All 15 Upcoming MCU Movies Ranked By Anticipation and Excitement
- Sam Tarter
- Jul 10, 2021
- 39 min read
On Friday, July 9th, 2021, the Marvel Cinematic Universe made its long-awaited and heavily delayed return to the big screen, with Kate Shortland’s ‘Black Widow’ continuing Phase Four of the MCU via movie format, while the limited series continue telling stories on Disney+. While only four feature films are set to debut in 2021, a grand total of 15 films are currently in active development (whether currently filming, in pre-production, or in post-production) and are scheduled to release up to 2024. With Marvel movies set to dominate the multiplex for the next several years, I’ve decided it was time to rank each upcoming MCU feature film in order of my anticipation and excitement.
15. Untitled Film Focused on Mutants - Release Date: TBD
On Saturday July 20th, 2019 (what feels like an eternity ago), Marvel Studios President Kevin Feige confirmed that, with Disney’s acquisition of 20th Century Fox and the return of legal rights of the use of Marvel characters to the MCU, they would be developing a film on Mutants, aka the genetically advanced race of humans that make up the X-Men and many other iconic superheroes. While I am excited for the inclusion of characters like Professor Xavier, The Wolverine, Magneto, and Storm, I have no substantial excitement for a feature film centered around the X-Men characters as a whole.
I grew up with and loved the Fox ‘X-Men’ movies, and I am excited for new depictions of those characters to make their debut in the MCU and interact with teams like The Avengers and fictional cultures like Wakanda and The Eternals, but I definitely think there needs to be a large amount of time before that can happen. Considering that the previous ‘X-Men’ franchise just ended last year with ‘The New Mutants,’ I don’t see the need for that team to be re-introduced so soon. After the events of ‘Endgame’ there are too many teams, characters, and storylines to be established and fleshed out (including The Eternals, The Young Avengers, a new Captain America, Shang-Chi, and even vampires) that the MCU would feel way too crowded if Feige were to introduce not only several new teams but an entire new race of people and new breed of superhero.
Personally, I would be much more interested in seeing a new team that is more small-scale and self-contained like The Inhumans or The Eternals, something that is groundbreaking and completely new, but something that won’t shake up the entire universe. All-in-all, I think Marvel has a good plan and idea of introducing and establishing Mutants by having characters pop up in different series and movies. We have already met two mutants—Billy and Tommy from ‘WandaVision’—and more are rumored to appear in ‘Black Widow,’ ‘Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings,’ and ‘Eternals.’ This time lapse will give audiences time to catch up and learn who exactly mutants are instead of having them all appear in one movie without enough character development and screen time to go around. It will be something new for the X-Men characters, something similar to Phase One with ‘The Avengers’ and akin to what has been done in the comics; I think it will be a more exciting and prevalent storyline once the seeds have been planted.
There is a time and place for mutants and the X-Men in the MCU. I don’t think the time is now. I don’t even think it's in this Phase of movies.
14. Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania - Release Date: February 17th, 2023
Right after Valentine’s Day 2023, ‘Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania’—the third film in the Ant-Man series—will be released. Returning cast members will include Paul Rudd as Scott Lang aka Ant-Man, Evangeline Lily as Hope van Dyne, Michael Douglas as Hank Pym, and Michelle Pfeiffer as Janet van Dyne (Corey Stoll is also rumoured to return as Darren Cross aka Yellowjacket, the villain from the first film). New cast members include Kathryn Newton taking over for Emma Fuhrmann as Cassie Lang aka Stature—a future member of the Young Avengers team—and Jonathon Majors as villain Kang the Conqueror.
There’s not much I can say on the newest ‘Ant-Man.’ I really enjoy the first two films, but they have always felt like they were lacking in importance, scale, scope, and impact for the MCU, in terms of both world building and storytelling. Furthermore, the ‘Ant-Man’ franchise has always felt like filler movies—a fun time in the theater and much needed in between big-event team-up movies, but never anything more and rarely worthy of a rewatch.
Additionally, with a subtitle like ‘Quantumania,’ it seems as if this franchise is returning to being the lighthearted, joke-filled family friendly franchise that we know it to be, when it could become a high-stakes drama (especially with renowned veterans like Douglas and Pfeiffer) or a crazy sci-fi adventure. With the MCU becoming more bold and breaking formulas with Phase Four and beyond, I can’t help but feel that this movie will be a very “been there, done that” Marvel adventure with no real long term effects or impacts for the overall MCU franchise going forward.
Despite my gripes and hesitations with this movie, there are many things going for it. Unlike the first two films, ‘Quantumania’ will have only one primary writer—Jeff Loveness from ‘Rick and Morty’—who I believe will give the movie a more streamlined and focused story, along with a more “out of the box” approach to the science fiction genre. Whether Loveness deals with time travel, alternate dimensions, aliens, or whatever he decides to spice up this third film with, I have faith that he will do a great job (as his work on ‘Rick and Morty’ has proved that he is more than capable of that).
Perhaps the most exciting addition to this movie is Jonathon Majors as Kang the Conqueror, a time-travelling villain who (in the comics at least) is on a similar threat level as Thanos. While Majors will definitely give another amazing performance like he always does, the most exciting aspect of Kang for me is that he is definitely here to stay. Having already been heavily teased and rumored to appear in ‘Loki’ on Disney+, it seems that Marvel is planting the seeds for another Avenger’s level threat and another epic, “all hands on deck” team up movie. I am perplexed as to why Marvel would introduce and establish a villain so dark and intimidating as Kang in a comedy franchise like ‘Ant-Man,’ but maybe this is hinting at a more serious and mature tone for this third movie.
Overall, ‘Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania’ could go either way. Once we see some footage or hear more about the plot itself, I think we will be able to decide whether it will be another no-stakes comedy like the first two, or a formula-changing epic like ‘Loki.’ For right now though, it is in the grey area in terms of excitement for me.
13. Deadpool 3 - Release Date: TBD
While doing press for ‘WandaVision’ Feige confirmed that ‘Deadpool 3’ was in active development. With a script being written by ‘Bob’s Burgers’ writers Lizzie and Wendy Molyneux and being overseen by Deadpool himself Ryan Reynolds, filming is scheduled to begin in 2022, putting fans at ease with confirmation of a third movie to cap off the Deadpool trilogy. Feige also announced an R rating for the third film like the previous two, and that it would be a part of the MCU.
This last note will be both a blessing and a curse.
