Everything you need to know about Marvel Phase 4, including the first teaser trailer for Doctor Strange 2.
After numerous teases, the Marvel Cinematic Multiverse (MCM) finally landed in 2021. With productions like WandaVision, Loki and What If…? hinting at its arrival, Spider-Man: No Way Home blew the doors off the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) and ushered in a new era of character crossovers and mind-bending multiversal traversing in Marvel Phase 4. And the MCM has only just begun, too. With Marvel Studios releasing the first teaser trailer for Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness in December 2021, we know that the MCM will with us for a while longer. Our ‘how to watch the Marvel movies in order ‘ article could start to become more difficult to follow, then, if this Marvel Phase 4 slate is anything to go by. Regardless, what can we expect from Marvel Phase 4? Well, there will be a batch of new movies to look forward to, including Thor’s fourth cinematic outing, Black Panther 2 and the Doctor Strange sequel. We’ll also be getting more Marvel Disney Plus shows, too, such as Moon Knight, She-Hulk and Ms Marvel. If you’re after more information on all of the above and more, you’ve come to the right place. Below, we’ve compiled every piece of information you need for each forthcoming MCU movie and TV show. That includes their release dates, multiversal crossovers, cast additions and more, so pull up a chair and let’s dig into what Marvel Phase 4 will have to offer. Many of Marvel’s forthcoming productions have official launch dates, though some key releases are ambiguous for now. Below, you’ll find a list of confirmed launch dates for the studio’s 2022 slate of movies and shows, as well as tentative launch windows for other MCU projects. Release date: May 8, 2022 Doctor Strange 2 arrives in theaters in May 2022, and it’ll provide us with a clearer look at the MCM. Benedict Cumberbatch will reprise his role as Stephen Strange, and he’ll be joined by Elizabeth Olsen’s Scarlet Witch, Benedict Wong’s Wong, Chiwetel Ejiofor’s Baron Mordo and Rachel McAdams’ Christine Palmer from the first movie. Newcomer Xochitl Gomez will also portray America Chavez, a relative newcomer to Marvel comics’ superhero line-up, while Cumberbatch is also in line to portray Evil Doctor Strange, who What If…? viewers will recognize from Marvel’s animated Disney Plus show. Little is known about Doctor Strange 2’s plot, save for a brief synopsis (per Backstage.com), which suggests we’re in for a mind-boggling, horror-style superhero flick that’ll reshape everything we thought we knew about the mainline live-action universe. The movie’s first teaser provided a glimpse of what we can expect but, in true Marvel fashion, any of the currently released footage could be used as a bait and switch strategy by the studio. So, if you’re looking over it with a fine toothed comb for any clues about where Doctor Strange 2’s story might go, don’t be surprised if it goes in the opposite direction to what you’re thinking. Release date: July 8, 2022 The only Avenger to receive a fourth solo movie (so far, anyway), Thor’s MCU arc will continue in summer 2002. Thor: Love and Thunder will be a mini-Avengers movie of sorts. It also stars the Guardians of the Galaxy, Tessa Thompson’s Valkyrie and sees Natalie Portman’s Jane Foster return as alter-go Mighty Thor. Like Doctor Strange 2, we don’t know much about its plot. According to director Taika Waititi, it’ll draw inspiration from Jason Aaron’s Mighty Thor comic series, which sees Foster gain superpowers similar to Thor while undergoing cancer treatment. We also know that Christian Bale (The Dark Knight, Vice) will portray Gorr the God Butcher, the movie’s antagonist, while Waititi calls Thor 4 the “craziest film [he’s] ever done”. Fingers crossed that’s genuine and not hyperbole. Release date: November 11,2022 Perhaps the most poignant Marvel film currently in production, and with good reason. Black Panther’s MCU journey will continue without the iconic Chadwick Boseman, who passed away in August 2020 after a four-year battle with cancer. With Marvel choosing not to recast T’Challa in honor of Boseman, Wakanda Forever ’s plot has since been reshaped five times by director Ryan Coogler and co-writer Joe Robert Cole. Lupita Nyongo’s Nakia, Letitia Wright’s Shuri, Angela Bassett’s Ramonda and Danai Gurira’s Okoye are all returning from the first film. Martin Freeman and Winston Duke, too, are back as Everett Ross and M’Baku respectively. I May Destroy You’s Michaela Coel has also been cast in an undisclosed role. Finally, Wakanda Forever will introduce a live-action version of Ironheart, aka Riri Williams, a genius inventor and MIT student who creates her own Iron Man-style armor suit. Expect Tony Stark’s MCU successor to play a big role in proceedings, then, as well as one of the established cast assuming the mantle of Black Panther at some point. Filming is currently on hold after Letitia Wright suffered numerous injuries on set, but is expected to start up again in the New Year. Release date: early 2023 While technically a Captain Marvel sequel, this Nia DaCosta-directed film will see a female superhero-only team up on the big screen for the first time.
