Historically, San Diego Comic-Con is always a treat for comic book movie fans and general film enthusiasts alike. This year, SDCC 2022 continued the convention’s time-honored legacy of great reveals. As an example, the internet was set ablaze with Keanu Reeves’ surprise appearance when the actor showed up at Collider’s "Directors on Directing" panel alongside an exclusive first look at John Wick: Chapter 4.
SDCC 2022 also saw the announcement of the many film and television projects that Marvel Studios has in the works. Aiming to uphold the deepening cinematic universe and following in the footsteps of some of the superhero genre's biggest commercial and critical successes, you better believe that Marvel has several projects on the way, ready to capture the hearts and minds of fans for years to come.
'Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania'
Until Avengers: Endgame, fans underestimated how Ant-Man could impact and alter the trajectory of the MCU. But as Peyton Reed (Ant-Man and the Wasp) revealed, change is coming to the MCU, and Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania will be at the center of that change. The movie is expected to drop in February 2023.
Marvel TV shows and films have already proven capable of creative experimentation with the introduction of multiversal madness to various live-action and animated projects. But with a relatively underwhelming set of recent releases, the MCU might need another breath of fresh inspiration. This might be the perfect time (both in and out of the universe) for Paul Rudd’s Scott Lang and friends to fly in and save the day.
'Blade'
In November of 2023, Blade will take his rightful place in the hallowed halls of the MCU. For those of you who don’t know, Blade (or Eric Cross Brooks) is Marvel’s greatest vampire hunter. He received the film treatment long before the MCU was even born. Blade was released in 1998, where the character was portrayed beautifully by Wesley Snipes (Dolemite Is My Name).
Marvel Studios’ Blade will star Mahershala Ali (Moonlight) in the titular role. The Green Book actor has expressed his excitement to join the MCU, though fans are undoubtedly more hyped to see him bring the beloved vampire slayer to life.
'Avengers: The Kang Dynasty'
With a new slate of Marvel projects comes the announcement of future Avengers films, the unmatched cinematic events that tie the universe’s characters and storylines together. With the demise of Thanos (Josh Brolin), Marvel Studios has now set its eyes on more adversaries for its future films. Slated to release in May of 2025, Avengers: The Kang Dynasty will be the first Avengers film since the conclusion of the Infinity Saga.
As its name suggests, Avengers: The Kang Dynasty will feature a showdown with Kang the Conqueror, a time-traveling, dimension-hopping supervillain who frequently appears as an antagonist to the Avengers. A variant of the character, dubbed "He Who Remains,"’ appeared in the Disney+ series Loki (which is getting a second season, by the way). He Who Remains was played by Jonathan Majors (Lovecraft Country), who will return to portray the character in the upcoming Avengers film.
'Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3'
The brilliant and crazy brainchild of James Gunn (The Suicide Squad) and the MCU, the Guardians of the Galaxy films are universally adored. Thor: Love and Thunder showed that the Guardians’ adventures were far from over; Starlord (Chris Pratt) and co. will return for more shenanigans when their film releases on May 5, 2023. The final installment of the space action-comedy trilogy will feature the High Evolutionary as its main antagonist.
Chukwudi Iwuji (Peacemaker) will play this new and imposing villain, acting opposite the returning cast of heroes, Zoe Saldaña (Avatar: The Way of Water), Dave Bautista (Blade Runner 2049), Bradley Cooper (Nightmare Alley), and more.
'Secret Invasion'
When the shapeshifting aliens known as Skrulls were introduced in Captain Marvel, fans took it as a sign that one of their favorite storylines was in the works.
Secret Invasion will premiere on Disney+ in the Spring of 2023. Cobie Smulders—who plays the MCU’s Maria Hill—told the SDCC 2022 crowd that the show would be “darker” and more of an “exciting thriller” than your typical MCU venture. As the series’ name suggests, the show will revolve around the Skrulls and their infiltration of Earth.