Part of the charm of Deadpool is how self-contained he is, and how his presence alone is funny and unique enough to subvert the superhero genre. Now that he will be a full-fledged member of the MCU, he will have the opportunity to bring a wild card aspect to the universe that we have known and loved for so long, and hopefully make some of our favorite characters lose their marbles.
While I am excited to see Deadpool bring his own sense of humor to the MCU, there are some aspects of this upcoming project that are holding it back in terms of excitement for me. For starters, I don’t know exactly where he will fit in the universe. Naturally, he will come in via use of the multiverse (and maybe a cameo in ‘Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness’), but what will his role be? Will he be more of comedic relief, or will he become a bit more serious with darker action than what the MCU is used to? Also, how will this affect the introduction of mutants, and will it be putting the cart before the horse with the X-Men?
Furthermore, this seems like a missed opportunity bringing him into the MCU so soon. There is an iconic storyline from the comics called “Deadpool Kills the Marvel Universe,” which showcases a mind-controlled Deadpool going on a killing spree of just about every hero and villain from the Marvel Universe. While that is a far too bonkers concept to ever be brought into the MCU, they could’ve done a version of it with this third Deadpool movie in which he fights off all the remaining X-Men and other mutant characters (and maybe the old versions of the Fantastic Four) before he jumps over to the MCU. The chance to cap off the Fox X-Men franchise with a fun, no-fucks-given blast of a movie instead of a sad, unplanned whimper with ‘The New Mutants’ would be perfect before Deadpool joins teams like the Avengers and messes around with the heroes we know and love. The fact that we are going straight into the MCU with his story is a little upsetting considering what we could do for one last ride.
As a whole, Deadpool 3 will probably be more of what we love and a good segue to bringing in characters from former franchises. I don’t think it will be a bad movie by any means, and I am certainly not worried about him being watered down since the R rating is confirmed (meaning the bloody violence and off-color humor can continue). The only thing bringing it down in levels of excitement for me are the missed opportunities and the lack of confirmed story details. Once we know more about what the movie is about, my opinion on it could change (hell, it could be a crazy cameo-filled team up movie like Infinity War or Endgame but with a more comedic spin… who knows with the new and revitalized direction of the MCU and with use of the multiverse). Ultimately, I have high hopes for Deadpool 3. Here’s hoping that he gets to cross paths with Spider-Man, Hawkeye, and Ant-Man.
12. Black Widow - Release Date: July 9th, 2021
Out of all the studios in Hollywood, Marvel Studios was one of the biggest to suffer from the Covid-19 pandemic. All of their films were delayed and shuffled around in their release schedule, but it was the first film in this new wave of MCU movies—‘Black Widow’—that has perhaps suffered the most. Originally planned for release on May 1st, 2020, the film has been delayed three times, and will finally release over a year after its initial release date: July 9th, 2021. Not only were the many delays a kick in the shin for this movie, but it had also been entirely filmed, edited, and finished before the pandemic began, with its entire ad campaign finished right before it was delayed (with an original “final trailer” already having been released). It has essentially been sitting on a shelf at Marvel untouched for over a year now, waiting to be released.
So much of the movie has already been shown and revealed due to the additional promotions to keep anticipation going, and sadly, for myself and many other fans, the hype just isn’t what it once was.
Not only has the year of delays caused the hype for this film to die out, but a solo film focused on Scarlett Johansson’s Black Widow should’ve happened years ago. In a perfect world, this would have been released during Phase One along with the other original Avengers’ solo films. But now that Marvel has finally made a Black Widow-centric movie after she died in ‘Avengers: Endgame,’ it feels unnecessary and almost like cheating that they are making a prequel set between two movies where Black Widow already appeared (‘Captain America: Civil War’ and ‘Avengers: Infinity War.’ Don’t get me wrong, prequels can be great fun and have great opportunities (I’ll talk more about that later), but making one after a character has already died takes the air out of the movie. Ultimately, there is no suspense or tension because you know she will make it out alive to appear in the next movie in the timeline. What’s even worse is that this isn’t a traditional origin movie, so we won’t be unfolding the mystery of her character even more (unless there are flashbacks in this movie that do that for us). I hate to say it but, the premise doesn’t excite me, and like ‘The New Mutants,’ this feels like a movie that should’ve come out years ago.
However, I am not completely negative about this movie, and I am genuinely quite excited for many aspects of it. For starters, the action looks amazing; my favorite MCU movie is ‘Captain America: The Winter Soldier,’ in many parts due to its stealthy, hand-to-hand combat and brutal, gritty action scenes. From what we have seen in the trailer and heard from critics, the action and setting evokes a similar style that we saw in ‘Winter Soldier,’ which gets me very excited. I am particularly looking forward to seeing the multiple Black Widows in this movie use pistols and batons to fight their way out of trouble instead of web-shooters and energy blasts. Additionally, the villain Taskmaster seems like he will deliver on a similar threat level as The Winter Soldier himself, with his vast array of weapons and his ability to copy other people’s fighting skills.
Additionally, the cast looks amazing. Scarlett Johansson will definitely kill it once again as Natasha Romanoff, but her supporting cast seems even better. Rachel Weisz will surely deliver with some emotional beats as Natasha’s “mother figure” Melina Vostokoff, and David Harbour seems like he will be the comedic and emotional heart of the movie as Alexei Shostakov aka The Red Guardian (a failed Russian version of Captain America and Nathasha’s “father figure”).
Who I am most excited to see, though, is Florence Pugh *initiate laser noises* as Yelena Belova, Natasha’s “sister” and who is confirmed to be the main Black Widow going forward in the MCU (this film will act as a passing of batons from Johansson to Pugh for the mantle). For those of you who haven’t seen ‘Midsommar’ or ‘Little Women,’ Pugh is an astounding actress who can do literally anything, be that drama, comedy, horror, or suspense. Not only that, but the character of Yelena in the comics is a darker, more brutal version of Black Widow that doesn’t hold back and isn’t afraid to get blood on her hands. Ultimately, I think this movie will establish her as a fan favorite and primary character going forward, and that gets me very excited.
Despite the fact that this movie does feel unnecessary and like it will be MCU-filler, I am excited for ‘Black Widow’ due to the amazing cast, great characters, and realistic scope and action that we have been missing from the MCU for far too long.
11. Black Panther: Wakanda Forever - Release Date: July 8th, 2022
Following the death of Chadwick Boseman, I thought that the ‘Black Panther’ franchise would have been cancelled, and the characters and storylines of the fictional kingdom of Wakanda would be integrated into other movies and franchises. The fact that Marvel Studios is still going forward with the franchise and keeping the legacy of Chadwick Boseman alive with ‘Black Panther: Wakanda Forever’ is a testament to the authenticity of Ryan Coogler’s storytelling and the integrity of Kevin Feige as a producer. I really hope they can pull this off.
