Thor: Ragnarok took the God of Thunder's franchise in a very different direction, and the majority of fans loved it. Now, with
Thor: Love and Thunder on the horizon, there's a lot of excitement surrounding what writer and director Taika Waititi brings to the table next.
We know that the Mighty Thor will factor into the proceedings in a big way, while Valkyrie will be looking for her "Queen" now that's she's Asgard's ruler. However, those of you hoping it will be Captain Marvel may be disappointed because while Waititi is well aware of fans shipping the two Marvel characters, he's unsure whether listening to fans all the time is actually a good thing.
"The thing is, I think it’s dangerous for people to say too much about what they want with Marvel, because then they will tend to go the other way," the filmmaker explained. "You want to listen to the fans to a point. But also you don’t want to have a completely fan-made film because then it doesn’t feel like there’s any point. You want to have people surprised."
In other words, Valkyrie's Queen probably won't be who any of us expect!
On that note, it sounds like Thor: Love and Thunder will take us to some crazy, unexpected places. "It’s going to be bigger and louder and more bombastic," Waititi promises. "It’s only interesting to me if we’re doubling down on how nuts Ragnarok was."
Sounds like a fun time, right?
How does Thor: Love and Thunder fit into Marvel's Phase 4?
Hit the "View List" button to check out the entire slate!
Black Widow
Release Date: May 1st, 2020
Director: Cate Shortland
Cast: Scarlett Johansson, Rachel Weisz, Florence Pugh, David Harbour
It's been confirmed that Black Widow will be set shortly after the events of Captain America: Civil War and after Comic-Con and D23, we now know that Natasha will be facing off with villains like Red Guardian and Taskmaster. With any luck, we'll also get to delve into her origin story as there are a lot of gaps in the Marvel Cinematic Universe's timeline that this adventure could fill in.
Eternals
Release Date: November 6th, 2020
Director: Chloe Zhao
Cast: Richard Madden, Angelina Jolie, Salma Hayek, Kumail Nanjiani, Lauren Ridloff, Brian Tyree Henry, Lia McHugh, Don Lee
Marvel Studios revealed the full cast of Eternals at Comic-Con and later added Kit Harington to the roster at D23. We don't know a lot about the plot, but it's been confirmed that the movie will delve into 30,000 years' worth of the MCU's history, while also putting the spotlight on the Celestials. Chances are that this one will set the stage for some huge future stories.
The Falcon And The Winter Soldier
Release Date: Fall 2020
Cast: Anthony Mackie, Sebastian Stan, Daniel Brühl, Emily VanCamp, Wyatt Russell
The first Marvel TV show coming to Disney+ could also be the most significant, as there's a very strong chance it will introduce a new Captain America to the Marvel Cinematic Universe. The return of Zemo is also significant as is the introduction of U.S. Agent, and we can probably expect the show to reveal whether Steve Rogers is still alive or if he's passed away from old age.
Shang-Chi And The Legend Of The Ten Rings
Release Date: February 12th, 2021
Director: Destin Daniel Cretton
Cast: Simu Liu, Tony Leung, Awkwafina
For years, fans have been anxiously waiting for The Mandarin to make his presence felt in the MCU. Well, that's going to happen in Shang-Chi's first big screen outing as we get to meet the villain and learn more about the Ten Rings. Iron Man may be dead and gone, but it's hard to believe there won't by any references to Tony Stark's connection to that bad guy and his organisation.
Loki
Release Date: Spring 2021
Cast: Tom Hiddleston
We don't have many details at all about Loki, but it has mostly been confirmed that it will revolve around the 2012 version of the God of Mischief following his escape from Earth's Mightiest Heroes in
Avengers: Endgame. Concept art has shown the villain in the 1970s, so there's a good chance he's found a way to use the Tesseract to travel through time and potentially alter his fate.
WandaVision
Release Date: Spring 2021
Cast: Elizabeth Olsen, Paul Bettany, Kat Dennings
, Kathryn Hahn
, Randall Park
, Teyonah Parris
The concept art released for
WandaVision has shown the Scarlet Witch and a very human looking Vision living in what appears to be a 1950s style sitcom setting. Chances are her reality altering powers will come into play here and that she starts losing control after bringing back the man/android she loves. Kevin Feige came up with the concept for the series, so you know it will be good.
Doctor Strange In The Multiverse Of Madness
Release Date: May 7th, 2021
Director: Scott Derrickson
Cast: Benedict Cumberbatch, Benedict Wong, Elizabeth Olsen
No, that photo of the Scarlet Witch isn't a mistake! Following the release of WandaVision on Disney+, the character will be making an appearance in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness. That could mean her powers are about to become a problem, and with Scott Derrickson promising that this is the MCU's first "horror" movie, there's a lot of reasons to be excited for this one.
What If?
