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Upcoming Marvel Projects That Will Get You Pumped

If it seems like there's a new Marvel film or television project coming at you roughly every couple of hours or so, it's only because the House of Ideas has become an absolutely dominant force in pop culture. Thanks largely to the Marvel Cinematic Universe — the highest-grossing franchise in film history by about six miles — characters who were once relegated to the C-list in the pages of Marvel Comics have become household names, once-obscure properties are launching multi-billion dollar franchises, and movie and television executives who'd never heard the term "shared universe" a decade ago are scrambling to copy Mighty Marvel's business model.

Of course, that means the wealth of Marvel properties being thrust into the spotlight across a ton of different platforms can get a little confusing. Fortunately, we're here to sort it all out for you with this handy guide to every Marvel movie and TV show on the horizon for the foreseeable future. As a great man once said, hold on to your hats, true believers!

Updated on April 3, 2023: Marvel heroes are flying into theaters and showing up on streaming services on a pretty regular basis. So to keep current on all things Peter Parker, Kamala Khan, and Eddie Brock, we've updated this list to show the most recent developments in the Marvel universe. 

Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 - May 5, 2023

After briefly appearing in "Thor: Love and Thunder," the Guardians of the Galaxy will return on May 5, 2023 with their third and final installment. James Gunn is officially back as writer and director, and the threequel will feature all our Guardian friends, with Chris Pratt, Zoe Saldaña, Dave Bautista, Karen Gillan, Pom Klementieff, Vin Diesel, Bradley Cooper, and Sean Gunn all reprising their roles. Plus, Sylvester Stallone will return as Ravager Stakar Ogord, and Elizabeth Debicki will play the antagonistic Ayesha from "Vol. 2."

"Vol. 3" will also feature the long-awaited live-action debut of the powerful Adam Warlock, portrayed by Will Poulter. Warlock's involvement was first teased during the post-credits scene of "Vol. 2," where he was created by Ayesha for the purpose of destroying the Guardians. In addition to Poulter, Oscar nominee Maria Bakalova, "The Suicide Squad" breakout Daniela Melchior, and "Peacemaker" actor Chukwudi Iwuji have been tapped for the threequel. Bakalova will be voicing Cosmo the Spacedog, while Iwuji will portray the villainous High Evolutionary, which Iwuji previously described (via The Hollywood Reporter) as an extremely powerful and complex being.

As for the plot, it'll kick off with the Guardians running their new home of Knowhere, but they'll be forced into action when Rocket Raccoon's life is in danger, thanks to his villainous creator — the sadistic space scientist known as the High Evolutionary. We also know Gamora will have teamed up with the Ravagers and won't have any memory of her relationship with Star-Lord, prompting quite a bit of drama between the two, and we'll also be getting a lot of Rocket Raccoon's tragic backstory. Previously, Gunn has hinted that "Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3" will be a darker, more emotional journey for the space-travelling team and that it will be the last time we see this iteration of the Guardians (via Deadline).

Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse - June 2, 2023

Winner of the Oscar for Best Animated Feature, "Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse" is considered one of the greatest superhero films ever made, with its innovative animation style and focus on an eclectic cast of alternate-universe Spider-People (and one pig). It's so singular a cinematic achievement that it seems like its success would be impossible to duplicate — but Sony is going to try.

From directors Joaquim Dos Santos, Kemp Powers, and Justin K. Thompson, "Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse" will take place two years after the events of the first film and will center on the burgeoning romance between Miles Morales and Gwen Stacy, aka Spider-Gwen. The official synopsis tells us, "Brooklyn's full-time, friendly neighborhood Spider-Man is catapulted across the Multiverse, where he encounters a team of Spider-People charged with protecting its very existence. But when the heroes clash on how to handle a new threat, Miles finds himself pitted against the other Spiders and must redefine what it means to be a hero so he can save the people he loves most."

Shameik Moore and Hailee Steinfeld will reprise their respective roles as Miles and Gwen. They'll be joined by Oscar Isaac as the hardcore Spider-Man 2099, Issa Rae of "Insecure" as Spider-Woman (aka Jessica Drew), and Oscar-winner Daniel Kaluuya as Spider-Punk (aka Hobie Brown), who might be Miles' romantic rival. We can also expect Jake Johnson to reprise Peter B. Parker, Saran Koni to voice Spider-Man India, and Luna Lauren Velez and Brian Tyree Henry to play Miles' parents.

As for the film's big bad, our heroes will find themselves facing the Spot, voiced by Jason Schartzwman. The Spot will be a truly unique challenge as his body is covered in interdimensional portals, allowing him to hop anywhere he wants. We can also expect Jorma Taccone to show up as a monstrous-looking Vulture, and we'll also hear the voice talents of Greta Lee, Rachel Dratch, and Shea Whigham. Plus, the movie will take us to five new worlds, including Spider-Punk's New London, Spider-Man 2099's Nueva York, and Spider-Man India's Mumbattan, all of which will be created with different animation styles.

According to Empire, the film is being compared to "The Empire Strikes Back," and "Across the Spider-Verse" will hit theaters on June 2, 2023. Its sequel, "Beyond the Spider-Verse," will hit the big screen on March 29, 2024.

Secret Invasion — June 21, 2023

The MCU's main mastermind is finally getting his own series. And no, we don't mean Kevin Feige. We're talking about Samuel L. Jackson's Nick Fury, who made his first appearance all the way back in 2008's "Iron Man." Since then, Fury has been a constant presence in the franchise, tying the many MCU storylines together and playing a major role in films like "Captain America: The Winter Soldier" and "Captain Marvel."

Now, he's set to star in a Disney+ adaptation of the "Secret Invasion" storyline. In the MCU version, a rogue group of Skrulls have grown tired of Talos' leadership and Nick Fury's inability to find them their own world. So if they're stuck on Earth, they might as well take it over. This radical faction has begun creeping into positions of power around the globe — it's a situation so dire that Nick Fury, who's been spending most of his time in space, returns to Earth to get a handle on the shapeshifting situation.

Samuel L. Jackson will be reprising his part of Nick Fury, obviously, and Ben Mendelsohn will be playing the part of Talos, Fury's Skrull ally. We can also expect to see Cobie Smulders as Maria Hill, who's grown a little tired of Nick Fury avoiding her calls, Martin Freeman as ex-CIA operative Everett K. Ross, and Don Cheadle as a more politically minded James "Rhodey" Rhodes. Interestingly, in regards to Cheadle, the actor has said that the events of "Secret Invasion" will set up the events of the War Machine movie, "Armor Wars."

As for the other players, "One Night in Miami" star Kingsley-Ben Air will play the villainous Gravik, leader of the rebel Skrulls. Emilia Clarke will play the part of G'iah, another rogue Skrull who also happens to be — very minor spoiler alert — Talos' daughter. Olivia Colman will star as Special Agent Sonya Falsworth, who may be playing her own games, and we can also expect to see Killian Scott and Christopher McDonald. As for the behind-the-scenes talent, Kyle Bradstreet — who's best known for his work on the Emmy-winning series "Mr. Robot" — will serve as writer and executive producer. And the dynamic duo of Thomas Bezucha ("Let Him Go") and Ali Selim ("The Looming Tower") will serve as co-directors.

The show will run for six episodes, which is pretty standard for the MCU's Disney+ series. And after a long, long wait, it looks like we finally know when we can expect to see the spy thriller. On the Disney+ page for the series, it says the invasion will commence on June 21, 2023. Marvel has yet to confirm this, but it's looking like this is the real deal.

Loki Season 2 - Summer 2023

Marvel's Disney+ series "Loki" was full of surprises, not the least of which was that the show will be getting a second season. The first season of "Loki" saw the trickster god apprehended by the Time Variance Authority thanks to his actions in "Avengers: Endgame," where he deviated from the original timeline by stealing the Tesseract and escaping instead of being transported back to Asgard to be tried for his crimes. Once at the TVA, he teamed up with Agent Mobius (Owen Wilson) and another Loki variant named Sylvie (Sophia Di Martino) to uncover the secrets behind the time-controlling agency.

