Every Marvel Project that we know of

one Marvel film release—the extremely divisive non-MCU movie The New Mutants—and one Marvel television release— the equally divisive Hulu series Helstrom—2021 and beyond has a nice slate lined up to feed our fix. Beginning with the groundbreaking limited series WandaVision premiering on Disney+ this past January, the surprisingly good The Falcon and the Winter Soldier in March, and the latest multiverse tale of everyone’s favorite scoundrel, Loki—all part of the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s Phase Four— this year is off to a hot start. Sony has also been working hard on their fairly new Sony Pictures Universe of Marvel Characters (SPUMC), which features some promising titles on the way as well.

On the cinematic side, this month’s Black Widow is finally getting its long-awaited release and now fans are clamoring for more. We at SPO!LER have compiled a cheat sheet for all of Marvel’s upcoming releases that we know about (so far)…

WHAT IF...?

Release Date: August 2021

Based on the What If comic book anthology series which tells hypothetical tales of events in the Marvel Universe happening slightly differently than we know them to have happened, this animated series, created by A.C. Bradley, will debut on Disney+ and consist of 10 episodes in its first season. While the comics include storylines such as, “What if Thanos had joined the Avengers?” and, “What if Peter Parker was bitten by a radioactive sheep?” the TV series has already teased such episodes as, “What if Peggy Carter had taken the supersoldier serum?” and “What if T’Challa were Star-Lord?” Jeffrey Wright will narrate the series as Uata, the Watcher of Earth, and most characters are set to be voiced by the same actors who portray them in the live-action films, including the exciting announcement of Robert Downey Jr. as Tony Stark.

hawkeye

Release Date: Late 2021

Set after the events of Avengers: Endgame, the upcoming Hawkeye miniseries, starring Jeremy Renner, will finally give its titular character a vehicle of his own. The story will delve into Clint Barton’s past, including his time as the vigilante Ronin during “the Blip.” Jonathan Igla (Bridgerton) will serve as showrunner on the series which will also follow the master archer as he suffers from hearing loss and passes on the torch of Hawkeye to the young Kate Bishop (Hailee Steinfeld), teaching her all he knows about being a superhero without superpowers.

ms. marvel

Release Date: Late 2021

The six-episode miniseries Ms. Marvel will follow a Pakistani-American teenager named Kamala Khan (Iman Vellani) who discovers that she has Inhuman genes originating from the mystical Terrigen Mists. Prior to taking up the mantle of Ms. Marvel, she shows a passion for writing fan fiction, especially that of Captain Marvel. The character of Ms. Marvel is relatively new, debuting in comic books only as far back as 2013. This Disney+ series will lead up to the 2022 film The Marvels, which itself is also a sequel to 2019’s Captain Marvel. While this is Khan’s liveaction debut, the character has made several non-MCU animation appearances, including those in Avengers Assemble and the 2017 Spider-Man cartoon.

moon knight

Release Date: Late 2022

Marvel Comics/Marvel Studios/Disney/Sony

One of Marvel’s most interesting superheroes is finally getting his live-action debut, which will lead into his inclusion in the MCU. Marc Spector, aka Moon Knight, is a former Marine who, nearly dead after being betrayed by his boss, is given a second chance by the Egyptian god Khonshu, giving Spector superhuman abilities. Spector suffers from a form of dissociative identity disorder and has created three separate identities for himself, all of which will be presented as three separate characters in the show. The series’ showrunner is Jeremy Slater (who developed Umbrella Academy) and has been said to have tinges of Indiana Jones with Moon Knight being more of a John McClane type of action hero, albeit with superpowers. Oscar Isaac will star as the titular character, while Ethan Hawke has signed on to play a villainous role.

The guardians of the galaxy holiday special

Release Date: Late 2022

Set between the events of next year’s Thor: Love and Thunder and the subsequent Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special will see our favorite ragtag misfits reunite for a one-off television special written and directed by James Gunn, who is reported to have been inspired by the infamous 1978 Star Wars Holiday Special, so it’s unclear if this upcoming TV special will be a pastiche or simply an homage. One can only imagine what will come of this, but fans can expect something fairly off-the-wall.