Release Date: Summer 2021
Cast: Hayley Atwell
, Chadwick Boseman
, Josh Brolin
, Dominic Cooper
, David Dastmalchian
, Michael Douglas, Karen Gillan
, Jeff Goldblum
, Sean Gunn
, Chris Hemsworth
, Tom Hiddleston
, Djimon Hounsou
, Samuel L. Jackson
, Toby Jones
, Michael B. Jordan
, Neal McDonough
, Natalie Portman
, Jeremy Renner
, Michael Rooker
, Paul Rudd
, Mark Ruffalo
, Sebastian Stan
, Chris Sullivan
, Stanley Tucci
, Taika Waititi
, Jeffrey Wright
Marvel Studios' first animated series will be narrated by The Watcher and will feature very different takes on most Marvel Studios movies. For example, we'll find out what would have happened if Peggy Carter had taken the Super Soldier Serum, and footage shown at D23 teased everything from T'Challa becoming Star-Lord to The Winter Soldier squaring off with Marvel Zombies.
Untitled Marvel Studios/Sony Pictures Spider-Man Movie
Release Date: July 16th, 2021
Cast: Tom Holland
We didn't think this would happen, but Disney and Sony Pictures have made up, and the wall-crawler will be getting a third solo outing in the MCU. Jon Watts is in final talks to return to direct and he's previously said that Kraven the Hunter is a villain he would like to use in a future movie. Time will tell whether that happens and what direction he takes the hero in after that cliffhanger.
Hawkeye
Release Date: Fall 2021
Cast: Jeremy Renner, Hailee Steinfeld
Jeremy Renner reprises the role of Hawkeye for his own Disney+ TV series, and it's been widely reported that Hailee Steinfeld (
Bumblebee) will play Kate Bishop. Based on what little we know, the show will revolve around Clint training his replacement, while also delving into the aftermath of the time he spent as Ronin following the events of
Avengers: Infinity War.
Thor: Love And Thunder
Release Date: November 5th, 2021
Director: Taika Waititi
Cast: Chris Hemsworth, Natalie Portman, Tessa Thompson
Arguably Marvel Studios' most exciting Phase 4 movie, Thor: Love and Thunder will see Natalie Portman return to the MCU to play the new God of Thunder. Throw in the fact that Taika Waititi is back at the helm and this has all the makings of being one of the best Marvel movies to date. The big mystery right now, though, is who Valkyrie will end up choosing as her new Queen!
Untitled Marvel Studios Movie
Release Date: February 18th, 2022
Black Panther 2
Release Date: May 6th, 2022
Cast: Chadwick Boseman
Bob Iger recently revealed that director Ryan Coogler has only just started working on the story for this sequel, so it's clear the casting process probably won't start until next year. Rumour has it that Michael B. Jordan could return in some way, shape, or form, but we probably shouldn't believe anything we hear for the time being as it's still very early days.
Untitled Marvel Studios Movie
Release Date: July 29th, 2022
Blade
Release Date: Unknown
Cast: Mahershala Ali
The biggest surprise at this year's Comic-Con came when Kevin Feige brought Mahershala Ali out on stage and announced that he will be joining the MCU as Blade. That means vampires are coming to this shared world, and with recent rumours pointing to Feige wanting to use Ghost Rider, we could see future stories head down a supernatural path.
Captain Marvel 2
Release Date: Unknown
Cast: Brie Larson
A
Captain Marvel sequel is definitely happening, but there's been no word on whether directors Anna Boden and Ryan Fleck will return or what form that might take. Recent rumours have claimed that it could adapt
Secret Invasion, while some believe that we'll see A-Force assemble here. Whatever the case may be, the first instalment grossed over $1 billion, so this is happening!
Fantastic Four
Release Date: Unknown
Cast: Unknown
Kevin Feige may have name dropped mutants at Comic-Con, but he specifically mentioned the Fantastic Four and relatively reliable sources have claimed that it could be coming our way as soon as 2022. With Spider-Man confirmed to appear in a future MCU movie, don't be surprised if we see the wall-crawler meet up with Marvel's First Family when they're rebooted.
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3
Release Date: Unknown
Cast: Chris Pratt, Zoe Saldana, Dave Bautista, Bradley Cooper, Vin Diesel
Once he's finished working on
The Suicide Squad, James Gunn will return to the MCU to finally direct
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3. Not much is known about the movie, but it does sound like it will wrap up the story of this version of the team. As of right now, your guess is as good as ours when it comes to what that means for the fates of our favourite superhero movie A-Holes.
Moon Knight
One of three Disney+ TV shows announced at D23, we don't know when this (or the shows listed below) are coming to the streaming service, but it sounds like Marvel Studios is already searching for their Moon Knight. It's said that they want a "Jewish Zac-Efron-type" to play Marc Spector and that points to Kevin Feige and company staying true to the character's roots.
Ms. Marvel
The casting process has already begun to find an actress to play Ms. Marvel, and some online scoopers are already throwing around the possibility that Kevin Feige will reboot the Inhumans in this show after that disastrous limited series from Marvel Television. A lot of fans are excited about this one and it's probably a project which is a priority for Marvel Studios and Disney+.
She-Hulk
Speculation is running rampant online that Peter Parker will turn to lawyer Jennifer Walters for help clearing his name in the next
Spider-Man movie, but whether that proves to be the case or not, it's going to be a lot of fun seeing She-Hulk on the small screen. Chances are The Hulk will get involved here, and that his story will also be addressed in the series.
Which of these Phase 4 movies are you guys most excited to see? As always, be sure to let us know your thoughts in the comments section below and stay tuned for more on all of these!