name. The story takes place in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, but is set before the events of Iron Man 2, where the character first appeared in film.
Scarlett Johansson reprises her role as Natasha Romanoff/Black Widow in Marvel Studios’ first solo outing for the character. The movie is set in a period after her time as a Russian agent, where she must return to the Soviet Union to deal with unfinished business. She reconnects with her sister, Yelena Belova (Florence Pugh) as well as parental figures Alexei Shostakov aka The Red Guardian (David Harbour) and Melina Vostokoff (Rachel Weisz). Together they must shut down "The Red Room," a training facility that converts women into killing machines, a facility run by the ruthless Taskmaster, an agent who has the abilities of Avengers like Captain America, Hawkeye and Black Panther.
Marvel Studios provides this vague synopsis:
In Black Widow, Natasha Romanoff aka Black Widow confronts the darker parts of her ledger when a dangerous conspiracy with ties to her past arises. Pursued by a force that will stop at nothing to bring her down, Natasha must deal with her history as a spy and the broken relationships left in her wake long before she became an Avenger.
Directed by Cate Shortland a script by Eric Pearson (Thor: Ragnarok), and produced by Kevin Feige, Black Widow is the first film in Phase Four of the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
Eternals
Eternals is Marvel Studios' 2021 live-action feature film based on the comics of the same name created by Jack Kirby.
The story centers around an immortal tribe of beings who have shepherded humanity on Earth from the dawn of civilization into the present. The mythology of The Eternals has been touched upon in the Guardians of the Galaxy movies.
Cast in the film are Angelina Jolie as Thena, Salma Hayek as Ajak, Gemma Chan as Sersi, Richard Madden as Ikaris, Kit Harrington as Dane Whitman, Kumail Nanjiani as Kingo, Brian Tyree Henry as Phastos, Barry Keoghan as Druig, Lauren Ridloff as Makkari, Ma Dong-Seok as Gilgamesh and Lia McHugh as Sprite.
Chloé Zhao is directing from a script by Matthew and Ryan Firpo.
Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings
Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings is a Marvel Studios live-action feature film based on the Marvel Comics character of the same name.
Simu Liu stars as Marvel's Master of Kung-Fu. The movie will delve into the legendary villain character The Mandarin, whose presence has been felt but ultimately never appeared in the Iron Man movies. Tony Leung is playing Wenwu, who may be the mystic-ringed bad guy. Awkwafina, Meng'er Zhang, Michelle Yeoh, Ronny Chieng, Fala Chen and Florian Munteanu are also among the cast.
Destin Daniel Cretton is directing the film from a script by David Callaham.
Doctor Strange in the Mutliverse of Madness
Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness is the 2022 Marvel Studios live-action feature film based on the Marvel Comics character of the same name.
The official synopsis tells us that with this film the MCU unlocks the Multiverse and pushes its boundaries further than ever before. Journey into the unknown with Doctor Strange, who, with the help of mystical allies both old and new, traverses the mind-bending and dangerous alternate realities of the Multiverse to confront a mysterious new adversary.
The film stars Benedict Cumberbatch, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Elizabeth Olsen, Benedict Wong, Xochitl Gomez, with Michael Stahlberg, and Rachel McAdams. All actors are returning from the previous film, except for Gomez who joins as America Chavez, the modern-day counterpart to the golden age hero Miss America.
Sam Raimi, a key figure in building Marvel's Hollywood brand as the director of the first three Spider-Man movies, is set to direct. He's working from a screenplay by Michael Waldron.
Thor: Love and Thunder
Thor: Love and Thunder is the 2022 Marvel Studios feature film based on the comic book character of the same name. It is fourth in the Thor film series, and follows Thor: Ragnarok as well as Avengers: Endgame.
The movie adapts Jason Aaron's Godess of Thunder and Who Holds the Hammer story arcs from the comics, in which Jane Foster (Natalie Portman) takes up the mantle of Thor. Chris Hemsworth returns as the wandering Asgardian who has previously been demoralized by seeing his Mjolnir hammer destroyed, his kingdom fallen (both occurred in Ragnarok) and his failures to stop Thanos (Avengers: Infinity War and Endgame).
Christian Bale joins the cast as Gorr the God Butcher, an alien being with a sword of power who wants to destroy all gods. Russell Crowe also joins as the Greek god Zeus.
Other returning cast members include Tessa Thompson, Taika Waititi, Chris Pratt, Karen Gillan and Jaimie Alexander, all confirmed to be reprising their MCU roles.
