Contributors: Kaity, Lindsey, Hannah
While the Marvel Cinematic Universe may be ever-changing after the conclusion of the Infinity Saga in 2019, it’s certainly not slowing down. New heroes have been introduced, old ones have gained a larger spotlight, and the level of new content Marvel Studios has on their ever-growing slate continues to get longer. There are supposedly dozens of unannounced projects in the works, along with the multiple already announced. So, here’s what we know is coming on the film side of Marvel in 2022 and beyond.
Morbius
Release Date: January 28, 2022
Sony’s Shared Spider-Man Universe is expanding, and not just because of the multiverse being opened up in Spider-Man: No Way Home. Following the success of the Venom movies, Sony will add another Spider-Man Universe anti-hero to their ranks with Dr. Michael Morbius in the upcoming action thriller Morbius.
Morbius follows the origin story of Dr. Michael Morbius, a scientist with a rare blood disease who develops a cure. Unfortunately, cures come at a cost sometimes, and in Morbius’ case, the consequence is becoming a blood-thirsty half-vampire. Morbius will add to the list of anti-heroes joining Sony’s Shared Spider-Man Universe alongside Venom.
It is yet to be determined exactly which universe this movie takes place in, as the trailer contains references to Sam Raimi’s early 2000s Spider-Man trilogy, the early 2010s The Amazing Spider-Man, the MCU’s Spider-Man as well as a cameo appearance from Michael Keaton’s Vulture, and reference to Tom Hardy’s Venom. Jared Leto will star as Morbius alongside Jared Harris, Matt Smith, Adria Arjona, Al Madrigal, and Tyrese Gibson.
Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness
Release Date: May 6, 2022
The teaser trailer debuted in the end credits scene of Spider-Man: No Way Home and as expected will directly influence Strange’s story going forward. He’ll seek out Wanda from her mountain refuge she took off to after her stay in Westview and we’ll discover just what the Darkhold may have contained regarding the Multiverse. Wong, Marvel’s recently confirmed Sorcerer Supreme, will return alongside Strange and Wanda, along with Karl Mordo from the first Doctor Strange film.
Marvel’s first animated series, What If…?, is also set to become live-action canon as Dr. Strange is seen coming face-to-face with Strange Supreme, referencing the events of episode 4. Shuma Gorath, one of Strange’s biggest foes, will also be joining the ranks, who was highly speculated to also make an appearance in the animated series.
America Chavez, the Multiverse-hopping Young Avenger, is set to make her debut, joining the ranks of all the other previously introduced Young Avengers including Tommy and Billy Maximoff (Speed and Wiccan), Eli Bradley (Patriot), Kid Loki, Kate Bishop (Hawkeye), and Cassie Lang (Stature).
Thor: Love and Thunder
Release Date: July 8, 2022
Chris Hemsworth’s Thor is set to become the first of Marvel’s heroes to exceed a solo trilogy with Thor: Love and Thunder. Taika Waititi returns to direct the fourth installment where we’re set to see Natalie Portman’s Jane Foster take up the mantle of the Mighty Thor.
Thor’s new best buddies, the Guardians of the Galaxy, will be making an appearance, along with the return of many Thor favorites including Waititi’s rock alien, Korg. A notable absence will be Thor’s brother, Loki, who has not been confirmed for the film. Loki actor Tom Hiddleston has mentioned to not expect him in the film, but as always with Marvel, everything should be taken with a grain of salt. Tessa Thompson as Asgard’s new King, Valkyrie, will return along with Lady Sif played by Jaime Alexander.
The new additions to the cast include Russell Crowe as the God Zeus and Christian Bale as Gorr the God Butcher. While no details about the plot outside of Jane Foster’s transformation have been revealed, it’s fun to speculate. Will Zeus be friend or foe to Thor and friends, and will they team up to take on Gorr? Or is there something more sinister lurking beneath Zeus?
Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse (Part One)
Release Date: October 7, 2022
Arguably the movie that started the multiverse craze, 2018’s animated hit from Sony Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse will receive its first sequel next October. Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse (Part One) will continue the story of Miles Morales as Spider-Man and his multiversal adventures with many Spider-Friends at his side.
With the first installment of this franchise taking place largely in Miles’ home universe, it appears that part one of the sequels will involve an adventure through the Multiverse. In the first look released early in December, we see Miles (voiced by Shameik Moore) and Gwen (voiced by Hailee Steinfeld) reunite and head off into the Multiverse together. The fun doesn’t end there though, because fans of the web-slinger also receive a look at Miles entangled in a face-off against Miguel O’Hara aka Spider-Man 2099 (voiced by Oscar Isaac). Spider-Man 2099 first appeared in the end-credit scene for the first movie.
