Comic-Con San Diego has always been a big event for the MCU. Just three years ago, the last time Comic-Con was in-person, Marvel head honcho Kevin Fiege took the stage to announce the MCU’s Phase Four of projects alongside several of the actors who would be starring in the properties. For the first time post-Avengers: Endgame, fans learned of such projects as WandaVision, Loki, Hawkeye, Eternals, Doctor Strange and the Multiverse of Madness, and more. Here we are, three years later, and most of those projects have aired, though we are only about halfway through Phase Four. With Marvel returning to the big stage on Saturday, July 23, anticipation is at an all time high as we wait to see what footage and announcements the massive interconnected franchise will bring.
Though Phase Four has been impressive in its scope and variety of projects, there is no question that it is lacking an ‘infinity stone’ type of north star. This is the perfect time for Fiege and team to announce what major projects are coming over the next couple of years and to provide a more in-depth look at projects that are right around the corner. So, let’s take a look at what Marvel could be announcing for the big screen and Disney Plus in the next couple of years:
Updates to Already Announced Films
- Black Panther: Wakanda Forever
- The sequel to the wildly successful Black Panther comes out this November, and besides the title, the only thing we know about this movie has to do with the untimely and tragic death of star Chadwick Boseman. There is a lot of anticipation around this film, though unfortunately a lot of it has to do with how they will handle Boseman’s passing within the story of the movie itself. With a release date four months away, I wouldn’t be surprised if we saw the first trailer for the sequel (especially considering the trailer for the first film debuted at Comic-Con 2018).
- Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania
- The third solo Ant-Man film (or is it the second Ant-Man and Wasp film?) releases in February of next year. Marvel doesn’t like to promote movies two releases away, out of fear it will overshadow films that come out before it. So I wouldn’t bet on a full trailer, but some new clips from the film in a sizzle real? That seems like a guarantee.
- Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3
- Again, this movie doesn’t come out until May of next year, and Marvel still has Wakanda Forever and Quantumania to promote before then. However, now that Thor: Love and Thunder is out and we have seen the Guardians in the opening of that film, we might learn more about when the third Guardians film takes place and who is in it. Key word: might.
- The Marvels
- Considering the big reveal at the end of Ms. Marvel, this week seems like a good opportunity to learn more about the upcoming sequel to Captain Marvel. Maybe we’ll get an official synopsis or cast list.
- Fantastic Four
- It’s time. The last time there was an in-person Comic-Con, Fiege concluded his presentation by announcing that a Fantastic Four movie is in fact in development. It’s been crickets since then. Rumors suggest that we will get a full announcement for the highly-anticipated film, including a title, cast, director and release date. And, no, I don’t think John Krasinski will be in it.
- Blade
- We know a Blade reboot is coming. We know it is starring Mahershala Ali (who was announced as the main character at Comic-Con 2019). We’ve even heard Blade’s voice in a post-credits scene from Eternals. You can bet we will learn the title, director, and release date for the film this year, or I’ll eat my sock.
Guaranteed Announcements
- Deadpool 3
- We’ve known for a while now that the third Deadpool movie will take place in the MCU. And what better character to bridge the gap between non-MCU movies and MCU movies than the fourth-wall breaking Deadpool? The first two films are beloved by fans, and we are eager to see how the foul-mouthed anti-hero will make the translation to the more family-friendly MCU. A title, director, and release date announcement should be a sure bet later this week.
- Captain America 4
- Though a director has been announced (Julius Onah of The Cloverfield Paradox), no official announcement has been made for the Anthony Mackie-led fourth Captain America solo film. The Falcon and the Winter Soldier ended by establishing that Sam Wilson is the new Captain America, complete with a fantastic new suit that is a perfect marriage between the First Avenger and Falcon. Wilson has earned his place as the new Captain America, and fans are eager to see where the constantly evolving franchise of solo-films goes next.
- Big questions that remain include whether Bucky Barnes (Sebastian Stan) and Sharon Carter (Emily VanCamp) will join Cap, what the title of the movie will be, who the main villain is, as well as a release date.
- Shang Chi 2
- Shang Chi: The Legend of the Ten Rings was a surprise hit for the MCU, and remarkably seems to be one of the most beloved entries in Phase Four so far. It was genuinely funny (without being too Marvel-y), expanded the world into interesting new corners, and introduced us to characters we want to know more about. An announcement of a sequel, with a title and release date, would be very exciting for fans of the first film.