As far as what I’m excited for, it seems that Marvel will finally be putting a dramatic spin onto the big screen. It seems that this movie will take a page out of ‘The Falcon and the Winter Soldier’ script, as writer and director Ryan Coogler will be tackling a serious subject matter with the death of T’Challa in the same way that Malcom Spellman tackled the subject of racism and black superheroes. I am very excited for this, as some of the best MCU moments have not been the action set pieces, but rather the smaller, more serious moments of dialogue and conversation. I’m sure Coogler will do his best to send off the icon of T’Challa, and will teach the characters of Wakanda (and the audience) how to let go of a loved one and a hero we look up to.
In combination with the script that I’m sure will excel, the entire cast will be returning for the sequel, including Letitia Wright as Shuri (who will probably take on a leading role and assume the mantle of Black Panther as she does in the comics), Winston Duke as M’Baku (who will surely co-lead with Wright, this time as the male half of the duo), along with Danai Gurira as Okoye, Lupita Nyong’o as Nakia, Martin Freeman as Everett Ross, and Angela Bassett as T’Challa and Shuri’s mother Queen Ramonda. All of these actors and actresses were incredible in the first film, offering both incredible action, expressive performances, and intense and serious dramatic moments that made the film and the culture more immersive and important. I’m sure they will deliver yet again, and maybe do an even better job than before, as they deliver perhaps the toughest subject matter of the MCU to date, and honor and say goodbye to a friend and mentor.
My only concern with this movie is that it will focus too much on typical MCU action and adventure, and less on the drama and social significance. As of right now, ‘Black Panther: Wakanda Forever’ is scheduled to release on July 8th, 2022; it was originally scheduled for May 6th of that year, so this may hint that it has changed from a “kick off the summer, tentpole action movie” into a more serious, dramatic one. However, the fact that it is still a summer movie worries me. In my opinion, Marvel could take the biggest risk of their career and make this movie a complete drama with little to no action like ‘Joker,’ and it would pay off. It was rumoured recently that mexican actor Tenoch Huerta has been cast in the role of Namor the Submariner, a Marvel anti-hero who in this movie will be the primary antagonist, as the ocean kingdom of Atlantis goes up against the kingdom of Wakanda. While this could be an exciting storyline and could be a great showcase for expanding the MCU with amazing action and new characters, I am concerned that Namor and the Atlantis storyline (and the war against Wakanda that ensues) could overshadow the death of T’Challa and the memorium that this movie should be.
Overall, I have faith that this movie will be great and will honor Chadwick Boseman and the character of T’Challa in a way that is respectful and would make Boseman proud. Balancing an action-adventure storyline with the dramatic subject matter will be extremely tricky and difficult, and I’m sure that Coogler and Feige will find the fine line between the two. We will just have to wait and see.
10. Fantastic Four - Release Date: TBD
The previous 20th Century Fox attempts at adapting The Fantastic Four were nothing short of terrible, ranging from the goofy, cringe-worthy duology in the early 2000’s, and the overly serious studio-meddled mess from 2015. For many fans, this team felt like a cursed property, and that the chances of them ever appearing in a decent movie were fruitless. That was until the MCU got a hold of them.
Not much about this movie has been announced—no release date, no screenwriter, no cast, and no estimated filming schedule—but what we do know is that the director of the MCU ‘Spider-Man’ trilogy, John Watts, will be directing. While the version of this team will be altered to fit a modern world and a shared universe of characters, there's no reason for doubt or hesitation, as Watts modernized Spider-Man excellently, and fit him in perfectly with an already existing franchise. Despite the very minimal public details about this movie, I have a really good feeling that with a director as skilled and capable as Watts behind the camera, we will be in for another great new addition to the MCU.
As for who the cast could be, there have been long-standing rumors that real life husband and wife John Krasinski and Emily Blunt will play married superheroes Reed and Susan Richards, aka Mr. Fantastic and The Invisible Woman. If these casting rumors turn out to be true, this could be another feather in the MCU’s cap of great actors taking on leading roles. In a perfect world, David Harbour would be cast as Ben Grimm aka The Thing (the heart of the team and also the rock-based-humanoid muscle), but since he already has a leading role in ‘Black Widow,’ this seems unlikely (although Gemma Chan double dipped in both ‘Captain Marvel’ and ‘Eternals,’ so it very well could happen). As for who could play Johnny Storm aka The Human Torch, I wouldn’t mind seeing Ansel Elgort flex his comedic skills, or if that doesn’t work out, Joe Keery would also do a great job, as Steve Harrington on ‘Stranger Things’ is essentially the same character.
Once again, so much of this movie is conceptual to myself and many others at this point, but I think Marvel is putting in a substantial amount of time, effort, and dedication to make this movie the best it can be. Marvel and Kevin Feige aren’t dumb, and they realize how fans have been burned badly by the previous attempts at this franchise, so I don’t think there is any way in hell they can let this movie suck. If they do, then maybe this really is a cursed property.
9. Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 - Release Date: May 23, 2023
Wow, it feels crazy writing about ‘Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3’ four years after the last one came out and still having to wait two more years before this one releases, but that's life. After James Gunn’s temporary “firing” at Marvel, I didn’t think we would ever be getting a third ‘Guardians’ movie, let alone another one written and directed by Gunn himself. Originally I wasn’t really excited for this one since its so far off and since we know so little about it, but after seeing all the press for Gunn’s next film—’The Suicide Squad’—I have the upmost faith that this final entry in the ‘Guardians’ trilogy will be (once again) amazing.
As of right now, the entire cast of the Guardians team will be returning, including but not limited to: Chris Pratt as Peter Quill aka Star-Lord, Zoe Saldana as Gamora, Dave Bautista as Drax, Bradley Cooper as Rocket, Vin Diesel as Groot, Karen Gillan as Nebula, Pom Klementieff as Mantis, and Sean Gunn as Kraglin. I doubt Michael Rooker will return as Yondu, as Gunn is dead set on keeping that character dead (maybe he will return in a flashback), and so far, there is no news of the ‘original’ Guardians team returning (although Gunn would be crazy to keep Sly Stallone out of another movie). With the entire ensemble cast returning and with the same writer as before, we know the chemistry and banter will be back and better than ever.
