Marvel Cinematic Universe: Phase Four

Phase Four of the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) is a group of American superhero films and television series produced by Marvel Studios based on characters that appear in publications by Marvel Comics. Phase Four features all of the Marvel Studios productions set to be released from 2021 through early 2022. It is the first phase in the franchise to include television series, with Marvel Studios developing several event series for the streaming service Disney+ in addition to the feature films that it was already set to produce. The series WandaVision will begin the phase, premiering in January 2021, while Black Widow will be the first film in the phase, set to release in May 2021 by Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures. The release schedule of the phase was changed several times due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The films of the phase include Black Widow with Scarlett Johansson returning as Natasha Romanoff / Black Widow, Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings starring Simu Liu, ensemble film Eternals, the untitled Spider-Man: Far From Home sequel from Sony Pictures Releasing with Tom Holland returning as Peter Parker / Spider-Man, sequel Thor: Love and Thunder with Chris Hemsworth returning as Thor, and concluding with another sequel, Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, with Benedict Cumberbatch returning as Dr. Stephen Strange.

The television series that will be released on Disney+ as part of the phase include WandaVision with Elizabeth Olsen and Paul Bettany in the title roles, The Falcon and the Winter Soldier with Anthony Mackie and Sebastian Stan in the title roles, Loki starring Tom Hiddleston, the animated What If...? narrated by Jeffrey Wright, Ms. Marvel starring Iman Vellani, Hawkeye with Jeremy Renner returning as Clint Barton / Hawkeye, Moon Knight starring Oscar Isaac, and She-Hulk starring Tatiana Maslany.

Development
By October 2016, The Walt Disney Studios had scheduled multiple release dates for untitled Marvel Studios films for 2020 and 2021. Marvel Studios President Kevin Feige said some of the films for those dates were already known, explaining, "We know what [films] we'd like them to be for 2020. Over the years, where we're aiming we've been lucky enough that it's usually been the same thing but we always leave ourselves the opportunity to bob and weave and adapt if we have to." Feige was not sure if Marvel would continue to group the films of the MCU into phases once Phase Three concluded in 2019, saying that "it might be a new thing", but by December 2018, Marvel was believed to be using the term Phase Four. Feige said Marvel hoped to reveal some upcoming films after the release of Avengers: Endgame (2019), with The Walt Disney Company CEO Bob Iger later indicating that Marvel would reveal its slate of post-Avengers: Endgame films in mid-2019.

By November 2017, Disney was developing a Marvel television series specifically for release on its new streaming service Disney+, which was planned to launch before the end of 2019. In September 2018, Marvel Studios was revealed to be developing several limited series for the service, to be centered on "second-tier" characters from the MCU films who had not and were unlikely to star in their own films; the actors who portrayed the characters in the films were expected to reprise their roles for the series. Stories for each series were still being decided on, but the series were expected to be six to eight episodes each and have a "hefty [budget] rivaling those of a major studio production". The series would be produced by Marvel Studios rather than Marvel Television, which produced the previous television series set in the MCU. Feige was taking a "hands-on role" in each series' development, focusing on "continuity of story" with the films and "handling" the actors who would be reprising their roles from the films. Feige stated in February 2019 that the series would be "entirely interwoven with both the current MCU, the past MCU, and the future of the MCU", and a month later he elaborated that the series would take characters from the films, change them, and see those changes reflected in future films, unlike the weaker relationship the films have with the Marvel Television series. He also said that new characters introduced in the Disney+ series could go on to appear in films. In May, Feige compared the Disney+ series to the Marvel One-Shots short films that Marvel Studios had previously released alongside their films, saying, "The best thing about the One-Shots is that we got to flesh out other characters. It's tremendously exciting that we now have Disney+ series where we get to do that on a grand scale".

In July 2019, Marvel Studios held a panel at San Diego Comic-Con where Feige announced the full Phase Four slate. This included five films to be released—Black Widow, Eternals, Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings, Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, and Thor: Love and Thunder—as well as five event series to be released on Disney+—The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, WandaVision, Loki, What If...?, and Hawkeye. He confirmed that there would be connections between the films and series, with the events of WandaVision directly setting up Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness and Loki tieing into it. Feige stated that these ten projects were the full Phase Four slate at that point, despite Marvel already developing further projects at that time. A month later at D23, Feige announced three more Disney+ series that would be released as part of the Phase Four slate: Ms. Marvel, Moon Knight, and She-Hulk. In September, Disney and Sony Pictures announced that Marvel Studios and Feige would return to produce the untitled Spider-Man: Far From Home sequel set for release during this phase.

