San Diego Comic-Con 2019: Marvel Wows With Phase 4 And More

SAN DIEGO — Marvel reigned supreme on Day 3 of San Diego Comic-Con 2019, wowing fans in Hall H with its presentation of its planned Phase 4, the next chapter of the Marvel Cinematic Universe following the events of “Avengers: Endgame.”

“The Infinity Saga is complete,” declared Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige, who then proceeded to announce the Marvel movies and Disney+ shows planned over the next couple of years and beyond, featuring several familiar MCU characters like Natalie Portman’s Jane Foster who will be returning as a female Thor, as well as the vampire hunter Blade, who will now be played by Mahershala Ali.

Full Phase 4 Slate

“Black Widow” (May 1, 2020)

The hotly anticipated solo movie of Black Widow arrives on May 1, 2020, starring Scarlett Johansson in the title role. “I get to play her as a fully realized woman with many facets,” remarked Johansson.

“The Eternals” (Nov. 6, 2020)

The Eternals, the super-team of celestial warriors created by comics legend Jack Kirby in the 1970s will finally come to life on Nov. 6, 2020 with a diverse cast, including Angelina Jolie, Richard Madden, Kumail Nanjiani, Brian Tyree Henry, Salma Hayek, Lia McHugh and Don Lee, who were all in attendance at Comic-Con Saturday. “We are all going to be working hard,” Jolie mentioned.

“The Falcon and the Winter Soldier” (Fall 2020)

The first Marvel series planned for Disney+, Marvel’s upcoming streaming platform, arrives on Fall 2020, featuring Anthony Mackie’s Sam Wilson and Sebastian Stan’s Bucky Barnes, who will be facing off against the villainous Daniel Brühl’s Baron Zemo, who appeared on screen with a video message saying he looks “forward to seeing the heroes soon.”

“Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings (Feb. 12, 2021)

Feige revealed that actor Simu Liu will be Marvel’s first Asian leading superhero. The film, which is set to hit theaters on Feb 12, 2021, also features Hong Kong legend Tony Leung as the supervillain Mandarin, and Awkwafina whose character is yet to be determined.

“WandaVision” (Spring 2021)

The Disney+ series stars Elizabeth Olsen as Scarlet Witch and Paul Bettany as Vision. “We’re gonna have a lot of fun,” said Olsen before a raucous audience in Hall H. It was also revealed that we will learn how Vision gets resurrected after his ill-timed death in “Infinity War.”

“Loki” (Spring 2021)

Tom Hiddleston’s trickster god gets his solo series slated for Spring 2021 on Disney+ channel. Feige mentioned that the story takes place after the events of “Endgame” with a 2012 version of the titular character who stole the Tesseract in Marvel’s “Infinity War.”

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

At Comic-Con Saturday, “Doctor Strange” director Scott Derrickson described the sequel as the “first scary MCU film.” Olsen’s Scarlet Witch makes an appearance in the movie as her series “WandaVision” will lead directly into this new film.

“What If…?” (Summer 2021)

The alternate reality animated series on Disney+ stars Jeffrey Wright as the all-seeing Watcher, joined by several MCU actors reprising their roles.

“Hawkeye” (Fall 2021)

Jeremy Renner plays the titular archer in Hawkeye’s Disney+ series. In it, the superhero mentors the sharpshooter Kate Bishop, who later becomes Hawkeye’s equal. “She’ll be the better version of Hawkeye,” Renner said. Bishop is yet-to-be cast.

“Thor: Love and Thunder” (Nov. 5, 2021)

In a big surprising way, Natalie Portman returns to the “Thor” franchise as Mighty Thor, goddess of Thunder, joining stars Chris Hemsworth and Tessa Thompson in “Thor: Love and Thunder.” Taika Waititi also returns to helm the movie.

“Blade” (Beyond Phase 4, Date To Be Determined)

As if that wasn’t all enough, Feige also announced that Mahershala Ali will now play the vampire hunter Blade, a role that was originated by Wesley Snipes in 1988.

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