The first season ended with the introduction of He Who Remains (Jonathan Majors), who promised his even more dangerous variants would be appearing soon. (Majors as Kang the Conqueror then appeared in "Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania," and, at the very least, his Victor Timely variant will definitely be a factor in "Loki" Season 2.) The finale also stranded Loki in an alternate dimension TVA where no one knew him. As for returning actors in the upcoming season, Owen Wilson, Sophia Di Martino, Gugu Mbatha-Raw, Eugene Cordero, Tara Strong, and Wunmi Mosaku are all reprising their roles. Even Richard E. Grant is coming back! And this time around, they'll be joined by someone who's a Marvel rookie but a multiverse veteran — Ke Huy Quan of "Everything Everywhere All At Once" fame. It's also been reported that Katie Dickie of "Game of Thrones" fame will allegedly be playing a villain (via Deadline).

However, whenever "Loki" does return, it will be in the hands of new directors. While Season 1 director Kate Herron has said that she loves the character of Loki and enjoyed her experience on the show, the second season will see Justin Benson and Aaron Moorhead taking over directorial duties. In addition to critically acclaimed films like "Spring," "The Endless," and "Synchronic," the duo has previously worked on spooky series "The Twilight Zone" and "Archive 81" and also worked on "Moon Knight," the latter of which is what reportedly landed them the "Loki" gig.

Kraven the Hunter — October 6, 2023

Among the more interesting projects Sony has planned for their Spidey-centric universe is a solo vehicle starring the classic villain Sergei Kravinoff, aka Kraven the Hunter. Descended from an aristocratic Russian bloodline, Kravinoff has dedicated his life to becoming the world's greatest hunter, and no quarry has ever stoked his obsession quite like Spider-Man.

While we're unsure of the plot, we know the screenplay will be penned by "The Equalizer 2" scribe Richard Wenk and screenwriting duo Art Marcum and Matt Holloway ("Transformers: The Last Knight"). Interestingly, back in 2018 — before Marcum and Holloway came aboard — Wenk had some interesting ideas about the project. In an interview with Discussing Film, the writer said, "It's an interesting world. A great character. It's going to adhere very closely to the lore of Kraven the Hunter. And he is going to come face to face with Spider-Man." 

Now, that was before Disney and Sony split up, before they got back together, and before "Far From Home" and "No Way Home" hit theaters, so who knows if that's actually going to happen. However, we do know who will be playing Kraven — MCU veteran Aaron Taylor-Johnson, who portrayed the ill-fated Quicksilver in "Avengers: Age of Ultron." In addition to the solo film, Taylor-Johnson reportedly signed on for appearances in multiple other movies as well, indicating that the Kraven film is likely to be just the beginning of the character's arc in the Sony Spider-verse. 

Joining Taylor-Johnson in "Kraven the Hunter" will be Oscar nominee Ariana DeBose as the voodoo priestess (and possible Kraven love interest) Calypso, Fred Hechinger as Kraven's half-brother Chameleon, and Christopher Abbott as the mercenary assassin the Foreigner, who will act as the film's villain. Oscar winner Russell Crowe, who will soon make his MCU debut as Zeus in "Thor: Love and Thunder," will also be appearing in the film in an undisclosed role, as will Levi Miller and Alessandro Nivola. "Kraven the Hunter" will be helmed by "Triple Frontier" director J.C. Chandor, and it's scheduled to hit theaters October 6, 2023.

The Marvels — November 10, 2023

While Marvel is keeping quiet so far about what Carol Danvers (Brie Larson) will be up to the next time we see her, we do know that she won't be alone. The film that was originally presented as a sequel to 2019's "Captain Marvel" was revealed in 2021 to actually be a team-up feature titled "The Marvels." Brie Larson will be returning as Carol Danvers, aka Captain Marvel, the titular star of the first film, but joining her this time around will be Teyonah Parris, who was introduced in "WandaVision" as a grown-up version of Monica Rambeau, and Iman Vellani, who burst onto Disney+ as Carol Danvers' #1 fangirl, Kamala Khan, aka Ms. Marvel. (They'll also be joined by Samuel L. Jackson as Nick Fury.)

Monica Rambeau was first introduced in the 1990s timeline of "Captain Marvel" as a young girl played by Akira Akbar. In "WandaVision," the adult Monica plays a key role as a SWORD agent determined to get to the bottom of Wanda's mysterious Hex, who winds up gaining superpowers in the process. The title of "The Marvels" suggests that the film will see her fully embracing her identity as a superhero, which has seen her take a number of names in the comics, including Photon (notably her mother's military call sign in the first "Captain Marvel"), Spectrum, and even Captain Marvel. 

Meanwhile, Kamala Khan unlocked her own superpowers after finding a mystical bangle, fighting the Clandestines, connecting with both her culture and her family, and discovering she's both a djinn and a mutant — all before accidentally swapping places with her idol, Carol Danvers. As for the plot, we know the film will pick up immediately after "Ms. Marvel" (via Matt Ramos). Plus, the title suggests that the three heroes will be featured with equal prominence in the film, rather than Monica and Kamala serving as supporting players in a Carol Danvers solo venture. Zawe Ashton will co-star as the film's as-yet unnamed villain.

While the first "Captain Marvel" was co-written by directors Anna Boden and Ryan Fleck — along with Geneva Robertson-Dworet, Nicole Perlman, and Meg LeFauve — solo scripting duties for "The Marvels" have been handed to Megan McDonnell, a staff writer on "WandaVision." Boden and Fleck will also not be returning to direct, although Marvel is reportedly considering them for other projects. Instead, "The Marvels" will be helmed by "Candyman" director Nia DaCosta, and it will be soaring into theaters on November 10, 2023.

X-Men '97 - Fall 2023

Mutant fans, get excited for "X-Men '97," a revival of the popular '90s animated series. This marks Marvel Studio's first confirmed X-Men-centered project, which is currently slated for the fall of 2023 with 10 episodes. It hails from head writer/executive producer Beau DeMayo, who's previously worked on "The Witcher" and "Moon Knight." And the creative team behind the original show — director Larry Houston and showrunners Eric and Julia Lewald — will be consulting on the series.

Along with a cast of newcomers, "X-Men '97" will feature the return of the original voice cast, including Cal Dodd, Lenore Zann, George Buza, Alison Sealy-Smith, Chris Potter, Catherine Disher, Adrian Hough, and Christopher Britton. Some are set to reprise their roles from the original series, while others have been tapped for new characters. Plot details are being kept under wraps, but it's been confirmed that a big, impactful event is expected to start off the upcoming series (via Marvel.com). And images of first-look concept art have confirmed the appearances of Wolverine, Rogue, Gambit, Cyclops, Jubilee, Storm, Jean Grey, and Beast.

The old gang will be joined by a few new additions, including Cable, Bishop, Morph, Nightcrawler, and Magneto, who will be the leader of the revival's X-Men team. Besides them, the concept art teases the show's villains — the Hellfire Club, consisting of Mister Sinister, Emma Frost and Sebastian Shaw. As for the story being told, the official plot synopsis reads, "Storm and Wolverine try to continue the X-Men. Magneto comes in and wants to step up for Charles Xavier. Sinister comes in to try to end the X-Men once and for all." Ahead of its long-awaited debut, it's also been announced that "X-Men '97" will be receiving a second season.