Appearing in cameos are Matt Damon, Luke Hemsworth, Melissa McCarthy and Ben Falcone.
Waititi, who directed the crowd-pleasing Thor Ragnarok, is the director.
Blade
Mahershala Ali is set to star in a reboot of Marvel's Blade franchise. This is said to be a feature film, but time-frame and other details are scarce at the moment.
The Falcon and the Winter Soldier
The Falcon and the Winter Solider is a 2021 Disney+ TV series based on various Marvel Comics characters.
Following the events of Avengers: Endgame, the series re-teams Anthony Mackie and Sebastian Stan in the roles they originated on the big screen. Also returning from the film series is Daniel Bruhl as Zemo and Emily VanCamp as Sharon Carter (aka Agent 13). Wyatt Russell also joins as John Walker, better known to Marvel readers as the Captain America replacement U.S. Agent. Carl Lumbly (Doctor Sleep) is also reportedly on board. Speculation is he might be playing Isiah Bradley, the early-model super soldier introduced in the comics series Red, White and Black. Amy Aquino also appears.
Malcolm Spellman of Empire fame is writing the series. Kari Skogland of The Handmaid's Tale is directing.
Wanda Vision
WandaVision is a 2021 TV series developed for Disney+ spinning directly out of the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
The show continues the romantic pairing Elizabeth Olsen's Wanda Maximoff (The Scarlet Witch) and Paul Bettany's Vision. The show will also feature the adult version of Monica Rambeau (played by Teyonah Parris), who previously appeared as a child in the Captain Marvel movie. Other MCU alumni in the cast include Kat Dennings (Thor) and Russell Park (Ant-Man and the Wasp).
Matt Shakman of Game of Thrones fame is directing the series, which is written by Jac Schaeffer, who also penned the Black Widow script.
Disney+ provides this synopsis for the show: The series is a blend of classic television and the Marvel Cinematic Universe in which Wanda Maximoff and Vision--two super-powered beings living idealized suburban lives--begin to suspect that everything is not as it seems.
Word is that the events of this show will lead directly into the Doctor Strange sequel and will feature The Scarlet Witch.
Loki
Loki is the Marvel Studios' 2021 live-action TV series for Disney+ based on the Marvel Comics character of the same name.
Tom Hiddleston reprises the role he originated in the Thor film series and continued in multiple Avengers movies. Though the character died several times (and with seeming finality in Avengers: Infinity War) fans know he had an opportunity for further mischief when, in Avengers: Endgame a time-travelling Tony Stark allows a past version of Loki to steal the tesseract. This act alters the fabric of reality bringing him into the crosshairs of Time Keepers, a bureaucratic organization tasked with keeping the timeline intact. Mobius (Owen Wilson) enlists the now-captive-and-not-to-be-trusted Loki in a mission to restore the timeline and set things right.
In addition to Hiddleston and Wilson, actors Gugu Mbatha-Raw, Sophia Di Martino, Wunmi Mosaku and Richard E. Grant are among the cast.
Kate Herron, best known for Netflix's Sex Education, handles directing duties. Michael Waldron (HarmonQuest) serves as the head writer of the show.
What If...?
Marvel Studios' What If...? is a Disney+ animated show that follow the format of the Marvel Comics of the same name.
The Watcher (Jeffrey Wright) hosts a series stories plucked from the far-reaches of the Marvel multiverse. Each story looks at a classic plot point from the movies or comics and alters it: Peggy Carter becomes Captain America, T'Challa becomes Star Lord, and so on. Regular players from the Marvel Cinematic Universe are lined up to provide voices for their respective characters on this series.
A.C. Bradley (Trollhunters) is writing. Bryan Andrews (Jackie Chan Adventures) directs.
Episode cast members include Hayley Atwell as Peggy Carter.
Hawkeye
Hawkeye is the Marvel Studios live-action TV Series for Disney+, based on the Marvel Comics character of the same name.
Jeremy Renner returns to his MCU role as Clint Barton, now seeking redemption for his dark period between Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers: Endgame. He'll take on the role mentoring Kate Bishop (Hailee Steinfeld) who is as skilled with the bow as he is.
The cast also includes Florence Pugh, reprising her role from Black Widow, Vera Farmiga as Bishop's mother, Alaqua Cox as Echo, Fra Fee as Clown, Zahn McClarnon, Tony Dalton and Brian d’Arcy James
Rhys Thomas and Bert And Bertie are directing.
