Upcoming 2021 movies: I can't wait

2020 was the first time in more than a decade without a single Marvel Studios film in release. Though the year was meant to usher in Phase 4 of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, the effects of a real worldwide pandemic halted the company’s momentum as release dates had to be postponed to deal with theater closures, safety concerns, and production shutdowns.

But all pandemics end (right?!), and though completely delayed, Phase 4 will still begin in theaters with Black Widow, the film bearing the brunt of the sliding release schedules, set to release in May 2021. And once it finally makes its way to theaters, Marvel’s domination of box office charts will no doubt resume.

Also, Phase 4 will begin on the small screen early next year with the Disney+ series WandaVision premiering in January, before The Falcon and the Winter Soldier and Loki follow suit.

Beyond that, of course, the horizon includes some exciting additions to Marvel’s universe, like Mahershala Ali as Blade, Tatiana Maslany as She-Hulk, and the eventual arrival of Marvel’s first family, The Fantastic Four. (Finally confirmed by Marvel Studios head honcho Kevin Feige at Disney’s Internet-breaking Investors Day in December 2020.) As we have for the last few years, we’re keeping track of it all in this comprehensive guide of every upcoming Marvel Studios film (and television show) with a handy calendar of Marvel films into 2023.

As always, we will continue to update this page frequently as new details emerge. And be careful, if you haven’t seen Avengers: Endgame or Spider-Man: Far From Home, there are spoilers ahead. (Want to see what the other camp is up to? Check out our full breakdown of upcoming DC movies.)

COMING SOON IN PHASE 4
These are the projects Marvel announced and dated. They represent the entirety of the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s fourth phase and feature a number of sequels – but at least one new concept will likely become your latest Marvel obsession.

WANDAVISION (SERIES)

Premiere Date: January 15, 2021

What We Know: Elizabeth Olsen returns as Wanda Maximoff – a.k.a. the Scarlet Witch – and Paul Bettany reappears as Vision. But how can this be? Vision died in Avengers: Infinity War and was not one of the lucky ones revived during the Second Snap. Olsen once said the series will see Wanda and Vision in a “1950s” setting, which suggests the series may be taking its cues from the 2015 Vision comic book. In that story by Tom King and Gabriel Walta, Vision created his own ideal nuclear family. It goes very wrong. At the D23 presentation in August 2019, writer Jac Schaeffer said the show will be “half-sitcom” and “half MCU adventure.” A subsequent ad aired during the Super Bowl LIV revealed Wanda and Vision will experience multiple sitcom eras, including the ’70s and ’80s – not that we’re any clearer on how Wanda is doing this or even if she’s doing it. Meanwhile, a grown-up Monica Rambeau (played by Teyonah Parris) will be there to presumably bring her back to the present. At D23, Marvel Studios head Kevin Feige announced Kat Dennings had joined the cast — reprising her role as Thor’s Darcy Lewis — with Randall Park also reprising his role as Ant-Man and the Wasp’s Agent Jimmy Woo. A recent trailer also revealed That ’70s Show’s Debra Jo Rupp and actor Fred Melamed will cause discomfort for Wanda and Vision in their 1950s ideal home as a ‘Mr. and Mrs. Heart.’ And to accent the sitcom feel, Kathryn Hahn will play the “nosy neighbor” in the laugh track realities, but that same trailer featuring the Hearts also suggests there is more to her character. For one thing: she knows Vision is supposed to be dead. Though shut down at the same time as The Falcon and the Winter Solider, Marvel and Disney+ fast-tracked the series in order to debut in early 2021.

How It Fits in the MCU: The events of the series will tie directly to the upcoming film Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, which will also feature Olsen.

Check out: Everything We Know About WandaVision
THE FALCON AND THE WINTER SOLDIER (SERIES)

Premiere Date: March 2021

What We Know: Starring Anthony Mackie and Sebastian Stan in the title roles and picking up from the events of Avengers: Endgame, the series will reportedly deal with Sam (Mackie) deciding to pick up the shield and the “Captain America” name Steve Rogers (Chris Evans) gave him in the film’s closing moment. Presumably, both he and Bucky (Stan) will also attempt to reintegrate into mainstream society. Emily VanCamp will return as Sharon Carter, while Daniel Brühl will reprise his role as Zemo, the man who brought down the Avengers in Captain America: Civil War. Wyatt Russell joins the returning cast as John Walker — the U.S. Agent of Marvel Comics fame. Presumably, he will be positioned as a replacement Cap even as Sam grapples with Steve’s legacy. Production began in 2019 with a scheduled August release on Disney+, but COVID-19 delays meant the production resumed just as it was meant to premiere. Marvel and Disney decided to delay the series to 2021. At the December 2020 Disney Investor’s Day presentation, Feige called the series a “cinematic experience” played out over six episodes. A trailer released at the same time definitely backed up that claim.

