Every Marvel Film & TV Series You’ll See in 2021
Remember when 2021 was supposed to wash the taste of 2020 out of our collective mouths? Yeah, well, it’s not going so well thus far. But, the year is young and one can hope (one must hope) that things will turn around. We look to the film and TV calendar and dream of enjoying these titles in a calmer, saner, and hopefully healthier environment. To that end, here’s a list for all your Marvel fans on what you can expect to see this year. We’re talking films, we’re talking new Marvel series on Disney+, and we’re talking in general about the now long-awaited Phase 4 for the MCU. Onward!
January 15 – WandaVision – Disney+
We’ve seen the first clip, we’ve watched the trailers, and now we’ll finally get to see Marvel’s first Disney+ series in just a few days. Elizabeth Olsen’s Wanda Maximoff and Paul Bettany’s Vision are the focus of this intriguing limited series, in which the superpowered couple finds themselves inside a bunch of sitcoms from various TV eras. Wacky neighbors, laugh tracks, and characters from elsewhere in the Marvel Cinematic Universe will abound. Screenwriter Jac Schaeffer (Captain Marvel) is your showrunner, just one more reason why this is a great way for Marvel to kick off the year.
March 19 – The Falcon and the Winter Soldier – Disney+
Another superpowered duo highlight Marvel’s second Disney+ series, although these two are certainly not in love with each other. Sam Wilson, a.k.a Falcon (Anthony Mackie) teams up with Bucky Barnes, a.k.a. The Winter Soldier (Sebastian Stan) in what is sure to be an action-packed adventure series. The plot’s relatively unknown, but from the glimpse we got in December, it seems that this series will be just as much of a head trip as WandaVision, just in a very different way. And as with every new Marvel series on Disney+, The Falcon and the Winter Soldier will tie into the larger MCU, with various characters, including Daniel Brühl’s Helmut Zemo, appearing.
May 7 – Black Widow – In theaters
We’ve been waiting forever for this film, it feels like. Scarlett Johansson reprises her role as Natasha Romanoff in this look back on her Black Widow character before she paid the ultimate price in Avengers: Endgame. Director Cate Shortland’s film is set between Captain America: Civil War and Avengers: Infinity War, and will delve into Natasha’s backstory as a KGB super-spy and introduce us to her family (of sorts); Florence Pugh as Yelena Belova, Rachel Weisz as Melina Vostokoff, and David Harbour as Alexei Shostakov, a.k.a. the Red Guardian. The MCU tie-ins are self-evident.
Sometime in May – Loki – Disney+
Everybody’s favorite maladaptive Marvel antihero is back! Yes, here comes another character who died at the hands of Thanos returning in a new show, but no one’s going to complain about getting more of Tom Hiddleston’s mischief-making Asgardian trickster god Loki. In this Disney+ series, Loki finds himself in trouble with the Time Variance Authority, and now he answers to…Owen Wilson? Sounds grand to us.
July 9 – Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings – In Theaters
History will be made with Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings. This is the first MCU film that’s centered on an Asian-American lead, with Simu Liu taking on the title role in director Destin Daniel Cretton’s film. Joining the action are Michelle Yeoh, Awkwafina, and Ronny Chieng. We’re intrigued about this movie for a ton of reasons, and excited as all get out. We’ll also be getting some version of the Iron Man 3 villain the Mandarin here.
Mid-2021 – What If… – Disney+
This animated series takes on multiple storylines and asks us to imagine what would happen if various well-known MCU storylines had turned out differently. Like, what if Yondu (Michael Rooker) had kidnapped a young T’Challa (the late Chadwick Boseman) from Earth instead of Peter Quill (Chris Pratt)? This template makes for some potentially juicy, and delightful, MCU zaniness.
Late 2021 – Ms. Marvel – Disney+
Another piece of history will be made when Marvel’s first Muslim lead character leads her own series. Newcomer Iman Vellani plays Kamala Khan, a big Captain Marvel fan who gets the ability to change her shape and become very, very powerful.
Late 2021 – Hawkeye – Disney+
While Jeremy Renner’s Clint Barton is nominally Hawkeye, this new Disney+ series will be centered on Hailee Steinfeld’s Kate Bishop, Hawkeye’s mentee and eventual replacement. Vera Farmiga’s onboard as Kate’s mom Eleanor, and Black Widow‘s Florence Pugh will surface here, too.
November 5 – Eternals – In Theaters
One of the most intriguing upcoming titles coming to the MCU, director Chloé Zhao’s Eternals sounds like the kind of epic that could really launch Marvel’s Phase 4 into new narrative territory. Zhao’s ensemble is sensational—Angelina Jolie, Kumail Nanjiani, Salma Hayek, Richard Madden, Kit Harington, Gemma Chan, Brian Tyree Henry, Barry Keoghan, Lia McHugh, and Don Lee. I mean, wow. The film follows a group of immortal alien warriors who’ve been secretly living on Earth for millennia. Henry is poised to play the first openly gay superhero in MCU history, married to Haaz Sleiman’s character, while Lauren Ridloff will play the first deaf superhero.
December 17 – Spider-Man 3 – In Theaters
Another upcoming MCU film with a robust ensemble, director Jon Watts’ third Spider-Man film features a few villains from Spider-Man franchises past—Alfred Molina’s Doc Ock and Jamie Fox’s Electro return from the Tobey Maguire and Andrew Garfield era, respectively, giving Tom Holland’s web-slinger a formidable list of opponents. Luckily, he’ll have help—Benedict Cumberbatch’s Doctor Strange will be on hand, too.
Featured image: Scarlett Johansson is Natasha Romanoff in ‘Black Widow.’ Courtesy Marvel Studios/Walt Disney Studios
