While we had a series of fascinating MCU film announcements made, detailing what we’re going to see on the big screen in phase-4 and beyond, we’ve also got the amazing news that Disney+ shows connecting directly to the Marvel Cinematic Universe is also an important part of phase-4. The distance between the films and TV shows has always been the weak point of the incredible interconnectivity Marvel has held together down the years, and with Agents of SHIELD ending after their next season, these Disney+ shows will really make up the majority of what happens in the MCU on the small screen. So, what does this slate look like and what will the shows all be composed of? Let’s take a look!
The Falcon & Winter Soldier
Releasing in the Fall of 2020, this is very exciting because it’s all about the legacy of Captain America, about Falcon trying to take on the mantle and Bucky Barnes continuing his role. He’ll also be helping Sam to realize his full potential as the hero he’s always been, and all that sentimental stuff. It’ll be understandably difficult for Sam, who can live up to Steve Rogers? They face all these challenges in addition to Daniel Bruhl’s villain Zemo, previously of Captain America: Civil War. The irony of these two being together to face the villain from the last Captain America film is apparent, of course. This TV show will probably have a buddy cop feel, as this pair has always had that love/hate relationship going on, and it will undoubtedly be a wonderful watch if handled in a similar way to the Captain America films.
WandaVision
Releasing in the Spring of 2021, we’ve known that we were going to see a Disney+ show with Scarlet Witch and Vision, though I did hesitate about that after Vision did not find a way to return to life by the end of Avengers: Endgame. We still don’t know for sure how he will return to life, unless of course… he doesn’t? We know already that Wanda will be potentially the main character of phase-4, appearing in this and then shortly after in the Doctor Strange sequel, making her the only person to jump between movies and Disney+ in this phase. We also know that the Doctor Strange sequel focuses on the multiverse and that WandaVision leads her to that, so it could be that the Vision appearing in this show will actually be from another Earth, another dimension and that this show will deal with the multiverse before the Doctor Strange sequel gets there. The only other thing we know about the show is that Teyonah Parris (Mad Men, If Beale Street Could Talk) will be appearing as an adult version of Monica Rambeau, who first appeared as a child in Captain Marvel. Her debut there teased slightly that we may see her appear again, and sure enough, she’ll be appearing in this show, even if we don’t fully understand the capacity in which she’ll appear yet.
Loki
Releasing in Spring 2021, this was a much more surprising rumour that came out between Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers: Endgame. I really thought Loki was permanently gone after his death at the hands of Thanos, and it seems that he is, at least from the prime timeline. However, the Loki from 2012 that escaped with the tesseract is not gone, he’s free, has an infinity stone, and is living in a timeline where everything is the same post-Avengers as it was in the prime timeline. Tom Hiddleston talked at SDCC about how this Loki hasn’t gone through the (admittedly little) evolution that he went through from Thor: The Dark World to Avengers: Infinity War. Instead, he’s just been hulk-smashed and beaten and he’s pissed off. I’m so fascinated to see where they go creatively with the character from there. Loki’s become a hugely popular, fan-favorite character, and he’s been getting a lot more attention in Marvel Comics since the MCU version came about, meaning there are a host of recent stories to riff-off in the show.
What If…?
Releasing in the Summer of 2021, this is an absolute belter of a choice for a real piece of the MCU. I’m delighted with how seriously the MCU is taking the streaming TV format, now that they’ve seen with Netflix the success that it can have. What If is going to be an animated show, but one with so much potential it’s insane. It will tell stories that all ask the title question about different moments in the MCU. What if Peggy Carter became Captain America instead of Steve Rogers? What if Thanos had snapped in Endgame? What if Alexander Pierce killed everybody he wanted to in Winter Soldier? There are so many possibilities, many of them incredibly dark options, and it will be intriguing to see a huge number of actors from throughout the MCU return to showcase them in this format. It also leads into the multiverse that we’re about to explore in greater depth through phase-4, as these are all occurring in separate timelines. I’m so excited to see this because What If series in Marvel Comics always knock it out of the park, it’s like Marvel’s Twilight Zone, except with the Watcher narrating instead of Rod Serling!
Hawkeye
There were a lot of incredible announcements at SDCC by Marvel, none of them excited me personally more than this. Black Widow getting her own movie is amazing, Natalie Portman as Thor is great, and of course, more Benedict Cumberbatch is always a big win, but the news that Jeremy Renner’s Hawkeye will be getting a Disney+ show, also set to feature Kate Bishop, the younger, female Hawkeye that was often associated with the Young Avengers, is something I’ve been begging Marvel in late-night tweets to bring to fruition somehow for years. I had theories about how Marvel could get rid of Hawkeye’s family to bring about the situation where he is living in a flat living with only a dog, because the Matt Fraction comic-run with Hawkeye, where he had these two characters going on adventures together, is my favourite comic run of all time. That means I’m going to be sweating nervously, waiting to see if they stay faithful to that run all the way until Fall of 2021.
But, until all of this goes down there’s nothing we can do but wait. Disney+ launches in November this year, but we won’t get a Marvel show coming onto it until Falcon & Winter Soldier in Spring next year. Until then, relax and check out more about Marvel’s entire phase-4 slate on Viral Hare, and let me know which show you’re most excited for in the comments below.