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Ever since the release of Iron Man in 2008, the MCU (Marvel Cinematic Universe) has been a dominant force in modern pop culture. From its humble beginnings, the brand has grown from strength to strength, first with successful sequels like Iron Man 2, then with team up movies like The Avengers, then with crossover events such as Infinity War and Endgame.
Marvel Studios has also widened its scope expanding into the universe with Guardians of the Galaxy, across time with Captain Marvel, into the Quantum Realm with Ant-Man, and now the multiverse with Loki, Spider-Man: No Way Home, and Doctor Strange 2.
The MCU has also conquered the small screen too with the first canon TV series hitting Disney+ in 2021, so as the brand keeps on growing, we take a look at all the upcoming adventures planned in the Marvel realm.
Ms Marvel centres on Kamala Khan, a 16-year-old Pakistani-American high school student from New Jersey who feels like a misfit both at home and at school until she gains superpowers.
The series is produced by British stand-up comedian and screenwriter Bisha K Ali, who was a writer on the successful television series Loki.
Chris Hemsworth returns to the MCU in Thor: Love and Thunder. (Marvel Studios/Disney)
The film is the fourth solo Thor movie following 2017's box-office hit Thor: Ragnarok. It will once again be directed by Academy Award winner Taika Waititi.
It sees the return of Thor's former love interest: Natalie Portman's Jane Foster.
Watch a trailer for Thor 4
The film finds Thor (Chris Hemsworth) on a journey unlike anything he’s ever faced – a quest for inner peace. But his retirement is interrupted by a galactic killer known as Gorr the God Butcher (Christian Bale), who seeks the extinction of the gods.
I Am Groot, exclusively on Disney+. (Marvel Studios)
I Am Groot is a collection of five original shorts starring Baby Groot — voiced again by Vin Diesel — and will feature several new and unusual characters. All five shorts will be available for viewers to watch upon launch.
Here's the synopsis: "There’s no guarding the galaxy from this mischievous toddler! So get ready as Baby Groot takes centre stage in his very owns series, exploring his glory days growing up — and getting into trouble — among the stars."
Mark Ruffalo as Smart Hulk / Bruce Banner and Tatiana Maslany as Jennifer "Jen" Walters/She-Hulk in She-Hulk: Attorney At Law. (Marvel Studios 202.)
Directed by Kat Coiro (Episodes 1, 2, 3, 4, 8, 9) and Anu Valia (Episodes 5, 6, 7) with Jessica Gao as head writer, She-Hulk: Attorney at Law follows Jennifer Walters (Tatiana Maslany) as she navigates the complicated life of a single, 30-something attorney who also happens to be a green 6-foot-7-inch superpowered hulk.
The nine-episode series welcomes a host of MCU vets, including Mark Ruffalo as Smart Hulk, Tim Roth as Emil Blonsky/the Abomination, and Benedict Wong as Wong.
The cast also includes Ginger Gonzaga, Josh Segarra, Jameela Jamil, Jon Bass and Renée Elise Goldsberry.
Disney+: Marvel's Halloween special (October 2022)
Gael García Bernal will make his MCU debut in 2022. (AFP via Getty Images)
Michael Giacchino’s Marvel Halloween special is scheduled to be released on Disney+ this October and will be a part of Phase Four of the MCU.
Gael García Bernal and Laura Donnelly have both been cast. Although not confirmed it is expected to take inspiration from Werewolf By Night with Bernal reportedly playing a werewolf.
The title treatment for Black Panther: Wakanda Forever. (Marvel Studios)
After Black Panther smashed box office records as the second-highest grossing film of 2018 with over $1.3billion, the sequel is nearly upon us.
The film will not star the late Chadwick Boseman who died from cancer in 2020. Lupita Nyong’o returns as Nakia, Daniel Kaluuya as W’Kabi and Letitta Wright as Shuri.
Secret Invasion is expected to be released later this year. (Disney)
Another show that is part of Phase Four of the MCU is Secret Invasion. The show sees the return of Samuel L Jackson as Nick Fury and Ben Mendelsohn as Talos, who appeared together in Captain Marvel and Spider-Man: Far From Home.
