Phase 4 of the Marvel Cinematic Universe has been completely revamped due to the COVID-19, or coronavirus, pandemic. The original schedule featured the highly anticipated release of Black Widow in just under one month, but with the continued spread of the coronavirus and the shutdown of US movie theaters, Black Widow's (Scarlett Johansson) first solo outing had to be rescheduled, setting off a cascade of delays throughout Marvel's slate.
Phase 3 ended with Spider-Man: Far From Home, acting as an epilogue for Avengers: Endgame, which concluded the Infinity Saga and featured the departure of MCU mainstays like Iron Man (Robert Downey Jr.) and Captain America (Chris Evans). Though it was the end of an era, it was far from the end of the franchise. Phase 4 was officially laid out at San Diego Comic-Con 2019, unveiling a host of upcoming movies and TV shows. All seemed to be going as planned, with Marvel revving up for its next generation.
Though Marvel's Disney+ shows, The Falcon and the Winter Soldier and WandaVision, are still scheduled to release in 2020, almost the entire MCU feature film releases have been changed. Here is the complete updated MCU schedule from 2020-2022.
The first movie to suffer at the hands of the pandemic is Black Widow. This one is over a decade in the making, as Natasha Romanoff debuted in 2010's Iron Man 2. Since then she has been a supporting player in her fellow Avengers' solo flicks. Even though she was killed off in Endgame, she is, at last, getting a spotlight of her own. The prequel is set between Captain America: Civil War and Avengers: Infinity War, and the focus is on Natasha reuniting with her Russian family to take down the villainous Taskmaster.
Despite its heavy marketing and 10 years of waiting, Black Widow's release is adding on a whole six months. Originally set to hit theaters on May 1, 2020, the new date is November 6, 2020.
The next film on the docket is an entirely new MCU property. Set over thousands of years, Eternals follows a band of immortals who have long stood on the sidelines for the universe's biggest conflicts. The cast features new MCU characters played by a star-studded lineup including Richard Madden, Kumail Nanjiani, Salma Hayek, and Angelina Jolie.
Without an Eternals trailer, Marvel die-hards will continue to speculate about the film's details. Though the initial plan was a November 6, 2020 opening, Black Widow now occupies that date, bumping Eternals' to February 12, 2021. This decision leaves the MCU with only one big screen appearance in 2020, breaking a decade-long tradition that saw at least two MCU films released per year.
Another fresh introduction to the franchise, Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings is the highly anticipated introduction of Shang-Chi. With Simu Liu at the forefront, the film has the distinction of introducing the MCU's first Asian lead, and the reference to the Ten Rings implicates the return of the Mandarin, whose role in Iron Man 3 divided MCU fans.
Because Eternals has moved into its original release window, Shang-Chi will move forward four months to accommodate. Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings will hit theaters on May 7, 2021.
Since entering the MCU, Tom Holland's Spider-Man has become widely popular. His solo movies, Spider-Man: Homecoming and Spider-Man: Far From Home, established the MCU's unique take on Peter Parker after his first cross-over appearance in Captain America: Civil War. The third installment in his solo franchise is expected to pick up on the cliffhanger ending of Far From Home, which saw Peter framed for Mysterio's (Jake Gyllenhaal) death.
Fortunately for MCU fans, Sony has not delayed Spider-Man 3, which is still set for July 16, 2021, only two months after Shang-Chi. With the rights to Spider-Man, Sony has attempted to cross over its Spiderverse releases with the MCU, teasing a connection in the Morbius trailer. Morbius will release on March 19, 2021, just four months before Spider-Man 3, and fans will discover just how related Sony's Marvel movies and the main MCU are.
Despite his prominent role in Avengers: Infinity War, Doctor Strange's second installment has been long overdue - five years in the making. Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness is set to be one of the MCU's most ambitious projects yet, with early rumors hinting that this would be Marvel's first horror movie. Though those rumors have been walked back, the multiverse allows the film to travel in new creative directions, and Doctor Strange 2 could have important connections to Disney+'s WandaVision series.
Previously scheduled for May 7, 2021, Stephen Strange's return has been pushed back seven months, hitting theaters on November 5, 2021.
Thor: Love and Thunder is among the most highly anticipated Phase 4 offerings on the way. Following the success of Thor: Ragnarok, Taika Waititi's return to the director's chair, Natalie Portman rejoining the MCU in a main role for the first time since Thor: The Dark World, and the news that Tessa Thompson confirmed MCU-newcomer Christian Bale will play the film's villain all served to build even more anticipation for the fourth solo Thor movie.
Originally schedule for November 5, 2021, Thor will return to the big screen on February 18, 2022.
Black Panther was a critical and financial smash hit, grossing over $1 billion worldwide and developing an extraordinary following. Black Panther 2 was announced this past summer, and director Ryan Coogler is set to return. Not much is known about Black Panther 2's plot, but considering the first film's cultural cache, the sequel remains one of the most highly anticipated releases on Marvel's slate.
Breaking the trend of shifting release dates, Black Panther 2 was announced for May 8, 2022 and remains in that spot. The first film still holds box office records for the month of February, which was long considered a weaker release month; sticking with an early summer release indicates Marvel's plans to further capitalize on such a lucrative franchise.
The furthest film away on the Phase 4 calendar is also the latest confirmed. Captain Marvel was a huge success in 2019, grossing over $1 billion worldwide, and as Marvel Studios announced the changes to the slate, the studio also confirmed Captain Marvel 2. Brie Larson's return as Carol Danvers is scheduled to hit theaters on July 8, 2022.
Though the coronavirus' human cost is the most important element of the crisis, the shifting release dates is a disappointment to many Marvel fans. Nevertheless, from sequels to origin stories, Phase 4 has it all, and there's plenty to look forward to as the Marvel Cinematic Universe's movies eventually hit theaters.
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