Disney+ Day takes place this Thursday, September 8, while D23 will hail from Anaheim, California between September 9 and 11. Needless to say, we expect this to be an exciting week for news, with Marvel Studios pretty much guaranteed to drop some major announcements about the Marvel Cinematic Universe's future.
A lot was revealed during this year's San Diego Comic-Con, but there are still some big release dates to be filled in 2025 and 2026. Marvel Studios is also bound to have some Disney+ reveals for us, and it makes sense for Disney to wait and drop its biggest news at these events.
Considering it was only a couple of months ago we learned about Avengers: Secret Wars, the mind boggles at what could be next. However, we have some suggestions and good reason to believe that at least some of these will be unveiled during both events in a matter of days.
To take a look through our hopes and predictions, all you guys need to do is click on the "Next" button below!
8. Deadpool 3
Deadpool and Deadpool 2 writers Rhett Reese and Paul Wernick are hard at work penning Deadpool 3's screenplay, while we recently learned that Shawn Levy will helm the threequel.
Now is the right time for an official announcement, with a title and release date (along with an appearance from Ryan Reynolds) a great way to make a memorable impact at D23. It's obviously too soon for much more than that, but confirmation of when we can actually look forward to seeing Deadpool 3 would generate some real excitement among fans.
It seems obvious to us that the movie should be titled Deadpool vs. the Marvel Cinematic Universe, and even a piece of concept art showing the Merc with the Mouth meeting some of the MCU's heroes, well, that might just break the internet.
7. The Fantastic Four Revealed
Following Spider-Man: No Way Home director Jon Watts' departure from Fantastic Four, all signs now point to WandaVision helmer Matt Shakman taking charge of the long-awaited reboot.
With this movie set to be a huge part of the Multiverse Saga and the MCU's future, Marvel Studios has to get it right. Announcing the cast at D23 would be a great way to build faith in the latest big screen take on Marvel's First Family, especially if some of the big names recently rumoured to be playing Reed, Sue, Ben, and Johnny are proven correct.
We'd love John Krasinski to be among them, and it would be no bad thing for Doctor Doom to also be revealed (especially if he's going to be a major player in Phase 5 and beyond).
6. Season 2 News
Marvel Studios isn't slowing down when it comes to releasing TV shows on Disney+, and we already know of a number of big shows on the way (such as Agatha: Coven of Chaos, Daredevil: Born Again, and Echo). However, those are all first seasons, not second ones.
As of right now, Loki remains the only one of these MCU TV shows to have been renewed for a second season. Hawkeye, Moon Knight, and Ms. Marvel are all in desperate need of more episodes, though, and Disney+ Day would be a good time to confirm those series - and the characters who starred in them - are returning in the not-too-distant future.
Ms. Marvel, for example, is someone who deserves more than becoming just a supporting character in the Captain Marvel franchise. In other words, we'd like Disney+ to do more than just introduce new heroes for other MCU projects!
5. This Year's Holiday Specials
Marvel Studios has two Holiday Specials on the way before 2022 is over; a Halloween story focusing on Werewolf by Night and a Guardians of the Galaxy Christmas tale. Both have been confirmed, but still aren't officially official.
Promo art for The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special has already started doing the rounds, so this week would be the best possible time to drop trailers for both. Halloween is next month, while Christmas is also fast approaching. With that in mind, to wait any longer to start promoting these would run the risk of both specials being overlooked when they finally drop.
Remember, the Guardians' special will almost certainly inform what we see in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, while Werewolf by Night is bound to be a major player in the MCU as Marvel Studios begins embracing the supernatural side of this world.
4. Silver Surfer
There aren't too many vacant movie slots in the Multiverse Saga, but it would be great for at least one of them to be a surprise. Years ago, Kevin Feige offered Fox the chance to keep Daredevil if they would be willing to part ways with Galactus and the Silver Surfer.
The rival studio refused, but the Disney/Fox merger means both characters are now Feige's to play with. Silver Surfer is a character who could definitely hold his own in a movie, and rather than rush into a confrontation between Galactus and the Fantastic Four, we'd like to see Norrin Radd's own story play out, with his origin ultimately leading to him becoming a Herald.
From there, the stage would be set for Galactus to become the MCU's newest big bad once Kang the Conqueror is dealt with! Heck, this could even be a Disney+ series.
3. A Huge Casting Surprise
Announcing who will play the Fantastic Four would be a huge deal, but what about one final surprise at D23?
Marvel Studios is on the precipice of bringing mutants into the MCU, with Ms. Marvel the first character confirmed to have a "mutation" in her genes. It's clear the X-Men are coming, though we still don't know how that's going to happen to whether the Multiverse will be involved. Either way, can you imagine this panel wrapping up with the new Wolverine hitting the stage?
Taron Egerton would be our choice, and while we may not see Wolverine on screen for a few years, just knowing a character as major as this is on the horizon would be epic. Remember how much excitement Mahershala Ali being announced as Blade generated way back in 2019?
2. "The Mutant Saga"
During this year's Comic-Con, Kevin Feige revealed that Phases 4, 5, and 6 will be known as the Multiverse Saga. Unbelievably, that's set to wrap up as soon as 2025, so why not shed a little light on what comes next?
Confirming that our next stop is the Mutant Saga would be a welcome sign that the focus is finally about to shift to the X-Men. If Feige is feeling particularly ballsy, he can even drop a few title cards, confirming movies and TV shows like Uncanny X-Men, Wolverine, and X-Force, for example, are all on the way.
In the wake of what Fox did to the franchise, it won't be easy rehabbing the X-Men franchise. However, delivering an entire slate of projects revolving around mutants could be the best possible way to put them front and centre in the MCU, ensuring Marvel Studios has countless more stories to tell over multiple future Sagas.
1. Spider-Man 4
This is probably the most unlikely suggestion here because the Spider-Man franchise remains under the purview of Sony Pictures. While it sounds like they will continue working with Marvel Studios, nothing can be guaranteed when it comes to the studio that figured it would be a good idea for The Vulture and Morbius to form a heroic Sinister Six.
Still, we'd like to think Spider-Man 4 is on the horizon, and it would be pretty damn spectacular for D23 to wrap up with any sort of confirmation the wall-crawler will return.
It's been said that Tom Holland is still committed to at least one more MCU cameo whatever happens. As a result, even mentioning plans for Peter Parker to show up in a future movie - such as Fantastic Four or Avengers: The Kang's Dynasty - would make fans unbelievably happy.