Black Widow was removed from Disney's release schedule in March 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Discussing this decision for Variety, Adam B. Vary and Matt Donnelly questioned whether the MCU could be impacted more by this delay than other big properties due to the interconnected nature of the franchise, though a Marvel Studios source told the pair that changing Black Widow's release date would not affect the rest of the MCU timeline. In April, Disney changed its entire Phase Four release slate, scheduling Black Widow when Eternals had been set for release in November 2020 and moving all its other Phase Four films back in the schedule to accommodate this. Later that month, Sony delayed the Far From Home sequel to November 2021, resulting in Disney adjusting the release of Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness and Thor: Love and Thunder. In July 2020, Disney confirmed that The Falcon and the Winter Soldier would not release in August 2020 as planned, because the series had not completed filming due to the COVID-19 pandemic, while Sony pushed back the release of the Far From Home sequel to December 2021. By that September, WandaVision was set to be the first television series released for the phase as The Falcon and the Winter Soldiers release was pushed back to 2021 due to its production delays, while Black Widows release was delayed to May 2021, resulting in Eternals and Shang-Chi and the Legends of the Ten Rings also being rescheduled; this made 2020 the first year since 2009 without a Marvel Studios release. When adjusting the release of the films and series in the phase, Marvel Studios was being cognizant to ensure major story points would not be spoiled with the new release order.

Black Widow (2021)
Natasha Romanoff finds herself alone and forced to confront a dangerous conspiracy with ties to her past. Pursued by a force that will stop at nothing to bring her down, Romanoff must deal with her history as a spy and the broken relationships left in her wake long before she became an Avenger.

After exploring the backstory of Scarlett Johansson's character Natasha Romanoff / Black Widow in Avengers: Age of Ultron (2015), Kevin Feige expressed interest in further exploring it in a solo film. By January 2018, Jac Schaeffer was hired to write the script, with Cate Shortland hired to direct that July. Ned Benson was rewriting the script the next February. Schaeffer and Benson received story credit on the film, while Eric Pearson was credited for the screenplay. Filming began in May 2019 in Norway, before shooting in the United Kingdom, Budapest, Morocco, and Georgia, and concluding that October. Black Widow is scheduled to be released on May 7, 2021.

Black Widow is set after the events of Captain America: Civil War (2016).

Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings (2021)
By December 2018, Marvel Studios was actively developing a Shang-Chi film as their first Asian-led property, with David Callaham hired to write the screenplay, and by March 2019, Destin Daniel Cretton was hired to direct. At the 2019 San Diego Comic-Con that July, Simu Liu was revealed to be cast in the title role, along with Tony Leung as the Mandarin. Filming began in February 2020 in Australia, but was put on hold that March due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Production resumed at the end of July into early August 2020, before shooting in San Francisco and concluding in Australia that October. Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings is scheduled to be released on July 9, 2021.

The Ten Rings organization has been featured or referenced in Iron Man (2008), Iron Man 2 (2010), the Marvel One-Shot All Hail the King (2014), and Ant-Man (2015). Ben Kingsley portrayed Trevor Slattery, an impostor posing as the Mandarin, in Iron Man 3 (2013).

Eternals (2021)
After an unexpected tragedy, the Eternals—an immortal alien race created by the Celestials who have secretly lived on Earth for over 7000 years —reunite to protect humanity from their evil counterparts, the Deviants.

By early 2018, Marvel Studios was developing a film for the Eternals with Kaz and Ryan Firpo hired to write the script, focusing on a love story between the characters Sersi and Ikaris. Late that September, Chloé Zhao was hired to direct The Eternals. Filming occurred from July 2019 to February 2020, shooting throughout England. The main cast, headlined by Angelina Jolie as Thena and Richard Madden as Ikaris, was announced at the July 2019 San Diego Comic-Con, with Gemma Chan cast as Sersi the next month. The title was shortened in August 2020. Eternals is scheduled to be released on November 5, 2021.