Agatha: Coven of Chaos - Winter 2023

In a surprising and delightful announcement in October 2021, Marvel revealed that a "WandaVision" spinoff starring Kathryn Hahn's witchy Agatha Harkness was in the works for Disney+. In "WandaVision," Hahn spent the first half of the series playing Wanda and Vision's nosy neighbor Agnes, who played along splendidly with Wanda's sitcom scenarios. However, it was ultimately revealed that Agnes was actually a centuries-old witch named Agatha Harkness who'd secretly been pulling strings behind the scenes of Wanda's picture-perfect, TV-ready town of Westview all along.

While in the comics, Agatha was a wise, elderly witch who even served as a magical mentor to Wanda for a time, in the MCU, Agatha is an ambitious and power-hungry villain who absorbed the power of her coven and has used it to sustain herself for centuries. After a sizzling, sky-high showdown with Wanda in the "WandaVision" finale, Agatha was ultimately trapped by the Scarlet Witch inside Westview, her mind altered to lock her in her Agnes persona, even as Wanda released the rest of the town's residents. Marvel hasn't yet announced whether the Agatha series (which has a theme song already set and ready to go, should Marvel decide to use it) will take place prior to Agatha's adventures in Westview or pick up sometime later, presumably after she's managed to shake off Wanda's enchantment and regain her powers. However, we suspect the latter, as Emma Caulfield Ford will reprise her role as Westview resident Dottie and Debra Jo Rupp will return as well, most likely as Mrs. Hart from "WandaVision."

As for the additional cast, we know that Joe Locke of "Heartstopper," Patti LuPone of Broadway fame, Ali Ahn of "Raising Dion," Maria Dizzia of "The Staircase," and Sasheer Zamata of "Saturday Night Live" have joined the cast. Plus, Deadline has reported that Aubrey Plaza of "Parks and Recreation" fame is set to join the show, possibly as the villain of the series. Jac Schaeffer of "WandaVision" fame will serve as showrunner, and we also expect things to get musical. "Who knows," Kathryn Hahn said to TV Line, "there may be a little song here or there ... but no one is saying about that — certainly not me!"

Wonder Man - Late 2023

In addition to directing the upcoming "Kang Dynasty," Destin Daniel Cretton is developing a live-action TV series focused on Wonder Man, a Marvel superhero created by Stan Lee, Don Heck, and Jack Kirby. Wonder Man, aka Simon Williams, is one of Marvel's oldest heroes. In the comics, he's a celebrity by day and a superhero by night. He gained his powers through an ionic energy experiment done by Baron Zemo, allowing him to have superhuman abilities such as strength, speed, agility, and durability.

In addition to showrunning, Cretton will be directing a handful of episodes. He'll be joined in his creative endeavors by "Brooklyn Nine-Nine" producer Andrew Guest, who will serve as the head writer, and Stella Meghie of "The Weekend" and "The Photograph," who will also helm several episodes. As for who's starring, we know that Yahya Abdul-Mateen II — who's played in major projects like "Aquman," "The Matrix Resurrections," "Ambulance", 2021's "Candyman," and HBO's "Watchmen" miniseries — will portray the titular superhero. We also know that at least one memorable MCU character is making his return. Sir Ben Kingsley will reprise his role as the lovable if troublesome thespian Trevor Slattery, who we last saw hanging out in the magical realm of Ta Lo during "Shang-Chi." It's also been reported that Demetrius Grosse of "Fear the Walking Dead" and "The Brave" will portray Eric Williams, the lead character's brother. He also happens to be a supervillain by the name of Grim Reaper, who uses a powerful scythe to put his enemies into comas.

Will any other established MCU characters be showing up? Interestingly, in the comics, Wonder Man has a close connection to Vision and the Scarlet Witch. On the page, he's been romantically linked to Wanda, and Vision's brain patterns are based on Wonder Man's own. So we have to wonder — will we see Wonder Man interact with the rogue White Vision, or will we get any sort of nod to the late Scarlet Witch?

Echo - Late 2023

As the casts for the various Disney+ MCU shows continue to be fleshed out, doors are opening for other series featuring some of these new characters. Such is the case with a new series centered around the character of Echo, who was introduced in 2021's "Hawkeye." In the comics, Maya Lopez, aka Echo, is a deaf Native American woman who's raised by the villainous Kingpin after he kills her father. Echo has the ability to perfectly mimic other people's movements (a similar skill to Taskmaster). She's also an accomplished athlete and acrobat, as well as an expert markswoman. 

In "Hawkeye," Echo is played by newcomer Alaqua Cox, where she's a high-ranking member of the Tracksuit Mafia seeking vengeance against Clint Barton's alter ego, Ronin. Her backstory in the series remained largely the same as in the comics, including her close relationship with Vincent D'Onofrio's Kingpin, who was first introduced to audiences in Netflix's "Daredevil" series. Although Echo appeared to have killed Kingpin in the final episode of "Hawkeye," "The Hollywood Reporter" has announced that the crime lord will return for Maya's upcoming series. Plus, we'll also see Charlie Cox reprising his role as Daredevil, who's a close associate of Echo's in the comics. (There are also rumors that Krysten Ritter's Jessica Jones will appear as well.) 

Deadline has also reported that Devery Jacobs of "Reservation Dogs" will be playing a lead character. Also rumored to be joining Alaqua Cox in an undisclosed role is celebrated actor Graham Greene, who received an Academy Award nomination for his performance in "Dances With Wolves" and previously starred alongside MCU actors Jeremy Renner and Elizabeth Olsen in 2017's "Wind River." Filling up the cast with more Indigenous actors would be a great move and lines up with reports that the show will see Maya go back to her hometown "to reconnect with her Native American roots."

Echo's comics storylines also significantly intersect with Moon Knight's, who led his own Disney+ show. Additionally, in the comics, Echo was the first person to carry the mantle of Ronin before Clint Barton took it over — although in the MCU, Barton was the original vigilante, whose actions directly impacted Maya Lopez's life. The showrunner for the series is Marion Dayre, who's also worked on "Better Call Saul," "Shantaram," and "The Act." Speaking with the "Writers Panel" podcast, Dayre revealed the show wouldn't hit Disney+ until December 2023.

El Muerto - January 12, 2024

Over at Sony, the Marvel universe just keeps on getting bigger. We've got Venom, we've got Morbius, we're getting Kraven and Madame Web. And now, audiences are about to meet El Muerto — a super-powered wrestler who can lift 30 tons and go toe to toe with one of Marvel's most famous heroes.

As announced at April 2022's CinemaCon, "El Muerto" will step into the ring on January 12, 2024. And it's here we'll witness the story of Juan-Carlos Estrada Sanchez, a wrestler who gains his powers from a mask bequeathed to him by his father. In the comics, the mantle of El Muerto is passed on from father to son — bringing with it incredible strength and speed ... so long as the man with the mask can defeat the fabled El Dorado, a supernatural luchador.

We don't know for a fact that the El Dorado angle will factor into the film, although it's a key part to El Muerto's story. We also don't know if we'll see him throw down against Spider-Man, another pivotal element to the wrestler's origins. However, we do know the character will be played by none other than Bad Bunny. As the rapper explained (via Deadline), "I love wrestling. I grew up watching wrestling, and I'm a wrestler. I'm a former champion so this is why I love this character. I think it's the perfect role to me, and it will be epic."

Behind the scenes, Gareth Dunnet-Alcocer ("Blue Beetle") will be writing the script, and Jonás Cuarón (the filmmaker behind 2015's "Desierto" and son of the acclaimed Alfonso Cuarón) will be directing (via Deadline).

Madame Web - February 16, 2024

As Sony continues to pile Marvel movies onto its plate, it's added one from longtime TV director S.J. Clarkson, who's signed on to develop a film centered around Madame Web, the studio's first female-centric movie from its collection of Marvel characters. Previously, Clarkson has worked on a wide range of television series, including episodes of the Marvel shows "Jessica Jones" and "The Defenders." Clarkson's "Madame Web" film will mark her feature film directorial debut, although she has previously directed several TV movies.

