2020 is finally over, and...well, 2021 really doesn't feel that different so far, does it? On the plus side, there are a lot of exciting superhero movies and TV shows heading our way over the course of the next year - providing they don't end up being hit by any further release date delays!
We're attempting to remain positive, though, and that's why we've now compiled a guide of all the Marvel Studios (and SPUMC - that's Sony Pictures' Universe of Marvel Characters) projects heading our way in 2021. It's a list that makes for intriquing reading, and if you're a comic book fan, there's no way you won't be excited for that this year has in store for us.
From the surprisingly impressive slate of Disney+ TV shows to the movies which are heading to theaters between now and December, Marvel looks set to dominate the superhero genre yet again.
To take a look through this 2021 guide, all you guys need to do is click on the "Next" button below!
WandaVision - January 15
Directed by: Matt Shakman
Starring: Elizabeth Olsen, Paul Bettany, Teyonah Parris, Kat Dennings, Randall Park, Kathryn Hahn
WandaVision was never supposed to kick off Marvel's Phase 4, but a weird 2020 for Hollywood means that even Marvel Studios has been forced to change plans. Given the importance the Multiverse will have to the MCU over the next few years, it's appropriate that the Disney+ series is kicking things off, especially as it ties into the Doctor Strange sequel and Spider-Man 3.
Taking that aside, how can you not be excited to follow these characters into a wacky sitcom setting?
It's clear this series is going to be unlike anything we've ever seen from Marvel before now, and while it's shrouded in secrecy, WandaVision could introduce the concept of mutants, bring two members of the Young Avengers to the MCU, and even introduce a new big bad to this shared world.
Morbius - March 19
Directed by: Daniel Espinosa
Starring: Jared Leto, Matt Smith, Adria Arjona, Jared Harris, Al Madrigal, Tyrese Gibson
Jared Leto returning to the world of comic books for Morbius is an undeniably intriguing prospect, but it's still difficult to get too excited. The teaser trailer didn't inspire much confidence, though it was admittedly hard not to be excited by the surprise appearance of Michael Keaton's Vulture.
Whether that means it's set in the Marvel Cinematic Universe or just a world that's similar to it remains to be seen, but the lines between the MCU and "SPUMC" are definitely being blurred now.
Going back to the Living Vampire himself, and everything from leaked plot details to what little footage has been revealed makes this sound like 2018's Venom, only worse. Here's hoping it's not!
The Falcon And The Winter Soldier - March 19
Directed by: Kari Skogland
Starring: Anthony Mackie, Sebastian Stan, Daniel Brühl, Emily VanCamp, Wyatt Russell
Originally set to debut on Disney+ last August, The Falcon and The Winter Soldier has slipped right down the Phase 4 schedule to this March, but that teaser trailer pointed to it being worth the wait.
Baron Zemo is set to return, while we're getting a new Captain America in the form of John Walker. Promo art, meanwhile, has revealed that Sharon Carter is on the run, so she clearly has a totally different status quo. The heart of the series will be the budding friendship between Sam Wilson and Bucky Barnes, with the former set on the path to wielding the shield as Steve Rogers wanted.
Not enough has been revealed about this one for us to judge its importance to the wider MCU, but how can the emergence of a new Captain America not have wider ramifications for this shared world?
Black Widow - May 7
Directed by: Cate Shortland
Starring: Scarlett Johansson, Florence Pugh, David Harbour, O-T Fagbenle, William Hurt, Ray Winstone, Rachel Weisz
Despite the fact it's no longer the opening chapter of Marvel's Phase 4, it still feels strange to be revisiting the past as we head into what looks to be a new era of the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
Set between the events of Captain America: Civil War and Avengers: Infinity War, the spinoff promises to fill in some gaps in Natasha Romanoff's history, but how essential learning more about those actually is remains to be seen, especially when we know how her story ends. However, Yelena Belova being in Hawkeye points to it being more important than we first expected.
Plus, if those theories about the Thunderbolts pan out, then Black Widow is going to be one to watch.
Loki - May
Directed by: Kate Herron
Starring: Tom Hiddleston, Owen Wilson, Sophia Di Martino, Gugu Mbatha-Raw, Sasha Lane, Wunmi Mosaku
It's fair to say that first trailer for Loki knocked our socks off, and while it had been reported that the God of Mischief would be travelling through time, it looks like he might visit alternate worlds too.
We still don't really know what to expect from Loki's team-up with the Time Variance Authority, but Kang the Conqueror is rumoured to appear, while it feels like a given that the show will tie into the likes of WandaVision, Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, and Spider-Man 3.
What's most intriguing, though, is where Loki will be by the time all is said and done. Could he be a she? A Young Avenger? The MCU's new big bad? We can't wait to find out this coming May.
Venom: Let There Be Carnage - June 25
Directed by: Andy Serkis
Starring: Tom Hardy, Woody Harrelson, Michelle Williams, Reid Scott, Naomie Harris
2018's Venom was a total mess, and while it was entertaining, it certainly wasn't very good.
This time, though, Andy Serkis is stepping into the director's chair, and that alone is enough to get us excited. The filmmaker has worked with some of the greatest directors on the planet as an actor, so if he brings even a little of that magic to Venom: Let There Be Carnage, it's good news. Plus, he no doubt has a lot of very clever, unexpected ideas for how to portray these symbiotes.
The prospect of Eddie Brock's Venom squaring off with Woody Harrelson's Carnage is hugely exciting, and should make this worth watching even if you have no faith in it being any better than Venom!