echo

Release Date: TBA

A spin-off of Hawkeye, Echo will see Alaqua Cox reprise her role as Maya Lopez, the Native American superhero who has been featured as a supporting character to several Marvel stars, such as Spider-Man and Daredevil. Echo is one of the few deaf comic book characters and is also an Olympic-level athlete with the uncanny ability to perfectly mimic the movements of other people, which has allowed her to learn many skills. Not much yet is known about the series, which is currently in development, but husband and wife team Etan Cohen (Tropic Thunder) and Emily Cohen will serve as head writers and showrunners. One of the more intriguing series the future has to offer is She-Hulk, which follows Jennifer Walters, an attorney and cousin of Bruce Banner, aka the Incredible Hulk, who similarly has the power to turn herself big and green. However, unlike earlier versions of Banner’s Hulk, Walters’ She-Hulk still retains her own personality. It’s been said that the series, which will eventually crossover to the MCU, will be a half-hour legal comedy based on comic book writer John Byrne’s version of the character, who has an awareness that she’s inside of a comic book, even breaking the fourth wall to talk to the writers at times. With Jessica Gao, known for her work on Rick and Morty and Silicon Valley, serving as creator and head writer, fans can hope that the series will retain the same satirical tone as the comics. Mark Ruffalo reprises his role as Banner, with Tim Roth making his first appearance in the MCU since 2008’s The Incredible Hulk movie.

she-hulk

Release Date: TBA

ironheart

Release Date: TBA

Riri Williams, also known as Ironheart, made her comic book debut in 2016. The 15-year-old super-genius builds her own Iron Man armor while studying at MIT. Upon hearing of her accomplishment, Tony Stark decides to endorse her endeavor to become a superhero. Not much is known about the upcoming six-episode Disney+ series, but it’s reported to eventually crossover into the MCU. Dominique Thorne (Judas and the Black Messiah) will play Ironheart, with Chinaka Hodge serving as head writer and executive producer. Don Cheadle will finally get his own starring vehicle in the upcoming series Armor Wars. The actor will reprise his role as James “Rhodey” Rhodes, also known as War Machine, following the death of Tony Stark as he discovers that the Iron Man technology has fallen into the wrong hands. The storyline, based on a sevenissue comic book arc from the late ‘80s, is touched on in Iron Man 2 when Ivan Vanko utilizes an army of remote control automatons as a weapon. Filming for the series should commence this year.

secret invasion

Release Date: TBA

If we’ve learned nothing else from the 2019 Captain Marvel movie it’s that more Nick Fury is always a good thing. Samuel L. Jackson will reprise his role as Fury in the upcoming Secret Invasion limited series, based on the 2008 comic book crossover series of the same name, which follows an invasion by the shapeshifting Skrulls who have replaced many of Earth’s superheroes with impostors. Ben Mendelsohn will co-star as Talos, with Kingsley Ben-Adir playing the role of the villain. Olivia Colman, Emilia Clarke, Christopher McDonald, and Carmen Ejogo will also star in the six-episode series, with Kyle Bradstreet (Mr. Robot) serving as head writer.

Marvel Comics/Marvel Studios/Disney/Sony silk

Release Date: TBA

Originally planned to be a film, Silk is now being developed as a television series by Sony, with Phil Lord and Christopher Miller attached as executive producers. In the comics, Silk, whose real name is Cindy Moon, is bitten by the same radioactive spider as Peter Parker, thus giving her similar powers. This isn’t the first live-action appearance of Cindy as she’s featured briefly in the MCU’s Spider-Man: Homecoming and Avengers: Infinity War, portrayed by Tiffany Espensen. It’s unclear if the actress will reprise her role for the series set in the SPUMC. Sang Kyu Kim (Jupiter’s Legacy) has recently signed on as showrunner.

untitled wakanda series

Release Date: TBA

Ryan Coogler, director of Black Panther, is currently developing a series set in Wakanda, which is said to star Danai Gurira as the Wakandan warrior Okoye, with the series serving as her origins story. Okoye fought alongside T’Challa in Black Panther and the Avengers when they took on Thanos.

Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings

Release Date: September 3, 2021

The first Marvel movie with an Asian lead, Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings will follow its titular Shang-Chi (Simu Liu), a highly trained assassin who left the family trade to live a normal life in San Francisco. He’s drawn into the Ten Rings terrorist organization by the elusive Mandarin, who’s been strongly alluded to in several MCU movies and also happens to be Shang-Chi’s father, Wenwu (Tony Leung), an original character for this film. Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings is directed by Destin Daniel Cretton (Short Term 12) based on a script he wrote along with David Callaham (Zombieland: Double Tap) and Andrew Lanham.

