A Detailed Look Upcoming MCU Movie and TV Series

If you're a fan of the Marvel Cinematic Universe—if you've stuck around all the way to this point—it's fair to assume one thing: you probably want more. After The Infinity Saga—the first 22 movies in the franchise—came to a conclusion in Avengers: Endgame, the next era of Marvel storytelling took a slight delay after the release of Spider-Man: Far From Home because of the whole Covid-19 thing. But Marvel Studios got things back on track with several films and Disney+ series releasing in 2021, and 2022 has kept the momentum going. After last year saw the release of highly-acclaimed series like WandaVision, Loki, and Hawkeye, and massive blockbuster movies like Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings and Spider-Man: No Way Home, 2022 is continuing to keep the pace up with the release of shows like Moon Knight, and movies like Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness. And as always with Marvel Studios, that's basically just the beginning.

The current era of the Marvel Cinematic Universe is referred to as "Phase 4," and while the seeds of the overarching story are still being slowly planted and plotted, it's clear that the multiverse is playing a big part of things, and it's also clear that the Disney+ series will be 100% essential to the future of the franchise. After seeing how directly WandaVision seems to be leading into Multiverse of Madness, it's clear that Marvel's television arm is just as essential as its film arm. We also know that Marvel Studios, and its fearless leader and President Kevin Feige, are extremely meticulous. There are the movies and shows we know about, that have been publicly announced, and then there are the movies and shows they're working on, that will exist in the shadows and rumors only. One example: we all know the X-Men are coming to the MCU sooner or later. How, is anyone's guess. But not a single mutant-centered project has yet been announced (though that could certainly change after Multiverse of Madness, especially if Wanda takes a page from her House of M playbook.)

Anyway, that's enough speculation. Here's the complete list of upcoming Marvel Cinematic Universe movies and TV shows—that we know of.

We were told that WandaVision would tie right into this Doctor Strange sequel, and that sure seems to be the case. Benedict Cumberbatch played a major role in Spider-Man: No Way Home as Doctor Strange, and the events of the end of that film also seem to be directly parlaying into this movie's universe-altering plot.

The team from Thor: Ragnarok will be back for Thor: Love and Thunder, which also saw its release shifted back by just a few months to July 2022. That chiefly means star Chris Hemsworth and director Taika Waititi, but Tessa Thompson will also be returning as Valkyrie. Additionally, the movie will see the return of Natalie Portman as Jane Foster, an exciting turn considering the film will follow the Mighty Thor comic book arc, which finds Jane taking on the powers of Thor and wielding Mjolnir.

Obviously, the plans for the Black Panther (2018) sequel had to change when its titular star, Chadwick Boseman, died last year after a battle with colon cancer. We don't know much about this Black Panther sequel, but Boseman's role as T'Challa will not be recast, and previous cast members Letitia Wright, Lupita Nyong’o, Winston Duke and Angela Basset will all be returning. Wright's Shuri, the sister of T'Challa, could be considered the favorite to become the franchise's new lead; in the Marvel Comics, at one point Shuri herself takes on the Black Panther mantle. This could also serve as something of a backdoor pilot into Ryan Coogler's upcoming Disney+ series set in Wakanda. Emmy winner Michaela Coel (for the excellent I May Destroy You) is also part of the cast in an undisclosed role.

Brie Larson will return again as Carol Danvers, this time directed by Nia DaCosta (2021's Candyman film, starring Yahya Abdul-Mateen II). The movie will also tie in a pair of characters launched by Disney+ series in Monica Rambeau (played here by Teyonah Parris, who played her adult version in WandaVision) and Iman Vellani as Ms. Marvel (who will debut in a titular Disney+ series, debuting in June 2022) We don't know much else. Maybe we get Nick Fury and Talos again?

Another one we don't know a ton about, other than the fact that it will follow the events of Endgame. Paul Rudd, Evangeline Lily, Michael Douglas, Michelle Pfeiffer, and Michael Peña will all return, and Kathryn Newton will now play Cassie Lang, Ant-Man's daughter. The villain will be Kang The Conqueror, a Nexus being already introduced (kind of) in Loki, who could be key to the MCU multiverse, and will be played by Jonathan Majors.

This one has a bit of a trip behind it. You might recall that Guardians writer/director James Gunn was fired from his job with the franchise in 2018 following controversial and "edgy" old jokes resurfacing. While at that time a new Guardians movie was his priority, after his firing he was hired by Warner Bros. to make The Suicide Squad and a spin-off series Peacemaker. So by the time Disney got itself together and rehired Gunn to return to the Guardians helm, he had already needed to prioritize those other two projects, so Guardians was pushed off a bit. And in some bittersweet news, Gunn has made it clear that this will be the final project for this Guardians team.