As for the plot and story elements, not much is known besides the fact that Drax and Rocket will take primary focuses this time around (the latter having an entire storyline written about his origin), and that this movie will essentially be the send off and final story of this current iteration of the Guardians team. This doesn’t mean that the Guardians franchise and monicor will be gone forever, but that many members of the team may retire or may not make it out of this flick, and that the future of the franchise will be drastically different going forward (maybe without Gunn behind the wheel). Therefore, we know that this will not only be a massive movie with huge implications for the MCU, but it will also be a final goodbye for many characters and will, in a sense, be the ‘Avengers: Endgame’ of the ‘Guardians’ franchise, with cameos galore, long-lasting storylines coming to a close, and tearjerking goodbyes to our favorite characters.
There’s not much I can say besides the fact that we are in good hands with Gunn, as he will surely deliver a movie that he has been working on for nine years since the first movie’s release. Whether it is another action and comedy filled adventure like the previous two, or if it becomes a darker, more serious and somber movie as the saga comes to a close, I have no doubt that we will get one of the best and most exciting entries in Phase Four of the MCU. It will be more of what we love, and I'm more than ok with that.
8. The Marvels - Release Date: November 11th, 2022
I know, I know. I may sound crazy being this excited for a ‘Captain Marvel’ sequel, but hear me out: I will give you three substantial reasons as to why I have very high hopes for this movie.
Perhaps the biggest and best change from the mundane ‘Captain Marvel’ into its refueled sequel ‘The Marvels’ is who is behind the camera. Taking over for directing duo Anna Boden and Ryan Fleck—two directors who, sadly, didn’t bring a very distinctive feel or aesthetic to the first film—will be the director of the upcoming ‘Candyman,’ Nia DaCosta. If you have seen any of the trailers for ‘Candyman,’ or if you have watched DaCosta’s first film ‘Little Woods,’ you know that she brings a visually stunning environment to her movies. Whether it be showcasing gritty and realistic neighborhoods in America, the beauty of nature and the outdoors, or making audiences afraid just from the look of an eerie room, DaCosta knows how to shoot a movie, and I have no doubt that she will bring her own unique flare and focus to the MCU.
Behind the typewriter this time around is Megan McDonnell, who isn’t known for much, but who wrote two of the best episodes of WandaVision (that being episodes three and four). Its safe to say that Feige realized how half-baked and poor the script for ‘Captain Marvel’ was, full of bland characters (except Sam Jackson’s Nick Fury), little to no character development and motivation, and really poor pacing. Bringing in a writer who wrote one of the most unique, well-paced, and exciting shows on streaming will not only make up for how bland and boring the first film was, but it will simply be a better script than the first time around, which may be the biggest and best upgrade for ‘The Marvels.’
Bringing in McDonnell is also a great choice as she was the writer who introduced the amazing character of Monica Rambeau into ‘WandaVision,’ who will be returning in this movie—now with a superhero upgrade of energy powers and going under the moniker of either “Photon” or “Spectrum”—along with Brie Larson as Carol Danvers aka Captain Marvel and Iman Vellani as newcomer Kamala Khan aka Ms. Marvel after her Disney+ series debut. This trio of heroes will make up the new team that makes up the movie’s namesake—The Marvels—and this is perhaps the primary reason to get excited for this flick. The Marvels have never been a team in the comics, so with the MCU doing something completely original and bold, this could be a signal for what direction Marvel movies are going in as they stray further away from the comics. Additionally, with this movie (as of right now) showcasing an all female team, this could be the first step towards making an A-Force (aka the all-female Avengers) movie, something fans and cast members have been working towards for years.
Overall, we don’t know much about ‘The Marvels’ besides the new cast additions and the radical changes behind the scenes. No story details have been confirmed yet, but with how great those new additions are and how talented the new director and screenwriter have proven to be, this may turn out to be one of the most aesthetically unique and exciting new entries of Phase Four. It may not be the most important or essential movie in this next saga of the MCU, but so far it is proving to become something bold, and brighter than the movie that came before it.
7. Eternals - Release Date: November 5, 2021
Two of the biggest story aspects that the MCU has been heavily lacking in are exploring the cosmic side of the universe, and diving deeper into the history of said universe. However, with Chloe Zhao’s upcoming addition to the MCU, ‘Eternals,’ we will finally explore these undiscovered territories for storytelling.
According to Kevin Feige, ‘Eternals’ will be a story that “spans thousands of years,” featuring an immortal alien race who have secretly lived on Earth for over 7,000 years. After an unexpected tragedy following the events of ‘Avengers: Endgame,’ The Eternals are forced out of the shadows to reunite to protect humanity against mankind's oldest enemy and their evil counterparts, The Deviants.
Many fans and audiences alike (myself included) have literally no idea who The Eternals are. More so than The Guardians of the Galaxy and Ant-Man, The Eternals may be the most niche, unheard of, bottom-of-the-barrel characters Marvel could choose to make a movie about. Thankfully, though, we have an all-star ensemble cast to portray these no-name superheroes, including but not limited to: Gemma Chan as Sersi, the lead of the film with the powers of matter manipulation; ‘Game of Thrones’ and ‘Rocketman’ star Richard Madden as Ikaris, field leader of the team who has the powers of flight, superhuman strength, and can project cosmic energy beams from his eyes (essentially, he is the Superman of the team); a newly bulked up Kumail Nanjiani stars as Kingo, an Eternal with the ability to create cosmic energy projectiles who is a swordmaster and lives a double life as a Bollywood film star to “fit in” on Earth; Lia McHugh as Sprite, an Eternal who does not age and has the appearance of a 12-year old girl, with the ability to project lifelike illusions; Brian Tyree Henry as Phastos, the brains and inventor of the team who secretly helps humanity evolve technologically, and who will be the first openly gay superhero in an MCU movie; deaf actress Lauren Ridloff will play Makkari, a deaf superhero with the ability of supersonic-speed who is not affected by sonic booms; Barry Keoghan as Druigg, an outcasted and estranged member of The Eternals who has the power of mind-control and telepathy; Don Lee will play Gilgamesh, the muscle of the team, who has the ability of superhuman strength, durability, stamina and immunity; Angelina Jolie stars as Thena, the warrior of the team who can create and project any weapon out of cosmic energy; Salma Kayek will be Ajak, the spiritual and overall leader of the team who has the ability of healing; rounding out the cast is Kit Harington as Dane Whitman aka The Black Knight, a human with genius level intellect who is the ancestor of Merlin and wields a mystical sword called The Ebony Blade.
