If WandaVision isn't somehow recognised at the Emmys, there's something very wrong with the awards show. The Falcon and The Winter Soldier also deserves attention, but the two Disney+ shows won't be going head-to-head if they are nominated.
Marvel Studios producer Nate Moore recently spoke to IndieWire and confirmed that they'll both be put forward in different categories. The Falcon and The Winter Soldier is being submitted for "Best Drama Series," while WandaVision is taking aim at "Best Limited Series" (which confirms we won't be getting a season two).
"[The decision] came about sort of as the series was launching, but it was something we were thinking about even as we were making it — not because we think, 'Oh my God, it’s so great,' but because it does feel a bit more dramatic than some of our typical stuff," Moore said of the Anthony Mackie and Sebastian Stan-led series. "As this is sort of our first foray into television, even if it’s Disney+, we thought [the category placement] was appropriate for what the show is trying to tackle."
Both shows will face stiff competition at the Emmys, but even a nomination will be significant.
As for whether Mackie and Stan will be put forward for "Best Lead Actor" (this interview was focused on Moore's work as a producer on The Falcon and The Winter Soldier, so Elizabeth Olsen and Paul Bettany weren't mentioned), the producer said "We haven’t had those deep discussions just yet. I know Marvel has been around for a minute, but we’re always still learning because we’re always trying new things. So yeah, we don’t really have a strategy so far."
Television is a new arena for Marvel Studios, so navigating award ceremonies like this one isn't the norm for them. It's certainly going to be worth keeping an eye on them moving forward, though.
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Marvel's Phase 4 movies from least to most anticipated!
11. Black Widow
There's a lot to be excited about in Black Widow, including the fact that Taskmaster will be making his big screen debut alongside Red Guardian. Throw in the promise that it will explore what the mantle of Black Widow means, and it should be...okay? We're just not sure we entirely need this story.
It's previously been confirmed that Black Widow will take place in 2017 between the events of Captain America: Civil War and Avengers: Infinity War, and seeing as we already know how Natasha's story ends, it's hard to get overly invested in whatever story this movie is going to tell - especially when we're so used to the MCU's future being teased. That's definitely still a possibility, though.
After all, there's a very good chance Yelena Belova will be the next Black Widow, so this could be more than an unnecessary prequel...for now, though, we just don't have enough reasons to be excited.
10. Shang-Chi And The Legend Of The Ten Rings
Shang-Chi is a great character, but not one a huge number of fans would probably count among their personal favourites. Despite that, it's going to awesome to finally see him in a live-action setting, and a martial arts superhero movie should be unlike anything we've ever seen before.
Simi Liu is clearly very grateful and passionate for the role, and that alone makes it easy to root for him (and the character). However, arguably one of the most exciting things about Shang-Chi and the Legends of the Ten Rings is the fact that we're finally going to meet the real version of The Mandarin, something which promises to expand the MCU in a major way.
The issue, however, is that it's looking like he's been watered down to a point where he has very little in common with his comic book counterpart. In terms of the awful, clichéd aspects of the villain, that's not a bad thing, but leaked toy packaging has revealed that even the Ten Rings won't really be rings. This could be epic, but until we see a trailer, we remain on the fence.
9. Ant-Man And The Wasp: Quantumania
On the one hand, Ant-Man and The Wasp: Quantumania is a movie that should definitely rank higher than this. It's been confirmed that Jonathan Majors will play Kang the Conqueror, while there are plenty of rumours out there about the Young Avengers assembling here for the first time too.
Peyton Reed's two episodes of The Mandalorian were very much like his first two Ant-Man movies; they were terrific in places and utterly forgettable and average in others. With that in mind, we're just not sure he's the right filmmaker to tell what is clearly meant to be an extremely ambitious story.
Kang deserves to be more than a one-and-done villain, so this is hopefully just his opening chapter. Ant-Man and The Wasp underwhelmed, so fingers crossed this threequel makes up for that, eh?
8. Eternals
It's fair to say that the vast majority of comic book fans probably aren't overly familiar with the Eternals, but like the Guardians of the Galaxy before them, that's bound to change in the months to come.
The cast is phenomenal, with some real heavy-hitters it's fair to say we never expected to see in the MCU (Angelina Jolie, Richard Madden, Salma Hayek, and Kit Harington are among them). Director Chloé Zhao continues to pick up awards for Nomadland, so she's clearly an asset to Marvel Studios, and Eternals is in safe hands. We just don't know what to expect!
There have been some possible plot leaks - those weren't great - and plenty of promo art. Visually, this is going to be something special, and as soon as we see a trailer, we're fully expecting to get excited. For now, it remains to be seen whether Marvel Studios can make these characters shine.
7. Captain Marvel 2
Captain Marvel didn't get everything right, and we're still not sure it was a good idea to portray the Skrulls in a heroic light. However, with Disney+'s Secret Invasion on the horizon, it's clear that something much bigger is now in the works that will likely have consequences for the entire MCU.
