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With Spider-Man: No Way Home now the sixth-highest grossing movie of all time worldwide, it’s pretty clear that audiences aren’t close to “comic book movie fatigue,” as has been regularly speculated. And thank god for Marvel we’re not: the studio has over a dozen new projects confirmed through to 2024, from its traditional movie slate through to a swathe of new TV arrivals on Disney+.
Whatever the case, it’s a lot to keep up with. Here’s GQ’s handy guide to all things future MCU — from Oscar Isaac’s Moon Knight, to the long-awaited reboot of Blade.
MOVIES
Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness
Release date: May 6, 2022
Marvel’s next cinematic instalment looks to be taking a cue from Spider-Man: No Way Home, with a swathe of rumoured (and effectively confirmed) cameos — we’re looking at you, Sir Patrick. It also marks the return of horror master Sam Raimi to the Marvel fold, having last stepped into the comic book genre with 2007’s Spider-Man 3. Expect creepy shit.
Thor: Love and Thunder
Release date: July 8, 2022
The last time we saw Chris Hemsworth’s Thor, way-back in Avengers: Endgame, he was hanging out with the Guardians of the Galaxy, who are set to join the Asgardian God of Thunder in this fourquel. Little else is known, but director Taika Waititi (returning from the acclaimed Thor: Ragnorok) has called Love and Thunder the “craziest film [he has] ever done.” Oh, and Natalie Portman returns as Thor’s love interest, Jane Foster, becoming the superhero Mighty Thor, and Christian Bale makes his MCU debut as the nefarious Gorr the God Butcher.
Black Panther: Wakanda Forever
Release date: November 11, 2022
The sequel to Ryan Coogler’s Black Panther — still the only MCU instalment to be nominated for Best Picture at the Oscars — has hit a number of obstacles since star Chadwick Boseman’s untimely, tragic demise in August 2020. The story has reportedly shifted focus to Letitia Wright’s Shuri, T’Challa’s younger sister and technology whizz; various production delays have pushed the release date numerous times. Little is known about the story, but a respectful parting statement for Boseman is expected.
The Marvels
Release date: February 17, 2023
Nia DiCosta, best known for her recent “requel” to classic horror Candyman, will helm the sequel to 2019’s Captain Marvel — and, in doing so, become the first Black woman to direct for the MCU. Shooting began late last year, with Brie Larson returning to her role as Carol Danvers, one of the titular Marvels on whom the film is focused. Iman Vellani joins as Kamala Khan, moniker Ms. Marvel, after making her debut in the Disney+ series of the same name. Plot details are otherwise scarce, but expect an all-women, smaller-scale super adventure.
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3
Release date: May 5, 2023
Another sequel about which we know frighteningly little, Vol. 3 marks the return of James Gunn to the MCU fold, having been temporarily sacked for a series of controversial tweets in 2018. Since then, the gonzo auteur has helmed two of the most critically popular D.C. Extended Universe projects, The Suicide Squad and spin-off series Peacemaker. We’d expect Vol. 3 to continue on from the Guardians’ story in Love and Thunder. Plus, the post-credits sequence in Vol. 2 teased the introduction of comic mainstay Adam Warlock, played by Will Poulter, so it’s reasonable to think he’ll be pretty heavily involved.
Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania
Release date: July 27, 2023
Ah, finally: Jonathan Majors makes his big screen MCU debut in the Ant-Man threequel, stepping back into the villainous boots of Kang the Conqueror, a variant of whom was seen in Disney+ series Loki. Trilogy director Peytod Reed returns for a dive into the Quantum Zone, along with star Paul Rudd, Evangeline Lilly, Michael Douglas and Michelle Pfeiffer. Big Little Lies’ Kathryn Newton comes in as the all-growed-up version of Cassie Lang, the titular Ant-Man’s daughter.
Fantastic Four
Release date: TBC
Fantastic Four has been announced, and Spider-Man: Homecoming trilogy filmmaker Jon Watts will direct. But that’s about all we know about the MCU’s introduction of Marvel’s original First Family. (Our pick for Mr. Fantastic? John Krasinski.)
Blade
Release date: TBC
Mahershala Ali technically made his Marvel movie debut as the titular vampire slayer in the post-credits scene of Eternals, his voice heard off-screen with Kit Harington’s Dane Whitman. Delroy Lindo is also confirmed to join the reboot in a yet-to-be-disclosed role, along with the 27-year-old breakout Aaron Pierre. Other than that, expect a whole lotta vampire killin’, and hopefully a blood rave or two.
TV
Moon Knight
Release date: March 30
The next Disney+ series, Moon Knight, introduces not one but two of the world’s biggest stars to the Marvel universe: Oscar Isaac, who plays the titular schizophrenic superhero, and Ethan Hawke, as a Jim Jones-esque cult leader and the series’ key antagonist. The first teaser was broadly mocked online owing to Isaac’s beguiling accent, a strange concoction of Cockney and Afrikaner, but trailers since have been more promising, benefiting from greater focus on Hawke’s performance. The show itself centers on a “deadly mystery involving Egyptian gods,” suggesting a darker tilt than typical of Marvel fare. What more could you want?
Ms. Marvel
Release date: Summer 2022
19-year-old debutant Iman Vellani joins the MCU as titular superhero Kamala Khan in Ms. Marvel, before reprising her role alongside Brie Larson’s Captain Marvel in The Marvels. Khan, a popular, relatively recent addition to the comic books, is a Pakistani-American girl from Jersey City who writes superhero fan fiction, admires Carol Danvers, and is a bit of a social reject — until she gets powers of her own, that is.
She-Hulk
Release date: 2022
Having risen to prominence as the star of television series Orphan Black, Tatiana Maslany makes her MCU debut in She-Hulk, portraying the titular Jennifer Walters, a cousin of Bruce Banner who gains super strength of her own (along with a similarly green hue). Mark Ruffalo is expected to reprise his role as the original Hulk, with Tim Roth returning as Ruski villain Abomination — the first time the English-born actor has appeared in the MCU since 2008’s The Incredible Hulk.
The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special
Release date: Late 2022
A Christmassy one-shot clocking in at a reported 40-minutes, The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special reportedly clocks in at 40 minutes. The whole gang — Chris Pratt’s Star-Lord, Zoe Saldaña’s Gamora, Dave Bautista’s Drax, et al. — is expected to come in for the short, which director James Gunn has called “one of [his] favourite stories ever.”
X-Men ‘97
Release date: 2023
Boasting one of the quintessential cartoon themes of the ‘90s, X-Men: The Animated Series is deeply embedded into the nostalgic impulses of an entire generation of comic nuts. Revival X-Men ‘97, one of the more surprising projects pioneered by Disney+, continues the plot of the original series, with most of the surviving ensemble members reprising their roles. Unlike the other titles listed here, X-Men ‘97 doesn’t exist within the continuity of the company’s Marvel Cinematic Universe.