The show centres around Fury and Talos trying to stop the Skrulls, an alien race who have infiltrated the highest spheres of the Marvel Universe. Game of Thrones star Emilia Clarke and Academy Award winner Olivia Colman have also signed up, however their roles are yet to be revealed.
The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special will be released this winter (Disney)
The Guardians of the Galaxy crew return for a festive edition of the hit galactic crew this Christmas. Chris Pratt returns as Peter Quill/Star-Lord, Zoe Saldana as Gamora, Dave Bautista as Drax, Pom Klementieff as Mantis, Bradley Cooper as Rocket and Vin Diesel as Groot.
The programme will also be a part of Phase Four of the MCU.
Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania is set to be released on 23 February 2023 (Disney)
Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania is the third instalment in the Ant-Man series which sees Paul Rudd once again star as Scott Lang/Ant-Man and Evangeline Lilly reprising the role as Hope van Dyne/Wasp.
It is the 31st film of the MCU and is part of Phase Four. Directed by the returning Peyton Reed, the movie will also see the return of two-time Academy Award winner Michael Douglas and three-time Academy Award nominee Michelle Pfeiffer. They'll all face off with Jonathan Majors' Kang The Conqueror, first introduced in Loki on Disney+.
'Guardians of the Galaxy, Vol. 3'. (Credit: Disney/Marvel)
James Gunn returns to direct the third movie in the Guardians of the Galaxy franchise, which recently wrapped production. Once again the movie is littered with an array of Hollywood A-listers including Chris Pratt who returns as Peter Quill/Star-Lord, Zoe Saldana as Gamora, Dave Bautista as Drax, and Bradley Cooper as Rocket. It's rumoured to be the final outing for this incarnation of the team.
Will Poulter will join the MCU as fan favourite character Adam Warlock, who has already been teased in the movies several times.
Carol Danvers revealed her true potential in Captain Marvel (Disney)
The Marvels is the official title for Captain Marvel 2, which will see Brie Larsson reprise the role of former Air Force pilot Carol Danvers.
Samuel L Jackson returns as Nick Fury with Iman Vellani as Ms Marvel and Teyonah Harris as Monica Rambeau joining the team. The movie has swapped release dates with Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania, which was initially meant to be released on 28 July 2023, however with the movie being ahead scheduled and The Marvels experiencing delays the changed was made.
The title treatment for X-Men '97. (Marvel Studios)
Not much has been revealed about the upcoming animated television series, X-Men '97 but the show is a continuation of the beloved 1992 X-Men animated show with Beau DeMayo writing and producing the show.
The programme is expected be released in 2023.
Charlie Cox stars as the crime-fighting vigilante, Daredevil. (Netflix)
Rumours of a Daredevil revival at Disney+ have swirled after Charlie Cox returned as Matt Murdock in Spider-Man: No Way Home and Vincent D'Onofrio reprised Kingpin in Hawkeye.
A report by Variety in May, 2022 suggests that Covert Affairs co-creators Matt Corman and Chris Ord are now attached to write and executive produce a new series of the Hells Kitchen-based superhero show. The move follows the cancellation of Daredevil by Netflix, when the streaming service relinquished the rights to the character to Disney.
The show, along with the other Netflix Marvel series, arrived on Disney+ in March, 2022.
Two-time Academy Award, Mahershala Ali, will reprise the role as Blade following his debut in Eternals (Photo by Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP)
Having made his first appearance as part of the MCU in The Eternals, two-time Academy Award winner Mahershala Ali will headline his own movie as Blade, the vampire hunting bloodsucker previously played by Wesley Snipes.
Not much has been said about the release date however production is expected to begin in August this year and ending by December.
The released date for The Fantastic Four is yet to be announced (Disney)
Casting is yet to be announced for the upcoming Fantastic Four movie, and its director Jon Watts recently quit the project, so this one seems to remain in very early stages of development.
Ryan Reynolds will once again play Wade Wilson/Deadpool following the change to Disney (Credit: 20th Century Fox)
Ryan Reynolds (Wade Wilson/Deadpool) recently announced that Shawn Levy will be the director of Deadpool 3 although dates for production and the release date are yet to be finalised.
