Marvel Studios Announces Full Phase 4 Slate Including 'Thor: Love and Thunder', 'The Eternals', 'Black Widow', and 'Blade'

One of the most exciting events for movie fans every year has become the Marvel Studios' Hall H panel at San Diego Comic-Con. Over the last ten years of the MCU, Hall H has been the location of many memorable events including the announcement of the cast for The Avengers, the title for Age of Ultron, and the trailer for Infinity War. But now with the Infinity Saga having come to a close and the events of Endgame leaving the future of the MCU as a big mystery, this year's Comic-Con finally gave fans the roadmap for whats to come courtesy of the mastermind himself Kevin Feige.

Below is the list of all the MCU projects announced at Hall H this year, some of which we knew about and some that were huge surprises. These include new solo projects, Disney+ shows, and sequels along with their directors, logos, and some of their cast. They're in order of release date, but some of these projects still don't have official dates set. 

Black Widow - May 21, 2020

Despite pretty much all of us knowing this movie was in the works, Marvel decided to announce Black Widow as the last movie on its panel (Or so we thought). While the actual announcement of the movie and its release date weren't much of a surprise, we did get some new details including the fact that the movie will take place after Civil War. We also know David Harbour will be playing some version of Red Guardian from the comics, and Taskmaster will be the villain as revealed in some concept art.

The Eternals - November 6, 2020

Eternals is a very mysterious property to some casual comic book fans, and they are characters who will give us a much better understanding of the mythos and history behind the MCU. Going with such an unknown group of characters is one of Marvel's bigger risks, but the cast they've put together has certainly eased fans. This panel included the confirmation of the cast which includes Angelina Jolie, Richard Madden, Kumail Nanjiani, Bryan Tyree Henry, Salma Hayek, and more. 

The Falcon and The Winter Soldier - Disney+ Fall 2020

Along with Loki and WandaVision, The Falcon and The Winter Soldier was one of the first Disney+ series we heard would be in development. We now know that Falcon has taken up the mantle of Captain America after he was given the mantle by old Steve in Endgame, and Winter Soldier is now his partner in crime. The rumors of Daniel Bruhl returning as Baron Zemo after the events of Civil War are true, and he will indeed be the villain of the series and even wear the character's iconic mask.

Shang-Chi And The Legend Of The Ten Rings - February 12, 2021

Shang-Chi is another project we've recently learned Marvel had in active development, and is the only movie here where we're fully being introduced to a single lead character in their own solo movie. We know the movie will be directed by Destin Daniel Cretton, and will star newcomer Simu Liu in the title role. Whats probably most interesting about this announcement is that Marvel will be bringing the real Mandarin to the MCU after the controversial twist from Iron Man 3. Actor Tony Leung will be playing the role, and some rumors have suggested this version of the character could be Shang-Chi's uncle. 

WandaVision - Spring 2021

The second Disney+ we'll be getting is the already confirmed Vision and Scarlet Witch series, that will apparently see the return of the character after his death in Infinity War. Feige emphasized how its one of the strangest projects Marvel has ever created, which may confirm rumors that the show will partially take place in the 1950s as well as in alternate timelines. We also know the character of Monica Rambeau who was a young girl in Captain Marvel will now be an adult played by Teyonah Parris, and will serve as one of the series main cast.

Loki - Spring 2021

Sometime alongside the release of WandaVision will be the premiere of another Disney+ series focused on Tom Hiddleston's fan favorite Loki. Although the character also met his end in Infinity War, we know the alternate timeline version of Loki from the past The Avengers went back to is still alive and has the tesseract in his possession. The show will apparently feature him also traveling through time and possibly even the multiverse, so it'll be interesting to see The God of Mischief put his plan into action.

Doctor Strange In The Multiverse Of Madness - May 7, 2021

A Doctor Strange sequel has been rumored for a while now but we weren't sure what direction they'd take the character in, but the title alone here is a huge giveaway. With original director Scott Derrickson returning, the movie has been described as Marvel Studios' first horror film. Scarlet Witch will be in the film which likely means it will directly tie into the events of WandaVision. This also confirms the multiverse does exist in the MCU despite Mysterio lying about it in Far From Home, so this opens the door to different version of characters and possibly the introduction of some of the Fox characters like the X-Men.

