Friday, 22 October 2021

Marvel Phase 4: MCU movie and TV release dates, multiverse crossovers and more

It looks as if it'll be a while before there'll be new entries in our 'how to watch the Marvel movies in order' article. Marvel's Phase 4 plans have been tweaked yet again, with a number of the studio's MCU films delayed by a number of months.

That means that the likes of Doctor Strange 2, Thor 4 and Black Panther 2 won't arrive in theaters until later than initially planned. Still, Marvel Studios has had a stellar 2021 so far, releasing six movies and TV shows including Shang-Chi, WandaVision and Loki.

There's still more MCU-based content due to arrive before 2021 is over, too. Marvel Studios' Eternals is next up, with the MCU movie arriving in theaters on November 5. Hawkeye's Disney Plus TV series and Spider-Man: No Way Home will also follow later this year.

Disappointing as it is to learn that Marvel has pushed back launch dates for many of its in-production films and TV shows, we'll still get to see some of these projects at some point in the next 12 to 18 months. At least the wait won't be a long one, then.

If you're after a full rundown of every change to Marvel’s Phase 4 schedule, we're here to help. Below, you'll find more information on every Phase 4 movie and TV show, including their altered release dates, multiversal crossovers, cast additions and more. Ready? Let's dive in.

Marvel Phase 4 release dates schedule: movies and TV shows coming soon

Doctor Strange and Peter Parker in Spider-Man: No Way Home

(Image credit: Sony Pictures)

Many of Marvel’s forthcoming productions have official launch dates, though some key releases are ambiguous for now. 

Below, you’ll find a list of confirmed launch dates for 2021's remaining releases, the changed release dates for 2022's projects and tentative launch windows for future films and TV series.

  • Eternals (November 5, 2021)
  • Hawkeye (November 24, 2021) 
  • Spider-Man: No Way Home (December 17, 2021) 
  • Ms. Marvel (early 2022) 
  • Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness (May 6, 2022) 
  • Thor: Love and Thunder (July 8, 2022) 
  • Black Panther: Wakanda Forever (November 11, 2022) 
  • The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special (December 2022) 
  • Moon Knight (expected 2022) 
  • She-Hulk (expected in 2022) 
  • Secret Invasion (expected in 2022) 
  • The Marvels (early 2023) 
  • Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 (May 5, 2023) 
  • Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania (July 28, 2023) 
  • Fantastic Four (TBA)

Marvel Phase 4 movies: every MCU film arriving by 2023 

Eternals

Release date: November 5, 2021

Eternals promises to rival any Avengers movie that's come before it. That’s largely down to its award-winning director ChloĆ© Zhao, all-star cast and two-and-a-half hour runtime. Yes, we've seen it and, yes, it is that long. More thoughts on that and more to come in our review closer to release.

Eternals’ 10-strong superhero team comprises Gemma Chan as Sersi, Richard Madden as Ikaris, Kumail Nanjiani as Kingo, Salma Hayek as Ajak, Angelina Jolie as Thena, Lia McHugh as Sprite, Brian Tyree Henry as Phastos, Lauren Ridloff as Makkari, Barry Keoghan as Druig and Don Lee as Gilgamesh.

Additionally, Kit Harington will portray Dane Whitman. Dan Stevens was thought to be the voice of Kro, but we can confirm that he isn't part of Eternals' cast. We won't spoil Kro's voice actor here because, well, spoilers. We also won't be detailing which actor lends their vocal talents to Arishem the Judge either.

Set in the aftermath of Avengers: Endgame, Eternals will see the superhero group reunite to protect humanity from the Deviants and Celestials during an event known as “the emergence". Expect plenty of drama, action and standard Marvel humor.

Spider-Man: No Way Home

Release date: December 17, 2021

Is there a more highly anticipated Marvel movie than Spider-Man: No Way Home? The release of the threequel’s first trailer almost broke the internet in late August, and the hype hasn’t died down amid the potential returns of previous Spider-Man actors and their series' villains.

Picking up sometime after the second MCU Spider-Man flick, No Way Home will see Peter Parker (Tom Holland) seek the help of Doctor Strange (Benedict Cumberbatch) to restore his secret identity. That’s after Mysterio revealed who he was in Far From Home’s post-credits scene.

Things don’t go to plan, however, and the duo help to bring about the multiverse’s arrival. Alfred Molina’s Doc-Ock, Jamie Foxx’s Electro and Willem Dafoe’s Green Goblin, among other rumored villains, are all expected (or likely) to reprise their roles. Tobey Maguire and Andrew Garfield are also believed to be returning as their Spider-Man iterations, too, while Charlie Cox’s Matt Murdock – last seen in his Netflix Daredevil series – might cameo. That's a lot of unknowns about one movie.

