The Marvel Cinematic Universe gave viewers a taste of different scenarios from the multiverse in the TV series What If…?, and with all episodes now available to stream on Disney+, what’s next in the MCU’s list of upcoming TV shows? The MCU continues to be one of the most important connected universes in the entertainment industry, and even though its first three phases, collectively known as the Infinity Saga, have come to an end, this universe still has a lot to offer. The MCU’s highly-anticipated Phase 4 is doing things differently by also bringing TV shows that are an active part of this universe, and so far, they have been very successful.
The MCU’s Phase 4 kicked off with WandaVision, which reunited viewers with Wanda Maximoff (Elizabeth Olsen) and Vision (Paul Bettany) and set the basis for the multiverse’s madness, and was followed shortly after by The Falcon and the Winter Soldier. Next came Loki, which showed how the multiverse’s madness begins and some of the terrible consequences of it, and then the MCU jumped back to the big screen with Black Widow and Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings. The MCU then took viewers on a different path with What If…?, an animated series that visited different timelines in the vast multiverse.
What If…? is an anthology TV series that explores what would have happened had some key events in the MCU happened differently, such as Peggy Carter becoming Captain Carter, Doctor Strange becoming evil, Killmonger saving Tony Stark from the Ten Rings, and Ultron getting his Vision body, among others. What If…? was a breath of fresh air amidst the MCU’s set up for the multiverse of madness and more, but there are many more TV shows waiting to be released, and these will connect to the rest of the MCU to further expand it. Here’s every MCU TV show releasing after What If…?.
Hawkeye – November 24, 2021
Avengers: Endgame brought the arcs of most of the original Avengers to an end, and one who will return on an adventure of his own is Clint Barton (Jeremy Renner). Simply titled Hawkeye, the series will see Clint working together with a young archer named Kate Bishop (Hailee Steinfeld) to confront enemies from his past as Ronin in order to get back to his family in time for Christmas. Hawkeye will also see the return of Yelena Belova (Florence Pugh), as the post-credits scene in Black Widow paved the way for her return with Valentina Allegra de Fontaine (Julia Louis-Dreyfus) pointing at Hawkeye as the one responsible for Natasha Romanoff’s death. Also starring are Vera Farmiga as Eleanor Bishop, Fra Fee as Kazi, and Tony Dalton as Jack Duquesne. Hawkeye will consist of six episodes and debut on Disney+ on November 24, 2021.
Ms. Marvel – 2022
MCU fans will meet Kamala Khan in the miniseries Ms. Marvel. Khan is a teenage Pakistani American and a big fan of Carol Danvers, who after she discovers she has Inhuman genes which grant her shapeshifting abilities, takes on the mantle of Ms. Marvel. Iman Vellani will play Khan in Ms. Marvel, and the series is rumored to tell her origin story (perhaps minus the Inhuman part of it given the failure of the TV show centered on those characters), making way for her return in The Marvels. Also starring are Aramis Knight, Saagar Shaikh, Rish Shah, Matt Lintz, Zenobia Shroff, and Mohan Kapur. Ms. Marvel is scheduled for a 2022 release.
Moon Knight – 2022
The MCU will take a darker turn with Moon Knight. Marc Spector is a wealthy former boxer, Marine, CIA operative, and mercenary with dissociative identity disorder who was betrayed by his employer and left to die. One day, Spector was approached by the Egyptian moon god Khonshu, who offered him a second chance at life if he became his avatar on Earth. Spector accepted and was resurrected, while also gaining superhuman abilities. Oscar Isaac stars as Marc Spector/Moon Knight, and is joined by Ethan Hawke, whose character hasn’t been revealed yet. Moon Knight will be released sometime in 2022.
She-Hulk – 2022
Among the many characters that Marvel fans have been hoping to see in the MCU is She-Hulk, and she will finally join the fun with her own TV series. She-Hulk will introduce Jennifer Walters, a lawyer specialized in cases involving superhumans and who is also Bruce Banner’s cousin. One day, Jennifer is shot by a crime boss and left severely injured, and with no other donors with her blood type, Bruce provides his own for the transfusion, and due to it being gamma-irradiated, Jennifer acquires the same abilities as him, transforming into a large, powerful, green version of herself. Starring are Tatiana Maslany as Jennifer, Mark Ruffalo as Bruce, Jameela Jamil as Titania, and Tim Roth as Emil Blonsky/Abomination. She-Hulk is projected to release in 2022.
Secret Invasion – 2022
One of the storylines that Marvel fans were waiting to see in the MCU is Secret Invasion, and it’s now set to arrive sometime in 2022. Based on the Marvel Comics crossover storyline of the same name, Secret Invasion is all about the Skrulls (alien shapeshifters that were introduced in Captain Marvel), who secretly replaced various superheroes over the years, eventually invading Earth. Secret Invasion will bring back Ben Mendelsohn as Talos and Samuel L. Jackson as Nick Fury, and they will be joined by Kingsley Ben-Adir (who will reportedly play the show’s “lead villain”), Olivia Colman, Emilia Clarke, Killian Scott, and Christopher McDonald.
