SDCC 2019: Marvel Phase 4 News

With Marvel’s Phase 4 and Disney+ slate revealed, we can confirm rumored movies such as Black Widow and Eternals while getting great surprises such as Mahershala Ali starring in an Blade film. Personally I’m very excited for Phase 4 so here are the full details of Marvel’s showcase at SDCC 2019 along with my own opinions.

The Eternals

“The Eternals” is set to kick off Phase 4 next year on November 6 and will be directed by Chloe Zhao. They also revealed the star-studded cast including Angelina Jolie as Thena, 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, and Don Lee as Gilgamesh. The film is explained to be about a group of immortals that were sent down by the “Celestials” to protect Earth from the “Deviants.”

While I don’t know much about The Eternals, I am excited to see it and the deeper side of the MCU’s cosmic face. I get the feeling of a larger scale movie here with the massive cast and the interesting background of this cosmic plot. It is a bold move by Marvel to take not only so many characters but unknown one’s all at once so this will be a very interesting movie to look forward to.

The Falcon and the Winter Soldier

The first Disney+ series coming to us will be arriving fall of 2020 starring Anthony Mackie and Sebastian Stan as “The Falcon and the Winter Soldier.” Footage at the showcase also revealed the return of villain Baron Zemo from “Captain America: Civil War” portrayed by Daniel Bruhl into the series. It is said that the show will explore the duo after the events of “Avengers: Endgame.”

I’m quite happy both of these characters will be receiving some spotlight after being in Captain America’s shadow for quite a while. I always thought that Anthony Mackie and Sebastian Stan were too good of a pairing to not give them a bigger role in the MCU and I hope they become more prominent here in Phase 4. Both actors have great chemistry and they show a surprising humor to their characters especially in Civil War.

Shang-Chi and the Legend of the 10 Rings

This film will be the first MCU film starring an Asian lead and will be released on February 12, 2021. Shang-Chi will be played by Simu Liu, Tony Leung will play the “real” Mandarin, and Awkwafina was also mentioned to be in the movie while Destin Daniel Cretton was set to direct.

To be honest, I wasn’t so hot on the idea of Shang-Chi when rumors started floating around for a solo movie. I did like the idea of an Asian-lead, however the “master of kung-fu” sounded cliched and out of place considering the cosmic future of the MCU. However, hearing about the return of the Mandarin for real this time and more about the background of this film’s plot, Shang-Chi has become more of an interest point for me and I’m very curious to see where they’ll take this character further into the MCU as well.

WandaVision

The spring of 2021 will bring us Elizabeth Olsen as Scarlet Witch and the return of Vision portrayed by Paul Bettany in this Disney+ show. Monica Rambeau played by Teyonah Parris will also be grown-up from her first appearance in “Captain Marvel” and be present in this series.

Out of all the Disney+ shows, this is the one I’m least excited for. I don’t really care for Vision and his return or even his romance with Wanda. Scarlet Witch is a fine character but I don’t think she alongside Vision could make a great show in my eyes for now anyways. To top it off the name and logo isn’t that great either. I will still probably take a look at this show when it is released but as of the moment I’m not very interested in it.

Loki

Also coming in the spring of 2021 is Tom Hiddleston’s return as Loki. This series will pick-up right after Loki steals the Space Stone during the Time Heist of “Avengers: Endgame.”

While not a lot of details for this series was released, I am still excited for Loki’s return. I would’ve preferred a prequel since I don’t want the trend of bringing back dead characters through the multiverse, though.

Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness

The second installment of the Doctor Strange series will be released on May 7, 2021. Benedict Cumberbatch will return as Steven Strange and Scott Derrickson will be back to direct. The film will be expected to be the first horror movie of the MCU and Scarlet Witch will make an appearance.

Hearing that Doctor Strange 2 will not only explore into the multiverse but also be a horror movie makes me so excited to see it. It is relieving to hear about the multiverse especially after “Spider-Man: Far From Home” brings it up but not enough. The real detail that grabs my attention though is the horror-factor. Even though I’m all for the comedy, I think the fact that most MCU movies try so hard to be funny has become very tiring to me and the lighthearted tone is getting kind of old. I hope this film goes into a dark tone for something new and that’s why I can’t wait for its release.

What If…?

Coming to us in the summer of 2021 is the non-canon animated series from Disney+. The show will explore scenarios in which major events a slightly changed such as if Peggy Carter received the super-soldier serum instead of Steve Rogers.

To be honest, I have no strong opinion for this series. I think it will be a cool concept but since it won’t necessarily affect the MCU it won’t be a priority on my watch list when it comes out.

Hawkeye

In the fall of 2021 we’ll receive a show for Jeremy Renner’s Hawkeye in which he trains Kate Bishop. Renner says Hawkeye will train Bishop to be a better version of himself and a hero without powers.

I think this series could bring some more grounded action sequences to the table as well as setup the “Young Avengers.” The logo could use some work, though.

Thor: Love and Thunder

Still in the fall of 2021 we will receive Thor’s fourth and possibly final film. Chris Hemsworth, Tessa Thompson, and Taika Waiti will all return from acting in/directing “Thor: Ragnarok.” One surprise though was the reveal that Natalie Portman will reprise her role as Jane Foster to become a “female Thor” pulled from the Mighty Thor comic book story. Thompson also hinted at Valkyrie looking for her “queen” in the film.

This was the announcement I was most disappointed with or maybe even the only one. I had high expectations for Thor especially with the unfinished arc they left us in “Avengers: Endgame” for the character. When I was expecting a continuation or return of the version of Thor from Ragnarok, instead we get what looks like a romance. I’m still going to give this movie a a shot but the direction of this movie seems a bit odd to me based on what we’ve heard so far.

Black Widow

Natasha Romanoff’s prequel will appear in theaters on May 1 next year. The movie will feature David Harbour from Stranger Things as Alexei and Cate Shortland will direct.

I think Black Widow never really got justice in the MCU but really got to shine in Endgame, so it will be nice to see her one last time and learn more about the character in this one.

Blade

In another surprise announcement, Mahershala Ali will be starring in a new Blade movie as the famous vampire hunter.

I am looking forward to this and it’s something we didn’t even know we needed. I’m glad that Marvel is introducing different tones into Phase 4 and what an actor to cast as well.

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Other announcements

At the end of the showcase, Fiege talks about how they didn’t even have time to talk about sequels such as Guardians of The Galaxy Vol. 3, Black Panther 2, as well as Captain Marvel 2. At the very end though, he mentions the Fantastic Four and mutants!

So when do you think the Fantastic 4 or X-Men will be introduced and what other movies are you looking forward to?

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