Hawkeye - Fall 2021

Just like Black Widow, her partner in crime Clint Barton will be getting his own solo outing, only his will be in the form of a Disney+ series. Jeremy Renner will be starring alongside a yet to be announced actress as his protege Kate Bishop, who Barton trains in the comics to become the new Hawkeye. Bishop's character was heavily rumored to appear in Endgame with some believing the scene early in the film with his daughter could mean she would be taking up the mantle, but we now know Bishop will indeed by a new character in the MCU. This also is likely setting the stage for an eventual New Avengers or Young Avengers film with Bishop as the new Hawkeye, and Barton in retirement with his family.

Thor: Love And Thunder - November 5, 2021

This one probably would've been a bigger shocker if we hadn't already heard that Taika Waititi would be returning to work on Thor 4 earlier in the week. With no character having received a fourth film yet in the MCU, and Thor now seemingly part of the Guardians, many of us believed the next time we would be seeing him was in Guardians 3. There was still a big surprise left for the stage though as it was revealed Natalie Portman would be returning as Jane Foster and the film would adapt the comic where she becomes The Mighty Thor. While Portman had seemed to have a falling out with Marvel with her character written out of the films, Taika's involvement may bring us a whole new layer to the character we haven't yet seen. 

Confirmed Phase 5 Projects Without Release Dates

Just when everyone thought the panel was over, Kevin Feige revealed he still had another surprise up his sleeve. Oscar Winner Mahershala Ali took to the stage and revealed he would be playing Blade in a new film reboot for the character, made famous by Wesley Snipes in the 90s. Although Blade is not part of Phase 4 and doesn't have a release date or director yet, we did get a logo and of course our main actor announcement. Feige also assured fans Black Panther 2, Captain Marvel 2, Guardians 3, Fantastic Four, and X-Men are all in development seemingly for Phase 5. While he never mention Spider-Man 3 or Ant-Man 3, its possible these projects could've slipped his mind as the announcement were made pretty off the cuff. 

So what do you think of all of Marvel's Phase 4 projects? Which one are you most excited for? Let us know below!

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Angelina Jolie Joins Marvel Studios' Phase 4 Film 'The Eternals' As Its Female Lead

At this point, its hard to find a big name actor in Hollywood who hasn't appeared yet in the MCU. It almost feels hard to believe that at all point during the making of all these movies, the studio never called up a mega star like Angelina Jolie for one for their films. Well that time has finally come, as they are hoping the actress will lead their latest project The Eternals. Based on characters from the comics and a part of Marvel mythology that isn't exactly common knowledge, it makes sense that bringing a box office draw like Jolie as the first member of the cast will peak the interest of movie goers worldwide. 

Its unknown who exactly Jolie will be playing, but its rumored she may be playing one of The Eternals same Sersi. The movie has been described by THR as a love story between the characters Sersi and Ikaris (A man fueled by cosmic energy). Sersi apparently wants to live among humans, and this conflict is a focal point of the movie. Jolie certainly seems to fit the mold of the character, especially if its as important of a part as the report makes it seem. This will be a return to Jolie's days of big action blockbusters, and her first role in a comic book movie since Wanted. 

Art by BossLogic

The Eternals is certainly a challenging property for Marvel to take on, but one Kevin Feige seems to be very excited about for Phase 4. Having Jolie's name attached will definitely help sell the movie to audiences skeptical of its concept or completely unfamiliar with these characters. In the comics they are basically gods who are created by the cosmic entities The Celestials, and include several different members. In many ways this seems to be Feige's answer the the Inhumans movie he had planned was never able to make, focusing on a lesser known group of super powerful beings.The movie already has a director in Chloe Zhao (The Rider), and will probably be one of Marvel's planned releases next year alongside their Black Widow movie.

Little else is known about the movie as of right now, but rumors have been swirling that movie may feature the first openly gay character in the MCU. While this could be a male or female in the movie (And may even be Jolie's character), MCU Cosmic reports it will be Hercules. They suggest Hercules will actually be the male lead of the movie, and like Thor is a god as well in Marvel comics. There's been a lot of buzz around actor Luke Evans (Beauty and the Beast), who is openly gay himself, taking on this role as he's actually been heavily rumored to star in the movie. 

So does Jolie's casting excite about The Eternals movie? What character would you like to see her play? Would you be happy to see Luke Evans play Hercules? Let us know below!