How It Fits in the MCU: As the first of Marvel Studios’ television efforts, the program will further outline the post-Endgame MCU as established in Spider-Man: Far From Home. Are the Sokovia Accords still in effect? Will the lead characters have to register with some government agency? In the comics, U.S. Agent worked for the Commission on Superhuman Activates, which leads us to suspect Sam and Bucky’s decision in Civil War will have consequences they cannot even begin to consider.

BLACK WIDOW

Release Date: May 7, 2021

What We Know: First revealed in January of 2018 with Jac Schaeffer writing the script, the film became Marvel’s fastest-track project ever with Lore’s Cate Shortland signing on to direct in July of 2018. The film features David Harbour as Alexei – a.k.a. The Red Guardian – Florence Pugh as Yelena, O-T Fagbenle as Mason, and Rachel Weisz as Melina. Set after Captain America: Civil War, the plot sees Natasha Romanoff (Johansson) returning to the former Soviet Bloc to deal with some unresolved issues and face her spy “family” – although it is still possible the film may all be a phantasm of sorts as Nat’s soul rests on Vormir. What we do know is that, according to Shortland, the film will serve as a passing of the baton from Natasha to Yelena, and a “last hurrah” for Johansson, who will leave the MCU after the project. “Scarlett is so gracious, like, ‘Oh, I’m handing her the baton,’” Shortland told Empire magazine. “So it’s going to propel another female storyline.” On March 17, Disney announced it was postponing the release of the film due to the coronavirus outbreak and subsequently announced on April 3 a new release date of November 6, 2020. On September 23, Disney again moved the film to May 7, 2021 – a full year from its original release date.

How It Fits in the MCU: Flashbacks to Nat’s training in Avengers: Age of Ultron tie back to ideas explored in the short-lived Marvel television series Marvel’s Agent Carter – a series we know the films acknowledge thanks to Edwin Jarvis’s (James D’Arcy) cameo in Endgame – in which a Soviet-trained deep cover agent is assigned to eliminate Peggy Carter (Hayley Atwell). Investigating the operative, Peggy discovers the brutal facility charged with creating these sleeper agents using methods teased in the Ultron flashbacks. Both Nat and Yelena came out of this program, known by their time as the Red Room, and it sounds like Yelena will continue the Black Widow journey once Natasha leaves the MCU.

LOKI (SERIES)

Premiere Date: May 2021

What We Know: Tom Hiddleston will return as the God of Mischief in the Disney+ limited series Loki. The story will follow the version of the character who escaped from custody in Endgame with a divergent copy of the Space Stone. It seems he will also get access to time travel, as early photos see Loki in a 1970s New York. Divergent timelines are a hell of thing, and this will presumably be the series to examine what it means for the MCU going forward, although Disney+’s Super Bowl ad seemed to suggest Loki will once again find himself in a prison cell. Owen Wilson, Sophia Di Martino, and Gugu Mbatha-Raw join Hiddleston in whatever hijinks his well-known alter ego gets into. As with the other Marvel Disney+ productions, filming was interrupted but there appears to be no great delay in release. In December of 2020, Feige referred to it as a “murder mystery” arriving in May 2021 – although the nature of the mystery will be confusing to the title character at first. A subsequent teaser, dropped at the Investors Day, only offered more mysteries as Loki finds himself a guest of the Time Variance Authority, questioned by Owen Wilson’s character, and discovering he is the real D.B. Cooper.

How It Fits in the MCU: In the summer of 2019, Feige mentioned the series will create repercussions that will be felt in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, which may be the keystone film with two Disney+ series feeding into it.

