There were only two things that were certain after the end of “The Avengers: Endgame” — the last chapter of the original Avengers would be a global hit and Marvel’s Phase 3 was ending with “Spider-Man: Far From Home.” After that, there were only rumors of sequels, standalone movies and network and streaming series. That was all cleared up Saturday during San Diego Comic-Con when Marvel Studios took over Hall H to unveil its slot of 10 movies and shows for Phase 4, and boy, will its cinematic universe be in for a change. Starting in May 2020, Scarlett Johansson will star in “Black Widow,” a character who debuted in “Iron Man 2” and was part of the first Avengers squad. Now, the Russia spy with SHIELD will have her own film, with Rachel Weisz, David Harbour and Florence Pugh. “Black Widow,” that will be released as a prequel, will be directed by Australian filmmaker Cate Shortland.
The following November, Marvel will introduce a new set of superbeings with “The Eternals.” Angelina Jolie joins the Marvel Cinematic Universe as the immortal Thena, inspired by the Greek goddess Athena. The Eternals are said to have been created by aliens through their experiments on ancient man. Joining Jolie are Salma Hayek, Brian Tyree Henry, Kumail Nanjiani and Richard Madden. Chloé Zhao will make her Marvel debut as a director.
In February 2021, a Marvel hero will get his first chance starring in a film. Simu Liu will play the title role in “Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings.” Liu, who is best known for his role in the Canadian TV series “Kim’s Convenience,” is a relative newcomer and had only learned about starring in the potential blockbuster a few days before Comic-Con. Shang-Chi, also known as the Master of Kung Fu, has not been featured in any prior Marvel movie. The hero debuted in comics in 1973. Also starring in the actioner are breakout actress Awkwafina and Chinese acting legend Tony Leung as the Mandarian. Destin Daniel Cretton, who previously directed Brie Larson of “Captain Marvel” in two movies, will lead this film.
Two sequels are on the horizon with Benedict Cumberbatch returning with “Doctor Strange and the Multiverse of Madness” in May 2021. Scott Derrickson, who directed the first “Doctor Strange,” is also returning, and joining Cumberbatch is Elizabeth Olsen reprising her “Avengers” role as the Scarlet Witch/Wanda Maximoff. Olsen will also headline a six-episode series streaming on Disney+ shortly before this film’s release in “WandaVision” with Paul Bettany back as Vision. Teyonah Parris will play an older version of Monica Rambeau, who was the daughter of Maria Rambeau in “Captain Marvel.”
Also back on the big screen is Thor, but with a familiar face returning to the franchise. Natalie Portman, who played Jane to Chris Hemsworth’s god of thunder in “Thor” and “Thor: The Dark World”, will carry the hammer in November 2021 in “Thor: Love and Thunder.” Hemsworth and Tessa Thompson, whose Valkyrie is leading the kingdom of New Asgard, will return as well as director Taika Waititi, who helmed the popular “Thor: Ragnarok.” Last but not least, Marvel is resurrecting a character who previously graced the marquee. “Blade” will come back with the daywalkers with Mahershala Ali in the title role. Welsey Snipes played the half vampire in three previous films. No other details were released during Marvel’s presentation.
In addition to “WandaVision,” Disney+ series Marvel will release in Phase 4 are “The Falcon and the Winter Soldier with Anthony Mackie and Sebastian Stan in fall 2020, “Loki” with Tom Hiddleston in spring 2021, the animated series “What If?” in summer 2021 and “Hawkeye” with Jeremy Renner in fall 2021.
What was not formally included in Marvel’s Comic-Con presentation Saturday was news on rumored sequels for “Guardians of the Galaxy,” “Black Panther” and “Captain Marvel.”