A year after the events of 2018’s Venom, the criminally-underrated origins story for the title symbiote’s most notable host Eddie Brock, the sequel Venom: Let There Be Carnage follows Tom Hardy as Brock, a lapsed journalist who looks to get his career back on track. The only problem is he’s now adjusting to sharing a body with an alien lifeform with a hunger for humans. He has an idea to interview serial killer Cletus Kasady (Woody Harrelson), who eventually becomes the host of another symbiote named Carnage, allowing him to escape from prison. In the comics, Carnage is the archenemy of Venom and, as his offspring, is even more powerful. Andy Serkis takes over the reins of director from Ruben Fleischer, with Kelly Marcel (Cruella, Saving Mr. Banks) returning to pen the script, this time with sole screenwriter credit. Like the first movie, the Venom sequel will not be part of the MCU, but the second installment in the Sony Pictures Universe of Marvel Characters.

venom: let there be carnage

Release Date: September 24, 2021

eternals

Release Date: November 5, 2021

Writer-director Chloé Zhao may be one of the most intriguing new filmmakers in Hollywood. Fresh off a Best Picture win for her minimalistic 2020 movie Nomadland, Zhao is nearing the release of her first foray into the superhero universe with this year’s Eternals. Filmed back-to-back with Nomadland, Eternals is said to employ a similar style to the vérité aesthetic of her previous endeavor. Fans are excited to see the finished product as this is arguably one of the most artistic writer-directors ever attached to a superhero movie. The film itself will follow a race of immortal aliens who have secretly lived on Earth for thousands of years, and have now come out of hiding to protect humanity from a malevolent species known as the Deviants. The cast includes Gemma Chan, Richard Madden, Kumail Nanjiani, Brian Tyree Henry, Kit Harington, Salma Hayek, and Angelina Jolie.

Release Date: January 28, 2022

To continue the SPUMC’s growing resume of “monster hero” movies, Sony will finally be releasing Morbius following a year and a half delay due to the pandemic. Directed by Daniel Espinosa (Life), the movie will follow Michael Morbius (Jared Leto), a scientist who develops vampiristic powers after trying to cure himself of a rare blood disease, and will detail the character’s struggle with his newfound thirst for blood. The film will also star Matt Smith as a friend of Morbius, as well as Tyrese Gibson as the FBI agent hunting him down. Michael Keaton, who played Vulture in the MCU’s Spider-Man: Homecoming, has an undisclosed role in the film as well, which may signify the two cinematic universes crossing over once more.

spiderman: no way home

Release Date: December 17, 2021

Marvel’s most famous superhero returns for what will be his third outing in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, following two separate Spider-Man series from Sony over the past 20 years. However, despite the previous MCU iterations, Homecoming and Far From Home, the latest movie will attempt to introduce the idea of characters crossing over between two separate cinematic universes: the MCU and the SPUMC, following a recent deal between Marvel Studios and Sony. Alfred Molina will reprise his role of Doctor Octopus from the first Sony series, directed by Sam Raimi, and Jamie Foxx as Electro from their second. Benedict Cumberbatch will play Doctor Strange, the new mentor for Peter Parker (Tom Holland) following the death of Tony Stark, which has sparked speculation that No Way Home may adapt the comic book storyline of either “One More Day” or “One Moment in Time.” For the third time in a row, the most recent Spidey series will see the same team of director John Watts and screenwriters Chris McKenna and Erik Sommers.

thor: love and thunder

Release Date: May 6, 2022

doctor strange in the multiverse of madness

Release Date: March 25, 2022

The long-awaited sequel to the 2016 movie about the titular Master of the Mystic Arts will take place following the events of WandaVision. Directed by Sam Raimi, the upcoming film will follow Doctor Strange (Benedict Cumberbatch) as he continues his research on the Time Stone until he must stop to face his former mentor, Karl Mordo (Chiwetel Ejiofor), who now hunts sorcerers, unleashing an “unspeakable evil” in the process. The film will feature Elizabeth Olsen as Wanda Maximoff following her portrayal in the Disney+ series. The world of Doctor Strange is capable of so many different directions, so it will be exciting to see how the filmmakers subvert typical action conventions yet again. Taiki Waititi returns to direct a second Thor installment after breathing life into the series back in 2017 with Thor: Ragnarok. Prior to that, the previous two movies (Thor and Thor: The Dark World) had been some of the weaker moments for the MCU. However, Waititi has provided the property with the attention it deserves, infusing Ragnarok with a colorful energy and assertiveness that the previous films lacked. The director said that this fourth film will contain romance elements, as Natalie Portman’s character Jane Foster makes her return as Thor’s love interest from the first two movies. Here, Jane will be undergoing cancer treatment and eventually take on the powers of Thor, as it happened in Jason Aaron’s comic book version of the character. Several members of Guardians of the Galaxy will also be featured in the film.

