After Endgame: A Guide to Marvel Cinematic Universe Phase 4

Avengers: Endgame has just ended the reign of James Cameron's Avatar as the biggest movie of all time after having amassed a total of $2.7902 billion at the global box office at the weekends, finally surpassing Cameron's sci-fi epic $2.7897 record.

But what's next for the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU)? After the conclusion of the battle between the original Avengers and Thanos, and its repercussions to the key characters of the Earth's Mightiest Heroes, what happens after?

The answers to these questions have been finally revealed at the San Diego Comic-Con (SDCC) as Marvel drops the initial plans for the phase 4 of the biggest cinematic universe in history.

Here's the lineup to look forward to:

Black Widow (May 1, 2020)

The first female hero on the Avengers team is finally getting her solo film. The film will revolve around Natasha Romanoff, aka Black Widow, and what happened to her between the Captain America: Civil War and Avengers: Infinity War films. The main villain of the has been revealed, which is Taskmaster, a mercenary who has "photographic reflexes," an ability in which he could instantly copy someone else's fighting style upon seeing it.

Here's a keyframe illustration by Marvel Studios Director of Visual Development & Concept Artist, Andy Park showing Black Widow in battle with the villain.

The Falcon and Winter Soldier (Fall 2020)

One of the upcoming series for the streaming service Disney+ features the teamup of the two sidekicks of MCU's Captain America, Falcon and the Winter Soldier. If you've seen the Avengers: Endgame then you would've know the big development in one of these characters.

The Eternals (November 6, 2020)

The cast for the upcoming The Eternals movie has been revealed at the SDCC as well. A team of super beings who evolved from the same genetic ancestors of humans that were experimented upon by the godlike space beings called Celestials, the Eternals will be played by Angelina Jolie as Thena, Richard Madden as Ikaris, Kumail Nanjiani as Kingo, Salma Hayek as Ajak, Lauren Ridloff as Makkari, Brian Tyree Henry as Phastos, Lia McHugh as Sprite, and Don Lee as Gilgamesh.

Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings (February 12, 2021)

We're also getting MCU's first Asian superhero on the titular role. Shang-Chi will be played by Simu Liu, a Canadian actor with Chinese roots. In the comics, Shang-Chi is a master of Kung Fu knowledgeable in numerous armed and unarmed wushu styles. Later, he also learned how to make duplicates of himself and joined the Avengers.

WandaVision (Spring 2021)

Another series coming to Disney+ will feature the Avengers' power couple Scarlet Witch Wanda Maximoff and Vision. No official plot has been released but we expect to see more screentime for the two together as it had been cut short by the tragic events in the MCU.

Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness (May 7, 2021)

Together with the reveal of its official title, the sequel to Doctor Strange has also been revealed to have a horror-centric feel for the audiences, now with the Scarlet Witch added to the story as a key supporting character. While the synopsis is yet to come, we may be having a closer look into the magic superpowers of the two MCU heroes.

Loki (Spring 2021)

It seems that it's always too early to mourn the death of the God of Mischief. Tom Hiddleston is reprising his role as Loki in this upcoming Disney+ series. The last time we saw him in Avengers: Endgame (spoiler alert!) was at the New York City invasion timeline where he snatches the space stone and disappear to somewhere nobody knows. While it's still confusing how the timeline and multiverse really works in the MCU, it is possible that this Loki is who we'll be meeting in the show.

What If…? (Summer 2021)

What If…? is an animated anthology series coming to Disney+. Like its comic series counterpart, the show will put a spin to key moments in the MCU and would explore the alternate outcomes in the universe if things went differently.

Hawkeye (Fall 2021)

Another Disney+ series will have Jeremy Renner reprise his role as Clint Barton, but this time he will be taking under his wing a younger archer. In the comics that would be Kate Bishop, one of the founding members of the Young Avengers. There's also a teaser revealed at the San Diego Comic-Con.

Thor: Love and Thunder (November 5, 2021)

Thor: Ragnarok director Taika Waititi returns for the part four of the Thor franchise and this time, dropping an exciting turn for the superhero icon: Natalie Portman is reprising her role as astrophysicist Jane Foster and the female-version of Thor. Just as in the comics, the female hero gets to swing the hammer and save the day. Co-starring in the film are Chris Hemsworth and Tessa Thompson.

Blade (TBA)

While it has not been officially added to the Phase 4 roster, a bonus surprise at the San Diego Comic-Con came in the form of an upcoming Blade reboot starring Mahershala Ali. It hasn't been clarified if it will be a film or TV series. The vampire hunter was first introduced to the big screen back in 1998 with the portrayal of Wesley Snipes, followed by two sequels. There was also a TV series in 2006 where Stick Fingaz played the titular role.

For more updates in the biggest superhero movie franchise yet, be sure to check out their website and follow Marvel Studios on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram.

Also, here are the other news and trailers revealed at the San Diego Comic-Con.

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Homestream image from Marvel Studios Twitter.