Suffice to say, we’ll be strapping ourselves in for a mind bending, action-packed and potentially emotional ending to the MCU’s Spider-Man trilogy.

Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness

The official logo for Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness

(Image credit: Marvel Studios/Walt Disney Company)

Release date: May 8, 2022

Speaking of the Sorcerer Supreme, Doctor Strange 2 arrives in theaters five months after No Way Home. It’s likely to provide us with a clearer look at, as well as a better understanding of, the Marvel Cinematic Multiverse (MCM).

Cumberbatch will reprise his role as Stephen Strange, and he’ll be joined by Elizabeth Olsen’s Scarlet Witch, Benedict Wong’s Wong, Chiwetel Ejiofor’s Baron Mordo and Rachel McAdams’ Christine Palmer from the first movie. Newcomer Xochitl Gomez will also portray America Chavez, a relative newcomer to Marvel comics' superhero line-up.

Little is known about Doctor Strange 2’s plot, save for a brief synopsis (per Backstage.com), which suggests we’re in for a mind-boggling, horror-style superhero flick that’ll reshape everything we thought we knew about the mainline live-action universe. All signs, then, point towards a shake-up in how the MCU and its inhabitants operate.

Thor: Love and Thunder

The official logo for Marvel Studios movie Thor: Love and Thunder

(Image credit: Marvel Studios)

Release date: July 8, 2022

The only Avenger to receive a fourth solo movie (so far, anyway), Thor’s MCU arc will continue in July 2022. Thor: Love and Thunder will be a mini-Avengers movie of sorts. It also stars the Guardians of the Galaxy, Tessa Thompson’s Valkyrie and sees Natalie Portman’s Jane Foster return as alter-go Mighty Thor.

Like Doctor Strange 2, we don’t know much about its plot. According to director Taika Waititi, it’ll draw inspiration from Jason Aaron’s Mighty Thor comic series, which sees Foster gain superpowers similar to Thor while undergoing cancer treatment. We also know that Christian Bale (The Dark Knight, Vice) will portray Gorr the God Butcher, the movie’s antagonist, while Waititi calls Thor 4 the “craziest film [he’s] ever done”. Fingers crossed that’s genuine and not hyperbole.

Black Panther: Wakanda Forever

The official logo for Black Panther: Wakanda Forever

(Image credit: Marvel Studios/Walt Disney Company)

Release date: November 11, 2022

Perhaps the most poignant Marvel film currently in production, and with good reason. Black Panther’s MCU journey will continue without the iconic Chadwick Boseman, who passed away in August 2020 after a four-year battle with cancer.

With Marvel Studios choosing not to recast T’Challa in honor of Boseman’s portrayal, Wakanda Forever’s plot has since been reshaped five times by director Ryan Coogler and co-writer Joe Robert Cole. Filming is currently underway, so it seems that the duo have found a way to preserve Boseman’s legacy while moving Black Panther’s story forward.

So what do we know so far? Lupita Nyongo’s Nakia, Letitia Wright’s Shuri, Angela Bassett’s Ramonda and Danai Gurira’s Okoye are all returning from the first film. Martin Freeman and Winston Duke, too, are back as Everett Ross and M’Baku respectively. I May Destroy You’s Michaela Coel has also been cast in an undisclosed role.

Finally, Wakanda Forever will introduce a live-action version of Ironheart, aka Riri Williams, a genius inventor and MIT student who creates her own Iron Man-style armor suit. Expect Tony Stark’s MCU successor to play a big role in proceedings, then, as well as one of the established cast assuming the mantle of Black Panther at some point.

The Marvels

The official logo for The Marvels movie

(Image credit: Marvel Studios/Walt Disney Company)

Release date: early 2023

While technically a Captain Marvel sequel, this Nia DaCosta-directed Phase 4 film will see a trio of female superheroes team up on the big screen for the first time.

Brie Larson’s Carol Danvers will reunite with Teyonah Parris’ Monica Rambeau, the daughter of Danvers’ best friend Maria (Lashana Lynch) from the first movie. The last time we saw Rambeau, she had acquired her own superpowers in WandaVision, so expect an awkward family-style reunion between the pair.

Elsewhere, Iman Vellani’s Ms. Marvel will also make her live-action movie debut. Vellani’s Kamala Khan will star in her own Disney Plus show first, which is apparently slated to release in early 2022. So we’ll be introduced to her before her appearance in The Marvels.

Zawe Ashton (Velvet Buzzsaw) has been cast as the movie’s villain, with filming currently taking place in the UK after stints in Los Angeles and New Jersey. After Marvel moved its release schedule around, though, The Marvels doesn't have an official release date anymore.

Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3

The official logo for Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3

(Image credit: Marvel Studios/Walt Disney Company)

Release date: May 5, 2023

One of three movies that are now set to arrive in 2023, Guardians 3 will bring the curtain down on the trilogy that James Gunn has helmed since 2014.

Guardians 3 will be set after Thor: Love and Thunder and the Guardians’ forthcoming Disney Plus Holiday special. But, outside of some potential line-up changes – David Bautista won’t return as Drax after Guardians 3, while Gunn has teased some major character deaths in the threequel – we don’t know much about this flick.

Filming is due to begin in November 2021 and end in April 2022, so expect some things to leak out during this period. Thankfully, Guardians 3's release date wasn't moved as part of Marvel's schedule restructuring, so it's still slated to arrive in May 2023.

Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania 

The official logo for Marvel's Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantamania

(Image credit: Disney/Marvel Studios)

Release date: July 28, 2023

Another production that’s shooting in the UK right now, Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania could properly introduce us to the MCU’s next big bad after Thanos in the Infinity Saga.

Again, little is known about this film’s plot, but we do know that its antagonist will be none other than Kang the Conqueror. The time traveling genius will be played by Jonathan Majors, who portrayed one of Kang’s time variants – He Who Remains – in Loki season 1. And his official arrival could have huge repercussions for the MCU moving forward.

Majors’ Kang aside, Ant-Man 3 will also see the return of Paul Rudd, Evangeline Lilly, Michael Douglas, Michelle Pfeiffer and Kathryn Newton as Scott Lang/Ant-Man, Hope van Dyne/Wasp, Hank Pym, Janet van Dyne and Cassie Lang. Peyton Reed, who directed the first two Ant-Man flicks, also returns in the hot seat and has hinted that the Quantum Realm will play a big role in proceedings.

Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania will now arrive after Guardians 3, too. It's unclear if this is due to scheduling issues or if the latter's plot will tie into this somehow. Either way, watch this space.

Fantastic Four 

The logo for Marvel Studios' Fantastic Four

(Image credit: Marvel Studios)

Release date: TBA

This Phase 4 movie is a biggie. That’s right, a Fantastic Four MCU film is on the way, but there’s very little in the way of information surrounding it at the moment. And that includes when it'll be released.

Jon Watts, who has directed all three Spider-Man MCU films, will take charge of its production. There are no other official announcements outside of Watts’ hiring but, hopefully, that’ll change once he’s finished conducting press for Spider-Man: No Way Home later this year.

Marvel Phase 4 TV shows: every Disney Plus series releasing by 2022

Hawkeye

Release date: November 24, 2021

Clint Barton – who surely has a lot of baggage after Avengers: Endgame, where he was shown killing criminals and had to let Natasha Romanoff die – is returning to train a new Hawkeye, Kate Bishop, in this Disney Plus series. 

Taking its cues from the Matt Fraction and David Aja run of comic books that redefined Hawkeye for the modern age, this Christmas-set series is rumored to feature Daredevil's Vincent D'Onofrio as Wilson Fisk, but we'll have to wait and see on that one.

The six-part series will arrive on Disney Plus in late November, with two episodes premiering on the same day. That means the season finale will arrive in time for December 22, which is the perfect way to celebrate the Holiday season.

Ms. Marvel

The official logo for the Ms. Marvel Disney Plus series

(Image credit: Marvel Studios/Walt Disney Company)

Release date: early 2022 (expected)

Originally expected in 2021 but now coming sometime in 2022 (rumors suggest it'll arrive in early 2022), Ms. Marvel introduces Kamala Khan (Iman Vellani) to the MCU – its first Muslim superhero, and also the breakout star of the Marvel's Avengers game released last year. 

She's a breath of fresh air as superhero characters go, with a Spider-Man-like origin story that makes her feel very complete from the off. As mentioned, this show will tie in to The Marvels, with Vellani reprising her role in that movie. Filming concluded in May 2021, but we're yet to see any official footage or receive a new release date.

Moon Knight

The official logo for Marvel's Moon Knight Disney Plus series

(Image credit: Disney)

Release date: 2022 (expected)

Moon Knight is about Marc Spector, a superhero dealing with dissociative identity disorder. The big news here is that Marvel has landed superstar Oscar Isaac for the role, with Ethan Hawke playing the show's villain. Expect Isaac to inhabit multiple versions of his character, and expect Egyptian iconography to play a big part in the show's visual direction.  

Production wrapped on Moon Knight's TV show in mid-October. Expect the six-part series to arrive in 2022 and, according to Kevin Feige, for the character to appear in future MCU films.

She-Hulk

The official logo for Marvel's She-Hulk Disney Plus TV series

(Image credit: Disney)

Release date: 2022 (expected)

She-Hulk should bring a different flavor to the MCU. Tatiana Maslany plays Bruce Banner's cousin, Jennifer Walters, in what's been described as a half-hour legal comedy, similar in vein to the Dan Slott comic from the mid-2000s that drew a lot of acclaim. 