So yeah, as you can tell from the paragraph (and the photo) above, this cast is absolutely stacked with amazing, talented actors and actresses in front of the camera, but no cast can succeed without a good writer and director behind the camera, which we are blessed to have. Best Feature, Best Director, and Best Adapted Screenplay winner (for her film ‘Nomadland’) Chloe Zhao was hired by Marvel before her claim to fame, where she wrote and directed ‘Eternals’ just before the pandemic began. Unlike ‘Black Widow,’ however, this movie has had little to no press or advertisements (with only one short teaser trailer being released as of me writing this), allowing ‘Eternals’ to have a sense of mystery that will surely follow it up to its November 5th, 2021 release date. As for Zhao, she is extremely talented, perhaps more so than her ensemble cast. Zhao has a gift for filming scenery and nature with a sense of not only profound wisdom, but also admiration and praise, making an open field or a beach at sunset look like portraits in a museum. For a movie depicting such godlike beings and the history of the evolution of earth and the human race, we as an audience are in great hands with Zhao, as she will surely take us on a beautiful journey of discovery while she showcases such grande and gorgeous scenery.
Zhao’s screenplay is also sure to excel, as she has a real gift for writing humane, motivated characters with relatable flaws, challenges, and journeys. It's surely a unique choice by Marvel to allow a writer with such a niche for writing everyday humans to tell the story of immortal aliens, but that just might be what makes this movie so special. From the first images and teaser trailer, this movie looks and feels like an independent drama, and maybe that’s what Marvel is going for: a character based movie that focuses more on emotion and individual motivation than action scenes and “saving the world” level threats.
You need only look at that first amazing teaser trailer to know that Marvel had made their most bold and riskiest movie yet. It may not be for me once I see it, but I am more than excited to see an all-star cast, beautiful cinematography and set design, and to see the most challenging and unique story that Marvel has told so far.
6. Untitled Fourth Captain America Movie - Release Date: TBD
If you know me, you know that my favorite movie of all time—not just my favorite MCU movie of all time—is ‘Captain America: The Winter Soldier.’ That is why when Disney+ premiered with the riveting, action-packed and morally challenging ‘The Falcon and the Winter Soldier,’ I was so excited to return to the section of the MCU that is more focused on crime, espionage, and real-world, down-to-earth threats. Now, with the announcement of a fourth film in the ‘Captain America’ franchise focusing on Sam Wilson as the new Captain America, I can’t wait to see that corner of the world return to its rightful home on the silver screen.
There really isn’t much I can say about this movie, as it is so far off, so soon into development, and the screenplay is just being written as we speak by ‘The Falcon and the Winter Soldier’ creator Malcom Spellman alongsider the writer of the best episode of the series(that being episode five, ‘Truth’) Dalan Musson. This may be the shortest and the most biased section of this entire piece that I write, but I can’t help but get excited over the simple fact that one of my favorite superheros and actors—Anthony Mackie as Captain America—will be returning in the hands of the man who made him such an incredible character.
We don’t know much about the story besides the fact that it will further explore the themes of identity, racism, and being black in America, and it will continue the concept of Sam Wilson being a superhero without any superheroes. We don’t know who the director or composer will be (but we can pray and hope that Kari Skogland and Henry Jackman return from TFATWS), and we don’t even know if Sebastian Stan, Daniel Bruhl, or Emily VanCamp will return as Bucky Barnes aka the White Wolf, Baron Zemo, or Sharon Carter aka Powerbroker, respectively.
This movie, in every sense of the word, is a concept at this point, but for me, it is a dream I am glad to see finally fulfilled, and a return to the stories and movies that made me an MCU fan in the first place.
5. Blade - Release Date: TBD
If you paid close attention to a line from Owen Wilson’s character Mobius in the fourth episode of ‘Loki,’ you know that vampires exist in the MCU. That was not a throwaway line, however, as vampires—and more importantly the vampire hunter—will be coming soon to the Marvel Universe with ‘Blade.’
The character of Blade is full of untapped potential for Marvel. Born of a human mother who was bitten by a vampire right before going into labor, Eric Brooks is what one would call a Dhampir: a human with all the strengths and no weaknesses of a vampire, who is immune to sunlight and other vampires’ bites. These abilities (along with his master swordsmanship, marksmanship, and martial arts skills) make him a formidable opponent to anyone he goes up against, especially vampires, giving him the nickname “The Daywalker.”
What makes this character so full of potential for the MCU is not only his tactical and hand-to-hand combat skills, but also how his origins and occupation as a vampire hunter will further expand the world of Marvel. Mystical sides of the MCU have been explored with the character of Doctor Strange, and they will be further explored in Shang-Chi and Eternals, but Marvel has yet to dive into the supernatural aspects of their world. For all we know, Vampires could be the first of many creatures/monsters that have always been around in MCU history (werewolves could and should exist in this universe, just saying). Furthermore, we have only seen little glimpses of the underground crime that exists in the MCU, so seeing what illegal activities (with a Marvel twist, of course) take place in this movie—along with more small-scale, realistic villains—will be very exciting, and will open the door for more gritty, down to earth stories to be told in the future. Bringing these two story aspects together—the fantasy of the supernatural and the realism of underground crime—will be difficult, but after all, the MCU was born and built on the merging and combination of genres, so I have no doubt that we are in for another unique new addition to MCU lore.
Back at San Diego Comic Con 2019, Kevin Feige called Mahershala Ali to the stage and announced that he would be the lead and title character of the movie, taking over from Wesley Snipes early 2000’s legacy as the character. Ali, as many of you know, is an astounding actor who is well-deserved for his two Academy Award wins. While in both of those award-winning movies—‘Moonlight’ and ‘Green Book’—Ali played friendly, likeable and heartwarming characters, he is also more than capable of playing harder, grittier characters with moral grey areas. Furthermore, Ali can play one hell of a villain (look no further than his threatening portrayal of Vector in ‘Alita: Battle Angel’ or his psychopathic mob boss role of Cottonmouth in Netflix’s ‘Luke Cage’). Seeing as Blade is an anti-hero in a sense, being okay with killing and making the hard, tough decisions and sacrifices to get the job done, Ali is the perfect choice as he will provide relatability, but also intensity and threat (along with the required composure to play such a badass character) in his performance, which I’m sure will make the movie the best it can be.
Seeing as that ‘Blade’ has not been given a release date and that it may not release until 2023 or 2024 (potentially being a part of MCU Phase Five), little to no details have been announced for this movie. No director has been chosen yet, but we can hope and pray that Jordan Peele or Leigh Whannell answer the call, as this movie could use a horror-infused spin on it. A writer has begun writing the script, that being Stacy Osei-Kuffour who previously wrote HBO’s ‘Watchmen.’ While I am ashamed to admit I have not sat down and fully appreciated ‘Watchmen’ (yet), I have heard nothing but great, amazing things, and while I’m sure the social commentary will be lighter in this story, I am glad that Marvel has found a writer that can give us another dark, realistic superhero epic, and hopefully some amazing, badass action sequences.
