Phase 4 of the Marvel Cinematic Universe is well underway, with the studio already setting a foundation for the MCU’s Phase 5. Avengers: Endgame will perhaps forever stand as the most monumental installment in the franchise, but that could change in the years to come as the series continues to raise the stakes. The current phase of the MCU is breaking even more boundaries than it did before, with the promise of the multiverse and maybe even more time travel in the franchise’s future.
Disney has been updating its movie release date calendar following the 20th Century Fox acquisition and, with the COVID-19 pandemic throwing everything into uncertainty, delaying first by several months and then more than a year, with both films shifting to 2021. Things shifted enough that WandaVision emerged as the first MCU project set in Phase 4, with The Falcon and the Winter Soldier coming second. Following the release of Loki, the MCU’s TV slate will soon welcome series like Hawkeye and Ms. Marvel. Despite theatrical releases coming back to the forefront, Marvel Studios and Disney continue to shuffle release dates when necessary.
Most of the in-depth release dates are currently planned through 2023, with certain titles even set through 2027. However, Marvel Studios has been only willing to share details on movies up until the summer of 2023, seeing as the MCU’s Phase 4 lasts just two years. Any Marvel movie releasing later in 2023 or beyond won’t be discussed for quite some time. Sony has also expanded its own Marvel universe in 2021 with Venom: Let There Be Carnage, but those films will only loosely tie into the MCU and aren’t considered proper entries. With that in mind, here are all the upcoming Marvel Cinematic Universe movies hitting theaters through 2021 and beyond.
Eternals is actually the third Marvel Cinematic Universe movie set for release in 2021 following Black Widow and Shang-Chi’s entry into the MCU. Directed by Nomadland’s Chloé Zhao from a script by Matthew K. Firpo & Ryan Firpo, Eternals follows an immortal race of aliens who were created by the Celestials – the oldest living beings in the universe – and are “sent to Earth to protect humanity from their evil counterparts, the Deviants.” Featuring one of the most impressive lineups in the MCU so far, the Eternals cast includes Gemma Chan as Sersi, Angelina Jolie as Thena, Richard Madden as Ikaris, Kumail Nanjiani as Kingo, Lauren Ridloff as Makkari, Brian Tyree Henry as Phastos, Salma Hayek as Ajak, Lia McHugh as Sprite, and Don Lee as Gilgamesh. The movie is scheduled to release in theaters on November 5, 2021.
This sequel to Spider-Man: Far From Home was in doubt for a while in 2019, thanks to the problems Marvel Studios and Sony had when coming to an extension of the deal that puts Peter Parker in the MCU. The plot of Spider-Man: No Way Home will be set after the shocking ending to Far From Home, with Holland’s character dealing with the fallout of being publicly identified as Spider-Man, forcing him to turn to Doctor Strange for help. There is a lot of speculation that the film will tackle the multiverse, and casting announcements have included familiar faces from previous Spider-Man films, including Jamie Foxx as Electro and Alfred Molina as Doctor Octopus. Returning cast members include Tom Holland as Peter and Zendaya as MJ; they’ll be joined by Benedict Cumberbatch, who will reprise his role as Doctor Strange, who will act as Peter’s mentor. In fact, it’s Strange’s spell to help Peter that seemingly puts the multiverse in disarray. Jon Watts is back for the third time as director.
Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness is an upcoming sequel to 2016’s Doctor Strange movie, and it’s expected to dive deep into the MCU’s Multiverse, which was first teased in Spider-Man: Far From Home. Sam Raimi is taking over as director for Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, with Benedict Cumberbatch and Benedict Wong set to reprise their roles as Doctor Strange and Wong, respectively. Furthermore, Elizabeth Olsen will appear as Scarlet Witch, and the movie will tie directly into her Disney+ series WandaVision, which concluded its season before Doctor Strange 2 will hit theaters. Raimi, who previously directed the Evil Dead, will be harnessing his filmmaking roots since Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness is supposed to be the MCU’s first full-blown horror movie.
Thor: Love and Thunder marks the first time that a solo film series in the Marvel Cinematic Universe has received a fourth installment. After the success of Thor: Ragnarok, Taika Waititi returned to write and direct Love and Thunder, which not only brings back Chris Hemsworth as Thor and Tessa Thompson as Valkyrie (who is also now the MCU’s first LGBTQ superhero) but also Natalie Portman as Jane Foster. Portman is playing the Mighty Thor in the new sequel, which is confirmed to take place before the events of Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, and it will feature members of the Guardians team. In addition, the Thor sequel will welcome Christian Bale as Gorr the God Butcher and Russell Crowe in the role of Zeus. The movie doesn’t come out until July 8, 2022, but filming has already wrapped following various pandemic-related delays.
Black Panther: Wakanda Forever is confirmed to be happening and, if the schedule holds, it will mark the 30th film in the MCU. Black Panther broke a number of box office records when it was released, and the fact that it was the first superhero movie to be nominated for Best Picture at the Oscars made a sequel inevitable. Ryan Coogler is coming back to write and direct Black Panther 2, which is said to dive deeper into the Wakandan culture as returning characters share the spotlight. In the wake of Chadwick Boseman’s tragic death from colon cancer in August 2020, the sequel will now be focused on other characters in Wakanda like Lupita Nyong’o’s Nakia, Letitia Wright’s Shuri, and Danai Gurira’s Okoye as Marvel has rightfully opted not to recast T’Challa. Martin Freeman is also returning to reprise his role as Everett K. Ross.