In the comics, Madame Web is an elderly woman with a medical condition that requires her to remain hooked up to a life support system resembling a spider's web. She's a mutant with powers of telepathy, clairvoyance, and prescience, and she's assisted a number of familiar heroes, including Spider-Man, Spider-Woman, and Jessica Jones. However, it looks like the character will be significantly reimagined for the movie, as evidenced by the rumored casting of Dakota Johnson in the titular role. Obviously, Johnson is much younger than her comics counterpart, indicating that we may see a totally revamped version of the character for the movie, with Deadline reporting that Sony allegedly plans on her being their equivalent to Doctor Strange. 

Clarkson will be directing from a script by Matt Sazama and Burk Sharpless ("Morbius"), working off of an earlier draft by Kerem Sanga. As for the rest of the cast, prepare to see Emma Roberts, Sydney Sweeney, Isabela Merced, Celeste O'Connor, Mike Epps, Tahar Rahim, and Adam Scott when the film is released on February 16, 2024.

Daredevil: Born Again - Spring 2024

In 2015, Charlie Cox debuted as Matt Murdock in Netflix's "Daredevil," produced by Marvel Television. His edgy performance and the show's brutal tone impressed audiences and critics alike. But despite great reviews, "Daredevil" was canned in 2018 shortly before Marvel Studios shuttered Marvel Television and shifted its focus to Disney+ series.

But now, the Man Without Fear is returning to Hell's Kitchen. After appearing in "Spider-Man: Homecoming" and "She-Hulk," Matt Murdock will get his own series with "Daredevil: Born Again." Set to premiere in the spring of 2024 on Disney+, this Phase 5 show will consist of 18 episodes and feature the return of Cox's masked hero and Vincent D'Onofrio's Wilson Fisk, who previously battled Kate Bishop in the "Hawkeye" series.

They'll be joined by the one and only Jon Bernthal as the Punisher, and we'll be very interested to see how this ultra-violent character fares in the world of Disney+. Sadly, it seems neither Deborah Ann Woll or Elden Henson will reprise their respective parts of Karen Page and Foggy Nelson. Ayelet Zurer also won't be returning to play Wilson Fisk's wife, Vanessa. Instead, that part will go to Sandrine Holt ("House of Cards"). We can also expect to see Margarita Levieva ("The Deuce"), Tony-winner Nikki M. James ("The Book of Mormon"), and James Gandolfini's son, Michael Gandolfini, who played a young Tony Soprano in "The Many Saints of Newark." Deadline has also reported that Arty Froushan ("Carnival Row") will star in the series, possibly as a character named Harry, who will be an ally of Fisk.

"Daredevil: Born Again" will be written and produced by "Covert Affairs" duo Matt Corman and Chris Ord, and the first episode will be directed by Michael Cuesta, who specializes in directing pilot episodes ("Dexter," "Homeland"). We expect "Born Again" to draw some inspiration from the Frank Miller and David Mazzucchelli's comic story arc of the same name, although there will obviously be some deviations, as their tale didn't involve Frank Castle. Interestingly, this same storyline was loosely adapted during the third season of the original "Daredevil" series.

Captain America: New World Order - May 3, 2024

Mere hours after the final episode of "The Falcon and the Winter Soldier" dropped on Disney+, in which Sam Wilson (Anthony Mackie) made his debut as the new Captain America, The Hollywood Reporter announced that a new "Captain America" film was in the works for the MCU — one that's since been titled "Captain America: New World Order." While the concept of mantle-passing isn't new to the MCU, with Scott Lang (Paul Rudd) taking over the Ant-Man title from Hank Pym (Michael Douglas) or the Black Panther mantle passing through the Wakandan lines of succession, it is the first time a character has taken over another's established franchise. And if "The Falcon and the Winter Soldier" is any indication, "New World Order" will feel very different from the previous three "Captain America" films.

While Sam Wilson remained Falcon for much of the series, he finally took on the title of Cap in the show's sixth episode, after spending much of the season wrestling with what it meant for a Black man to carry the star-spangled shield. Steve Rogers' (Chris Evans) take on Captain America was always strongly infused with the patriotism and nostalgia of his World War II-era origins, but Sam Wilson's will need to balance love of country with the lived experience of being a Black man in the modern United States. "The Falcon and the Winter Soldier" didn't shy away from the tension between Sam's identity and the role he plays, and all signs point to the film tackling similar themes. 

It's been reported that Malcolm Spellman, the head writer and creator of the series, will also be penning the script for the film, along with co-writer Dalan Musson. And Julius Onah, best known for "The Cloverfield Paradox," will be directing. Danny Ramirez will be reprising his "Falcon and Winter Soldier" role of Joaquin Torres, the new Falcon, and Carl Lumbly will also return as Isaiah Bradley, the forgotten Captain America struggling with his treatment at the hands of a racist government. Shira Haas will also star as Sabra, an Israeli superhero.

We also expect to see Tim Blake Nelson return as his "Incredible Hulk" character — the intelligent yet villainous Leader. He'll be joined by "Hulk" costar Liv Tyler, who makes her grand return to the MCU as Betty Ross. Plus, Harrison Ford will appear as Thaddeus "Thunderbolt" Ross, replacing the late William Hurt. And this time around, Ross — who's Betty's dad and the former secretary of state — will be the president of the United States, meaning things are probably going to get intense between POTUS and the new Captain America.

We expect "New World Order" to pick up around where the Disney+ show left off, sometime after the closing title card which read, "Captain America and the Winter Soldier." We'll find out for sure on May 3, 2024.

Thunderbolts - July 26, 2024

Ever since Warner Bros. adapted the Suicide Squad into live-action, MCU fans have been wondering if Marvel Studios was also planning to do the same with the Thunderbolts — Marvel's own version of an antihero/villain team. The arrival of the live-action "Thunderbolts" project has long been speculated by fans, with rumors about its development circulating throughout the years. Now, Deadline has reported that Marvel Studios is finally moving forward with the long-awaited film by enlisting "Paper Towns" filmmaker Jake Schreier as its director. Originally, "Thunderbolts" was going to be written by Eric Pearson, who penned "Black Widow," but now those duties have gone to Lee Sung Jin, the showrunner of Netflix's "Beef."

The project only started to gain some ground after Emmy winner Julia Louis-Dreyfus officially made her MCU debut in "The Falcon and the Winter Soldier" as Contessa Valentina Allegra de Fontaine, aka Val. Towards the end of the Disney+ series, she can be seen recruiting Wyatt Russell's U.S. Agent for a mysterious mission. Shortly after that, Val made her feature debut in "Black Widow," where she appeared during the post-credits scene involving Florence Pugh's Yelena Belova. And after 2022's D23, we know for a fact that Valentina will be showing up in the film, along with Ghost (Hannah John-Kamen), Taskmaster (Olga Kurylenko), Red Guardian (David Harbour), Winter Soldier (Sebastian Stan), and the aforementioned U.S. Agent and Yelena. 

They'll all be joined by Ayo Edebiri, famous for her incredible performance in "The Bear," who's playing an unknown role. Plus, Steven Yeun of "Nope" and "The Walking Dead" will be showing up, playing a character that Deadline says is a big deal and who could return for future MCU installments. Interestingly, this serves as something of a "Beef" reunion, as Yeun starred in the Netflix series, filmmaker Jake Schreier directed the series, and screenwriter Lee Sung Jin created the show.

We'll see the team in action on July 26, 2024, when "Thunderbolts" concludes Marvel's Phase 5 (well, unless "Blade," which was pushed back from its original release date, takes that prestigious spot — we'll see).