black panther: wakanda forever

Release Date: July 8, 2022

Following the release of the 2018’s Black Panther, it was clear that the possibilities were endless for the future of this story and fans couldn’t wait to see what was next for the king of Wakanda. The untimely passing of actor Chadwick Boseman, who played T’Challa, has cast a shadow on the world of Wakanda and Hollywood in general. Prior to that, a script for a sequel had already been started by Coogler with a release date planned. While Boseman’s role will not be recast, the film will see the return of Lupita Nyong’o, Winston Duke, Angela Bassett, Danai Gurira, and Letitia Wright, and the story will obviously take a new direction. Rumors have circulated that Wright’s character Shuri, T’Challa’s little sister, will be more of a focal point this time around.

untitled spider-man: into the spider-verse sequel

Release Date: October 7, 2022

Sony Pictures Animation hit it out of the park with 2018’s Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse, which introduced the concept of a multiverse to millions of non-comic book fans. The sequel will follow the events of the first film and continue the story of Miles Morales (Shameik Moore) and explore his relationship with Gwen Stacy (Hailee Steinfeld), while also featuring Takuya Yamashiro from the Japanese SpiderMan series and a version of SpiderWoman voiced by Issa Rae. The trio of directors includes Joaquim Dos Santos, Kemp Powers (Soul), and Justin K. Thompson, with a script written by David Callaham, Phil Lord, and Christopher Miller.

the marvels

Release Date: November 11, 2022

A continuation of the Ms. Marvel series, The Marvels will star Brie Larson as Captain Marvel, Teyonah Parris reprising her role as Monica Rambeau from WandaVision, and Iman Vellani as Ms. Marvel. Directed by Nia DaCosta (Candyman) and written by Megan McDonnell, The Marvels is largely remaining under wraps for the time being, especially this far ahead of the release of Ms. Marvel. Opposed to 2019’s Captain Marvel, which was set in the 1990s, The Marvels will take place in modern day.

ant-man and the wasp: quantumania

Release Date: February 17, 2023

kraven the hunter

Release Date: January 13, 2023

Aside from allusions to his character in previous Spider-Man movies, Kraven the Hunter has never had a cinematic portrayal before. Considered one of Spidey’s most formidable adversaries in the comics, Kraven is a big-game hunter who gives himself superhuman abilities from a jungle herb that he regularly ingests. The upcoming film set in the SPUMC will be based on the highlyacclaimed comic book storyline “Kraven’s Last Hunt” and star Aaron Taylor-Johnson as Kraven. J. C. Chandor (Margin Call) is set to direct the script written by Art Marcum and Matt Holloway, who both co-wrote 2008’s Iron Man.

Peyton Reed returns to direct his third installment in what will soon be the Ant-Man trilogy. Following the 2015 and 2018 films, Quantumania will presumably explore further the Quantum Realm, which is expanded upon in Ant-Man and the Wasp and a major factor in saving the universe in Avengers: Endgame. Along with Paul Rudd and Evangeline Lilly returning in the starring roles, Michael Douglas and Michelle Pfeiffer will also reprise their characters of the original AntMan and the Wasp. Jonathan Majors joins the cast as the time-traveling villain Kang the Conqueror, as well as Kathryn Newton as Cassie Lang, the daughter of Rudd’s character.

guardians of the galaxy vol.3

Release Date: May 5, 2023

Not much is known about the third Guardians of the Galaxy film, except that it will take place following the events of Thor: Love and Thunder and may very well include Thor as a member of the intergalactic team as he is by the end of Avengers: Endgame. Writer-director James Gunn will return for a third outing following his work on DC’s The Suicide Squad and its spin-off series Peacemaker.

