Motley collection of superheroes lined up on MCU

By Tharishi Hewavithanagamage

More than a decade after its inception, the Marvel Cinematic Universe reached the end of an era in 2019 with ‘Avengers: Endgame’. Endgame closed the Infinity Saga, wrapping up numerous storylines and character arcs that had been ongoing over 22 films. As the end of an era paved the way for a new slate of characters, Phase 4 kicked off with Disney+ series ‘WandaVision’ and ‘Falcon’, and the ‘Winter Soldier’ which successfully ended earlier this year. The unprecedented changes brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic pushed the scheduled movies further and further away.

While fans now eagerly await the arrival of ‘Loki’, starring Tom Hiddleston, next month, Marvel shared a video celebrating the love of storytelling and the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s most memorable moments. The mega trailer titled ‘Marvel Studios Celebrates the Movies’ opened with a message from the late Stan Lee and even shows footage of audiences on the opening night cheering the climax of ‘Avengers: Endgame,’ back when theatres were still open. The rest of the video gave fans a hint of what’s to come in Phase 4 with previously unseen footage of the upcoming movies. Marvel’s habit of saving the best twists for last paid off as they dropped the iconic number 4 and teased a new ‘Fantastic Four’ movie, currently reported to be directed by Jon Watts. Marvel wants to see their beloved audiences back at the movies cheering for their favorite characters once again.

Originally scheduled for release in 2020, ‘Black Widow’ has been pushed back so many times. The movie will release in theatres and Disney+ simultaneously on July 9, 2021. The prequel has Scarlett Johansson reprising her role Natasha Romanoff. Romanoff must confront the darker parts of her life, deal with her history and her broken relationships. New footage gave fans action packed scenes featuring the newest and mysterious baddie, Taskmaster.

‘Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings’ recently revealed an intense trailer and introduced Marvel fans to new characters. The film stars Simu Liu as Shang-Chi, making it the first Marvel movie to feature an Asian lead superhero. Liu’s Shang-Chi must confront the past he thought he left behind when he is drawn into the web of the Ten Rings organization. Starring alongside Liu are Tony Leung, Awkwafina, Michelle Yeoh, Fala Chen, Meng’er Zhang, Florian Munteanu and Ronny Chieng. Shang-Chi is scheduled for release on September 3, 2021.

‘Eternals’ originally created by the legendary Jack Kirby is joining the MCU for the first time. Directed by the recent Oscar-winner Chloe Zhao, the movie features an impressive cast with the likes of Angelina Jolie, Richard Madden, Kumail Nanjiani, Lauren Ridloff, Brian Tyree Henry, Salma Hayek, Lia McHugh, and Don Lee. Marvel Studios shared its first ever trailer and without too many spoilers only featured some scenes with the characters in extraterrestrial-looking locations. The official synopsis noted that the Eternals are ancient aliens who have been living on Earth in secret for thousands of years and are tasked with protecting humanity from the Deviants. Fans can expect Eternals on November 5, 2021.

Although no footage was released, the Spider-Man franchise continues with the next title ‘Spider-Man: No Way Home’, releasing on December 17, 2021. Jon Watts returns to direct with the trio Tom Holland, Zendaya and Jacob Batalon reprising their respective roles. Major characters like Alfred Molina’s Doctor Octopus from the first Spider-Man trilogy and Jamie Foxx’s Electro from the second are set to appear in the film. Rumors have also emerged that Willem Dafoe’s Green Goblin will make an appearance. Many also have high hopes on appearances from Tobey Maguire and Andrew Garfield, but nothing has been confirmed.

‘Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness’ is described as the MCU’s first horror film and is expected to dive deep into the MCU’s multiverse as well. Sam Raimi takes the role of director, while Benedict Cumberbatch, Benedict Wong, Chiwetel Ejiofor and Rachel McAdams return as Doctor Strange, Wong, Karl Mordo, and Christine Palmer respectively. In addition, because the movie will tie in with WandaVision, Elizabeth Olsen will reprise her role as Wanda Maximoff/Scarlet Witch alongside newcomer Xochitl Gomez who will portray America Chavez. Like other Marvel productions, much of the content still remains a mystery, but the film has the potential to introduce a variety of new characters. ‘Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness’ arrives on March 25, 2022.

‘Thor: Love and Thunder’ is the fourth instalment in the Thor movie franchise with Taika Waititi coming back to direct after Thor: Ragnarok. Chris Hemsworth, Tessa Thompson and Natalie Portman reprise their roles as Thor, Valkyrie and Jane Foster. More returnees include Jaimie Alexander as Sif and Jeff Goldblum as the cosmic Grandmaster, along with the cast of Guardians of the Galaxy – Chris Pratt as Star-Lord, Dave Bautista as Drax, Karen Gillan as Nebula, Pom Klementieff as Mantis, Sean Gunn as Kraglin, Vin Diesel as the voice of Groot, and Bradley Cooper as the voice of Rocket Raccoon. Making their MCU debuts are Christian Bale and Russell Crowe as Gorr the God Butcher and Zeus, respectively. Love and Thunder arrives on May 6, 2022.

Marvel revealed the official sequel titles for Black Panther and Captain Marvel. The next Black Panther will be titled ‘Black Panther: Wakanda Forever’ and is scheduled for release on July 8, 2022. Captain Marvel 2 is titled ‘The Marvels’. Brie Larson will reprise her role as Captain Marvel alongside Teyonah Parris as Monica Rambeau and Man Vellani, who is currently slated to portray Kamala Khan in Disney+ series ‘Ms. Marvel’.

The year 2023 will kick off with ‘Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantmania’, slated for release on February 17, 2023. Paul Rudd, Evangeline Lilly, Michael Douglas, Michelle Pfeiffer and Kathryn Newton will reprise their roles as Ant-Man, Wasp, Dr. Hank Pym, Janet Van Dyne and Cassie Lang respectively. Jonathan Majors will debut in the MCU as the villain Kang the Conqueror.

The space misfits return on May 5, 2023 with their adventures. James Gunn returns to pen and direct Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, welcomes back Chris Pratt’s Star-Lord, Dave Bautista’s Drax the Destroyer, Pom Klementieff’s Mantis, Vin Diesel’s Groot, Bradley Cooper’s Rocket and Karen Gillan’s Nebula. Possibilities remain high for Zoe Saldana’s Gamora from an alternate timeline to make an appearance.