Eternals is set after the events of Avengers: Endgame (2019).

Untitled Spider-Man: Far From Home sequel (2021)
By early 2017, a third MCU Spider-Man film was planned to take place during Peter Parker / Spider-Man's senior year of high school, with Feige later saying it would tell "a Peter Parker story" not previously done on film due to the mid-credits scene in Spider-Man: Far From Home (2019). By August 2019, development on the film began while Disney and Sony temporarily separated over a new agreement for Marvel's continued work on the Spider-Man films, before announcing the next month that they would co-produce the film. Star Tom Holland and writers Chris McKenna and Erik Sommers were set to return, along with Jon Watts as director by June 2020. Filming began in October 2020 in New York City, before moving to Trilith Studios in Atlanta, Georgia later that month. Filming is also expected to occur in Los Angeles and Iceland, and will last until March 2021. The film is scheduled to be released on December 17, 2021.

Benedict Cumberbatch and Jamie Foxx will reprise their respective roles as Dr. Stephen Strange from prior MCU films and Max Dillon / Electro from Sony's separate The Amazing Spider-Man 2 (2014).

Thor: Love and Thunder (2022)
In January 2018, Chris Hemsworth expressed his interest to continue playing Thor, despite his contract with Marvel Studios then ending after Avengers: Endgame. By July 2019, Taika Waititi had signed to write and direct a fourth Thor film after previously directing Thor: Ragnarok (2017), and the title was officially announced at the 2019 San Diego Comic-Con later that month, with Hemsworth returning alongside Tessa Thompson as Valkyrie and Natalie Portman as Jane Foster, following her absence from Ragnarok, to become the Mighty Thor with similar powers to Thor. In February 2020, Jennifer Kaytin Robinson joined to co-write the screenplay with Waititi. Filming is scheduled to begin in January 2021 in Australia. Thor: Love and Thunder is scheduled to be released on February 11, 2022.

The Guardians of the Galaxy will be featured in the film, with Chris Pratt reprising his role as Peter Quill / Star-Lord.

Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness (2022)
Dr. Stephen Strange's continuing research on the Time Stone is hindered by a new enemy, resulting in unspeakable evils being unleashed.

By December 2018, Scott Derrickson had signed to direct a sequel to Doctor Strange (2016) after directing and co-writing the first, with Benedict Cumberbatch reprising the title role. The title was officially announced at the 2019 San Diego Comic-Con, along with Elizabeth Olsen's involvement. Jade Bartlett was hired to write the script that October. In January 2020, Derrickson stepped down as director due to creative differences, but remained as an executive producer. The next month, Loki (2021) head writer Michael Waldron joined to rewrite the script, and Sam Raimi was set to direct. Filming began by late November 2020 near London. Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness is scheduled to be released on March 25, 2022.

Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness is set after the events of Avengers: Endgame. The film will co-star Elizabeth Olsen as Wanda Maximoff / Scarlet Witch, and is directly set up by her Disney+ series WandaVision, while Loki also ties into it.

WandaVision
Wanda Maximoff and Vision are living the ideal suburban life, trying to conceal their powers. But as they begin to enter new decades and encounter television tropes, the couple suspects things are not as they seem.

By September 2018, Marvel Studios was developing a limited series starring Elizabeth Olsen as Wanda Maximoff / Scarlet Witch and Paul Bettany as Vision, with a focus on their relationship. Jac Schaeffer was hired to write the first episode and serve as head writer in January 2019. The series was officially announced and titled in April 2019, with Olsen and Bettany confirmed to be starring, and will explore where Maximoff's alias Scarlet Witch comes from. Filming began in November 2019 at Pinewood Atlanta Studios, with Matt Shakman directing the six episodes, but was suspended in March 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Production resumed in Los Angeles in July 2020, and was completed that November. WandaVision is set to premiere on January 15, 2021.

The series will take place following the events of Avengers: Endgame and directly set up Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness (2022), which will also feature Maximoff. Teyonah Parris plays an adult version of Monica Rambeau, who appeared as a child in Captain Marvel (2019), played by Akira Akbar. Randall Park and Kat Dennings will reprise their MCU roles of Jimmy Woo and Darcy Lewis in the series.