- Young Avengers
- Marvel has said that there might not be an Avengers film in Phase Four, but a Young Avengers adaptation might be their way around that. There’s no question that the Young Avengers are coming – almost every project in Phase Four has introduced (or will introduce) young heroes to the series:
- WandaVision – Wanda’s twins, Tommy and Billy, who become Wiccan and Speed
- The Falcon and the Winter Soldier – The grandson of the first black Captain America, Elijah Bradley, who becomes Patriot
- Loki – Kid Loki, a variant of the Loki we all know and love
- Hawkeye – Kate Bishop
- Ms. Marvel – Kamala Khan, aka Ms. Marvel herself
- Black Widow – Natasha’s younger sister, Yelena
- Doctor Strange and the Multiverse of Madness – The multiverse-hopping America Chavez
- Thor: Love and Thunder – Gorr’s daughter, Love
- She-Hulk: Attorney at Law – Rumored to introduce Hulkling
- Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania – Scott Lang’s re-cast daughter, who becomes Stature
- That’s nine kids we’ve already met, with two more coming. No way Marvel doesn’t announce this movie. Every phase so far has culminated in an Avengers film, Phase Four shouldn’t be any different.
- Marvel has said that there might not be an Avengers film in Phase Four, but a Young Avengers adaptation might be their way around that. There’s no question that the Young Avengers are coming – almost every project in Phase Four has introduced (or will introduce) young heroes to the series:
Probable Announcements
- Thunderbolts
- This could either be a TV show or a movie, but I’m betting on it being a movie. Ever since we were introduced to Julia Louis-Dreyfus’ Valentina Allegra de Fontaine in The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, she has been set up as sort of an anti-Nick Fury, quietly recruiting the not-so-heroic side of the MCU for nefarious reasons. There are rumblings of a Thunderbolts movie, which is essentially the MCU’s version of DC’s Suicide Squad. Rumored members include:
- U.S. Agent (the government’s version of Captain America)
- Baron Zemo (one-time Civil War villain begrudgingly turned ally)
- Sharon Carter (Cap’s former flame/niece by marriage?)
- Yelena (Natasha’s sister)
- Abomination (the villain from The Incredible Hulk; last seen briefly in Shang Chi: The Legend of the Ten Rings)
- This movie (if it is a movie) won’t be released any time soon, so I’d just expect an announcement and tentative release date (and maybe the cast since it is a grouping of already established characters).
- This could either be a TV show or a movie, but I’m betting on it being a movie. Ever since we were introduced to Julia Louis-Dreyfus’ Valentina Allegra de Fontaine in The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, she has been set up as sort of an anti-Nick Fury, quietly recruiting the not-so-heroic side of the MCU for nefarious reasons. There are rumblings of a Thunderbolts movie, which is essentially the MCU’s version of DC’s Suicide Squad. Rumored members include:
- Mutants
- This is the movie I’ve been waiting for since Disney bought Fox back in 2019. I want to see the X-Men rub shoulders with the Avengers, stat. And now that we’ve heard the word ‘mutation’ for the first time in the MCU and seen Charles Xavier himself in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, I think this week could be when we finally learn when the MCU will introduce Mutants in a big way. Will we get an official title (I love ‘Mutants’, by the way) and a few key castings? Probably not. But I wouldn’t be surprised if the X-Men made some sort of appearance at Comic-Con this week.
- Avengers: Secret Wars
- There have been loud complaints that Marvel has had no direction for Phase Four, and it would be a pretty savvy move for Marvel to make an announcement showing where this is all heading. Though I don’t think an official Avengers movie is going to come out in Phase Four, it would be pretty cool if Marvel announced the big team-up movie for Phase Five. Not to mention the fact that the Russo Brothers, the team responsible for Winter Soldier, Civil War, Infinity War and Endgame, have often said that they would return to direct a Secret Wars adaptation. (For those who don’t know, Secret Wars was a comic book event that saw two major universes colliding, causing the destruction of both. Characters of both universes mysteriously are saved and end up on a world known as Battleworld, where they have to fight to survive. Think of all the cameo possibilities!)
Never, Ever Gonna Happen Announcements
- Scarlett Witch
- Wanda Maximoff has quickly become one of my favorite characters in the MCU, including her turn as the villain in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness. Though she seemingly died at the end of that film, we all know the character is way too popular and powerful to stay dead for long. However, I just don’t think we are going to get a Scarlett Witch solo project. If and when she returns, I think it will be as a supporting character in another film or TV show (maybe in House of Harkness?).
Look, these are just one fan’s predictions of what is going to be announced on the movie side of things for the MCU at this week’s Comic-Con panel. Check back tomorrow for my predictions for TV show announcement, and be sure to stay tuned to Boss Rush for all Comic-Con announcements as they come out later this week.
Mark Pereira is a senior writer for Boss Rush Network. He loves all video games, but his top three favorites are Skyward Sword, Super Mario 3D World and Batman: Arkham Asylum. You can find old tweets of his on Twitter where he’s usually talking about Nintendo, video games, movies, and TV shows.
Featured image source: Geek Tyrant (with additions)
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