Captain Marvel 2 (officially called The Marvels) is in the works and is set for February 17, 2023 release. Brie Larson will reprise her role as Carol Danvers/Captain Marvel in a story set in the MCU’s present day. Captain Marvel co-directors Anna Boden and Ryan Fleck aren’t coming back. Taking the helm of the sequel is Candyman director Nia DaCosta, who will direct from a screenplay by WandaVision writer Megan McDonnell. Joining Larson will be Teyonah Parris as Monica Rambeau and Iman Vellani as Ms. Marvel, which is fitting because the movie will tie into WandaVision and Disney+’s upcoming series, Ms. Marvel. Zawe Ashton has also been cast in the role of villain for the movie that commenced filming in August 2021.
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 is happening, though it’ll release much later than originally expected. Shortly after submitting his script draft to Marvel, James Gunn was reportedly scheduled to begin production on Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 by early 2019 with a goal of making a late-2020 release date. But due to Disney firing Gunn and then rehiring him a short time later, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3‘s development was pushed back. Gunn was then scheduled to make The Suicide Squad for DC Films, which he completed, before moving onto Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3. The MCU sequel is now set for a May 5, 2023 release date. Aside from that, all the original cast members – Chris Pratt, Zoe Saldana, Karen Gillan, Dave Bautista, Bradley Cooper, Vin Diesel, and Pom Klementieff – are expected to return.
Not much is known about Ant-Man 3 so far, but Paul Rudd is returning as Scott Lang, as is Evangeline Lilly as Hope Van Dyne, a.k.a. The Wasp. Michael Douglas and Michelle Pfeiffer are also returning as Hank Pym and Janet Van Dyne, respectively. Joining them is Lovecraft Country star Jonathan Majors as Kang the Conqueror, the time-traveling villain from Marvel comics, who officially made his MCU debut in the Loki season 1 finale. Then there’s Kathryn Newton, who is taking over the role of Scott’s teenage daughter, Cassie Lang, replacing Emma Fuhrmann. Peyton Reed is also back as director, with Rick & Morty writer Jeff Loveness set to pen the script for the threequel. The film, officially titled Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania, is set for release on July 28, 2023, and is currently the last planned MCU movie with a confirmed release date.
A Fantastic Four movie is coming to the MCU, but it’s still in the early stages of development despite being announced in December 2020. The Disney-Fox deal was completed in March 2019, but Marvel Studios likely needs ample time before implementing Mr. Fantastic, Invisible Woman, Human Torch, and The Thing into the MCU. Jon Watts is still attached to direct the MCU’s Fantastic Four movie, which is considered a Phase 4 project.
Blade is one of the more surprising additions to the MCU slate. Previously played by Wesley Snipes, the Blade movies are decidedly different than what audiences are used to in the MCU, thanks to the inclusion of vampires. But Snipes isn’t returning to play Blade. Instead, two-time Academy Award winner Mahershala Ali has been cast as Blade for the MCU title. Even though Ali is attached to the project, Blade is projected as a Phase 5 movie, which means it likely won’t be released until late 2023 or early 2024 at the earliest. Stacy Osei-Kuffour (Watchmen) is set to write the film, but there is currently no director attached.
An X-Men movie is also coming to the MCU, similar to Fantastic Four. However, it seems the X-Men movie is going to be second-in-line behind Marvel’s First Family. Marvel Studios’ tease of X-Men was by referring to them as “mutants.” Details on the X-Men and mutants in the MCU may not be revealed for quite some time, but it’s a project that many avid fans have been waiting for forever since Disney acquired Fox properties.
While plans for an X-Force film seem to have died when Disney bought Fox, former Disney boss Bob Iger previously confirmed that Ryan Reynolds’ Deadpool franchise would live on at Marvel Studios. In December 2019, Reynolds confirmed that Deadpool 3 was in development. It was announced that Lizzie Molyneux-Loeglin and Wendy Molyneux were working on the script and that the film would at least maintain its R-rating within the existing MCU universe. Filming on the third installment, however, won’t begin until late 2022 at the earliest, so fans will have to wait a bit longer to see the film. That said, Reynolds reprised his role as Wade Wilson alongside Taika Waititi’s Korg for a Free Guy marketing campaign, allowing the figure to interact with a known MCU character.
Along with the 11 planned movies coming in the MCU’s Phase 4, Marvel Studios has several TV shows releasing on Disney+ in 2021 and beyond, which will make up the rest of the new Phase. WandaVision first aired in January 2021, followed shortly by The Falcon and the Winter Soldier in March. Loki wasn’t too far behind, coming to Disney+ on June 11, 2021. Starring Tom Hiddleston, Loki followed the 2012 version of the character who escaped with the Tesseract in Avengers: Endgame.
August 2021 saw Marvel’s What If…? animated series airing on Disney+. By examining what certain MCU stories would’ve been like with certain things changed, What If…? capitalized on altering the MCU by bringing back 25 Marvel actors, in addition to introducing Jeffrey Wright as the Watcher. The next Disney+ Marvel TV show is Hawkeye, which will officially introduce Hailee Steinfeld’s Kate Bishop into the MCU. Jeremy Renner is also reprising his role as Clint Barton/Hawkeye in Hawkeye with a cast that includes Vera Farmiga, Fra Free, Tony Dalton, Brian d’Arcy James, and Alaqua Cox. Most notable, however, will be Florence Pugh’s return as Yelena Belova, who is targeting Clint due to his involvement with Natasha’s death. Hawkeye is scheduled to premiere on November 21, 2021.
Three additional Marvel Cinematic Universe TV shows are also in the works, including Ms. Marvel, Moon Knight starring Oscar Isaac, and She-Hulk with Tatiana Maslany. All three series have been floated for possible 2022 premieres on Disney+, though Ms. Marvel could come as early as late 2021. As for the future, Marvel Studios is also developing Secret Invasion, The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special, Ironheart, Iron Wars, and a series based in Wakanda. Stay tuned for more.