In 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic delayed production for many anticipated films and series, and the superhero genre is no exception.
Following a year with few major theatrical releases, the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) and DC Extended Universe (DCEU) have jump-started an action-packed release schedule for 2021 and beyond.
As Phase 4 of the MCU commences, Marvel Studios has recently announced a plethora of upcoming films. “Black Widow” is scheduled to be released on May 7, “Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings” on July 9, “The Eternals” on Nov. 5 and an untitled Spider-Man sequel on Dec. 17.
Audiences can also expect films such as “Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness,” “Thor: Love and Thunder,” “Black Panther II” and “Captain Marvel 2” to be released throughout 2022, with “Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3” scheduled for 2023.
No release dates have been set for the very recently announced “Fantastic Four” and “Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania” films. Marvel Studios is also expanding familiar storylines with the premiere of various series on Disney+, but what does this mean for the MCU?
“The Cinematic Universe weaves storylines, heroes and villains across 23 feature films to date,” Kevin Fiege, the president of Marvel Studios said in an article for Marvel.com. “And with Disney+, we’re able to extend this way of storytelling to a new format — creating series that are connected to our theatrical releases, making the MCU more immersive than ever.”
Series coming to Disney+ in the upcoming months include “WandaVision,” “The Falcon and the Winter Soldier,” “Loki,” “Ms. Marvel,” “Hawkeye” and “What If…?”
Set to premiere in 2022 are “Moon Knight’’ and “She-Hulk.” In late 2022, Disney+ is set to premiere “The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special” as well.
Marvel Studios have also announced a multitude of other Disney+ series without specified release dates, such as “Secret Invasion,” “Ironheart,” “Armor Wars” and “I Am Groot.”
Furthermore, DC Films announced the complex development of a multiverse in late 2020. The concept of multiverses refers to the simultaneous existence of a character in different worlds in order to thread each storyline together into a coherent whole.
“I don’t think anyone else has ever attempted this,” Walter Hamada, the president of DC Films, told the New York Times. “But audiences are sophisticated enough to understand it. If we make good movies, they will go with it.”
With the multiverse announcement, DC has announced a less extensive, yet substantial schedule for theatrical releases as well.
This year, fans can anticipate the release of “The Suicide Squad” on Aug. 6. In 2022, “The Flash” and “Aquaman 2” are currently set to be released on Nov. 4 and Dec. 16, respectively. The sequel to “Shazam!,” titled “Shazam! Fury of the Gods,” will be released in mid-2023. Films with release dates yet to be announced include “Black Adam” and an untitled sequel to “Wonder Woman 1984.”
Like their Marvel counterpart, the DCEU is also testing the waters of TV series. Premiering this year on HBO Max are two series, “Zack Snyder’s Justice League” and “Peacemaker.”
With the announcements of upcoming films and series, Marvel and DC fans alike remain excited for the future of their favorite heroes.
Photo by Cooper Beck