Blade — September 6, 2024

At San Diego Comic-Con 2019, Kevin Feige blew all our minds when he presented two-time Oscar-winning actor Mahershala Ali, whose scintillating performance as the villain Cottonmouth was the best part of the Marvel Netflix series "Luke Cage." Feige then announced that Ali would star in the title role in an MCU incarnation of "Blade" — and jaws throughout Hall H could be heard hitting the floor as far away as L.A.

The first movie adaptation of "Blade," released in 1998 and starring Wesley Snipes as the half-human/half-vampire hero, is sometimes considered to be the first modern superhero film. Ali's version of Blade technically made his MCU debut as the "Daywalker" in one of the end credits scenes of "Eternals," appearing to Kit Harington's Dane Whitman, although audiences only heard his voice. Ali will be joined in his solo film by Delroy Lindo in an undisclosed role, who recently received acclaim for his performance alongside the MCU's Chadwick Boseman in Spike Lee's war drama "Da 5 Bloods." Also appearing in "Blade" will be Aaron Pierre, who was recently seen as the rapper Mid-Sized Sedan in M. Night Shyamalan's "Old." As with Lindo, Pierre's role is being kept under wraps.

The Daywalker is supposed to make his grand entrance in Phase 5 of the MCU, showing up to hunt vampires on November 3, 2023. However, the film has hit a bit of a snag. Originally, "Blade" was going to be helmed by "Mogul Mowgli" director Bassam Tariq, who would've been working from a script by "Watchmen" scribe Stacy Osei-Kuffour. But in September 2022, it was announced that Tariq was leaving the project. As Marvel explained to The Hollywood Reporter, "Due to continued shifts in our production schedule, Bassam is no longer moving forward as director of 'Blade' but will remain an executive producer on the film. We appreciate Bassam's talent and all the work he's done getting 'Blade' to where it is."

As a result, the film has been pushed back to September 6, 2024. Following Tariq's exit, it was announced (via Deadline) that Yann Demange will now sit in the director's chair, after previously directing films like "'71" and "White Boy Rick," as well as working on "Lovecraft Country." As for screenwriting duties, those have now fallen to Michael Starrbury, who previously penned shows like "Legends of Chamberlain Heights," "When They See Us," and "Colin in Black & White."

Deadpool 3 — November 8, 2024

In a piece of surprising yet welcome news, it looks like Disney is going ahead with "Deadpool 3" following the studio's acquisition of Fox, which produced the first two wildly successful "Deadpool" films. The threequel will bring back Ryan Reynolds as the foul-mouthed, irreverent superhero, whose mutant healing ability allows him to bounce back from even the grisliest of injuries. "Deadpool 3" is the first confirmed vehicle to bring mutants into the MCU, an event Marvel fans have been anxiously anticipating ever since Disney acquired Fox, which previously held the rights to Marvel's popular "X-Men" characters, including even the mention of the word "mutants."

Deadpool and his R-rated antics (yes, things will stay R-rated) will be an interesting addition to the family-friendly MCU and will possibly open the door to more adult-oriented adventures set within Marvel's cinematic multiverse in the future. And he won't be carving up bad guys alone. Reynolds announced on Instagram (via Variety) that the Wolverine himself, Hugh Jackman, would be showing up for "Deadpool 3." We're not exactly sure how that pairing will play out — other than it's going to be absolutely awesome. And when they do show up together, they'll be going up against a villain played Emma Corrin of "The Crown," according to Deadline. We'll also get to see Tom Wambsgans himself, Matthew Macfadyen, so get ready for some "Succession" jokes.

Following the work done by "Bob's Burgers" scribes Wendy Molyneux and Lizzie Molyneux-Logelin, the "Deadpool 3" script is now in the hands of Rhett Reese and Paul Wernick, who also wrote the first two "Deadpool" films. Stepping into the director's chair for "Deadpool 3" is frequent Reynolds collaborator Shawn Levy, replacing David Leitch, who directed the first two "Deadpool" films. Levy previously worked with Reynolds on "Free Guy" and "The Adam Project." Prepare to see Deadpool and Wolverine both make their MCU introductions on November 8, 2024.

Marvel Zombies - 2024

In "What If...?" Season 1, Marvel Studios introduced fans to an outrageous universe where a zombie virus has wiped out almost all of humanity and turned heroes like Iron Man into undead monsters. Shortly after "What If...?" concluded its nine-episode first season, Marvel Studios Animation went on to announce a brand new animated series titled "Marvel Zombies," which will be based on the limited comic series name co-written by "Walking Dead" creator Robert Kirkman.

The project hails from "What If...?" director Bryan Andrews and writer Zeb Wells, who are both executive producing. The studio's official synopsis promises a reimagined Marvel Universe "as a new generation of heroes battle against an ever-spreading zombie scourge." During the Marvel Studios Animation panel at the 2022 San Diego Comic-Con, it was confirmed that the Disney+ series is being developed for a TV-MA rating, teasing the gore and violence that fans should expect to see when it officially makes its debut in 2024.

At the same panel, the first-look concept art images were also released, revealing the major characters featured in "Marvel Zombies." The superhero lineup includes Kate Bishop, Ms. Marvel, Yelena Belova, Red Guardian, Ikaris, Shang-Chi, Katy Chen, and Death Dealer. Meanwhile, the zombie villains will be Abomination, Ghost, Captain Marvel, and Okoye, along with Scarlet Witch, Steve Rogers, and Hawkeye. However, it's still unclear whether or not said characters' live-action counterparts will be returning to voice their animated versions in the upcoming horror series.

Spider-Man: Freshman Year - 2024

From head writer/executive producer Jeff Trammell ("Craig of the Creek"), "Spider-Man: Freshman Year" is a prequel series that takes place before "Captain America: Civil War." Currently slated to make its Disney+ debut in 2024, the story will follow Peter Parker on his way to becoming the MCU's Spider-Man. The official plot synopsis (via Marvel.com) promises "a journey unlike we've ever seen and a style that celebrates the character's early comic book roots."

During the 2022 San Diego Comic-Con, Marvel revealed the characters who will be featured alongside Peter Parker, with his friend lineup including Nico Minoru, Harry Osborn, Lonnie Lincoln, and Amadeus Cho. As for the villain roster, expect to see baddies such as Unicorn, Chameleon, Scorpion, Speed Demon, Tarantula, the Rhino, Butane, Carmela Black, and Doc Ock. It's also been confirmed that Norman Osborn will serve as a mentor figure for Peter, basically taking up the role that Tony Stark played in "Spider-Man: Homecoming." Plus, expect to see Matt Murdock as Daredevil, who will be voiced by Charlie Cox himself.

However, with all these characters showing up, there's a bit of confusion regarding what universe "Freshman Year" will take place in and if it's MCU canon. Speaking with ComicBook.com, executive producer Brad Winderbaum clarified the show's place in the MCU timeline, confirming it takes place in a universe adjacent to the MCU, which is the product of random occurrences in the multiverse that changed the trajectory of Peter Parker's life.

Fantastic Four - February 14, 2025

Following Disney's acquisition of 21st Century Fox in 2019, it was announced that Marvel's First Family was coming back to the fold. Long owned by Fox, the Fantastic Four are now set to debut in the MCU and hopefully erase the memories of their previous, highly criticized films.

Interestingly, Jon Watts of "No Way Home" fame was initially attached to direct, but he later on dropped out of the project in hopes of taking a break from the superhero genre. However, in September 2022, it was confirmed that Matt Shakman of "WandaVision" fame would direct the film. Up-and-coming writing duo Jeff Kaplan and Ian Springer have also been tapped to pen the script for "Fantastic Four," which is currently set to arrive in theaters on February 14, 2025. According to Deadline, Kaplan and Springer have been attached to the project for a while now, even before Shakman boarded the long-awaited film. Further details about its plot are still being kept under wraps, but Kevin Feige did confirm through The Hollywood Reporter that the Marvel Studios film won't revolve around the superhero team's familiar origin story, unlike previous adaptations.

