The fourth phase was introduced in January 2021 with the release of the first Disney+ television series, WandaVision, and will conclude in November with the Black Panther sequel. Phase 4 will have contained eight tv series and seven feature films for a total of 15 projects in what will become the largest phase so far in the MCU.
Kevin Feige, President at Marvel Studios and Chief Creative Officer at Marvel, announced this at the San Diego Comic-Con Marvel Studios panel on Saturday night. The panel was the most anticipated event of the weekend and they did not disappoint.
Ending Phase 4 with Black Panther: Wakanda Forever is a surprise to most, as Marvel fans were under the impression most of the announced projects would be under the fourth phase umbrella. Additionally, the phase ending without a team film similar to The Avengers is something new for the studio.
Ant-Man and The Wasp: Quantumania will kick-off Phase 5 on February 23, 2023 followed by Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 (May 5, 2023), and The Marvels (July 28, 2023). Blade will be part of the fifth phase and received a released date of November 3, 2023. The fourth Captain America film received a release date (May 3, 2024) and will be titled Captain America: New World Order. The phase will conclude with a newly announced film, Thunderbolts (July 26, 2024).
Phase 5 currently consists of seven seasons on Disney+, including five first seasons and two second seasons. In early-2023 we will get the second season of What If…? and the first season of Secret Invasion. Come mid-2023 Disney+ will release the first season of Echo and season two of Loki. New series Ironheart and Agatha: Coven of Chaos will stream in late-2023 with the newly announced 18-episode season of Daredevil: Born Again hitting in early 2024.
Such a large Phase 5 announcement wasn’t expected by most at SDCC, but was a welcome surprise. It’s possible more on the fifth phase of the MCU will be announced at Disney’s D23 Expo in September.
This week on the Capes and Tights Podcast Justin Soderberg discusses what’s new in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) after the updates from the San Diego Comic-Con 2022 in July.
Co-host Adam Morrisette has taken a small sabbatical from the podcast as he is starting a new full-time gig in Illinois and wants to focus on the job. Until he returns Justin will welcome guests as well as go solo on a few episodes. This episode is a solo one.
Kevin Feige, President at Marvel Studios and Chief Creative Officer at Marvel, made many outstanding announcements at this year’s SDCC and now that the dust has settled a bit, we take a look at this news. The fourth phase will end in November with Black Panther, we got a ton of the fifth phase announcements, and was surprised with some of the major films of Phase 6.
Marvel Studios announced at the San Diego Comic-Con what is in-store for the the second season of the hit animated series What If…?. The studio also announced the series has been renewed for a third season.
What If…? doesn’t referenced much in the main Marvel Cinematic Universe, but did serve as the introduction to Captain Carter and gave us glimpses of the multiverse. Kevin Feige, President at Marvel Studios and Chief Creative Officer at Marvel, does recommend watching the series to get a grip on the entire MCU. This could just be him promoting all their content.
Season two is set to air early 2023 on Disney+ and the studio has now given us an idea of which Marvel characters are expected to appear in the sophomore season.
What If…? Voice Actors Confirmed
Of course What If…? wouldn’t be the same without Jeffrey Wright‘s The Watcher, as the character acts as the narrator of the series. Returning from the first season is Hayley Atwell‘s Peggy Carter, Josh Keaton‘s Steve Rogers / Hydra Stomper, Mick Winger‘s Iron Man, Jeff Goldblum‘s Grandmaster, Taka Waititi‘s Korg, and Lake Bell‘s Black Widow. Joining the fray is Rachel Weisz as Melina Vostokoff, and Elizabeth Olsen as Scarlet Witch. Cynthia McWilliams will voice Gamora in an episode original slated for the first season which was moved to season two due to the pandemic.
Hela, Valkyrie, Bucky Barnes, Wenwu, Ying Li, Odin, The Great Protector, Ant-Man, Yondu, Young Peter Parker, Young Peter Quill, Ego, Shang-Chi, and Red Guardian will also appear in season two with unconfirmed voice actors.
What If…? originally boasted the inclusion of the main MCU characters reprising their roles in the animated series, but only a few ended up signing up. However, it is nice to see some voices will remain the same from season-to-season.
Marvel’s What If…? has also spun out a series title Marvel Zombies. The first season will air sometime in the future and will pick up where the fifth episode of the first season left off. The show will be loosely based on the comic book limited series with the same name by Robert Kirkman (The Walking Dead, Invincible) and Sean Phillips (Pulp, Reckless).
The Marvel Cinematic Universe gets a tiny bit bigger this August with the addition of She-Hulk in her own comedy television show She-Hulk: Attorney at Law.
In the nine-episode first season, Jennifer Walters navigates the complicated life of a single, 30-something attorney who also happens to be a green 6-foot-7-inch superpowered Hulk.
Created by Jessica Gao, She-Hulk: Attorney at Law is the eighth television series in the MCU and will premiere on August 17, 2022. Gao serves as head writer and is joined by Kat Coiro leading the directing team. Tatiana Maslany stars as Jennifer Walters / She-Hulk, alongside Jameela Jamil as Titania, Ginger Gonzaga as Nikki Ramos, Renée Elise Goldsberry as Amelia, Tim Roth as Emil Blonsky / Abomination, Mark Ruffalo as Bruce Banner / Smart Hulk, and Benedict Wong as Wong.
Roth hasn’t been seen in the MCU since his debut in the 2008 The Incredible Hulk film, while Wong seems to be making an appearance in every MCU project. Not that it is a bad thing.
Additionally, Josh Segarra, Jon Bass, Anais Almonte, Nicholas Cirillo, and Griffin Matthews have been cast in undisclosed roles. Charlie Cox reprises his role as Matt Murdock / Daredevil prior to the release of his own new show, Daredevil: Born Again, coming in 2024.
The comedy series runs nine-episodes from August 18-October 13 and is the second to last Phase 4 project in the MCU, leaving only the feature film Black Panther: Wakanda before the start of Phase 5.
Who Is She-Hulk?
Jennifer Walters, also known as She-Hulk, was created for Marvel Comics by writer Stan Lee and artist John Buscema. Her first comic book appearance was in The Savage She-Hulk #1 (February 1980). Walters is a lawyer who, after an injury, received an emergency blood transfusion from her cousin, Bruce Banner, and acquired a milder version of his Hulk condition. As such, Walters becomes a large, powerful, green-hued version of herself.
Unlike the original Banner she largely retains her personality, in particular the majority of her intelligence and emotional control. Like Hulk, she is still susceptible to outbursts of anger and becomes much stronger when enraged. In later series, her transformation is permanent, and she often breaks the fourth wall for humorous effect and running gags. Of course with the addition of Smart Hulk to the comic book and cinematic universe, Banner also has retained some of his personality.
She has been a member of the Avengers, the Fantastic Four, Heroes for Hire, the Defenders, Fantastic Force and S.H.I.E.L.D. As a highly skilled lawyer who became a superhero by accident, she frequently leverages her legal and personal experience to serve as legal counsel to various superheroes and other metahumans.
Her MCU origin will vary slightly compared to the comics. Walters gets into a serious car accident with her cousin Banner in the car. Somehow Walters gets Banner’s blood into her system by accident, causing her to hulk out. Difference being in the comics it was a blood transfusion in a hospital versus accidental contamination.