SHANG-CHI AND THE LEGEND OF THE TEN RINGS
Shang Chi
(Photo by © Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures)

Release Date: July 9, 2021

What We Know: In March of 2019, Short Term 12’s Destin Daniel Cretton emerged as the director of a film based on Marvel’s 1970s comic book The Hands of Shang-Chi: Master of Kung-Fu. In the comics, Shang-Chi was the son of legendary literary villain Fu Manchu. Learning the truth about his dad’s business, he used his martial arts prowess against his father and any other Marvel baddie ready to battle with his mighty hands. But considering Fu Manchu is one of the few IPs not owned by the Walt Disney Company, fans online are already speculating Shang-Chi’s father – whom Marvel later turned into a different immortal villain in the comics – may turn out to be the “real” Mandarin teased in the Iron Man 3 Blu-ray short film “All Hail the King.” At Comic-Con 2019, Marvel announced the full title and the cast, which includes Simu Liu as Shang-Chi, Awkwafina, and HardBoiled‘s Tony Leung as the real Mandarin. As Disney began to consider shutting down active productions, Cretton took a Coronavirus test and self-isolated himself on March 12 of 2020 while second-unit shooting continued. His test results came back negative, but production completely shut down the next day. In early April, the film’s release was pushed back to May 2021 to accommodate the halted production and the other changes to the release schedule. In September, the film shifted again from the May 7, 2021 release date to July 9, 2021. In a post on Twitter about the change, Liu wrote, “My hot girl summer is coming you guys.”

How It Fits in the MCU: Seeded in Iron Man, but never carried out to fruition as the Infinity Saga took shape, the Ten Rings is a crime league embedded across the world, but owing allegiance to no country. The group gives Shang-Chi a nice international opponent with an established MCU footprint. Also, the 10 rings the Mandarin wears have cosmic origins which may play into the larger Phase 4 story. And, we’ll be honest, we hope he uses them to conjure up legendary Marvel Comics creature Fin Fang Foom.

ETERNALS
Eternals Logo
(Photo by © Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures, © Marvel Studios)

Release Date: November 5, 2021

What We Know: In April of 2018, Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige revealed a film based on the Eternals comic book and concept was in development. Soon after, The Rider’s Chloe Zhao became its director. Based on characters and situations imagined by Jack Kirby, the Eternals are a race of fantastically powerful proto-humans engineered by the Celestials (more on them in a moment) to harness vast amounts of “cosmic energy.” Generations of infighting and wars against another Celestial experiment, the Deviants, followed. The film will center on an Eternal named Sersi (Gemma Chan) with the powers of flight, strength, immortality, and molecular manipulation. Confirmed cast members include 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, Don Lee as Gilgamesh, Angelina Jolie as Thena, and Kit Harington as Dane Whitman – a.k.a. the Black Knight. The film will also feature Marvel’s first real attempt at including gay characters, as Henry’s Phastos will reportedly be married to a man and raising a child alongside him. After initially losing its November 2020 slot to Black Widow, Disney moved the film to November 5, 2021 during a restructuring of its release calendar in September of 2020.

How It Fits in the MCU: Because the Eternals and the Celestials are old and powerful — the Celestials are some of the oldest creatures in the universe — they run into just about everyone. When the Kree happened to learn about the Eternals, they tried duplicating the Celestial experiment and created Inhumans on Earth. In Marvel’s 616 universe, Thanos is himself related to the Eternals thanks to their colonization of Titan in the distant past. Meanwhile, the Celestials have already appeared in passing during both Guardians films. In the first film, one appears in a hologram during The Collector’s (Benicio Del Toro) explanation of the Power Stone. And in the second film, Peter Quill’s (Chris Pratt) father Ego (Kurt Russell) self-identified as a Celestial. Whether or not this means Ziran the Tester will feature in Eternals or any other MCU film remains to be seen.

SPIDER-MAN 3
Spider-Man: Far From Home
(Photo by JoJo Whilden / © Columbia Pictures / © Marvel )

