We were anticipating Ms. Marvel arriving on Disney+ later this year, but with Hawkeye now confirmed for a November debut, the series appears to have been delayed until 2022.
That does make sense, especially as it means Kamala Khan's live-action debut will be able to avoid getting lost in the shuffle between the likes of What If...?, Hawkeye, and The Book of Boba Fett. The delay also pushes Ms. Marvel into the same year as Captain Marvel sequel, The Marvels, a movie we know the young hero is set to have a leading role in.
Since being cast, newcomer Iman Vellani hasn't been given many opportunities to address her Marvel Cinematic Universe debut, but did share a few brief comments with Variety.
"The fact that the show is being made and they’re including this character in the MCU is [what’s important]. I don’t really have to go out of my way and talk about being a Muslim and being Pakistani - it all comes out in the show," the 19-year-old actress explains. "People seeing a person like me involved in a project as big as this is, I think, inspiring enough."
Ms. Marvel being brought into the MCU is definitely meaningful, but it sounds like Vellani doesn't want the conversation to simply be about her being a Muslim and being Pakistani. As she explains, that's a big part of the show, and there are a lot of layers to this character beyond her race and religion.
Needless to say, we're excited to see what the actress brings to the role of Kamala Khan, and the character being part of the MCU is a big step forward for representation in this shared world.
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TV shows we think could be coming to Disney+!
9. Wonder Man
We half expected Simon Williams to appear in WandaVision, and not casting Evan Peters as the character (forced to perform for Agatha Harkness) feels like a missed opportunity.
Regardless, given his celebrity status and ties to the likes of Grim Reaper and The Vision, there's no denying that Wonder Man has serious potential on screen. In terms of a Disney+ series, it'd be fun to see what life is like from the point of view of an actor turned superhero, all while potentially deepening the MCU's mythology in some fun and interesting ways.
While it's too late to tie Simon into The Vision's origin story, the "White" version could easily make his return for a fresh twist on that. If this sets the stage for a West Coast Avengers movie, then that would be even better, and we'd love to see Wonder Man's friendship with Beast explored down the line.
8. Black Widow
As great as Black Widow was in terms of telling Natasha Romanoff's story, it's Florence Pugh's Yelena Belova who has struck the biggest chord with fans of the MCU.
We know the former Widow is going to return in Hawkeye, so it could make sense for Marvel Studios to continue telling her story on the small screen. This certainly isn't a demotion for the character because Yelena would have no problem holding her own in a movie, but a six-part series presents an opportunity to take a deeper dive into where she goes next in this shared world.
A show like this opens the door to also bringing back characters like Taskmaster, Red Guardian, and Melina, supporting players we definitely need to see more of following their recent debut.
7. Nova
Fans have been crying out for Nova to make his MCU debut for what feels like forever now, but with James Gunn mostly uninterested in the character, he didn't show up in the Guardians of the Galaxy movies.
The cosmic side of this shared world is rapidly expanding beyond that franchise, though, and if rumours about Richard Rider and Sam Alexander being paired up are correct, how better to explore that than in a TV series? Picking up in the aftermath of the Nova Corps' destruction at the hands of Thanos, a mentor/mentee dynamic could be a really fun approach to telling both their stories.
Nova has the potential to be a game-changer for the MCU, but diving into this concept on television before he starts blasting his way into movies feels like the best possible way to familiarise us with the character/s.
6. Ghost Rider
Marvel Television reintroduced Ghost Rider in Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. by making use of the Robbie Reyes version of the character. The series did a good job with him, and it's a shame in some ways that the spinoff series for the Spirit of Vengeance never became a reality.
It's a new era of storytelling in the MCU now, though, and it feels like the right time to put a fresh spin on Johnny Blaze. Unfortunately, those movies with Nicolas Cage were so bad that it's probably too soon to bring him back to theaters, so why not reboot him on Disney+ instead?
Taking a deep dive into this character's origin story across the course of six episodes could nicely set the stage for future stories with Ghost Rider, and heck, if Marvel Studios wants to get really crazy, why not introduce the Cosmic Ghost Rider? That'd be one heck of a ride...
5. Daredevil
Rumour has it that Charlie Cox will reprise the role of Matt Murdock and Daredevil in Spider-Man: No Way Home and She-Hulk. If true, that's huge, and out of all the Netflix actors who were part of that world adjacent to the MCU, it's Cox who arguably most deserves to be given a second chance.
A soft reboot feels like the best possible approach; remember these shows were set in the aftermath of The Avengers and never really moved past that. As a result, by the time we catch up with Daredevil again, it will have almost been a decade since the Man Without Fear's last adventure.
That gives Marvel Studios the opportunity to put a fresh spin on Matt, and we'd love to see a new series perhaps take him to San Francisco to embark on new adventures...and maybe team-up with Ant-Man!
4. Captain Britain
Captain Britain has been portrayed a lot of different ways in the Marvel Universe, but it's Alan Moore's tenure writing the character that should be a priority for Marvel Studios and the MCU.
As a defender of the Multiverse, Brian Braddock would leap into action alongside his sister Betsy (who you'll know as Psylocke) and ultimately led the Captain Britain Corps, an entire army of Captain Britains who protected the Multiverse. Throw in some fun takes on British mythology and a lot of great supporting characters and villains, and we're honestly surprised this debut still hasn't happened.
Following the events of Loki, the stage has certainly been set for Captain Britain's introduction. We'd love to see him on the big screen, but feel like a TV series on Disney+ will ultimately do him the most justice.
3. Captain Carter
On the other hand, there's another "Captain Britain" Marvel Studios could make use of on Disney+. What If...? premieres on Disney+ next month, but fans are already desperate to see more of this Super Soldier version of Peggy Carter who goes on to become a superhero in Steve Rogers' place.
This could be an animated project exploring Peggy's place in her version of the MCU, though we are hoping those rumours of a live-action version showing up in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness are true.
Either way, Captain Carter already feels like a winning idea for Marvel Studios and one that can be exploited on the streaming service with Hayley Atwell kicking ass in the role. Heck, team her up with the Captain Britain and we could be on to an absolute winner with a series featuring this hero.
2. Young Avengers
With so many young heroes being introduced in Phase 4, a Young Avengers team assembling in the near future now feels inevitable. We obviously still want to see some of those classic heroes reunite (West Coast Avengers, anyone?), but a new generation stepping up to fill the void left after the original group disassembled at the end of Avengers: Endgame? Sign us up.
It really goes without saying that this would work as a movie, but why not spend a little more time exploring these heroes and what brings them together across the course of an event series?
That would be a smart way to keep the main Avengers franchise the top tier multi-billion dollar grossing franchise it's become without diluting it, while also creating a new team who could be key in the MCU moving forward. As for who they should face, we're thinking another Kang Variant!
1. Midnight Sons
There have been a few different iterations of the Midnight Sons, and with Marvel Studios clearly heading down a supernatural route across Phase 4 and 5, now feels like the right time to introduce this team.
Looking through the list of characters who have been associated with the faction over the years, we'd probably choose to see the likes of Werewolf by Night, Ghost Rider, Doctor Strange, Blade, Moon Knight, Punisher, and perhaps newcomers like Elsa Bloodstone and Brother Voodoo, assemble.
There are countless directions a show like this could head in, but a big enough foe to warrant a team-up on this scale could be teased in upcoming shows and movies like Moon Knight and Blade. Dracula might be too on the nose, but we sure wouldn't say no to Mephisto being part of proceedings.