In addition to part one of the Spider-Verse sequels, Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse (Part Two) will be coming sometime in 2023, with no exact date confirmed as of now.
Black Panther: Wakanda Forever
Release Date: November 11, 2022
After the death of Chadwick Boseman in 2020, so many questions linger about the future of Black Panther and Wakanda. Who will take up the mantle? So far, Marvel and Black Panther director Ryan Coogler are staying mum.
Speculation has risen around T’Challa’s sister, Shuri, played by Leticia Wright, as well as Winston Duke’s M’Baku, Danai Gurira’s Okoye, and even Lupita Nyong’o’s Nakia. What is confirmed is that T’Challa will not be recast, so however, this movie begins is sure to be heartwrenching as we acknowledge the loss of T’Challa in the MCU more than two years after Boseman’s untimely death.
Martin Freeman will return as Everett Ross and Angela Bassett as Ramonda. Ironheart Riri Williams will also make her debut in the film, with her Disney+ series already confirmed with no release date set. Dominique Thorne will take up the mantle of Ironheart, a teenage engineering genius who creates her own version of the Iron Man suit. Later, Tony Stark relinquishes his hero ways and bestows the honor of being the Avengers’ armored hero to her.
The film is currently in production, facing a long delay when Leticia Wright suffered a back injury, rendering her unable to film. Production is confirmed to begin again in early 2022 after the holidays.
Kraven the Hunter
Release Date: January 13, 2023
Kraven the Hunter will be Sony’s fourth Spider-Man universe antagonist project, following two Venom movies and 2022’s Morbius. Kraven will be directed by J.C. Chandor (Triple Frontier), with the screenplay coming from Art Marcum, Matt Holloway, and Richard Wenk.
Wenk has spoken about the story for the movie being largely based on Kraven the Hunter’s most popular comic storyline, Kraven’s Last Hunt, and that there is potential for Kraven to receive a sequel. Considering the comic run includes an epic show-down with Spider-Man, there is certainly a lot of opportunity for Kraven the Hunter to be used by Sony to propel their Shared Spider-Man Universe forward even more.
Details are still scarce for the upcoming Kraven project, although superhero alumni Aaron Taylor-Johnson has been confirmed as the titular role, following his performances in other superhero movies Kick-Ass and as Pietro Maximoff in the MCU’s Avengers: Age of Ultron.
The Marvels
Release Date: February 17, 2023
Captain Marvel is back with two new heroes at her side: Ms. Marvel and Spectrum.
Ms. Marvel Kamala Khan will appear in her Disney+ series before joining her namesake in the upcoming film. The Ms. Marvel series is set to debut sometime in 2022. Spectrum has already joined the MCU in WandaVision, with S.W.O.R.D.’s newly returned Captain Monica Rambeau gaining powers from her multiple trips through Wanda Maximoff’s Westview hex barriers. Monica is also the daughter of Carol’s best friend, Maria Rambeau.
Nia DaCosta will direct the sequel which is rumored to also feature Carol Danvers’ longtime friend Nick Fury, played by Samuel L. Jackson, along with appearances by Zawe Ashton and Seo Jun Park in unknown roles. Filming for The Marvels began in August 2021.
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3
Release Date: May 23, 2023
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 has been in development since 2017 when Marvel confirmed that James Gunn would close out the trilogy. Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 is expected to be one of the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s most influential movies of Phase 4, after initially being scheduled to kick off the post-Infinity Saga.
Gunn is keeping details for Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 relatively scarce so the movie can have the most impact. The core cast for Guardians movies up to now will return: Chris Pratt as Peter Quill/Star-Lord, Zoe Saldana as Gamora, Dave Bautista as Drax the Destroyer, Bradley Cooper as Rocket, and Vin Diesel as Groot. In addition to the five Guardians, Karen Gillen will return as Nebula along with Pom Klementieff as Mantis. New to the Guardians ensemble is Will Poulter as Adam Warlock and Chukwudi Iwuji as a thus far unconfirmed character.
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 will take place primarily after the events of Avengers: Endgame and Thor: Love & Thunder in which the Guardians are set to appear. Exact details on the story have yet to be unveiled, although multiple members of the cast have commented on how “emotional” the upcoming cosmic adventure will be. Gunn has also confirmed that the upcoming Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special will play a vital role to Vol. 3, introducing a character who is, in Gunn’s opinion, “one of the greatest MCU characters.”
Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania
Release Date: July 28, 2023
Helmed by director Peyton Reed and written by Jeff Loveness, Ant-Man and The Wasp: Quantumania will see the return of Paul Rudd as Scott Lang aka Ant-Man, Evangeline Lilly as Hope Van Dyne/Wasp, Michael Douglas as Dr. Hank Pym, and Michelle Pfeiffer as Janet Van Dyne. Franchise newcomer Kathryn Newton will be stepping into the existing role of Scott’s daughter Cassie. Meanwhile, Jonathan Majors will be returning as Kang the Conqueror.
The plot of Quantumania, which recently wrapped filming, is unknown at this time. However, we do know that Kang took control of the Multiverse and the Time Variance Authority following the death of one of his Variants, He Who Remains, at the hands of Sylvie in the Loki season 1 finale. And given that the MCU has strategically been introducing members of the Young Avengers — an adolescent team of heroes from the comics — we’re also hoping that the news of Newton’s casting signifies the future of Cassie Lang as Stature.
Untitled Film
Release Date: November 3, 2023
While we don’t know what it is, it very well could be any of the properties listed below.
No dates set
Fantastic 4
Ever since Marvel Studios acquired the Fantastic Four property in March 2019, excitement has built for the MCU’s take on what hasn’t been the most successful heroic group despite two previous attempts. Casting rumors have swirled as well as Reed Richards’ name consistently coming up in speculation for many of Marvel’s past projects.
Marvel has stayed silent on its Fantastic Four plans, only hinting at the arrival of the quartet with teasing images. The only known fact thus far is that Spider-Man leader Jon Watts will helm the Fantastic Four film, which is very good news, especially after his epic conclusion to the first MCU Spider-Man trilogy with Spider-Man: No Way Home.
Blade
A Blade reboot is coming, and Mahershala Ali will be taking on the role of Eric Brooks aka Blade, a half-human/half-vampire who lives his life in pursuit of eradicating the world of the undead. Blade was first introduced via Marvel Comics in 1973 and eventually made his way to the big screen with a trilogy starring Wesley Snipes that began in 1998. A television series starring Sticky Fingaz followed in 2006.
While minimal information has been released about the film thus far, we do know that Stacy Osei-Kuffour is set to write and Bassam Tariq will direct. Delroy Lindo was also recently announced for an undisclosed starring role.
Ali’s Blade hasn’t physically appeared in the MCU quite yet, but he did have an extremely brief voice cameo in the post-credits scene of Eternals. When Dane Whitman was preparing to reach for the Ebony Blade, a powerful yet cursed weapon, Blade chimed in off-screen, “You sure you’re ready for that, Mr. Whitman?”
Captain America 4
Marvel Studios’ Disney+ series The Falcon and The Winter Soldier saw Anthony Mackie’s Sam Wilson go on an arduous journey (both physically and mentally) to finally accept the Captain America mantle that Steve Rogers had passed on to him in Avengers: Endgame. Steve’s choice of a successor was undoubtedly one of the most worthy contenders there could be. However, for Sam, he had much to grapple with as a Black man who was being asked to step into the shoes of one of the most iconic superheroes to ever exist and to wield a shield with quite a complicated legacy. By the finale, though, Sam eventually ditched his Falcon getup and swooped in (literally) with his brand-new Cap suit, courtesy of Wakanda.
Earlier this year, news began rolling in that Anthony Mackie had reportedly closed on a deal for Marvel’s fourth Captain America film, which is said to be written by The Falcon and The Winter Soldier‘s Malcolm Spellman and Dalan Musson. It’s unclear at this time if Sebastian Stan’s Bucky Barnes will work alongside Sam in the upcoming film, or if he’s pivoting in a different direction for his next MCU appearance.
Note: Captain America 4 has yet to be officially confirmed or formally announced by Marvel Studios.
Deadpool 3
Ryan Reynolds’ Merc with a Mouth will officially make his way into the MCU in what will be Marvel Studios’ first R-Rated feature film. While it appears that other former-Fox properties will be rebooted, this is not the case with Deadpool.
Bob’s Burgers writers Wendy Molyneux and Lizzie Molyneux-Loeglin are attached to the project as the screenplay writers, with Reynolds overseeing the script due to his deep connection to the role. While the script is already in the works, filming on this movie probably won’t begin until sometime in 2022 or 2023, slating Deadpool 3 for a 2023 or 2024 release.
Reynolds is currently the only confirmed member of the cast.
