WARNING: The following contains spoilers for Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings, now in theaters.
Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings has finally hit theaters, accompanied by intriguing hints at the title character's future in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. But with so many stories introduced in such a short span of time, it may be challenging to keep track of which releases are coming, and when.
In the past, fans had only films to look forward to continuing the threads of the MCU. But now, with the Marvel Studios-produced series on Disney+, the story has expands even further, and at a faster clip. Here's a rundown of all of the series and films announced for the MCU Phase Four following Shang-Chi, and, where possible, when to expect them.
The next MCU film to arrive this year, Eternals brings together the classic comic book characters from the mind of iconic artist Jack Kirby. Directed by Academy Award winner Chloe Zhao, the film centers on the mysterious, and catastrophic, "emergence" triggered by the return of half of Earth's population in Avengers: Endgame. The threat forces the Eternals, an immortal race of aliens created by the Celestials, to reunite after 7,000 years to protect humanity from their monstrous counterparts, the Deviants.
Jeremy Renner's Hawkeye hasn't been seen, outside of an episode of What If...? since Avengers: Endgame. Thankfully, his upcoming Disney+ series will give fans an in-depth look Clint Barton, and what he's been up to, since helping to save the universe -- and his family.
Rather than maintain the big scale of the Avengers films, Hawkeye takes a page from the celebrated Matt Fraction and David Aja comic and looks to be telling a more grounded story about the archer. Hailee Steinfeld joins Renner as Hawkeye's protege and close friend Kate Bishop.
Ms. Marvel is among the newer Marvel Comics heroes to be introduced to the MCU. In the comics, teenager Kamala Khan is exposed to Terrigen Mists, which makes her Inhuman and grants her superhuman abilities. With her shape-changing skills, she's able to fight crime under the previous identity of her superhero idol, Carol Danvers.
The Disney+ series stars Iman Vellani as Kamala Khan, described by Marvel a 16-year-old Pakistani-American from Jersey City with an affinity for gaming, fan fiction and superheroes who's life becomes that much more complicated when she's given superpowers.
The teaser trailer for Spider-Man: No Way Home broke viewership records, ignited countless fan theories and set an ever higher bar for the sequel to 2019's Far From Home.
As the first footage details, Tom Holland's Peter Parker seeks help from Benedict Cumberbatch's Doctor Strange to make the public forgets he's Spider-Man. However, something happens with the spell that sends the two into the multiverse, and brings Peter face-to-face with villains from previous versions of the franchise, including Spider-Man 2's Doctor Octopus (Alfred Molina).
Starring Oscar Isaac, Moon Knight will bring the brutality of vigilantism to life in the MCU. The character is Marc Spector, who in Marvel Comics suffers from Dissociative Identity Disorder. Left for dead, he's chosen by the Egyptian moon god Khonshu to become the Moon Knight. The series will presumably depict Isaac's Spector dealing with his mental disorder while protecting innocents.
Following the birth of the multiverse in Loki, the timelines have been growing chaotically and branching out into new realities. Some of those worlds have been explored in the Disney+ series What If...? However, no one has decided to dive headfirst into the chaos of these realities. Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness will see the sorcerer and the Scarlet Witch exploring the various worlds and horrors that lie within it. Comic fans can also expect a young hero, America Chavez (Xochitl Gomez), to join the unlikely team.
The upcoming Disney+ series She-Hulk is a courtroom comedy that follows Bruce Banner's cousin, Jennifer Walters (Tatiana Maslany), and her struggles to balance her life as a lawyer and the super-strong superhero She-Hulk. The series will include the Abomination (Tim Roth), who first appeared in The Incredible Hulk, and the return of Mark Ruffalo as Bruce Banner.
Announced in December 2020, I Am Groot is a series of animated shorts from Marvel Studios, targeted for release on Disney+ sometime in 2022. The show will focus on Baby Groot, the fan-favorite infant offshoot of the Flora Colossus introduced at the end of Guardians of the Galaxy, after the adult Groot sacrificed himself to save his teammates. The character then stole the hearts of audiences in 2017's Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2.