The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special – December 2022
The Guardians of the Galaxy will pay a visit to the realm of television with a holiday special. Appropriately titled The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special, it will bring back James Gunn as writer and director, with the main cast reprising their roles for this special occasion. The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special is set between the events of Thor: Love and Thunder (which will count on the presence of the Guardians) and Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, making the wait for the third Guardians movie a bit more bearable. The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special is set to be released in December 2022.
Ironheart – TBA
In December 2020, Marvel announced a series centered on Riri Williams/Ironheart, starring Dominique Thorne. Riri Williams is a 15-year-old engineering student and certified genius who attends MIT on a scholarship. Riri designs a suit of armor similar to Iron Man’s with material stolen from campus, and she uses it to prevent two inmates from escaping, but that also damages her suit. Tony Stark later hears about Riri’s actions, and decides to endorse her decision to become a superheroine. Of course, with Tony Stark now gone in the MCU, Riri’s story will have to take a different path, but the idea for Ironheart is the same: a young genius who can take Iron Man’s place. Dominique Thorne will make her first appearance as Riri Williams in Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, and will reprise her role for the series Ironheart, which will consist of six episodes.
Armor Wars – TBA
Armor Wars will reunite MCU fans with James “Rhodey” Rhodes/War Machine (Don Cheadle). The series is based on the Armor Wars comic book arc, in which Stark tech falls into the wrong hands, but with Tony now gone in the MCU, the responsibility will fall on Rhodey. Details about Armor Wars are scarce, but it’s known that it will start filming in 2022, so the show could arrive on Disney+ in 2023.
Untitled Wakanda Series – TBA
Black Panther is one of the most important movies in the MCU thanks to its cultural impact, and in-universe, Wakanda will surely play a bigger role now that it’s sharing its technology with the rest of the world. In February 2021, a series set in Wakanda was announced to be in development, with Ryan Coogler on board after directing both Black Panther movies. Plot details on this new series are unknown, as it might depend on the events of Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, but it has been confirmed that Danai Gurira will reprise her role as Okoye, the leader of the Dora Milaje.
Untitled Halloween Special – TBA
Following the steps of the Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special, Marvel will bring another holiday event to Disney+, though this time set in Halloween. The project was announced in August 2021 and Marvel is reportedly looking for a Latino actor to play the lead role. Plot details on this Halloween special are unknown, but it’s rumored to be based on Werewolf by Night.
Untitled Echo Series – TBA
Marvel is already working on an Echo spinoff TV series ahead of her MCU debut in Hawkeye. Maya Lopez/Echo is a Native American superheroine and adopted daughter of the Kingpin, as well as one of the few deaf comic characters in the Marvel universe. Echo possesses “photographic reflexes”, meaning she can perfectly copy other people’s movements (similar to what Black Widow’s Taskmaster did), which opens up a variety of possibilities for the character. Echo will be played by Alaqua Cox in both Hawkeye and her own TV series.
Loki – Season 2
Loki was the first MCU TV show to be renewed for a second season. Loki saw the God of Mischief (the 2012 version of him who escaped with the Tesseract in Avengers: Endgame) being brought to the Time Variance Authority (TVA), where he ended up joining forces with one of his variants, Sylvie (Sophia Di Martino). Together, they uncovered the truth about the TVA and got to the one responsible for it and more: He Who Remains (Jonathan Majors), a variant of Kang. By the end of Loki season 1, Sylvie unleashed the multiverse of madness by killing He Who Remains, while Loki landed on a timeline where the one in charge of the TVA is none other than Kang the Conqueror. There’s no projected release date for Loki season 2, but his return is already confirmed.
What If…? – Season 2
One season wasn’t enough to explore the many possibilities that the multiverse brings, and so What If…? will be back with a second season. As mentioned above, season 1 of What If…? explored a variety of scenarios, of which many were retellings of some of the biggest MCU movies while others went on very different routes to tell stories that the MCU hasn’t dared to, such as the one where a quantum virus turned everyone into zombies. What If…? season 2 will see the return of Captain Carter and will have an episode centered around Black Widow, with many other characters (especially from Phase 4) expected to appear as well. The wait for What If…? season 2 will be shorter, as it could be released in 2022.
- Eternals (2021)Release date: Nov 05, 2021
- Spider-Man: No Way Home (2021)Release date: Dec 17, 2021
- Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness (2022)Release date: Mar 25, 2022
- Thor: Love and Thunder (2022)Release date: May 06, 2022
- Black Panther: Wakanda Forever/Black Panther 2 (2022)Release date: Jul 08, 2022
- The Marvels/Captain Marvel 2 (2022)Release date: Nov 11, 2022
- Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania (2023)Release date: Feb 17, 2023
- Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 (2023)Release date: May 05, 2023
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