So much Marvel Disney Plus news dropped at Disney Investors Day Dec. 10 event that even the Avengers would find it a daunting task to wade through it all. Marvel Studios boss Kevin Feige announced a ton of tidbits about upcoming Disney Plus shows, including Loki, She-Hulk, Hawkeye and Ms. Marvel.
As a bonus, Feige also dropped info on the Marvel movies slate, providing updates on Shang-Chi, the third Ant-Man and (another) new Fantastic Four movie. Plus, he confirmed that Black Panther 2 is not recasting the lead character of T'Challa, who was played by late Chadwick Boseman.
- How to watch the Marvel movies in order
- Everything to know about WandaVision on Disney Plus
Here are the five biggest Marvel Disney Plus news items from the event.
1. Loki has a release date and its first trailer
Thor's brother is finally stepping into the spotlight on his own. The Loki TV show has been in the works for months, but now, fans of the god of mischief can mark their calendars. Or at least circle an entire month. Loki is arriving on Disney Plus in May!
Plus, Disney Plus dropped the first look at what Feige described as a "crime thriller." The trailer features a great scene between Tom Hiddleston's Loki and Owen Wilson as some kind of agent/bureaucrat for the TVA.
In the comics, the Time Variance Authority is a multidimensional organization that polices the various timelines. Last we saw Loki in Avengers: Endgame, he'd stolen the Tesseract and likely started time-traveling. We're guessing the TVA wants to talk to him about his shenanigans.
“Glorious.”Loki, an Original Series from Marvel Studios, is coming May 2021 to #DisneyPlus. pic.twitter.com/5XbLT8fovTDecember 11, 2020
2. She-Hulk is confirmed to be Tatiana Maslany
One of our favorite chameleon-like actresses is going green. Tatiana Maslany is confirmed to star as She-Hulk in the Disney Plus series.
In no surprise, Mark Ruffalo will appear as Bruce Banner/The Hulk. But more interesting is the casting news that Tim Roth will reprise his role as the villain Abomination from the 2008 movie The Incredible Hulk (the one with Edward Norton). Marvel is really taking us back!
And they might not be the only familiar faces crossing paths with She-Hulk. Maslany's character, Jennifer Walters, is a lawyer who takes on superhero cases. As Feige said during the event, "You never know who else from the MCU might show up from episode to episode."
3. The Guardians of the Galaxy are getting a holiday special
Disney Plus will release a James Gunn-directed Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special in 2022. It's filming alongside Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, which is scheduled for 2023.
Plus, the streaming service is making a series of short films, I Am Groot, about everyone's favorite tree.
4. Hawkeye targets Hailee Steinfeld
The Marvel Disney Plus event also confirmed the casting of Hailee Steinfeld as Kate Bishop in the upcoming Hawkeye series. She joins Jeremy Renner reprising his role as Clint Barton.
The show also got a release date of "late Fall 2021."
5. Even more shows are coming: Ironheart, Secret Invasion and Armor Wars
Seriously, Marvel has seemingly dozens of shows in the works for Disney Plus. In addition to Ms. Marvel and Moon Night, which were previously announced, Feige unveiled several more series in development:
- Ironheart, centered on the character of Riri Williams, a genius Black girl who invents the most advanced suit armor since Iron Man.
- Secret Invasion, a series about Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson) and the Skrull shapeshifter Talos (Ben Mendelsohn), who we first met in the movie Captain Marvel
- Armor Wars, which brings back Don Cheadle as Colonel James "Rhodey" Rhodes and in a story about Tony Stark’s worst fear coming true: what happens when his tech falls into the wrong hands?
Bonus: Marvel movie news
In addition to all the Marvel Disney Plus announcements, Feige also revealed news about upcoming Marvel movies:
- Black Panther 2: T'Challa will not be recast in the wake of star Chadwick Boseman's tragic death. But Feige didn't clarify how the film will do with the lead character. The sequel is scheduled for July 2022.
- Ant-Man 3: It has a title! Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania brings back director Peyton Reed and stars Paul Rudd, Evangeline Lilly, Michael Douglas, and Michelle Pfeiffer. It will also introduce Jonathan Majors as the villain Kang the Conqueror.
- Spider-Man 3: Marvel confirmed that Benedict Cumberbatch will appear in the unnamed third movie with Tom Holland. Plus, it will tie in to both WandaVision and Doctor Strange and the Multiverse of Madness.
- Fantastic Four: Yes, Marvel is trying this again. It will be shepherded by Jon Watts, the director of Spider-Man: Homecoming and Spider-Man: Far From Home.