At this moment, we're still not sure who will play Reed Richards, Ben Grimm, and Sue and Johnny Storm. Yes, after years of fan-casting, Marvel Studios responded to audiences by enlisting John Krasinski as Mr. Fantastic in "Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness." However, based on comments by "Doctor Strange" director Sam Raimi, it seems Krasinski's involvement was most likely a one-off — a Reed Richards who exists in one corner of the multiverse but probably not the one who exists in the actual MCU universe. Hopefully, we'll find out soon if Krasinski or someone else will be leading this superhero team.

Avengers: The Kang Dynasty - May 2, 2025

During the Marvel Studios panel at the 2022 San Diego Comic-Con, MCU architect Kevin Feige surprised fans with the official announcement of the next two "Avengers" films. Six years after the massively successful theatrical release of "Avengers: Endgame," the fifth major MCU ensemble film will be gracing the big screen as "Avengers: The Kang Dynasty." Debuting on May 2, 2025, it will most likely draw its inspiration from Kurt Busiek's 16-part comic book storyline.

As for who's calling the shots behind the camera, The Hollywood Reporter broke the news that "Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings" director Destin Daniel Cretton has officially signed on to helm the highly anticipated film. It will officially be a part of Phase 6, serving as the penultimate installment of the Multiverse Saga. Further details about its plot and characters are still being kept under wraps, but given its title, it's clear that Jonathan Majors is set to star as some variant (or variants) of Kang.

Before "The Kang Dynasty," Majors already made his MCU debut in "Loki" Season 1 as He Who Remains, who's confirmed to be one of the many variants of the time-traveling warlord Kang. "The Lovecraft Country” star then officially debuted his portrayal of Kang the Conqueror in "Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania" in 2023. Interestingly, that installment saw the Conqueror allegedly die in the climax, but the man's a time traveler and could come back for Round 2. Plus, we know he has some dangerous variants ready for action — Immortus, Rama-Tut, Scarlet Centurion, and Victor Timely. On that note, "Kang Dynasty" will be written by "Quantumania" scribe Jeff Loveness.

Avengers: Secret Wars - May 1, 2026

In addition to "The Kang Dynasty," Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige has also announced the sixth installment of the "Avengers" franchise — "Secret Wars." The film will serve as the grand finale of both Phase 6 and the Multiverse Saga, with "Secret Wars" currently scheduled to arrive on May 1, 2026.

In the 2015-2016 comic book version of "Secret Wars," an incursion leaves the universe in shatters, allowing Doctor Doom to stitch the remaining pieces together into a totalitarian state called Battleworld and setting up a showdown with the surviving Marvel heroes. Assuming the filmmakers stick with this basic plot, will Doctor Doom show up here? Or will it actually be Kang the Conqueror in his place? Regardless, a "Secret Wars" film has long been speculated by fans, who think this popular storyline would be the only one that could top "Endgame" in terms of the large number of characters and scale of the story.

However, we're not exactly sure who'll be directing this one. Following the news of Destin Daniel Cretton's involvement with "The Kang Dynasty," Deadline reporter Justin Kroll revealed that unlike the Russo brothers, Cretton most likely won't be directing back-to-back "Avengers" films as Marvel Studios is looking to find a different filmmaker to helm the sixth "Avengers" film. However, we do know that Michael Waldron of "Loki" and "Multiverse of Madness" will be penning the script (via Deadline).

Vision Quest - TBA

Since making his live-action debut on "WandaVision," Paul Bettany's White Vision has been missing in action all throughout Phase 4. In the Disney+ series, S.W.O.R.D. used the original Vision's body to create White Vision in an attempt to create a weapon against Elizabeth Olsen's Wanda Maximoff. He was last seen by fans fighting another version of Vision, who was later revealed to be a creation of Wanda's immense grief over the real Vision's death at the hands of Thanos during "Avengers: Infinity War." 

After getting a glimpse of his previous life, White Vision suddenly disappears into the sky, which seemingly sets up his potential return in future projects. Now, Deadline brings word that Marvel Studios is indeed developing another "WandaVision" spin-off titled "Vision Quest," which will feature the return of Emmy nominee Paul Bettany in his first solo MCU project. It's still in the early stages of development, with a writers room set to open soon. The Disney+ series will reportedly center around White Vision in a mission to regain his memories and humanity. The outlet's sources note that discussions about the possible appearance of the Scarlet Witch are also being explored.

The potential series is being developed by "WandaVision" creator Jac Schaeffer, who had signed an overall deal with Disney Television Studios following the success of Marvel Studios' first Disney+ series. She's currently preparing for the upcoming production start of her first "WandaVision" spin-off "Agatha: Coven of Chaos" starring Kathryn Hahn.

Ryan Coogler's Wakanda/Okoye series — TBA

After the tragic and shocking death of Chadwick Boseman in 2020, the future of Black Panther and his beloved kingdom of Wakanda in the MCU was left up in the air. While Marvel made it clear that the characters and storylines introduced in 2018's "Black Panther" would indeed continue, with the film's planned sequel still moving forward, the studio remained mostly mum on how it intended to reimagine the franchise without its leading man, other than to clarify that there was no plan to recast Boseman as King T'Challa.

In February of 2021, we got a glimpse of what lies in store for Wakanda with the announcement that "Black Panther" director Ryan Coogler had inked a five-year overall television deal with the Walt Disney Company, including a dramatic series for Disney+ set in the kingdom of Wakanda. The TV division of Coogler's production company, including the Wakanda series, will be overseen by Kalia Booker King, who has previously helped develop widely acclaimed shows such as "Lovecraft Country" and "Mr. Robot."

Later in May of 2021, The Hollywood Reporter ran a profile of top entertainment attorneys that included the tidbit that one of the people on their list "brokered a deal for actress Danai Gurira to not only reprise her role as Okoye in the upcoming 'Black Panther' sequel but also in an origin spinoff series for Disney+." This Okoye origin series and Coogler's Wakanda series could very possibly be one and the same, possibly focusing on Okoye before the events of "Black Panther" or possibly after the events of "Wakanda Forever," as she's become of the Midnight Angels. Either way, we suspect this will start moving forward relatively soon. When appearing on "The Late Show" in January 2023, Gurira was asked by Stephen Colbert if the Okoye show was happening. Her response? "I have been told that I can gently allude to this possibility."

Ironheart — TBA

Alongside revealing exciting new details for a number of highly anticipated Marvel shows and movies during Disney's Investor Day event in December 2020, the studio also announced several new projects within the MCU, providing an unexpected treat for Marvel fans. One of the most thrilling surprises of the event was the announcement of a live-action "Ironheart" series on Disney+, starring Dominique Thorne as teenage inventor Riri Williams.

Thorne made her film debut in 2018's "If Beale Street Could Talk," which also costarred Teyonah Parris of "WandaVision" and "The Marvels." Thorne also starred in "Judas and the Black Messiah," alongside Daniel Kaluuya of "Black Panther." In the comics, Thorne's character, Riri Williams, is a teenage genius who builds her own Iron Man suit and eventually takes over for Tony Stark. That could easily be the path the "Ironheart" series takes, considering the series takes place in the wake of the death of Iron Man at the end of "Avengers: Endgame."

The show's head writer will be Chinaka Hodge (via Variety), the screenwriter and playwright behind series such as Apple's "Amazing Stories" and TNT's "Snowpiercer." Joining Thorne are "In the Heights" star Anthony Ramos as the villainous Red Hood and "This Is Us" actress Lyric Ross as Riri's best friend, along with Alden Ehrenreich of "Solo" fame, "GLOW" alum Shakira Barrera, Regan Aliyah, Manny Montana, Zoe Terakes, Shea Couleé, Paul Calderón, and long-time voice actress Cree Summer in unnamed roles. Following speculation regarding Sacha Baron Cohen's casting as Mephisto, Deadline brings word that Cohen might potentially appear as the Marvel villain in two episodes of "Ironheart."