Nia DaCosta is a fantastic choice of filmmaker to take the helm of Captain Marvel 2, while the promise that Carol Danvers will be teaming up with Ms. Marvel and Monica Rambeau...well, it's going to be out of this world. Unfortunately, we do have some questions about where this is headed.
With a present day setting, it seems Marvel Studios will have moved on from the Kree/Skrull War teased at the end of the first movie, and we're still not sold on those Skrulls. Hopefully, the franchise can be put back on the right track and, if nothing else, it definitely has three tremendous leads.
6. Guardians Of The Galaxy Vol. 3
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 looks set to be James Gunn's conclusion to his trilogy, and there's a lot for the writer and director to tackle. Gamora's return is chief among them following the events of Avengers: Endgame, but some plot leaks have really grabbed our attention.
It sounds like Drax will track his daughter down, while Rocket will meet another like him. Adam Warlock is bound to factor into proceedings, of course, while we're anticipating seeing more of the original Guardians as well. That's an awful lot to squeeze into a single movie, don't you think?
Thankfully, we have faith in Gunn, and Vol. 3 should at least be every bit as good as the first two movies. We've only really scratched the surface of the cosmic side of the MCU, and while it seems unlikely that the filmmaker will make use of Nova here, the stage could be set for that.
5. Black Panther II
It goes without saying that Black Panther II won't be the same without Chadwick Boseman as T'Challa, but it seems Marvel Studios is going to great lengths to make sure the sequel honours him.
Someone else will obviously have to take over the mantle, and that could be Shuri, Erik Killmonger, M'Baku, or even someone like Kasper Kole. It's too soon to say, but the pressure is now on to deliver a sequel that is as impactful and relevant as the first, Oscar-nominated, instalment. Thankfully, with Ryan Coogler back in the director's chair, we have 100% faith in that being the case.
We'll likely never know what the original plan for the Black Panther sequel was, but Coogler has been hard at work on the screenplay since Boseman passed away, and is clearly taking the responsibility of living up to his legacy seriously. It will be hard to watch but consider us fully on board.
4. Thor: Love And Thunder
Taika Waititi saved the Thor franchise with Thor: Ragnarok, and the fact he's returning for Thor: Love and Thunder is the best possible news for the God of Thunder. In terms of plot details, quite a lot has been revealed: Jane Foster will become the Mighty Thor, Valkyrie is searching for her Queen after becoming the new King of Asgard, and Christian Bale is playing Gorr the God Butcher.
'Nuff said, right? It certainly feels that way, and as jam-packed as this movie will clearly be, there's really no reason to suspect that Waititi isn't the right filmmaker to perfectly combine all these elements.
He certainly managed to juggle a lot of different storylines in his last Thor movie, and in terms of humour, you just know this will be a very funny movie. Throw in some epic action and another badass female superhero in the MCU, and this is definitely a project we can't wait to see much more from.
3. Doctor Strange In The Multiverse Of Madness
We were already excited for Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, but following the series finale of WandaVision...well, this sequel is clearly going to be as big as any of the Avengers movies.
It seems inevitable that this movie is taking us on a journey through the MCU's version of the Multiverse, and that's thrilling on any number of levels. It could lead to some crazy, unbelievable moments we never expected to grace the big screen, and Sam Riami is a great choice of director to take charge of that.
However, it's seeing Wanda's story continue we're most psyched about right now. Sure, the debut of America Chavez is a big deal, but the Scarlet Witch's story continuing after that big WandaVision cliffhanger promises to be unmissable. There's a lot we don't know about this one, but we know it's gonna be good.
2. Fantastic Four
Perhaps we're getting ahead of ourselves here, but how can you not be looking forward to the Fantastic Four joining the MCU? After three terrible live-action movies (four if you count the one which was never officially released), Marvel Studios can surely do amazing things with this superhero team.
It helps that Spider-Man: Far From Home director Jon Watts will be at the helm, of course, as we know he has an awesome grasp on the world of superheroes that translates well to screen.
Our hope is that Reed, Sue, Ben, and Johnny won't be portrayed as teenagers - that's the only reasons Watts' involvement concerns us given what a focus of his Spider-Man movies that has been - but there are lots of different and exciting directions for Marvel's First Family in the MCU. Regardless of whether they face Doctor Doom or Galactus here, we simply cannot wait.
1. Spider-Man: No Way Home
Look, most of what we know about Spider-Man: No Way Home might be rumours, but enough confirmed details have been shared to have us counting down the seconds until this is released.
All the signs are pointing to the MCU's Peter Parker being taken on a trip through the Marvel Multiverse (courtesy of Doctor Strange) where he'll cross paths with villains like the Green Goblin, Doctor Octopus, and Electro. Throw in those claims about Tobey Maguire and Andrew Garfield returning as their respective versions of Spider-Man, and this could be the best MCU movie yet.
There's every chance the threequel won't be as ambitious as it seems, but with Spidey definitely facing off with Doc Ock and Electro, it should still be a great time. Throw in those rumours about Charlie Cox's Daredevil being part of proceedings, and we're sure you'll agree this deserves to be #1.