Next Year, Marvel is back with a new slate of films and TV shows to feed the appetite of all superhero fans. With Netflix, Hulu, ABC, Freeform, and CW Network throwing their hat in the ring, it’s time for the main characters to take center stage. Phase 4 is upon us, and, while some familiar faces are gone, there are a few returning with heavy arsenals.
But the real question is which shows and movies are fans really excited about, and which has the best potential to be successful? With 10 on the way in Phase 4, we’ll take a look at which shows and movies rank in terms of expectations for Marvel fans. Here are the 10 Marvel Phase 4 TV Shows and Movies Expectations.
The Eternals
The cast alone should have this as a must-see. Anything with Selma Hayek, Kumail Nanjiani, and Angelina Jolie is worthy of the price of admission, but it’s the story that will draw the hardcore comic fans in. What fans will have to deal with may be the same as with Captian America: The First Avenger. The Eternals comic saga started in the early 60s, so the high-tech savvy things we’ve grown accustomed to may not be as frequent in this film. But action and a great storyline line will be present, as always.
However, whose to say that they can’t change the timeframe the same they did with Cap. With the story possibly taking place in New York City, they could fast forward to a pre-Endgame or post-Endgame timeline.
Shang Chi And The Legend Of The Ten Rings
Marvel will now enter the martial arts world, which should make Shang Chi a highly anticipated movie. Besides the action, the origin story of the Mandarin should be enough to get Iron Man followers excited. As Tony Stark’s evil nemesis, a throwback script of sorts would be the perfect way to pay a semi-tribute to the fallen Avenger—but there’s more.
Shang Chi is good, but then turns evil. It would be a great exploration of how a hero falls to villainy. Not on the same scale as Loki, but what Marvel should be able to do action-wise further aka Phase 4 a hit topic amongst comic and movie fans alike.
What If
Animation or not, What If is made for comic lovers. This is the series that fans have craved for and comics theorists have waited to break down. What happens if Captian America never crashed? What if Jane found Mjolnir, and so forth. A movie would not be able to do What If justice. Image 6-7 seasons of fun with Marvel with the many ideas that could be placed in front of us.
Now, armed with the right to Fox characters, they can take into account a what-if scenario if the Fantastic 4, Silver Surfer and X-Men were involved with Infinity War and Endgame. This should be exciting to watch if they can do it right. But when has Marvel actually ever screwed anything this big up?
WandaVison
In the two years leading up to Avengers: Infinity War after the events of Captian America: Civil War, there was a budding romance between two main characters. Scarlett Witch and Vision embarked on their own relationship while the others were off doing whatever they were doing. But, just like many fans when their opening scene appeared, we were wondering exactly when and how. Like, when did this romance happen, and how long has it been going on?
Before this, we’ve never seen the human version of Vision. We knew there was some chemistry there, but to see how it unfolds will give us our first look at a Marvel romance from the start. On another positive note: the action. Vision is powerful on his own, and Scarlett Witch, outside of Captain Marvel, just may be the most powerful of them all. Pair them together, and they will wreak havoc.
Doctor Strange 2: Multiverse Of Madness
In what is being held as the first Marvel horror movie, Doctor Strange 2: Multiverse of Madness appears to be heading in a strange direction. The first movie was about defending time, while the second will more than likely focus on the Dark Dimension. This brings in many opportunities for the writers to go on. With news that Scarlett Witch will make an appearance, this should be exciting.
What Multiverse of Madness must not do is forget where these films came from. No matter the movie, Doctor Strange, for all his seriousness, was still a fun character the audience could relate to. As one of oy two returning main characters from the Infinity Saga, Strange has to help lead in the new era.
Hawkeye
The only thing Marvel fans want with the Hawkeye show is to not repeat the failures of Green Arrow. Are they similar? Yes—but that doesn’t mean they have to be the same. It will be good to go from an origin story up to how he became Ronin. This is also where Black Widow should have a few cameos.
One of the only Avengers to have a family life, it would be great to see the dynamic of how he fights civilians then comes home to his wife and kids. The other aspect of that is what happens after the Thanos snap. We know he turns dark in Avengers: Endgame, but we don’t actually get to see the darkness creep in. A movie would not do Hawkeye justice, he needs a few seasons to properly tell his story.
Black Widow
Despite her death in Avengers: Endgame, Natasha will live on—well, at least for one more movie. Fans are still divided on this concept, as some felt it should have come before her death. Maybe Black Widow should have been given a Primetime slot on the new Disney streaming channel instead of a feature film to draw out her story a while longer. But when the end credits roll, this will be it for the spy turned Avenger.
The movie will be bittersweet, but we’re told it will have the most action scenes of any Marvel film to date. Natasha has always been a fan favorite, so to see her at east one last tie doing what she does best will give fans great closure that we didn’t get thanks to her sudden death in Endgame.
Loki
How many villains have earned such a cult following the way Loki has? He has tried to kill the Avengers since the beginning and has hated his brother Thor longer than that. But still, we root for him because he’s just that awesome. His own TV show could bring better insight as to why he often flip-flops between good and evil.
But what kind of action will Loki have? Thor is more brawn, while Loki has the ability to mess with people’s minds. It will be interesting to see where the writers pick up Loki’s story and how far they will go. Loki adds a comic approach to Marvel, so there should be some funny moments in the middle of his evil tactics.
Thor 4: Love And Thunder
Now the longest-standing solo Marvel film, the Thor franchise gets its fourth film, but will it be the last for him? With news that Natalie Portman will return to the main cast, fans received news that sent shockwaves through the comic universe. Jane will become the new Thor. What that means for the franchise moving forward remains to be seen, but it should be good, nonetheless.
Following his comedic performance in Avengers: Endgame, many are wondering what will happen next for Thor. Well, we now know that love will be in the air with Jane back, but will Thor return to being his normal self or stay the overweight warrior he was the last time we saw him?
Falcon And Winter Solider
Why not a feature film? What more do these two have to prove? But a Primetime slot may not be as bad as initially expected. A movie will provide them at least two hours of screen time, but a TV show could go deeper into their past. It will also give them time to grieve Cap and build a friendship.
The action on this show should be just as big and bad as any solo Marvel movie or show ever. These are two of the best characters when it comes to combat, and, hopefully, the writers will give Winter Soldier more of a personality going forward.
