Was there ever any doubt that Marvel would come out swinging at San Diego Comic Con 2022? The Marvel Cinematic Universe is getting bigger with the full slate of Phase 5 projects announced and with early teases for what is in store for Phase 6! Welcome to the Multiverse Saga.
If you had a hard time keeping up on Twitter with all the announcements or just want a recap of everything that was announced, then let’s dive right in starting with what remains of Phase 4 of the MCU.
PHASE 4
Marvel announced that Phase 4 of the Marvel Cinematic Universe will conclude with the release of Black Panther: Wakanda Forever later this year. That leaves that movie and August’s She-Hulk Disney+ series as the only remaining projects for Phase 4.
SHE-HULK
As previously announced, She-Hulk: Attorney at Law will debut August 17, 2022 on Disney+. The show will follow the titular She-Hulk (Tatiana Maslany, Orphan Black), otherwise known as Jennifer Walters, over nine episodes. The series will follow Jennifer as she returns to her life as an attorney- now using her own unique perspective to specialize in superhero legal cases.
She will be joined by a number of other Marvel favorites such as Smart Hulk (Mark Ruffalo), Wong (Benedict Wong), and Emil Blonsky/the Abomination (Tim Roth). The cast will also include Jameela Jamil (The Good Place), Ginger Gonzaga (Togetherness), Josh Segarra (Arrow), Jon Bass (Big Time in Hollywood, FL), and Renée Elise Goldsberry (Hamilton). And take a look at the trailer for another reveal…
As has been rumored for some time, it appears that Matt Murdock/Daredevil will be making another return to the MCU in She-Hulk: Attorney at Law. Matt is certainly a wonderful addition to the series- and a fitting one! As seen in Spider-Man: No Way Home, Matt has also been working on superhero cases as he represented Peter Parker after his identity was revealed to the world and was accused of the murder of Mysterio/Quentin Beck. And this won’t be the last we’ll see of Daredevil either, but (again!) more on that later.
BLACK PANTHER: WAKANDA FOREVER
Though Black Panther: Wakanda Forever was the final project talked about at Marvels’ SDCC panel, the sequel to the 2018 film is the next movie to be released in the MCU. Before the cast came on stage, Hall H was treated to a live performance from Baaba Maal (vocals), Massamba Diop (tama) as well as many other dancers and drummers. Black Panther: Wakanda Forever director Ryan Coogler was then joined on stage by Mabel Cadena, Michaela Cole, Winston Duke, Danai Gurira, Tenoch Huerta, Florence Kasumba, Alex Livinalli, Lupita Nyong’o, Dominique Thorne and Letitia Wright. The cast officially confirms the appearance of Namor (Tenoch Huerta) and Riri Williams/Ironheart (Dominique Thorne) in the new movie.
And, of course, Marvel couldn’t let the panel end without the first trailer for Black Panther: Wakanda Forever.
Marvel provided this summary of the movie, releasing November 11, 2022.
“In Marvel Studios’ “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever,” Queen Ramonda (Angela Bassett), Shuri (Letitia Wright), M’Baku (Winston Duke), Okoye (Danai Gurira) and the Dora Milaje (including Florence Kasumba), fight to protect their nation from intervening world powers in the wake of King T’Challa’s death. As the Wakandans strive to embrace their next chapter, the heroes must band together with the help of War Dog Nakia (Lupita Nyong’o) and Everett Ross (Martin Freeman) and forge a new path for the kingdom of Wakanda. Introducing Tenoch Huerta as Namor, king of a hidden undersea nation, the film also stars Dominique Thorne, Michaela Coel, Mabel Cadena and Alex Livanalli.”
Wakanda Forever will be dealing with the death of T’Challa, as played by the late Chadwick Boseman. Though many have voiced their support for recasting the role after Boseman’s untimely death, Marvel does not appear to be taking that path. His loss will be felt deeply in this film- Queen Ramonda’s speech in the trailer alone is very powerful.