What If? - Summer
Directed by: Bryan Andrews
Starring: Jeffrey Wright
Marvel Studios has assembled an all-star cast for What If? (there are too many to list above), with familiar faces from the MCU lending their voices to new versions of their classic characters.
As the name suggests, this animated Disney+ series promises to take cues from the comic books of the same name, exploring what might happen to these heroes and villains with a few key changes in their lives. For example, how might have Captain America: The First Avenger played out if Peggy Carter took the Super Soldier Serum instead of Steve Rogers? We'll soon find out!
Once again leaning into the concept of the Multiverse, this show should be an absolute blast, and while the animation style isn't to everyone's liking, there's a talented team working on this one.
Shang-Chi And The Legend Of The Ten Rings - July 9
Directed by: Destin Daniel Cretton
Starring: Simu Liu, Awkwafina, Tony Leung, Fala Chen, Meng'er Zhang, Florian Munteanu, Ronny Chieng, Michelle Yeoh
There are a lot of reasons to be excited for Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings. After all, we're getting the big screen debut of the real Mandarin, and that alone makes this one well worth keeping an eye on next summer (especially if you were among those who hated Iron Man 3).
The problem is, we've not seen so much as a single piece of concept art from the movie, never mind stills or footage. As a result, we simply don't know what to expect, and while Marvel Studios has never made casting mistakes in the past, Simu Liu is definitely a newcomer to blockbusters.
Despite that, it feels a lot like this movie will be something special, and the combination of martial arts and Marvel Studios' blockbuster approach to superhero storytelling definitely bodes well.
Ms. Marvel - Late 2021
Directed by: Adil El Arbi and Bilall Fallah, Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy, Meera Menon
Starring: Iman Vellani, Aramis Knight, Saagar Shaikh, Rish Shah, Matt Lintz
We're definitely surprise that Ms. Marvel is coming our way as soon as this year, and while that first look was essentially made up of B-Roll footage, this is a Disney+ series that shouldn't be overlooked.
For starters, fans of this character in the comic books will know that her origins are tied to the Inhuman Terrigen Mists. Unless Kevin Feige plans to retcon that (tying Kamala Khan's powers to the Infinity Stones, for example), that means we could see some big names from the source material here...as you may recall, Black Bolt and Maximus the Mad have both been rumoured to appear.
Regardless, Iman Vellani has already been confirmed for Captain Marvel 2, and with Secret Invasion also in the works for Disney+, expect this series to be a game-changer for the MCU.
Hawkeye - Late 2021
Directed by: Bert & Bertie, Rhys Thomas
Starring: Jeremy Renner, Hailee Steinfeld, Vera Farmiga, Fra Fee, Tony Dalton, Zahn McClarnon, Brian d'Arcy James, Alaqua Cox
Hailee Steinfeld has finally been confirmed as the MCU's Kate Bishop, and if what we've seen of her on set is any indication, Marvel Studios couldn't have found anyone better to play the hero.
The rest of the cast is every bit as impressive, though it's the characters they're playing which really grabs our attention. Who could have ever imagined the likes of Swordmaster and Echo factoring into a series like Hawkeye? Set photos have also pointed to Clint Barton dealing with the loss of his hearing, so this one looks set to be about more than just a passing of the baton.
While we've only really seen some concept art and a few photos from the New York set, Matt Fraction and David Aja's Hawkeye run is clearly serving as inspiration, and taht's very good news indeed.
Eternals - November 5
Directed by: Chloé Zhao
Starring: Angelina Jolie, Richard Madden, Kumail Nanjiani, Lauren Ridloff, Brian Tyree Henry, Salma Hayek, Lia McHugh, Don Lee, Kit Harington, Gemma Chan, Barry Keoghan
Eternals was supposed to arrive in theaters last November, but like Black Widow, it's been delayed by an entire year. That's heartbreaking, especially when we know the movie is done (reshoots quietly took place over the summer when it became safe for production to resume).
Concept art, leaked promo art, and even set photos have got us massively hyped for this Marvel Studios movie, though, and with it set to explore the history of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, it's clearly going to end up being one to watch out for. It also sounds a lot like Eternals will be used to lay the groundwork for a new era of storytelling, including the introduction of mutants.
Time will tell on that front, of course, but Celestials coming to Earth and the Eternals stepping out of the shadows is going to be huge, and adds a lot of great new characters to this shared world.
Spider-Man 3 - December 17
Directed by: Jon Watts
Starring: Tom Holland, Zendaya, Jacob Batalon, Marisa Tomei, Jamie Foxx, Benedict Cumberbatch, Alfred Molina
That promised first look at Spider-Man 3 never came last month, but let's face it, we've had plenty of big casting rumours to tide us over. Whether those will pan out remains to be seen, but with everyone from Charlie Cox's Daredevil to Willem Dafoe's Green Goblin reportedly set to appear, it's safe to say that this could be one of the biggest, craziest Marvel Studios movies we've ever seen.
Spider-Man: Far From Home ended on a massive cliffhanger when Mysterio outed Spider-Man's secret identity to the world and framed Peter for his "murder." That's going to completely change how Spidey fits into the Marvel Cinematic Universe, and with Sony Pictures keen to start using the web-slinger in their movies too, Spider-Man 3 could be a game-changer in more ways than one.
Jon Watts is moving on to Fantastic Four after Spider-Man 3, so they could be teased here as well. Right now, though, it's sounding a lot like Tom Holland's Peter Parker will be teaming up with Tobey Maguire and Andrew Garfield's versions to do battle with an interdimensional Sinister Six.