Thor: Love and Thunder will see Taika Waititi returning to the director's chair to bring even more godly chaos to the world of Thor. The film will also see the return of Natalie Portman's Jane Foster as the Mighty Thor and will join Thor and Valkyrie in the latter's quest to find a queen. Fans can also expect Christian Bale to play the deadly tyrant Gorr the God-Butcher. While details are still being kept under wraps, the film looks even grander than its predecessor.
Black Panther: Wakanda Forever is perhaps the most difficult MCU film to bring to the screen due to the void left by the death last year of actor Chadwick Boseman. However, director Ryan Coogler and the cast and crew are doing their best to keep the iconic actor's legacy alive by creating a film that celebrates the world he helped to establish. The film will also mark the debut of Dominique Thorne's Riri Williams, aka Ironheart.
Little of the cosmic areas of the MCU has been explored since Endgame, but Secret Invasion is sure to change that. The series will adapt elements of the classic comics event, in which the heroes of the Marvel Universe learned that some of their closest allies have been replaced by shape-shifting alien Skrulls. The Disney+ series will star Samuel L. Jackson as Nick Fury, Ben Mendelsohn as Talos and Emilia Clarke in an undisclosed role.
The sequel to 2019's Captain Marvel, The Marvels will find Brie Larson's Carol Danvers joined by Teyonah Parris's Monica Rambeau from WandaVision and Iman Vellani's Kamala Khan from Ms. Marvel to face a new threat. Little is known about the film, which only recently began production, but we can expect it to address the complications in Monica and Carol's relationship hinted at in WandaVision.
It's been some time since fans have seen the Guardians of the Galaxy onscreen without a universe-ending catastrophe to contend with. Thankfully, the Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special will see them back to their typical selves. Following Avengers: Endgame, a lot has transpired with the team that has yet to be explored. Hopefully, the holiday special will handle some of that while setting up the future in a nice Christmas-themed package. Nevertheless, the James Gunn-directed special is nothing short of a gift to fans.
Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania will bring the microscopic duo back into the Quantum Realm for a new adventure with huge implications. Paul Rudd, Evangeline Lilly, Michael Douglas and Michelle Pfeiffer return, of course, joined by Kathryn Newton as Scott Lang's daughter, Cassie, and Jonathan Majors, formally debuting as Kang the Conqueror, following his introduction as He Who Remains in the Loki Season 1 finale.
Writer/director James Gunn returns to complete his trilogy with Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, with the original cast. Following the feel-good Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special on Disney+, this threequel may be a bit of a downer, because Gunn has already teased some major deaths.
Directed by Bassam Tariq (Mogul Mowgli) from a screenplay by Stacy Osei-Kuffour (Watchmen), Blade will bring Marvel's vampire-hunting daywalker into the MCU, as portrayed by Mahershala Ali (Luke Cage, Moonlight). The character was, of course, first immortalized onscreen by Wesley Snipes in 1998's Blade, credited with giving birth to the modern era of comic book movies.
The Fantastic Four have finally come home following Disney's acquisition of 20th Century Fox, and a film is officially in the works, with Spider-Man: No Way Home director Jon Watts. Casting and plot details are still a long way off, but that hasn't prevented fans from searching for clues to the Fantastic Four in other MCU releases.
Following her appearance in Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, Dominique Thorne will return in her own series, Ironheart. While the plot isn't known, the death of Tony Stark may be the catalyst for her new identity, like in the comics. That said, fans can definitely expect some exciting iron-clad adventures with the young hero.
Also stemming from the death of Tony Stark will be Armor Wars. The series will follow Don Cheadle's James Rhodes, aka War Machine, as he must contend with what happens when Stark tech falls into the wrong hands.
The series is inspired by the 1987-1988 Iron Man comic book story arc of the same name, in which Stark discovers the secrets of his armor had been stolen and sold to rival Justin Hammer, who then sold the information to both villains and heroes.
Following Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, writer/director Ryan Coogler will return to Wakanda with a Disney+ series based in that world. With the appearance of Ayo and the Dora Milaje on The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, it's clear the characters are compelling enough to carry their own show.
Directed and co-written by Destin Daniel Cretton, Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings is in theaters now.
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