The Falcon and the Winter Soldier
Sam Wilson and Bucky Barnes team-up in a worldwide adventure that puts their abilities to the test.

By late October 2018, Malcolm Spellman was hired to write and serve as head writer on a limited series starring Anthony Mackie as Sam Wilson / Falcon and Sebastian Stan as Bucky Barnes / Winter Soldier. The series was officially announced and titled in April 2019, with Mackie and Stan confirmed to be starring. Filming began in October 2019, in Atlanta, with Kari Skogland directing the six episodes, but was suspended in March 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Production resumed in early September 2020, and concluded late the next month. The Falcon and the Winter Soldier is set to premiere in 2021.

The series will take place following the events of Avengers: Endgame. Daniel Brühl, Emily VanCamp, and Georges St-Pierre will reprise their MCU roles of Helmut Zemo, Sharon Carter, and Georges Batroc, respectively, in the series.

Loki
After stealing the Tesseract in 2012 during the events of Avengers: Endgame, an alternate version of Loki uses it to travel through time and alter human history.

By September 2018, Marvel Studios was developing a limited series starring Tom Hiddleston as Loki, which Disney CEO Bob Iger confirmed that November. In February 2019, Michael Waldron was hired as head writer, and Hiddleston was confirmed to reprise his title role. Filming began in January 2020, with Kate Herron directing the six episodes, but was suspended that March due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Production resumed in September 2020 at Pinewood Atlanta Studios. Loki is set to premiere in early 2021.

The series will take place following the events of Avengers: Endgame and will tie-in with Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness.

What If...? season 1
What If...? explores what would happen if major moments from the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) occurred differently.

By March 2019, Marvel Studios was developing an animated anthology series based on the What If comic book concept to explore how the MCU would be altered if certain events had occurred differently, with it not being canon to the main MCU. Jeffrey Wright was revealed to narrate the series as Uatu / The Watcher that July, with many actors from the films also voicing their respective characters. Voice recording began the next month, with A.C. Bradley serving as head writer and Bryan Andrews directing the first season's 10 episodes. Production continued remotely during the COVID-19 pandemic, with on-site work suspended. The first season of What If...? is set to premiere in mid-2021. A second season has been announced.

Ms. Marvel
By the August 2019 D23 Expo, Marvel Studios was developing a series centered on Kamala Khan / Ms. Marvel, with Bisha K. Ali hired as head writer. In September 2020, Iman Vellani was cast in the title role. Filming began by mid-November 2020 at Trilith Studios in Atlanta,  with Adil El Arbi and Bilall Fallah, Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy, and Meera Menon directing episodes of the series. Ms. Marvel is set to premiere in late 2021.

Hawkeye
By April 2019, Marvel Studios was developing a limited series starring Jeremy Renner as Clint Barton / Hawkeye, which would involve Barton passing the mantle of Hawkeye to the character Kate Bishop. At the 2019 San Diego Comic-Con, the series was officially announced and would explore more of Barton's time as the vigilante Ronin, with Jonathan Igla hired as head writer that September. Filming began by late November 2020, at Trilith Studios in Atlanta, with both Bert & Bertie and Rhys Thomas each directing a block of episodes. Hawkeye is set to premiere in late 2021 or early 2022.

The series will take place following the events of Avengers: Endgame.

Moon Knight
At the 2019 D23 Expo, Marvel Studios announced that a series centered on Marc Spector / Moon Knight was in development, with Jeremy Slater hired as head writer that November. In October 2020, Oscar Isaac was cast in the title role. Filming is expected to begin in March 2021 in Budapest, with Mohamed Diab directing the six episodes. Moon Knight is set to premiere in 2022.

She-Hulk
She-Hulk revolves around Bruce Banner's cousin, who gains superpowers after receiving a blood transfusion from him.

At the 2019 D23 Expo, Marvel Studios announced that a series centered on Jennifer Walters / She-Hulk was in development, with Jessica Gao hired as head writer that November. In September 2020, Tatiana Maslany was cast in the title role. Filming is expected to begin in March 2021, with Kat Coiro directing the first episode along with several others. She-Hulk is set to premiere in 2022.