The final shot of the trailer does seem to show someone in a Black Panther-esque outfit. With Phases 4-6 being called “The Multiverse Saga”, perhaps we will see a Black Panther/T’Challa from another universe…? Time will tell. Bring on November!
PHASE 5
ANT-MAN AND THE WASP: QUANTUMANIA
Phase 5 of the Marvel Cinematic Universe will open on February 17, 2023 with the release of Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania. The film’s director, Peyton Reed, was joined on stage by Paul Rudd, Evangeline Lily, Jonathan Majors, and Kathryn Newton before revealing a special first look at the Ant-Man sequel. SDCC fans are the only ones to have seen the footage so far, but many took to Twitter to fill those of us at home in on what to expect!
One of the biggest reveals was that Kang the Conqueror, as played by Jonathan Majors and first seen in Loki season 1, would play a big part in the movie. Fans also tweeted that Modok and a character played by Bill Muray showed up in the footage screened at SDCC. Other reports talked about Scott apparently writing a book- possibly capitalizing on his podcast as mentioned in Ms. Marvel!
Scott Lang reading a book by Scott Lang… god damnit I love Paul Rudd 💀#MarvelSDCC pic.twitter.com/7NKWj0PAvP
— Tom 🔑 (@tvtalkswithtom) July 24, 2022
While no footage of Quantumania has been officially released to fans at home, Marvel has provided this early summary of what to expect when the movie releases this coming February.
“Super Hero partners Scott Lang (Paul Rudd) and Hope Van Dyne (Evangeline Lilly) return to continue their adventures as Ant-Man and The Wasp. Together, with Hope’s parents Hank Pym (Michael Douglas) and Janet Van Dyne (Michelle Pfeiffer), the family finds themselves exploring the Quantum Realm, interacting with strange new creatures and embarking on an adventure that will push them beyond the limits of what they thought was possible.”
SECRET INVASION
Next in the Phase 5 pipeline is the Disney+ series, Secret Invasion, due out in the Spring of 2023. Not much was revealed by either Kevin Feigie or Cobie Smulders who is due to return in the series as Maria Hill, but the series does sound intriguing.
Fans at SDCC were again treated to a sneak peak of footage from the show. Samuel L Jackson is back as Nick Fury, of course, but the footage also revealed the return of Don Cheadle as James “Rhodey” Rhodes/War Machine. The series will apparently be a bit darker than some of the previous shows.
The cast will also include Ben Mendelsohn as the Skrull Talos (who Fury first met in Captain Marvel and who stood in for him in Spider-Man: Far From Home) as well as Kingsley Ben-Adir, Amilia Clarke, Olivia Colman, and Regé-Jean Page. The story will follow a faction of Skrulls who have been secretly invading Earth for years thanks to their shapeshifting abilities.
GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY VOL. 3
May 5, 2023 will see the release of the final installment of at least this version of the Guardians in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3. James Gunn, the film’s director, teased this end to the current lineup of Guardians but apparently qualified that that doesn’t mean that everyone will die. Yikes!
A large number of the cast joined Gunn on stage including Chris Pratt, Karen Gillan, Pom Klementieff, Sean Gunn, Will Poulter, and Maria Bakalova. Poulter will be playing Adam Warlock, a character teased at the end of Vol. 2 and Bakalova will be voicing Cosmo the Space Dog. Chukwudi Iwuji is also joining the cast and made a surprise appearance in Hall H, dressed as his character, High Evolutionary.
Marvel gave a special first look at Vol. 3 to SDCC fans in Hall H, but again thanks to the fans who tweeted about what they saw so those of us at home can find out more! @TheEricGoldman tweeted that the trailer shown was set to the Flaming Lips’ song “Do You Realize??” which includes the lyrics “Do you realize/That everyone you know someday will die?” so… get ready for some tear-jerking moments in Vol. 3.