Armor Wars — TBA

Once upon a time, "Armor Wars" was going to be a Disney+ show, with Yassir Lester acting as the head writer. But in September 2022, The Hollywood Reporter announced that the character of James Rhodes/War Machine would instead be starring in a feature film. That's right — "Armor Wars" is making the jump from Disney+ to theater screens, although we're still unsure of who's directing or when it'll be released.

We do know that Lester will stay on as the screenwriter, and, of course, Don Cheadle will be the one suiting up in the War Machine armor. Although Terrence Howard starred alongside Robert Downey Jr. as James Rhodes in 2008's "Iron Man," he was replaced by Cheadle in "Iron Man 2," who's been playing the character ever since. Cheadle's Rhodey has been a mainstay of the MCU since Phase One, playing significant supporting roles in "Iron Man 2" and "Iron Man 3," "Captain America: Civil War," and three "Avengers" movies. However, "Armor Wars" will mark the first time Rhodes will take the spotlight, as the movie addresses what would happen if Tony Stark's tech falls into the wrong hands.

Rhodey will be one of very few disabled superheroes to headline a title in the MCU, having lost the use of his legs due to an injury in "Captain America: Civil War." Stark then crafted leg braces to enable Rhodey to walk again. Other disabled MCU heroes include Maya Lopez, Bucky Barnes, and Stephen Strange. We also know — thanks to Don Cheadle speaking with Total Film (via CBR.com) — that the events of "Armor Wars" will be set up in the Disney+ series "Secret Invasion."

What If...? Season 2 - TBA

After a mind- and reality-bending first season, Marvel Studios confirmed in their 2021 Disney+ Day Special that the animated superhero series "What If...?" will indeed be returning for a second season. While the first season of the series initially seemed like a self-contained anthology series, with each episode exploring a unique story that played out in an isolated branch of the multiverse, it gradually became apparent that there was in fact a season-long arc. By the end of the season, Uatu the Watcher (Jeffrey Wright) decided to break his vow to only ever observe the multiverse, rather than interact with it, when Ultron used the Infinity Stones to threaten every universe in existence.

At the end of Season 1, the Watcher recruited characters from each of the episodes prior to create the Guardians of the Multiverse, a team of alternate versions of MCU heroes who worked together to stop Infinity Ultron. Season 2 of the series will continue the Watcher's story, although whether it will bring its episodes together in a similar multiverse-spanning conflict or keep them separate has yet to be revealed. The official synopsis reads, "After enlisting the Guardians of the Multiverse to stop Infinity Ultron, the Watcher returns in Season 2 of 'What If...?' to meet new heroes and explore more strange new worlds in the MCU's ever-expanding multiverse." Presumably, Wright will return to the role of Uatu for Season 2, with the other various MCU characters once again being played by a mixture of established MCU actors and convincing voice doubles.

Interestingly, we do know about two particular storylines. One will be based on Neil Gaiman's "Marvel 1602" comic storyline, which is set during the 1700s. Another will focus on a character specifically created for the MCU — a Mohawk hero named Kahhori who will come into contact with the incredibly powerful Tesseract. It also looks like Laurence Fishburne will be voicing Bill Foster in at least one episode. If you'll remember, Bill first appeared in "Ant-Man in the Wasp" as the original Giant-Man and a reluctant ally to the antagonistic Ghost.

Shang-Chi 2 - TBA

The COVID-19 pandemic hit Hollywood and movie theaters hard, pushing back the release dates of many films, pivoting numerous movies that were previously scheduled for a theatrical release to a streaming release, and causing the films that did brave a theatrical release to underperform compared to similar titles in years past. But the pandemic curse seemed to lift with "Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings," which became the first theatrical release since the beginning of the pandemic to earn more than $200 million in the United States. So it didn't come as a huge surprise when Deadline reported in December 2021 that a sequel had been greenlit as part of an overall deal with "Shang-Chi" director Destin Daniel Cretton.

No further information has been revealed about "Shang-Chi 2," which would presumably bring back titular star Simu Liu, who tweeted happily about the sequel announcement, alongside Cretton. Other actors likely to return for the sequel include Awkwafina, who played Shang-Chi's best friend, Katy, and Meng'er Zhang, who played his sister, Xialing. At the end of "Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings," Shang-Chi and Katy were summoned to New York by a master of the mystic arts, Wong (Benedict Wong), who hinted that they both had a significant amount still to learn, all while Xialing took control of the Ten Rings organization following the death of her father. And, of course, the mystical land of Ta Lo still remains mostly a mystery, leaving plenty of storylines for a sequel to explore.

Silk: Spider Society - TBA

More than two years since it was revealed that Sony Pictures Television has been developing a live-action Marvel spin-off centered around Spider-Man character Cindy Moon, aka Silk, it looks like things are finally moving forward, as Amazon Studios officially acquired the rights to the project. According to The Hollywood Reporter, Amazon has given a series order to a series titled "Silk: Spider Society," with "The Walking Dead" executive producer Angela Kang signing on to serve as a showrunner and executive producer. The project is expected to debut in the U.S. on Amazon's newest linear platform MGM+ and internationally on Prime Video.

In the comics, Silk is a Korean-American teenager who has a painful encounter with the same arachnid that gave Peter Parker his iconic abilities (via Marvel.com). As a result, she also gets Spidey powers. According to the outlet, the upcoming series will follow Cindy Moon "as she escapes imprisonment and searches for her missing family on her way to becoming the superhero known as Silk." Although the titular hero hasn't made her official live-action debut yet, her alter-ego Cindy Moon has already appeared in two Marvel Cinematic Universe movies including "Spider-Man: Homecoming" and "Avengers: Infinity War." Portrayed by Tiffany Espensen, she debuted as one of the decathlon team members alongside Tom Holland's Peter Parker.

"Silk: Spider Society" will be executive produced by "Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse" duo Phil Lord and Chris Miller, along with long-time "Spider-Man" producer Amy Pascal. Before Kang boarded the project, "Watchmen" producer Tom Spezialy and "Atypical" scribe Lauren Moon were originally attached to the series. In a statement shared by Sony Pictures Television Studios' president Katherine Pope, she promises that Marvel fans will be impressed by the show's new and never-before-seen characters and storylines.

Venom 3 - TBA

When we last checked in with Eddie Brock and his parasitic partner, Venom, they were trying to wrap their drunken minds around some pretty heavy concepts, like billionaires in tin suits, purple aliens that love stones, and the multiverse itself. And before that, we saw them earning mad bucks at the box office, raking in $856 million for their original outing and $502 million for the sequel, "Let There Be Carnage."

In other words, when this odd couple shows up on the screen, they make serious money. So it's no wonder that when Sony went to CinemaCon in April 2022 (via Variety), they were more than happy to announce the arrival of "Venom 3," which will feature the return of lead star Tom Hardy as Eddie Brock. After writing the first two installments, Kelly Marcel is officially making her feature directorial debut with "Venom 3" (via Deadline). In addition to directing, the "Saving Mr. Banks" scribe is once again writing the screenplay, based on a story she developed with Hardy.

Granted, we're not sure when it's hitting theaters, we don't know what the plot will be, and we're not sure if we'll see any other Sony characters show up, like Morbius, Kraven, or Peter Parker himself. However, we are sure of one thing — it's going to be a fantastically fun time at the theater.

Donald Glover's Hypno-Hustler

Donald Glover has been circling around the Spider-Man universe for a long time. When Sony was producing "The Amazing Spider-Man," he campaigned hard to play the titular superhero, although the part went to Andrew Garfield. He did get a cameo as Aaron Davis in Tom Holland's "Spider-Man: Homecoming," and he did provide the voice for Miles Morales in Disney XD's "Ultimate Spider-Man" series. However, he's never had a leading role in a live-action "Spider-Man" project ... but that's about to change.

