Avengers: Endgame closed the book on one chapter of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, and next month's
Spider-Man: Far From Home will set the stage for what comes next.
With Marvel Studios pretty much confirmed to have a presence at Comic-Con, we know some big reveals are coming from Kevin Feige and company, but we know you guys love rumours and that's why we've scoured the internet to bring you a breakdown of the biggest Marvel Studios stories currently doing the rounds which claim to shed some light on the future of the MCU.
From that Phase 4 slate to the plots of the Disney+ TV shows and new characters coming to this shared world, whether all of these pan out of not, they make for entertaining reading.
So, to check them out, all you guys have to do is click on the "View List" button down below.
Florence Pugh's Black Widow Role
Black Widow is currently shooting (despite not being officially announced) and we know that
Fighting For My Family's Florence Pugh has landed a key role in the movie.
Apparently, she will be playing Yelena Belova, the new Black Widow, and it's fair to say she certainly looks the part. It's also hard to imagine a better villain for this solo movie, although there are still conflicting reports online about when this adventure is set. We assumed it would be before
The Avengers, but one rumour claims it will actually take place after
Captain America: Civil War.
Marvel Studios' Possible Phase 4 Slate
We know that Marvel Studios will more than likely reveal its Phase 4 slate in Hall H at the San Diego Comic-Con, but if this rumour is to be believed, we already know what's on the way!
Apparently,
Black Widow,
The Eternals,
Black Panther 2,
Shang-Chi,
Doctor Strange 2,
Nova, and
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 are all in active development, while there are plans for
Thor 4,
Ant-Man 3,
Captain Marvel 2,
New Avengers,
Young Avengers, and
Dark Avengers. That's a lot of
Avengers movies, but should we be surprised after the massive, unrivalled success of
Avengers: Endgame?
Hawkeye Vs. The Hood
A
Hawkeye TV series on Disney+ still hasn't been confirmed but one report claims that the archer will be coming out of retirement (again), not to train his daughter but to help a young woman called Kate Bishop who finds herself in trouble with the mob after claiming to be the new Hawkeye.
It's said that supernatural mobster The Hood and Hawkeye's brother Trickshot could appear.
Chris Hemsworth's MCU Future
With Robert Downey Jr.'s Iron Man dead and Chris Evans' Captain America now an old man, the last of the Marvel's "Trinity" is Chris Hemsworth's God of Thunder.
According to one very interesting rumour, while the actor is planning to take the rest of the year off so he can have a break from acting, he plans to reprise the role of Thor in both
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 and
Thor 4. In other words, don't expect to see him leave the MCU any time soon.
The New Owner Of Avengers Tower
Avengers Tower was sold in
Spider-Man: Homecoming, and speculation has been running rampant ever since that the new owner of the skyscraper will be revealed as Oscorp.
The fictional company played a key role across five of Sony's
Spider-Man movies, and while it's hard to imagine Marvel Studios wanting to return to that well so soon, Oscorp seems like the most likely possibility...unless, of course, it's now being saved for the Fantastic Four.
We'll hopefully get some answers in
Spider-Man: Far From Home next month anyway!
Norman Osborn's Dark Reign
It may be wishful thinking, but many different sources are claiming that Norman Osborn is coming to the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Described as the big bad of Phase 4 (and beyond), it definitely sounds like Marvel Studios has some ideas for the man best known as the Green Goblin.
It would certainly be fitting for Osborn to try to fill the void left by Tony Stark following his death, and there are a lot of different directions the character could be taken in.
The Sinister Six's Formation
Talking of Oscorp, another big
Spider-Man: Far From Home rumour that's gaining some traction is that the mid-credits scene will introduce the Sinister Six. Director Jon Watts has denied reports that Michael Keaton will return as The Vulture, while also debunking claims that Michael Mando is coming back as Mac Gargan - but would he really admit to their return anyway?
Time will tell, but the rumoured description says that a shadowy individual is going to address a team of villains made up of The Vulture, Scorpion, Chameleon, Mysterio, and Shocker.
It sounds pretty cool, but seems a little hard to believe. Ultimately, it depends how quickly Marvel Studios wants to get to the Sinister Six as their formation in the MCU would be epic to see.
Some Big Doctor Strange 2 Returns
Tilda Swinton is reportedly in talks to return as The Ancient One in
Doctor Strange 2, while fan-favourite comic book characters Jericho Drumm and Clea will make their big screen debuts.
Interestingly, Clea will reportedly be played by an Asian actress, a sign that Marvel Studios is sticking to its promise of increasing diversity in this shared world. However, perhaps most exciting is the rumour that the Sorcerer Supreme's yellow gloves will be making a return in the sequel!
Loki's New Plans
In
Avengers: Endgame, the God of Mischief managed to make his escape back in 2012 and is now alive and well in the past...or an alternate timeline (depending on which theory you buy into).
Well, his series on Disney+ will reportedly feature the villain travelling through time to manipulate events to his liking, but it's also been said that we'll simply be revisiting key moments he visited before the first
Thor movie. Either way, Loki is definitely going to take place in the past as that was confirmed by a piece of concept art showing him in 1975 era New York City.