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Emma Watson, Andre Holland, and Alec Baldwin Amongst Rumored Shortlist For Marvel's 'Black Widow' Movie

Captain Marvel hit theaters this weekend, and has stolen all the spotlight as Marvel's first female led superhero movie. But fans of course know that another female hero has made her presence felt in the MCU these last ten years, and thats none other than Scarlett Johansson's Black Widow. The character has played a key role since the first Avengers movie and has also gone on to play a big supporting role in both Captain America sequels, but now she'll finally be getting her own movie. While we haven't heard too many details about it other than who will be directing, some rumors have now surfaced online about the actors and characters that may be featured.

According to The Hashtag Show, Emma Watson (Harry Potter series) is on a shortlist of actresses wanted for the other female lead in the movie. The character is surprised as a "kickass female Bond" type, with some fans speculating it could be Yelena Belova who is trained by the same people as Natasha Romanoff and because the next Black Widow in the comics. The character has been used in the Agent Carter TV show, but Marvel has had a knack for ignoring some of its smaller screen storylines in the past. The other actresses also rumored to be up for the part are Alice Englert (Beautiful Creatures), Dar Zuzovsky (Hostages), and Florence Pugh (Fighting With My Family).

(In order from left to right) Watson, Zuzovsky, Englert, and Pugh

Meanwhile the site also reports that Moonlight and Castle Rock star Andre Holland has auditioned for the role of the movie's villain. The studio apparently originally wanted an older actor in their 40s, but now has broadened there search and were impressed with Holland's audition. There's also apparently two roles for an older male and female actor who are American characters that may be working with the film's villain. Alec Baldwin (Mission Impossible: Fallout), Rachel Weisz (The Favourite), and Sebastian Koch (Bridge of Spies) are said to be up for these roles. 

Holland, Koch, Baldwin, and Weisz

The Black Widow film is currently expected to be one of Marvel Studios' 2020 releases, but Kevin Feige has already noted that no official announcements will be made until post Avengers: Endgame. It was also recently debunked by Feige that the movie would be the studio's first R-rated film, a rumor that had been circulating given the source material of Romanoff's character. We know the movie will be an origin story that takes place before Romanoff's involvement with The Avengers, and will explain her training in the Red Room facility that was teased in Age of Ultron.

So how do you feel about these Black Widow casting rumors? Which of these actors would you like to see land the roles? Let us know below!

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Rumors Suggest Marvel Studios Has Commissioned A Script For A Film Adaption Of 'The Dark Avengers'

At this point in time, it really hard to tell what the future has in store for the MCU. We don't exactly know what will result from the events of Avengers 4, but we could be seeing goodbye to a lot of the major players that have headlined these movies the last few years. Having said that, this paves the way for Marvel to bring in even more characters and movies based on them including a solo movie for Black Widow and an Eternals movie that have both already been announced. There's also the questions that still remain about the Fox deal, and whether we'll be getting an MCU reboot of the X-Men or Fantastic Four anytime soon. Well news might have just broke about one property we can expect to see adapted by the studio in the meantime.

That Hashtag Show are reporting that Marvel Studios head Kevin Feige has apparently asked for a Dark Avengers script to be written. Now if this is true, that doesn't necessarily mean a movie is already in development. The studio still has several sequels to properties they've already established such as Doctor Strange, Black Panther, and Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 to worry about right now. But the studio hasn't let this stop them from hiring directors for both Black Widow and The Eternals, which seem to officially be in the works despite not having release dates yet.

The Dark Avengers would certainly be any interesting team to bring to the big screen, as they're essentially reformed villains pretending to be superheroes. They're formed by the Green Goblin himself Norman Osborn, who becomes in charge of an organization known as H.A.M.M.E.R. that has replaced S.H.I.E.L.D. following the events of the Skrulls secret invasion. He puts together a team that includes former Scorpion Mac Gargan as a Venom/Spider-Man hybrid, Wolverine's son Daken disguised as his father, Daredevil villain Bullseye as Hawkeye, the god Ares, Moondragon as Ms. Marvel, Sentry, and Osborn himself as the Iron Patriot.

Its unknown how the team would fit into the current landscape of the MCU, as the Spider-Man movies haven't even introduced Norman who is pivotal to all this. Marvel will soon own all the rights to these characters following the Fox deal, so they could possibly start planting the seeds by having them make appearances prior to their team up. Mac Gargan and Bullseye both have already made appearances in the MCU, and you may remember James Rhodes suiting up as Iron Patriot in Iron Man 3. Captain Marvel is also introducing the Skrulls, which may lead to an adaption of Secret Invasion and ultimately explain the creation of The Dark Avengers.

So how do you feel about this rumor? Would like to see Marvel bring the Dark Avengers to the big screen? Let us know below!

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