So far, it seems like the chips are falling into place for ‘Blade,’ and while once again I am admittedly biased putting this movie so high up on my list (as Blade is one of my favorite characters), I have a good feeling that with an astonishingly talented lead, a strong screenwriter and eventually a great director, we could get not only a mature MCU movie, but a necessary one to further evolve the universe and continue telling audience-engaging stories.
4. Thor: Love and Thunder - Release Date: May 6th, 2022
‘Thor: Ragnarok’ was perhaps the biggest surprise and the most necessary movie of the MCU, as it proved that not only can a true comedy movie also be a superhero movie, but that a once boring character and failing franchise can be revitalized with a single movie. Now, with the sequel to ‘Ragnarok’ and the fourth entry in the ‘Thor’ franchise coming out soon—‘Thor: Love and Thunder’—we can expect lightning to strike twice with another hit comedy action mashup that can keep a long lasting superhero fresh.
Similar to my anticipation for ‘Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3,’ there isn’t much I can base my hype around besides the fact that the movie preceding this one was great, and that the same writer/director and cast will be returning to tell this next story. ‘Love and Thunder’ will essentially be more of what we loved in the previous entry, and in many ways, it could end up being ‘Ragnarok’ dialed up to an eleven. With a bigger cast, budget, and more freedom for Oscar-winning writer/director Taika Waititi, this movie has the potential to be funnier, crazier, riskier, and maybe even better than what came before.
As I mentioned before, not only will Waititi be returning to helm the movie, but a majority of the cast from ‘Ragnarok' will also be coming back, including Chris Hemsworth as Thor, Tessa Thompson as Valkyrie, Jeff Goldblum as The Grandmaster, and Waititi once again voicing and doing motion-capture for fan-favorite Korg, who will be accompanied by his speechless sidekick Meek. What makes this cast bolder and bigger than before, however, are the new additions. Following the events of ‘Endgame,’ Thor teamed up with The Guardians of the Galaxy, who will be making a return in this movie before their third film releases (meaning Chris Pratt as Peter Quill aka Star-Lord, Dave Bautista as Drax, Bradley Cooper as Rocket, Vin Diesel as Groot, Karen Gillan as Nebula, Pom Klementieff as Mantis, and Sean Gunn as Kraglin will all be making a return, with no confirmation on if Zoe Saldana will be back as the alternate-timeline version of Gamora). Also returning from previous ‘Thor’ movies are Jamie Alexander as Sif, and Natalie Portman as Jane Foster, who will wield a newly forged version of Thor’s hammer Mjolnir and will become the superhero known as The Mighty Thor. As for cameos, Matt Damon, Sam Neill, and Luke Hemsworth return as Asgardian actor versions of Loki, Odin, and Thor, respectively, while Melissa Mcarthy will play an actress version of former villain Hela, and her husband Ben Falcone cameos in an undisclosed role. Sacha Baron Cohen and Isla Fisher are also rumored to make cameo appearances in the film, while Russell Crowe has been confirmed to briefly portray the Greek god Zeus.
Much like ‘Eternals,’ this cast is absolutely stacked with amazing actors and actresses who will portray even better characters. But the character and actor I am most excited to see (and who ties heavily into the plot) is Christian Bale as Gorr the God Butcher. For those of you who have seen most of Bale’s roles (especially ‘American Pyscho’), you know he can play both a compelling villain and a terrifying crazy person. Casting him as the main villain with the ability to create any deadly weapon and sword out of thin air is not only perfect casting, but it will make the character be on par with Hela and Loki, and could potentially make him the best and most threatening Thor villain yet.
As for story details, we know very disparate aspects of it right now. It will continue the story of the Asgardians being refugees on Earth and will continue to show how Valkyrie leads them as their new “king.” Speaking of Valykrie, her character has been confirmed to be Bisexual like in the comics, and this movie will explore a relationship with an unknown female character (maybe Sif or Jane Foster, but we shall see). Speaking of romance, this movie is going full rom-com, and even characters like Korg will have a love interest, which is so absurd that I can’t wait to see how it turns out. Obviously, with the villain being Gorr the God Butcher, we will see Thor team up with and protecting other ‘gods’ of the MCU as he also tries to protect himself and his people. The biggest story detail so far is that of Jane Foster, who will be battling breast cancer in her human form while fighting as a superhero in her ‘god’ form. All of this will surely make more sense and be tied all together once promotions for the movies begin, but this all seems like not only great opportunities for Waititi to challenge is writing skills, but also seems that this could be the biggest and most high-stakes Thor movie yet.
So naturally, this movie will be nothing short of amazing. Unless this movie is somehow over-stuffed and the script turns out half-baked, I expect nothing but great things. Seeing as that Waititi is Marvel’s best director and screenwriter, though, I have full faith that he can take on all of these characters and storylines and make not only an amazing passion project of his, but a fantastic MCU movie all together.
3. Spider-Man: No Way Home - Release Date: December 17th, 2021
Spider-Man is my all-time favorite superhero. I’ve always loved having someone my age save the world and go through problems that were world-saving and monumental, but also small-scale and personal. After 2019’s ‘Spider-Man: Far From Home,’ I was super excited to see a Spider-Man whose identity was recently revealed to the world, with both villains and the media ready to hunt him down, leaving Peter Parker with nowhere to run and nobody to turn to. I was excited for a darker, more mature Spider-Man movie, and while I’m sure aspects of that will still be present, I am even more excited that ‘Spider-Man: No Way Home’ will dive deep into the Spider-Verse and become the biggest Peter Parker story yet.
