Thanks to all the craziness that's happening in the world right now, this is the first year since 2009 that we won't get to pay a visit to the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Since the first Iron Man blasted into the screen, there's been at least one Marvel Studios movie released on a yearly basis, and we were supposed to be getting two movies and two TV shows in 2020. Obviously, that hasn't happened!
With so many big delays, you'd best believe that 2021 is shaping up to be an epic, busy year. In the case of Marvel Studios, there are at least eight big and small screen projects on the way.
Now, we're taking a closer look at those releases as we delve into what the Phase 4 slate currently looks like, how it might change in the coming months, and when we'll get to see these movies and TV shows.
To check out what the MCU has in store for us in 2021, simply click on the "Next" button below!
WandaVision - January 15th
The hope among fans was that WandaVision would be released this year, but in order to avoid the Marvel Studios series clashing with those final few episodes of The Mandalorian and Pixar's Soul, it was recently confirmed that we'll now see it on January 15th, 2021 instead.
Work on the six-part series starring Paul Bettany and Elizabeth Olsen is believed to be done, though there's a chance the final finishing touches are being made to it in post-production.
While Marvel Studios never planned for WandaVision to be the first of their new TV shows to hit Disney+, that's the way things are going now, and it promises to give us our first glimpse at what we can expect from Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness when that's finally released.
The Falcon And The Winter Soldier - TBD
Originally scheduled to debut on Disney+ in August, those plans changed because Marvel Studios was unable to finish shooting the series. Now, The Falcon and The Winter Soldier has been slotted in for a 2021 debut, but there's still no word on when exactly it will hit the streaming service.
Ultimately, it could depend on whether it needs to come before or after the Black Widow movie.
If it's the latter, then the new Captain America's debut is going to be held off for the summer, so that's one hell of a delay. Either way, with WandaVision set to run for six episodes, we probably won't be watching The Falcon and The Winter Soldier until March at the very earliest.
Black Widow - May 7th
After moving from this May to November and then next May, Black Widow will have been delayed by an entire year by the time it arrives in theaters...unless, of course, it lands on Disney+ before then.
That's entirely possible, and it will be during a December conference call next month that we may finally get an answer on that front. For now, though, Black Widow is scheduled for a big screen debut, and it remains the first Phase 4 movie from Marvel Studios whatever happens next.
Despite being set between the events of Captain America: Civil War and Avengers: Infinity War, it's widely believed that Black Widow will lay the groundwork for future stories, including the Thunderbolts.
Loki - TBD
Loki was always heading our way in 2021, but what once looked like a Spring debut is now almost certainly going to be later in the summer. Production has resumed in Atlanta, and there's only believed to be weeks of shooting left rather than months (which gives Marvel Studios plenty of time to finish it off).
The God of Mischief's series will almost certainly tie into Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, even if it's just a case of familiarising fans with how the Marvel "Multiverse" works.
Plot details are scarce, but the God of Mischief will fall into the clutches of the Time Variance Authority after his escape in Avengers: Endgame, so don't be surprise if Kang is hinted at.
Shang-Chi And The Legend Of The Ten Rings - July 9th
Originally set to be released as early as next February, Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings was recently pushed back to next July (after originally being delayed to Black Widow's May slot).
That's a good spot for the Marvel Studios movie, though, and making this a summer blockbuster should help ensure casual fans make checking out Shang-Chi's big screen debut a priority. The Master of the Martial Arts stands to bring a lot of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, especially as The Mandarin is coming with him; that villain could be a game-changer for this shared world.
Throw in rumours about Fin Fang Foom and an underground fight tournament introducing some new characters to this world, and this is a movie that should definitely end up being worth the wait.
What If? - TBD
Considering the fact work on What If? continued even when Hollywood was on lockdown, it's surprising Marvel Studios hasn't shared at least a few episodes this year when Disney+ needed content!
Regardless, it's likely we're still getting the animated series starring Jeffrey Wright as The Watcher next summer, presumably after Loki helps explain what the Marvel Multiverse is. Once that happens, Marvel Studios will be free to explore all these alternate timelines and realities.
What If? is an incredibly exciting project, and it's one which also looks set to include Chadwick Boseman's final performance as T'Challa for a story exploring what happened if he'd been taken by Yondu.
Eternals - November 5th
Eternals is another movie hit by multiple delays, and after originally being set for release earlier this month, it slipped back to February and then ended up being postponed by an entire year.
Some promo art and action figures have already been leaked due to the movie's changing release dates, but Marvel Studios has yet to share so much as a single official image from Chloe Zhao's Marvel Cinematic Universe debut. Unfortunately, we can't bank on that changing until next year.
What ramifications Eternals will have for the wider MCU remains to be seen, but Marvel Studios clearly doesn't want to play around with where this story falls in the timeline of this shared world.
Spider-Man 3 - December 17th
Spider-Man 3 was supposed to be released during the summer, but has now become a Christmas movie (for the first time in the wall-crawler's big screen history). Shooting has started in Atlanta, but there are a tonne of conflicting theories about what we can expect, especially with Benedict Cumberbatch's Doctor Strange set to appear alongside Jamie Foxx as Electro.
The actor first played that villain in 2014's The Amazing Spider-Man 2, so we now can't help but wonder whether this means Tom Holland's web-slinger is heading on an adventure in the Multiverse.
Regardless, this promises to be a huge movie for Marvel Studios, and the fallout from Spider-Man: Far From Home alone is going to be fascinating to deal with after his identity was outed and he was framed.