blade

Release Date: TBA

fantastic four

Release Date: 2023

Following Disney’s acquisition of 20th Century Fox back in 2017, Marvel Studios has acquired the film rights to several Marvel characters, most notable of which is the Fantastic Four. Fans of the iconic superteam will be thrilled to hear that they will soon be incorporated into the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Jon Watts, who directed all three of the MCU’s Spider-Man iterations, is set to helm the project, with a cast said to be revealed later this year. Fantastic Four’s lineage in film has seen a rocky past, including a 1994 movie that was completed but never released, a pair of rough outings in 2005 and 2007, and an even-moredisastrous 2015 release. But now, in the hands of Marvel Studios, fans are excited to see what will come of the franchise that deserves a great movie more than almost any other. The vampire hunter Eric Brooks, also known as Blade, will make his first appearance in the MCU following the acquisition of the character from New Line Cinema. Mahershala Ali is set to star as the titular character who cannot be harmed by a vampire’s bite due to traces of vampirism in his bloodstream. This will be the first appearance by Blade in film since the hit trilogy starring Wesley Snipes (1998, 2002, 2004). It has also been rumored that Jared Leto’s Morbius will make an appearance in the film, much like the character is often featured as an adversary to the hero in the comic books.

untitled deadpool film

Release Date: TBA

Marvel Studios is thankfully making the move to incorporate the fan favorite Deadpool into the MCU in the following years. Ryan Reynolds will still be portraying the role of the mouthy antihero, but fans can only speculate on which direction the new film will take the character. The two live-action Deadpool movies have been nothing but successful and have opened up a space for raunchier, R-rated superhero movies to exist alongside the relatively family-friendly ones, and Marvel Studios has confirmed that their newest Deadpool installment will retain that R-rating.

untitled captain america sequel

Release Date: TBA

This year’s Disney+ series The Falcon and the Winter Soldier follows the events of Avengers: Endgame where Anthony Mackie’s Falcon is handed the Captain America shield from an elderly Steve Rogers. After the final episode aired back in April, Marvel announced that head writer Malcolm Spellman, along with series writer Dalan Musson, was working on a script for a fourth Captain America movie, presumably starring Mackie in the title role. This has also been reported to not necessarily contradict plans for a second season of the series.

the sinister six

Release Date: TBA

As Sony looks to release their Kraven the Hunter movie by 2023 and continue opening up their own cinematic universe of Marvel characters, the studio has revitalized their plans for a Sinister Six adaptation. The supervillain team, of which Kraven is a member, consists of members of Spider-Man’s rogues’ gallery, organized by Doctor Octopus and also featuring Mysterio, Electro, Vulture, and Sandman. With the planned connection between the MCU and the SPUMC, there’s a lot of interesting potential with this project, especially if done well. Drew Goddard (The Cabin in the Woods) is set to write and direct the film.

untitled mutant film

Release Date: TBA

Upon acquiring the rights to the X-Men characters from 20th Century Fox, Disney and Marvel look to finally incorporate the mutants into the MCU. Fox’s series consists of 13 X-Men installments, including the two Deadpool movies and last year’s The New Mutants, although Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige has stated that this will be a new take on the property. With Hugh Jackman’s Wolverine being killed off in Logan, it remains to be seen whether or not the actor will reprise his legendary role as the clawed mutant, and if he does it will surely be part of the multiverse. Ryan Reynolds’ Deadpool, however, will be incorporated.

Marvel Comics/Marvel Studios/Disney/Sony/Olivia Wilde/Huffington Post untitled olivia wilde project

Release Date: TBA

It’s believed that Olivia Wilde is slated to direct a Spider-Woman movie, which has been put on the fast track by Sony since early 2020. Wilde’s writing partner Katie Silberman (Booksmart) is set to pen the script.

madame web

Release Date: TBA

Sony is looking to develop a femalecentric Marvel movie around Madame Web, the blind, clairvoyant mutant who often shows up in various Spider-Man storylines in the comic books. The studio has signed on director S. J. Clarkson to help develop the project with Morbius screenwriters Matt Sazama and Burk Sharpless attached as well.

spider-women

Release Date: TBA

The upcoming sequel to SpiderMan: Into the Spider-Verse will serve as a launching pad for an animated spin-off movie following a group of female spider-related characters, which at this time includes Gwen Stacy as Spider-Gwen, Cindy Moon as Silk, and Jessica Drew as Spider-Woman. Lauren Montgomery is set to direct as of now, with a script by Bek Smith.

JACKPOT

Release Date: TBA

Not much has been revealed about the film adaptation for Jackpot, who in the comics is actually the alter-ego of two different women, where one bought the identity from the other—both of whom have superhuman abilities. Marc Guggenheim, who wrote for the Jackpot comic books, is writing the script for the movie which would be set in the Sony Pictures Universe of Marvel Characters.