'Thunderbolts'
The Thunderbolts is the anti-hero team that will see their film debut in July 2024. Well, the team won’t exactly “debut,” as many of the characters likely to appear in the upcoming film have already played supporting roles in MCU films or shows before. Fans speculate that the machinations of Valentina Allegra de Fontaine (Julia Louis-Dreyfus) will bring the oddball team together. Scheduled to be the concluding film of Phase 5, the Thunderbolts film might see the return of fan-favorite anti-heroes and villains, such as Florence Pugh’s Yelena Belova and Wyatt Russell’s John Walker, from 2021’s Black Widow and The Falcon and the Winter Soldier respectively.
This is by no means the only future show to bring more attention to some of the supporting characters from Marvel’s existing movies and live-action Disney+ shows. Also set to release is Agatha: Coven of Chaos and Echo, spin-off shows based on some of the most fascinating side characters from WandaVision and Hawkeye, respectively.
'Daredevil: Born Again'
Daredevil fans’ patience has not gone unrewarded; at this year’s SDCC, Marvel announced that Daredevil: Born Again would continue what Netflix’s highly-acclaimed original series began in 2015. In spirit, that is – the canon status of Daredevil (and its sibling shows Jessica Jones, Luke Cage, Iron Fist, and The Defenders) remains unspecified, as does the exact premise of the upcoming show.
We know that the show will premiere on Disney+ with a colossal eighteen-episode debut season and that some of the cast from the Netflix series will return. Charlie Cox (The Theory of Everything) will return as Matt Murdock, Daredevil himself, having appeared as the Man Without Fear in Spider-Man: No Way Home. Vincent D’Onofrio (Full Metal Jacket) will also reprise his role as Wilson Fisk. Like Cox, D’Onofrio’s Kingpin was recently canonized into the MCU, appearing in Hawkeye as a series antagonist.
'Captain America: New World Order'
On the back of The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, another Captain America movie is officially in the works. The film will star Anthony Mackie’s Sam Wilson in the titular role and is set to release in May of 2024.
Expectations are high for a new Captain America film, and that’s not even considering the new protagonist taking up the shield. Captain America: The Winter Soldier and Captain America: Civil War are some of the greatest films the MCU has to offer. Following in the footsteps of Cap’s peerless movies is a monumental task for any upcoming film. Still, fans eagerly await Sam Wilson’s first real ordeal as the MCU’s newest bearer of the iconic shield.
'Fantastic Four'
Fans could feel a Fantastic Four announcement coming ever since John Krasinski (A Quiet Place) appeared as Reed Richards in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness. At this year’s SDCC, Marvel announced that the Fantastic Four would hit the big screens once again. Expect it to arrive on November 8, 2024.
You may know this superhero team from a cheesy-but-lovable film from the early 2000s that shared its name. Or perhaps you’re more familiar with its charming sequel or the recent reboot directed by Josh Trank (Chronicle). But given their meteoric popularity in Marvel Comics, it’s strange that the Fantastic Four haven’t been met with the same critical and commercial acclaim as the rest of the MCU, though it is undoubtedly due to being handled by a completely different studio. But now, the Fantastic Four are home, rearing, and ready to make their MCU debut.
'Avengers: Secret Wars'
Fans and film audiences are now well in the throes of the MCU’s Multiverse Saga. That saga will come to an epic conclusion with Avengers: Secret Wars. Slated to release in November of 2025, the grandest crossover in comic book movie history will serve as the sequel to and culmination of every film within the MCU when it finally arrives. If the title is anything to go by, Avengers: Secret Wars will follow the comic book storyline of the same name wherein the Marvel multiverse is brought together in the Battleworld in an unmatched story event that changed comic book crossovers forever.
Marvel Studios certainly isn’t holding back with all its ambitious announcements, lining up film and television projects all the way to 2025. It will remain to be seen whether this will be the end of Marvel’s long cinematic adventure or if Secret Wars will simply mark another change in gear for the MCU.