Enter The High Evolutionary
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 has been delayed due to James Gunn starting work on The Suicide Squad for Warner Bros., but some possible plot details have been revealed about the threequel.
There's no mention of Thor or Adam Warlock but it's said that Rocket's creator will be revealed as being the High Evolutionary, while Drax is set to learn that his daughter is alive. Rocket will get a love interest in the form of Lylla (possibly voiced by Lady Gaga), and Nebula and Star Lord will grow closer following the disappearance of that Gamora from the past and the death of the original.
The Mandarin's New Role In The MCU
There have been some big hints from Kevin Feige that The Mandarin is set to return to the MCU, and that's since led to rumours doing the rounds that he will be making an appearance in
Shang-Chi.
That would definitely make sense, and while fans would have preferred to see him face Iron Man, this isn't a bad consolation prize. Here's an interesting additional rumour for you, though; there's a chance that The Mandarin will be revealed as Shang-Chi's father and he could be played by Donnie Yen!
Another New Captain America?
At the end of
Avengers: Endgame, Steve Rogers passed the mantle of Captain America on to Sam Wilson, a.k.a. The Falcon. But if he's the new Cap, why is the Disney+ series titled
Falcon & The Winter Soldier? Well, if one rumour is to be believed, then there will actually be a government sanctioned Captain America (U.S. Agent?) who those two team up with to protect the United Nations.
He ends up losing the plot, though, and it will be up to Sam and Bucky to stop him. Perhaps that will be what leads to The Falcon realising that he's going to have to take on the responsibility of becoming Captain America by the time the final episode rolls around.
Killmonger's Return
A very long time ago, we heard that Michael B. Jordan's Erik Killmonger would make his return in
Black Panther 2, a surprise considering the fact that he's, you know, dead! Well, it's now rumoured that he will actually make his return on the spiritual plane, possibly for a conversation with T'Challa.
It's also been said that Queen Divine Justice is set to appear, and that the movie could be political in nature. Needless to say, with Ryan Coogler back at the helm, we can expect great things.
Spider-Man Meets Deadpool
Fans are anxious to know how Fox's Marvel characters are going to be used in the MCU, and one very interesting rumour claims that Marvel Studios is mulling over the idea of having Deadpool appear in the next
Spider-Man movie. These two have a lot of history in the source material and Tom Holland and Ryan Reynolds would definitely have fun together on screen.
Unfortunately, Kevin Feige has since debunked this one, but if Sony wants it, it might just happen. The same report did note that this is just one of three options being considered for the Merc with the Mouth, with the others being
Deadpool 3 or a Disney+ limited series (which would be very cool).
Beta Ray Bill's Big Screen Debut
Beta Ray Bill's existence was pretty much confirmed in
Thor: Ragnarok and there's no way that Marvel Studios will have missed the sheer demand from fans to see him in a live-action setting.
Well, Bill is expected to make an appearance in
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 as another of the High Evolutionary's experiments, and seeing him alongside the God of Thunder should be awesome.
The Fantastic Four
Surprisingly, we don't have any intel on the X-Men but it's said that Marvel Studios might be targeting a 2022 release date for its
Fantastic Four reboot. That's much sooner than we expected and it's said that Marvel's First Family is a priority, hence why they're working on that before the X-Men.
A 1960s setting is rumoured, while the team's origin will reportedly be glossed over similar to Spider-Man.
Ant-Man and The Wasp director Peyton Reed is pushing to take the helm, but it isn't clear whether Marvel Studios is interested in allowing him to do so.
The Vision's Resurrection
Despite being killed by Thanos, The Vision will return in
WandaVision on Disney+.
How does that happen? Well, Wanda will reportedly use her powers to give him a soul and that will result in the android being possessed by an unknown dark force. Described as a psychological thriller with a 1950s aesthetic, the suburb setting will see the Scarlet Witch dealing with discrimination due to her...robosexuality?!
It sounds delightfully weird, and Agatha Harkness will reportedly be the lead villain.
Black Widow's 1990s Setting
Earlier in this post, we told you that
Black Widow may be set shortly after the events of
Captain America: Civil War and while that's still a possibility, a number of sources claim it will actually be a 1990s set adventure. Set photos have lent some credibility to this. and it would mean we're getting a proper origin story for the now-dead member of The Avengers.
The question is, does that mean Scarlett Johansson will be digitally de-aged throughout?
Plans For Power Pack
This is a bit of a weird one, but it sounds like
Power Pack is something of a passion project for Marvel Studios President Kevin Feige. There's no word on whether it would be a movie or Disney+ TV show but with such a young cast, it seems like a very good fit for the latter, especially as the streaming service is clearly going to be family orientated in nature.
We've been hearing rumblings about this for years so maybe we'll get confirmation at Comic-Con.
Richard Madden's Eternals Role
Richard Madden is being eyed for a lead role in
The Eternals and if various outlets are to be believed, he's going to be playing Ikaris. That's a perfect bit of casting by Marvel Studios, but equally exciting is the rumour that they want Keanu Reeves to board the project as well. Interestingly, Feige recently confirmed that they have been talking with the
John Wick star, so keep your fingers crossed.
Which of these Marvel Studios rumours do you guys hope is true? As always, let us know your thoughts in the comments section below and stay tuned for more details as we have them.