No official plot details have been announced, a few unspecific photos have been revealed, and we are still waiting on an official trailer, but with the cast and rumors circling around about this movie, I have all I need to be genuinely excited for this. Naturally, the main cast from the first two films will be returning, with Tom Holland as Peter Parker aka Spider-Man, Zendaya as his girlfriend MJ, Marissa Tomei as his Aunt May, and Jacob Batalon will return as his best friend Ned Leeds, along with J.K. Simmons as his arch-enemy in the media, J. Jonah Jameson (the version from the ‘Far From Home’ credits scene, not from the previously Sam Raimi directed trilogy). Michael Keaton and Jake Gyllenhaal are rumored to return as the villains from the first two movies (that being The Vulture and Mystery, respectively) and Michael Mando is set to return as The Scorpion from ‘Spider-Man: Homecoming.’ Additionally, Benedict Cumberbatch will return as Doctor Strange, this time as the ‘mentor figure’ previously held by Iron Man and Nick Fury in the previous films, along with Benedict Wong as Strange’s partner Wong, who will aid him in his magical escapades. If having the Sorcerer Supreme in a Spider-Man movie wasn’t bonkers enough, they will also be diving headfirst into the Multiverse concept by bringing back characters from previous Spider-Man franchises. Jamie Foxx is confirmed to return as the villain Electro from ‘The Amazing Spider-Man 2,’ as is Alfred Molina as Doctor Octopus from the original ‘Spider-Man 2.’ As the main villain of the movie, Willem Defoe is rumored to return as the Green Goblin from the Sam Raimi directed trilogy of Spider-Man movies. That makes for six villains in total. three being already established characters from the MCU, and the other three being from previous Spider-Man franchises. That essentially confirms that we will be getting a Multiversal version of the Sinister Six team from the comics, which will be the biggest threat that any Spider-Man has ever gone up against in a live-action movie.
If that many characters and villains wasn’t enough to get you excited, there is also a ton of evidence hinting that former Spider-Man actors Tobey Maguire and Andrew Garfield will be returning as their versions of Peter Parker from their franchises (and effectively, separate universes) to team up with Holland’s Spider-Man to take on this team of villains. Having a live-action version of the Spider-Verse with multiple franchises crossing over has been a dream of mine and many others since we got the first Spider-Man reboot. With the MCU delving into the Multiverse for the next couple of movies (I’ll get more into that in another section), this makes it the perfect time and opportunity to establish or go all-in with bringing in Spider-Men from other universes.
I say establish because, while most of the villains have been confirmed, the two Spider-Men have not. While they are probably in the movie, we also don’t know if they will make cameo appearances or leading roles. We can hope for the latter, but if this movie is just helping further establish the concept of the Multiverse and leading up to a fourth Tom Holland ‘Spider-Man’ film where we will see Tobey and Andrew pop up, I would still be more than pleased with that. I am a sucker for a good Spider-Man villain, and I am excited to see all of them return (except for Foxx’s Electro, who I could personally go without). If this movie end’s up simply being a Doctor Strange and Spider-Man team up film against a massive team of villains, I would be more than okay with that.
We still have to wait and see what exactly this movie will be, and it may very well have a similar marketing campaign to ‘Endgame’ that shows nothing but subtle story beats and cryptic messages hinting at something greater that happens on screen. If we don’t get the Multiverse ‘confirmed’ until opening night, I will still be hyped for this movie every second of every day, as I can’t wait to see my favorite Superhero go up against some very threatening villains.
2. Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness - Release Date: March 25, 2022
Doctor Strange is one of the most underrated superheroes in the MCU, and I think that is because he has never had the time to truly shine. His first solo movie was great, but it felt a little “been there, done that,” as it stayed a little too close to the typical MCU formula that we are so used to. While his character and action scenes were amazing in
‘Avengers: Infinity War,’ his impact wasn’t felt as he died at the end of the movie and did little to nothing in ‘Endgame.’ This, in combination with how much distance there was between his first and second movies, appeared to but his character on the back burner, waiting for ‘The Infinity Saga’ to end so he could become a headline hero in the MCU.
With his upcoming sequel, ‘Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness,’ Strange will finally be given his time to not only shine, but have one of the greatest, grandest, and most out-of-the-box movies in the MCU.
Since he is the leading role in his own movie, Benedict Cumberbatch will obviously be back as Stephen Strange aka Doctor Strange, along with a majority of the main cast from his first solo movie, that being Benedict Wong as Wong, Rachel McAdams as Strange’s love interest Dr. Christine Palmer, and Chiwetel Ejiofor as ally-turned-enemy Karl Mordo aka Baron Mordo. Also joining the main cast are a brand new character and a familiar face. Xochitl Gomez will play America Chavez aka Miss America, a Lesbian Latin-American character who has the powers of super strength, durability, and flight, and who is so strong that she can punch and kick star-shaped “holes” or “portals” in the fabric of time and space, allowing herself and her teammates to travel through the multiverse and into other realities (its an insane and visually stunning power). Also joining the cast will be Elizabeth Olsen as Wanda Maximoff aka the newly crowned Scarlet Witch. This movie will directly tie into the events of her miniseries—‘WandaVision’—as she tries to save and find her missing sons somewhere in the Multiverse. It is unknown if Baron Mordo or The Scarlet Witch will be the villain, but judging off the ending of ’WandaVision,’ my money is on Wanda playing some form of a villainous role, atleast for part of the movie.
We don’t know anything substantial about the plot yet, but we do know that we will have plenty of cameos. If you’ve been watching ‘Loki,’ you know that through the Multiverse, you can have different versions of the same character be on screen, whether they are played by different actors, or the same actor but with a different origin or design. This means that we could see literal infinite possibilities of characters, with more cameos and appearances than the final battle of ‘Endgame.’ While we can’t truly predict what different versions of familiar characters will show up, we can predict what actors will show up. Its been rumored that actors who almost played heroes in the MCU will make cameo appearances as those characters, meaning we could get anything from John Krasinski as Captain America, Tom Hiddleston as Thor, Emily Blunt as Black Widow, or Joaquin Phoenix as an alternate version of Doctor Strange himself. Similar to ‘Spider-Man: No Way Home,’ we could also see characters from previously established franchises outside of the MCU. While I would love for Evan Peter’s Quicksilver, Nic Cage’s Ghost Rider, and Wesley Snipes’ Blade to show up, my money is on Ryan Reynolds’ Deadpool showing up, as his third movie will be apart of the MCU, and the Multiverse is how they are bringing him in. I would also bet money on Andrew Garfield and Tobey Maguire’s iterations of Spider-Man showing up, as the events of ’No Way Home’ tie directly into this movie.
Speaking of Tobey Maguire, his former ‘Spider-Man’ director Sam Raimi will be helming this movie, while ‘Loki’ writer Mark Waldron writes the script (both Raimi and Waldron are taking over for the first movie’s writer/director Scott Derrickson). Danny Elfman will also compose the score, taking over for Michael Giacchino (keep in mind, Elfman composed the score for Raimi’s ‘Spider-Man’ trilogy, adding more evidence that Maguire and universe will make an appearance in this movie).