While Glover won't be playing the web-slinger himself, he will be starring in and producing a Sony Pictures film about one of Spidey's weirdest and most random foes: Hypno-Hustler. Created in the late '70s for "Spectacular Spider-Man No. 24," the Hypno-Hustler was in a band called the Mercy Killer, and he used his specialized guitar to hypnotize the masses, allowing him to rob them. Yep, that's a pretty odd super power, but according to The Hollywood Reporter, the musical element is partly what attracted Glover to the character — that and the fact that there isn't a whole lot of pre-established lore surrounding the character.

In other words, Glover is pretty much free to do with the Hypno-Hustler what he wants, especially when it comes to the character's musical abilities. Glover is incredibly talented when it comes to music himself, releasing albums and music videos under the stage name of Childish Gambino. So we can't wait to see his spin on this Z-list villain. Also, it turns out that Eddie Murphy's son, Myles Murphy, will be writing the screenplay.

Nova - TBA

Following years of eager speculation after James Gunn first introduced the Nova Corps in "Guardians of the Galaxy," it looks like Nova will finally be entering the MCU. As we saw in "Guardians of the Galaxy," the Nova Corps were the defenders of the planet Xandar, which was later decimated by Thanos prior to the events of "Avengers: Infinity War." In the pages of Marvel comics, when that planet was destroyed, a lone survivor — Rhomann Dey, portrayed in "Guardians" by John C. Reilly — selected a random earthling, Richard Rider, to be the vessel for the Nova Force, which served as the energy source for Xandar. Imbued with the collective power and knowledge of the entirety of the Xandarian race, Rider became the man called Nova, an intergalactic hero whose power level is off the charts.

Deadline reported in March 2022 that a "Nova" project was in development from writer Sabir Pirzada, who's no stranger to the Marvel Cinematic Universe after recently working in the writers room for the Disney+ series "Moon Knight." For now, there's no word on whether "Nova" is being developed as a series or as a feature film, although considering that nearly all of Pirzada's previous experience is in TV, our money is on the former.

Alongside the question of which format that Nova's MCU introduction will take is the question of which version of Nova we'll get. While Rider was the original Nova, the MCU version could possibly be his successor, Sam Alexander. In early 2021, on ComicBook.com's "Phase Zero" podcast, Kevin Feige was asked if Nova would ever get his own movie and if the story would follow Rider or Alexander. The MCU mastermind's response? "Well, yes and yes," making us wonder if both iterations of the character will soon be making their MCU debuts.

Spider-Man Noir series - TBA

"Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse" introduced a lot of moviegoers to the various versions of everybody's favorite wall-crawler, from Miles Morales to Spider-Ham. Of course, one of the stand-out Spideys was Spider-Man Noir — a cynical 1930s superhero who loves punching Nazis. Of course, Noir wasn't invented for the film. He was first introduced in 2009 in the Marvel Noir universe before winding up in one of the best superhero movies ever made, where he was voiced by Nicolas Cage. And now, the fedora-wearing crimefighter is getting his very own TV show.

According to a report from Variety, a live-action "Spider-Man" series will soon swing its way over to Amazon. We don't know who will be playing this version of the Depression-era do-gooder, but we do know that Oren Uziel will serve as showrunner. While you might not recognize Uziel's name, you've definitely seen some of his work. He's developed stories and written scripts for "The Cloverfield Paradox," "22 Jump Street," "Mortal Kombat," "The Lost City," and "Escape Room 2: Tournament of Champions." He's also developing the Spider-Man Noir series with the help of Phil Lord and Christopher Miller, who produced "Into the Spider-Verse" and directed "The LEGO Movie" and both "Jump Street" films.

Untitled Olivia Wilde project — TBA

As Sony Pictures works to expand its universe of Marvel properties, the studio is wisely focusing on Marvel's impressive roster of female characters, and handing the reins of those films to the directors best suited to bring them to screen. News broke in August of 2020 that "Booksmart" director Olivia Wilde has been tapped to develop and direct an undisclosed Marvel film for Sony, which is widely speculated to be a Spider-Woman film. Wilde herself fanned the flames of this rumor, quote tweeting the deal announcement and adding a spider emoji.

In the comics, several characters have taken up the Spider-Woman mantle, including Gwen Stacy, Mary Jane Watson, and Jessica Drew. There's no telling which — if any — of these characters will feature into Wilde's version, but if she goes with a live-action version of Jessica Drew, we hope the door is left open for an eventual crossover with the MCU, so that we can see the films explore her close friendship with Carol Danvers. Female friendship is familiar territory for Wilde, whose feature directorial debut "Booksmart" focused on the strong relationship between a pair of overachieving high school besties.

Wilde's Marvel movie will be penned by her frequent collaborator Katie Silberman, who also worked with Wilde on "Booksmart" and "Don't Worry Darling." Outside of her projects with Wilde, Silberman has shown a penchant for romantic comedies, with screenwriting credits on the films "Set It Up" and "Isn't It Romantic." It begs the question of whether Wilde's possible Spider-Woman film will wind up being a comedy, or even a romantic comedy — and if so, who her love interest might be. And yes, Wilde is indeed still attached to the project according to The Hollywood Reporter, despite all the drama surrounding "Don't Worry Darling."

Black Cat - TBA

One of the projects long said to be in development at Sony was "Silver and Black," a feature in which two iconic Spider-Man associates would team up: Felicia Hardy (aka Black Cat) and Silvija Sablinova (aka Silver Sable). The project went through a number of iterations, including the idea of doing a limited Disney+ series instead of a movie. But now, it appears that solo features may be the direction Marvel is headed.

That Hashtag Show reports that Sony has a Black Cat feature in development, this time with a script from "a small indie writer-director, who had a solid debut in 2017 and had another hit in 2019." Feel free to commence guessing as to who this unnamed writer-director could be. The feature is said to be an origin story for the character, with Chameleon as the primary antagonist. Reportedly, the role of Felicia Hardy is being written for Felicity Jones, who played the character (but not her Black Cat alter ego) in "The Amazing Spider-Man 2," although the actress is not yet officially attached to the project.

A nemesis and sometimes love interest of Peter Parker, Felicia Hardy is a master thief who at times has been depicted with the ability to affect probability fields — that is, to cause bad luck to anyone who crosses her path. Hopefully her ability won't apply to her solo film, which after so many false starts, could use all the luck it can get.

Silver Sable - TBA

After originally exploring the possibility of introducing the characters of Black Cat and Silver Sable in a team-up film, That Hashtag Show reports that Silvija Sablinova (aka Silver Sable) is now on track to receive her own solo movie, on the heels of an earlier report that Black Cat would be getting the solo film treatment as well. Both characters are associates of Spider-Man in the comics, with Silver Sable crossing paths with the web-slinger thanks to her background as a highly skilled mercenary and the founder of security firm Silver Sable International.

Very few details are known about the "Silver Sable" movie, but it will reportedly be an origin story that sets up Silvija's path to becoming a mercenary and founding Silver Sable International, as well as establishing her as the leader of the Wild Pack, a group of operatives-for-hire who work with her to apprehend criminals and recover stolen property. The villain of "Silver Sable" will reportedly be a version of the Foreigner, who in the comics is an assassin and mercenary who was at one point married to Silver Sable. In the film, That Hashtag Show reports that the Foreigner will be "a fellow mercenary who betrays Silvija," which sounds like he could be the same character who will be making his debut in "Kraven the Hunter," played by Christopher Abbott. And although Silver Sable and Black Cat are now each receiving their own separate films instead of sharing one, the two films will supposedly share a universe.