Also featured in the trailer was a look at Rocket’s backstory, featuring an appearance by a very young, very scared-looking Rocket being grabbed by an unknown hand. Rocket has been through a lot in his life as revealed in some of his lines in Vol. 1– not to mention that he was the only Guardian to survive Thanos’ snap. According to multiple tweets, James Gunn said that Rocket’s story is one of the saddest there is and that the movie will explore that.
#BabyRocket #MarvelSDCC #SDCC2022 #SDCC #Marvel #MarvelStudios pic.twitter.com/BjBVg11Uup
— Marvel News (@marvelnewss) July 24, 2022
The trailer also teased the return of Gamora (possibly leading the Ravagers?), Nebula (who, according to Karen Gillan, is able to be a bit more lighthearted in this movie now that Thanos is gone), and revealed Adam Warlock. Marvel released this brief teaser summary of Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3:
“In Marvel Studios “Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3” our beloved band of misfits are looking a bit different these days. Peter Quill, still reeling from the loss of Gamora, must rally his team around him to defend the universe along with protecting one of their own. A mission that, if not completed successfully, could quite possibly lead to the end of the Guardians as we know them.”
OTHER PHASE 5 PROJECTS
Though details are scarcer on Phase 5 projects after Guardians, Marvel confirmed and announced even more exciting projects that will see Phase 5 through 2024. Let’s look at the dates we have for shows and movies already announced and what new projects were announced to be part of this phase of the MCU.
Summer 2023 will see the release of both Echo and season 2 of Loki– both of which are currently in production. Ironheart will continue her story in Fall 2023. Agatha: Coven of Chaos (previously House of Harkness) will start filming later this year and will debut in the Winter of 2023.
In the Spring of 2024, fans will be delighted by the return of Charlie Cox and Vincent D’Onofrio in the 18-episode series Daredevil: Born Again. This series will play off of Matt Murdock’s return in No Way Home, She-Hulk, and his rumored appearance in Echo! When Born Again releases, it will have been nine years since we last saw Matt Murdock/Daredevil in his own series. I can’t wait to see more of his story!
As for the previously announced movies, The Marvels will release July 28, 2023. Blade will start shooting in October of this year and be ready for release by November 3, 2023.
In addition, fans of The Falcon and The Winter Soldier will be delighted to know that Sam Wilson/Captain America (Anthony Mackie) will return in Captain America: New World Order. The newest Captain America movie will release on May 3, 2024.
Phase 5 of the Marvel Cinematic Universe will round out with the release of Thunderbolts on July 26, 2024. Marvel has not released much information about this movie yet outside of teasing “an exciting new group of heroes,” but it is rumored that it will see the return of Baron Helmut Zemo (Daniel Brühl), John Walker (Wyatt Russell), and Yelena Belova (Florence Pugh).
PHASE 6
And just when you thought Marvel would be done for the day, they announce what’s coming in PHASE SIX of the Marvel Cinematic Universe! Only three projects were announced but… boy are they big.
One of the earliest (but not the first!) installations in Phase 6 will be the long-awaited Fantastic Four. This will be the third iteration of one of Marvel’s most iconic families, but fans seem excited nonetheless! Originally, MCU Spider-Man director Jon Watts was due to direct but has since stepped away from the project. Marvel has yet to confirm who will be directing this new interaction of the family, but the movie will release on November 8, 2024.
Were you restless waiting a year between Infinity War and Endgame? Then get ready to only have to wait a little over seven months between the movies set to cap off phase 6! Avengers: The Kang Dynasty releases May 2, 2025. Avengers: Secret Wars will release November 7, 2025.
Whew. That’s a lot! Marvel certainly has a lot planned for the Marvel Cinematic Universe for the next few years- and this is only the start of everything they have to announce! Marvel will have a presence at this September’s D23 Expo so expect even more announcements soon. As always, we’ll bring you the news as we hear it!
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