Release Date: December 17, 2021

What We Know: After a tense 2019 summer in which, it seemed, Spider-Man would blip out of the MCU again to face off against Venom (Tom Hardy), Sony Pictures and the Walt Disney Studios agreed to produce a third film with Tom Holland as Spider-Man. While the fine details of the studios’ new agreement are not known — beyond Disney reportedly increasing its share of the profits to 25% — we do know Spidey will appear in one additional MCU outside of his third solo film. But in another twist of fate, Spidey’s current troubles will be acknowledged in Sony’s upcoming Morbius, a film set in its Spider-Verse and completely separate from the MCU. (Or is it?) Spider-Man 3 was set for a traditional summer release on July 16, 2021, but Disney announced a new November 2021 slot this April, and recently delayed it once more to December 2021. In October, Benedict Cumberbatch joined the cast as Doctor Strange. Though Strange is said to fill the mentor role, his presence has fueled speculation the film may see the other Spider-Men from the previous film series. Also fueling that speculation: the addition of Jamie Foxx, who once again plays Electro – although it remains to be seen if this will be the villain from The Amazing Spider-Man 2 or an MCU equivalent. And while rumors surfaced in December 2020 indicating Andrew Garfield and Tobey Maguire are in talks to appear, Alfred Molina was spotted on set reprising his role as Doctor Octopus from Spider-Man 2.

How It Fits in the MCU: Nick Fury has big plans for Peter, but will he be able to set everything in motion before Sony calls him back to their Spider-Verse? Considering the film will slot into Phase 4, one imagines it will push forward the overall storyline even as Peter clears his name. It almost has to considering how precarious his existence in the MCU continues to be. But with one additional appearance guaranteed after the third film, maybe the first Phase 5 film will revolve around his multiversal instability.

WHAT IF…? (SERIES)

Premiere Date: 2021

What We Know: Based on the classic Marvel Comics title What If …?, Marvel Studios’ first foray into animation will see each episode addressing a different outcome to key MCU events – probably through the lens of those pesky divergent timelines. As an example, the first episode will ask “What if Peggy Carter took the super solider serum instead of Steve Rogers?” The answer will feature the voice of Hayley Atwell as a super-strong Agent Carter and, presumably, the voice of Evans as a 98-lb Steve who becomes the first Iron Man thanks to Howard Stark. A subsequent episode will feature the voice of the late Chadwick Boseman in an ep asking “What if T’Challa Became Star-Lord?”. Tying the series together will be Jeffrey Wright as Uatu the Watcher, the host of the What If …? comic book and the viewer’s guide into the strangest of the Marvel series for the streaming service. As this is an animated series which experienced few, if any, delays because of COVID-19, it is still on track for its 2021 release.

How It Fits in the MCU: Presumably, Uatu will introduce each episode from the standpoint of established MCU history. It suggests he will consider the events of the films and live-action television series as the “proper” flow of time. And considering his importance to Fantastic Four history, we’d be astonished if the Watcher fails to make a cameo when that title becomes Marvel film fodder.

Premiere Date: 2021

What We Know: As one of the television series confirmed at the 2019 D23 Expo, Hawkeye will see Clint Barton (Jeremy Renner) help to train new Hawkeye Kate Bishop – a fan favorite from comics like Young Avengers and Hawkeye. Mad Men’s Jonathan Igla was announced as the series showrunner, and early concept sketches revealed alongside the launch of Disney+ suggested the series may take its cues from the celebrated Hawkeye run by writer Matt Fraction and artists David Aja and Annie Wu.

And after nearly a year of uncertainty, the program moved into production in late November 2020 with the directing team of Amber Finlayson and Katie Ellwood (who go by the directing name Bert and Bertie) and Comrade Detective’s Rhys Thomas, set to helm several episodes. Hailee Steinfeld – long rumored for the part of Kate Bishop – soon appeared in photos and videos from the set. Vera Farmiga was also reportedly joining the show as Kate’s mother Eleanor while Alaqua Cox will play deaf assassin Echo. Other actors appearing in the series include Fra Fee, Tony Dalton, and Zahn McClarnon. Additionally, Florence Pugh is said to be reprising her Black Widow role as Yelena Belova. Also, Renner’s early December Instagram post of Clint, Kate, and Lucky the Pizza Dog more or less confirms the series is inspired by the Fraction-written comic book series. Feige finally confirmed Steinfeld’s part at the subsequent Investor Day presentation that same month. He also confirmed Farmiga, Fee, and Cox as members of the cast. Curiously, though, he made no mention of Dalton or the possible Pugh appearance.

How It Fits in the MCU: Clint is, of course, is the Avengers’ master archer and the only one among them with a stable family life. Well, at least until the Snap. Presumably, the show will illustrate what five years without his wife and kids did to him while also setting up Kate as the future of archery in the MCU. Who knows? Maybe some of her Young Avengers pals will get their debuts on the series. And, of course, Yelena’s first appearance after Black Widow will say a lot about her future, even if she’s just showing up to make fun of Clint.