The box-office success has suffered many setbacks since the sequel in 2018 following complications with Disney’s takeover of 20th Century Fox, which distributed the first two movies. This movie will mark Deadpool's arrival in the MCU.
Anthony Mackie will reprise his role as Sam Wilson as the new Captain America, taking over the mantle from Chris Evans' Steve Rogers. (Marvel Studios)
Not much has been reported on for the fourth movie in the Captain America franchise, but what we do know is that Anthony Mackie will reprise his role as Sam Wilson but in the new role as Captain America replacing the outgoing Chris Evans.
Filming is expected to take place later this year however a release date is still premature.
Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings (2021) was the first ever Asian superhero movie.
Simu Liu will reprise the role of Xu Shang-Chi in Destin Daniel Cretton’s Shang-Chi 2. With the deal only being signed in December 2021, production has still not been announced so it is hard to determine when the sequel will be shot and subsequently released.
X-Men (TBA)
'X-Men: The Last Stand'. (Credit: 20th Century Studios)
Like Deadpool and Fantastic Four, an X-Men-centric movie will also be part of the MCU following Disney’s purchase of 20th Century Fox.
With the cast and director yet to be announced and Phase Four movies already slotted in for the coming years it seems a release date is still some years away.
A released date for Ironheart is yet to be announced (Disney)
The new television series stars Dominique Thorne as super genius Riri WIlliams, who has created the most advanced suit of armour since Iron Man.
Production is expected to go ahead in June. Sam Bailey and Angela Barnes have been hired as directors, with Ryan Coogler on the producing team.
Disney+: Armor Wars (TBA)
The title treatment for Armor Wars (Disney)
Don Cheadle is set to reprise the role as James Rhodes/War Machine in the upcoming television series Armor Wars, set after the events of Avengers: Endgame.
A release date is yet to be announced although production is expected to take place later this year.
"Armor Wars will be different and I think it's going to be pretty unique," Cheadle told Yahoo in 2021.
"We're breaking the story now in the writers' room and figuring out what direction it's gonna take, but I think people are going to be very surprised at where we're gonna go with this, for sure."
Black Panther watches over Wakanda (Marvel)
Following the box-office hit, Blank Panther, with the sequel already in production, director Ryan Coogler has announced that a television series is also on the way.
The cast is yet to be announced so it seems like the series is still some years away.
A still from the Loki season finale (Marvel Studios)
Following the huge success of the first season of Loki on Disney+, the thought of another season is sure to please Marvel fans around the world. It is hard to judge when the new season will be released however filming is expected to start this summer.
What we do know however is that Tom Hiddleston will reprise the role of Loki, Owen Wilson as Agent Mobius and Gugu Mbatha-Raw as Ravonna Renslayer.
Alaqua Cox will once again play Maya Lopez in the new miniseries Echo (Marvel Studios)
Echo will follow Maya Lopez/Echo, the deaf Native American adopted niece of Kingpin (crime lord in New York) detailing her life as the leader of the Tracksuit Mafia, a criminal organisation based in New York.
Alaqua Cox once again reprises the role of Maya Lopez, and Vincent D'Onofrio as Wilson Fisk/Kingpin and Charlie Cox as Daredevil are also rumoured to appear.
Devery Jacobs will also be joining the team although it is in an undisclosed role.
Following her role in hit-TV series WandaVision, Kathryn Hahn will return as Agatha Harkness (Credit: Disney+)
Agatha: House of Darkness is a WandaVision spinoff which sees Kathryn Hahn reprise the role of Agatha Harkness.
This is the second Marvel character from a Disney+ show to have to star in a spinoff after Echo from Hawkeye.
Spider-Man: Freshman Year (Marvel Studios)
Spider-Man: Freshman Year is an upcoming animated television series which is a prequel to Captain America: Civil War and Spider-Man: Homecoming.
The voice of Peter Parker/Spider-Man is yet to be announced however Jeff Trammell is to write and executive produce the show.
What If... Zombies!? (Marvel Studios/Disney+)
Marvel Zombies is an upcoming animated television series, which is a spin-off of What If...?. She-Hulk’s Zeb Wells is set to write and executive produce the series.
No further announcements have been made in terms of cast and production.