Lastly, this movie has also been confirmed to not only be a massive team-up with Avengers’ level threats, size, and scale, but it will also be the first MCU movie in the horror genre. As many know, Raimi started his career in horror (‘The Evil Dead’ is one of the most disturbing movies I’ve ever seen), so I have no doubt that he will do an amazing job returning to his roots of both horror and superhero movies. While I am only familiar with Waldron’s work on ‘Rick and Morty’ and ‘Loki,’ I am sure he do an amazing job of integrating the sci-fi genre that he is so familiar with into the horror genre that he will be first syncing his teeth into. Even if this movie wasn’t going to be filled with amazing action, a plethora of great characters and cameos, and have the coolest concept of an MCU movie yet, I would still be hyped that Marvel is flexing their genre muscles and taking a huge risk by making this a horror movie. I don’t know how they’re gonna do it or what this movie will look and feel like, but I know that is has little chance of failing and is likely to be absolutely amazing.
With such an amazing team behind the camera, typewriter and orchestra, and with an amazing cast of characters and a no-limits, batshit crazy concept, I have nothing but high hopes for a movie that is set to be one of the most creative, visually stunning and enthralling movies of MCU’s Phase Four.
Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings - Release Date: September 3rd, 2021
I absolutely love Kung Fu, Martial Arts, or samurai movies. Ranging from movies as serious and dramatic as ‘Seven Samurai,’ to ones as badass as ‘Enter the Dragon,’ and even as cartoonish and fun as ‘Kung Fu Hustle,’ it's hard to find one of these movies that I won’t love, let alone appreciate. I’ve been wanting Marvel to branch out into one of these genres for a while now, as I’m a massive fan of hand-to-hand combat, but there was never the right time to introduce a movie like this in the year before.
Now, with ‘Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings,’ Marvel will finally be immersing themselves in one of my favorite genres, and bringing an incredible character/action hero from the comics to his rightful place on the big screen.
The plot this time around is fairly simple. When skilled martial artist and trained assassin Shang-Chi is drawn back into the evil Ten Rings organization, he is forced to confront his father—The Mandarin—and the past he thought he left behind. The fighting will be both personal and physical, as Shang-Chi takes part in a global fighting tournament for ownership of a deadly weapon: the Ten Rings themselves.
The main cast is also full of entirely new characters for the MCU. Simu Liu of ‘Kim’s Convenience’ fame will star as the lead and title character, Shang-Chi, while Chinese actor Tony Leung stars as the villain and Shang-Chi’s father, Wenwu aka The Mandarin. Additional cast members include Awkwafina as Katy, Shang-Chi loyal and comedic best friend; Michelle Yeoh as Jiang Nen, Shang-Chi’s mother; Meng'er Zhang as Xialing, Shang-Chi’s estranged sister; and Florian Munteanu as Razor Fist, A skilled martial artist and mercenary with steel blades for hands, who is hired by Wenwu to bring Shang-Chi back to him.
You’re probably wondering, “Sam, why are you most excited for a no-name character and a basic martial arts movie?,” and my answer is simple: this is going to be the next ‘Black Panther.’ Not only do we have an amazing and passionate actor leading this film, but we also have a former indie writer/director—Destin Daniel Cretton—who similar to Ryan Coogler is famous for telling deep, intimate, humane and personal stories that focus more on emotion than spectacle. He also wrote and directed one of 2019’s best films—‘Just Mercy’—so I have the upmost faith that he will do an incredible job by establishing some great characters and a personal story at the movie’s core. Also, Marvel hired perhaps the best cinematographer ever, Bill Pope, to help shoot this movie. Based on Pope’s track record (including the likes of ‘The Matrix,’ ‘Spider-Man 2,’ and ‘Baby Driver’) and the aesthetic/visuals that we have seen in the trailers so far, it seems that we have the dream team of merging character driven narratives with visually stunning action and set pieces.
Lastly, ‘Shang-Chi’ seems to be displaying two of my favorite story choices for Marvel movies: expanding the universe and connecting it.
Similar to ‘Eternals,’ this movie will be showcasing supernatural/cosmic characters while looking back on the history of the MCU. The Ten Rings organization have been around since the first MCU movie—‘Iron Man’—so peeling back the layers of what this organization has done, where they have been hiding, and who they have influenced will make many films that came before it seem better on second viewing (as great Marvel movies do). Furthermore, we are sure to explore locations and countries never seen before in the MCU, allowing this expansive universe to not only grow but further diversify in a way similar to introducing Wakanda in ‘Black Panther.’
As for stitching these movies together, ‘Shang-Chi’ is set to have many cameos by pre-established characters, while also setting up many characters to show up in other movies or TV shows. We already know that The Abomination—who we haven’t seen since 2008’s ‘The Incredible Hulk’ and is set to show up in next year’s ‘She-Hulk’—will show up in a cage fight against fan-favorite character and Doctor Strange side-character Wong, but the possibilities don’t stop there. Since this movie will focus on a global fighting tournament (essentially being Marvel’s ‘Mortal Kombat’), we could have a plethora of cameos, ranging from Baron Mordo from ‘Doctor Strange,’ new versions of Luke Cage and Iron Fist (rebooted from their self-titled Netflix series). We could even see the first iterations of Marvel characters like Ghost Rider or Blade (before the latter’s solo movie debuts). I’m hoping for a mutant or two to show up for a minute as one of the fighters in the tournament (I would love for Wolverine to make an appearance, but I doubt that will happen, so my money is on a future villain or no-name character from the comics). Either way, this movie seems to be taking heavy inspiration from ‘Enter the Dragon,’ and if ‘Shang-Chi’ wants to be the next Bruce Lee franchise, I’m more than content with that.
So yes, I may be biased once again seeing as that this is one of my favorite concepts and genres, and not just because this movie releases nine days before my birthday. But with a plot that is too good to fail and not too big to fold in on itself, a lead and villain that are so perfectly cast they embody the roles, and what looks to become the best action the MCU has seen yet, I’m putting my money down that this will be the masterpiece that Marvel has been trying to make for years, which puts it at #1 for my most hyped Marvel movies.
Author’s Note: This post was written before I saw 'Black Widow' in theaters, but published after. My viewing of 'Black Widow' did not change any of what I wrote in the piece above. Additionally, for sake of making this piece easier to comprehend, I excluded the MCU-adjacent films made by Sony Pictures, including but not limited to: ‘Venom: Let There Be Carnage,’ 'Morbius,' 'Kraven the Hunter,' 'Nightwatch,' 'The Sinister Six,' 'Madame Web,' 'Jackpot,' and 'Spider-Woman,' as they are not apart of the MCU-proper, but instead lie somewhere in the Marvel Multiverse.
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