MS. MARVEL (SERIES)

Premiere Date: Late 2021

What We Know: Based on the Kamala Khan character created in 2013 by Sana Amanat, Stephen Wacker, G. Willow Wilson, and Adrian Alphona, the series will introduce the popular teen Inhuman to the MCU. And as Feige put it at the 2019 D23 Expo, “You will meet her in her Disney+ series and see her in our films,” a commitment to what Ms. Marvel fans have wanted for ages. At the same time Bisha K. Ali was revealed as the series showrunner. In September of 2020, Bad Boys for Life filmmakers Adil El Arbi and Bilall Fallah, documentary short Oscar winner Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy, and Meera Menon emerged as the list of directors for the program. Shortly there after, Iman Vellani won the starring role of Kamala Khan. Production is already underway with Feige recently revealing the program is on track for a late 2021 premiere.

How It Fits in the MCU: The series will reportedly feature some Inhumans besides Kamala, suggesting Marvel Studios will attempt to revive the concept after Marvel Television’s Inhumans seemingly poisoned the well. Also, Feige’s promise that Kamala will appear in films following her debut leaves us wondering if there will be some sort of Young Avengers type film by 2025.

DOCTOR STRANGE IN THE MULTIVERSE OF MADNESS
Doctor Strange
(Photo by © Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures, © Marvel Studios)

Release Date: March 25, 2022

What We Know: Director Scott Derrickson finally signed on to return in December of 2018, but his involvement with the film ended in early January of 2019 when he departed the production, citing “creative differences.” His replacement is Spider-Man and The Evil Dead’s Sam Raimi, making a return of sorts to the Marvel universe. Benedict Cumberbatch returns as the Sorcerer Supreme with Elizabeth Olsen joining him as the Scarlet Witch in what Derrickson originally called “the first scary MCU movie” — though some believe Marvel’s unease with that mission statement led to his departure. Raimi’s bonafides as a horror director suggest the film may still have some scares, but the script is being reworked by Loki head writer Michael Waldron and may yet conform to the Marvel house style. As teased at the end of the first film, Mordo (Chiwetel Ejiofor) will return, as will Rachel McAdams and Benedict Wong. The film, which is still a ways from beginning production, is now set for release in March 2022 following multiple changes to Marvel Studios’ schedule. At the December 2020 Disney Investor Day presentation, Feige confirmed Xochitl Gomez will play Young Avengers favorite America Chavez.

How It Fits in the MCU: The film will directly follow-up on ideas from WandaVision, Loki, and the third Spider-Man film. It may even reveal the real threat hiding in the multiverse. The addition of America Chavez all but confirms reality-hopping will matter greatly in the coming years – that ability is a key part of her skillset.

Release Date: May 6, 2022

What We Know: Shortly before Comic-Con 2019, Thor: Ragnarok director Taika Waititi signed on to return for a fourth installment in the God of Thunder franchise. Chris Hemsworth will return as the wandering Odinson, but not as Thor. In a surprise move, Marvel revealed Natalie Portman is returning to the series as the new Mighty Thor, a twist pulled from an excellent Thor comic book series by Jason Aaron, Russell Dauterman, and others. Meanwhile, Tessa Thompson will return as Valkyrie, the king of New Asgard who must find a Queen, and we assume Loki (Tom Hiddleston) – in either of his manifestations – will return to mercilessly tease his now nameless brother. As 2020 began, Christian Bale emerged as a potential new member of the cast – Marvel subsequently confirmed he will play the main antagonist, Gorr the God Butcher. In February, Someone Great filmmaker Jennifer Kaytin Robinson reportedly joined Waititi as a co-writer. In March, Vin Diesel revealed the Guardians of the Galaxy will make some sort of appearance – which we’ve always assumed would be the case – but the addition of Chris Pratt to the cast, announced in November of 2020, confirmed the Guardians will be along for the ride. The script is still being written, but the film’s release has been delayed to February of 2022.

How It Fits in the MCU: Since Loki will be the star of his own Disney+ limited series before the film’s release, events in that series will probably determine the character’s more villainous tendencies should he appear in Love and Thunder. Also, as the film will predate Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, you can expect Rocket (Bradley Cooper) to offer a tearful goodbye as Odinson leaves the group to deal with his loss of name and status.