With Marvel’s phase 3 ending on a high note courtesy of Spiderman: Far From Home in 2019, the coronavirus pandemic meant that it had been almost two years since we have had a new marvel film. Marvel released a sizzle reel of their upcoming Phase 4 films, with cinemas opening up worldwide. We break down the contents of the sizzle reel below.
What Marvel films are due to release in 2021 and 2022?
First up is Black Widow, due for release in about two months. Chronicling the backstory of Natasha Romanoff AKA Black Widow, Black Widow finds its villain in The Taskmaster. Along for the ride are other Black Widows as well, played by Rachel Weisz and Florence Pugh.
The following two films to release back to back are Shang Chi: Legend of the Ten Rings and The Eternals. While Shang Chi does not have any well-established names attached to it, it does delve into the story of the Ten Rings organization previously seen in the Iron Man films. On the other hand, Eternals has the star-studded cast of Angelina Jolie, Richard Madden, Kumail Nanjiani, and Salma Hayek working in its favor. Focusing on a group of celestial beings, the Eternals will make the MCU go genuinely cosmic.
The last MCU film is Spiderman: No Way Home, due to release in December 2021. Featuring Doctor Octopus from the original Spiderman trilogy and Jamie Foxx’s Electro from Amazing Spiderman 2, this is the film that will start the MCU’s foray into the multiverse.
2022 also sees four MCU film release dates sprinkled throughout the year. First up is the Doctor Strange sequel directed by Sam Raimi. Also starring Scarlet Witch and possibly Spiderman as well, the first MCU film will release in March.
This is followed by Thor 4 or Thor: Love and Thunder in May. Starring Thor, some Guardians of the Galaxy, and Christian Bale as the villain, this is one film that is sure to be a blast. In July 2022, the Black Panther sequel titled Wakanda Forever will be released into theatres. After Chadwick Boseman’s tragic death, it would be interesting to see how Marvel handles his absence.
The final film of 2022 will be the Captain Marvel sequel, tentatively titled The Marvels. Starring Brie Larson’s Captain Marvel, Monica Rambeau, and Ms. Marvel, the film promises to be an action-packed sequel.
What does the future hold?
2023 seems to be an essential branching-off point of the MCU. The sizzle reel makes it clear that both Guardians of the Galaxy 3 and Ant-Man 3 will be released this year, but being so far out, the remaining two of the year’s films are a little unclear.
The two other films of the year could be Mahershala Ali’s Blade, Deadpool 3 starring Ryan Reynolds, a rumored Fantastic Four reboot, or a recently announced Captain America 4.
Whatever happens, the MCU will march on, and we, along with it to enjoy the glorious superhero content that we have come to expect from the largest superhero franchise in modern history.