Mark Ruffalo's Bruce Banner/Hulk will turn up in this new series, too, along with Tim Roth's Abomination. Don't be surprised if more deep cut MCU characters arrive to be put on trial, based on how the comic went down. Jameela Jamil plays the show's villain, Titania, according to reports.

Secret Invasion

The official logo for the Secret Invasions Disney Plus series

(Image credit: Marvel Studios)

Release date: 2022 (expected)

This show could be huge. Secret Invasion will focus on the Skrulls, as seen in Captain Marvel, with Ben Mendelsohn's Talos and Samuel L. Jackson's Nick Fury being the show's leads. Kingsley Ben-Adir, Olivia Colman and Emilia Clarke are all part of the cast too, according to reports, and we expect this to mark the next Avengers-level event in the MCU. 

"It's about a sect of Skrulls who have infiltrated every level of life on Earth," Kevin Feige said about the series back in December 2020. According to Jackson, filming has begun, so it's time to start getting excited about this one. You know, if it isn't too early to do so.

Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special 

The official logo for the Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special

(Image credit: Marvel Studios/Walt Disney Company)

Release date: December 2022

Expected to be under 40 minutes long, this special  will likely evoke the notoriously bad Star Wars Holiday Special from 1978, of which writer and director James Gunn is a fan. The main Guardians cast will feature, and it sounds like it's going to be canon – it's set before the third Guardians movie and after Thor: Love and Thunder.

Filming will take place alongside Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, so we can expect principal photography to begin soon. If it does, the Guardians' Holiday Special should arrive in time for December 2022.

Marvel Phase 4: which other productions are in development? 

A promotional image for Marvel's What If...? on Disney Plus

(Image credit: Marvel Studios)

None of these projects have release dates yet, but they're all confirmed to be in the works.

Blade

The official logo for Marvel's Blade movie

(Image credit: Marvel Studios/Disney)

17 years after the vampiric anti-hero’s last big screen outing, a new Blade movie is in development. Starring Mahershala Ali as the titular character, the Bassam Tariq-directed film will arrive as part of the MCU at some point. 

Recent rumors suggested that Blade’s MCU debut could come as soon as October 2022. Given that it’s not expected to start filming until July 2022, though, we’re taking that speculation with a huge helping of salt. 2023 seems more likely.

Ironheart

The official logo for the Ironheart Disney Plus TV show

(Image credit: Marvel Studios/Walt Disney Company)

Its release date is yet to be announced, but an Ironheart Disney Plus series is on the way. The six-episode TV show will be written by Chinaka Hodge (Snowpiercer) and will star Dominique Thorne as Riri Williams, who will make her live-action debut in Black Panther 2. No other details are currently available about the show.

Armor Wars

The official logo for the Armor Wars Disney Plus series

(Image credit: Marvel Studios/Walt Disney Company)

Don Cheadle’s James Rhodes/War Machine will appear in his own Disney Plus show in the future, too. Based on the comic series of the same name, filming is expected to begin in 2022 and will explore the aftermath of Tony Stark’s death in Avengers: Endgame in some capacity. Girls screenwriter Yassir Lester is on board to pen the scripts. 

Untitled Wakanda TV show

The Dora Milaje as seen in Marvel's Black Panther movie

(Image credit: Disney)

Announced in February 2021, a Wakanda spinoff show – developed by Black Panther writer-director Ryan Coogler – is also in the works. Danai Gurira has signed a deal to reprise her role as Okoye in the unnamed TV series, but it’s unclear if other Black Panther stars will feature, too.

What If…? season 2 

Uatu the Watcher looking shocked in What If? episode 8

(Image credit: Marvel Studios/Disney)

What If…? season 2 is already being developed at Marvel Studios. According to head writer A.C. Bradley and director Bryan Andrew, one episode is ready to go (a Gamora-centric episode that didn’t make it into season 1), some are nearing completion and others require more work. 

Regardless, don’t expect the next instalment in Marvel’s animated anthology series to arrive before mid to late 2022.

Loki season 2

Tom Hiddleston as President Loki in Marvel's Loki season 1

(Image credit: Marvel Studios / Disney)

Lastly, Loki season 2 is in development for Disney Plus. The trickster god’s return was teased during the season 1 finale, but there’s no word on whether it’ll be filmed before other Disney Plus shows or not.

Tom Hiddleston is almost certain to reprise his role as the god of mischief. Owen Wilson, Wunmi Mosaku, Gugu Mbatha-Raw and Sophia Di Martino could also return, while season 1 head writer Michael Waldron has signed on to write season 2’s screenplays.

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