Marvel Studios once again shut down Comic-Con at SDCC 2019, with a Saturday night presentation in Hall H that unveiled Marvel’s Phase 4 lineup of movies, as well as the interconnecting TV series coming to the Disney+ service. Along with those announcements came a whole slew of new Marvel Cinematic Universe casting reveals, along with confirmation of some familiar faces returning for this new phase of the franchise.
Videos by ComicBook.com
With so much information packed into just one hour of Hall H showcase, Marvel fans are probably still trying to get caught up on who is joining the MCU, and who they are playing. To help you keep it all straight, here’s the breakdown of every character and actor in Marvel’s Phase 4 lineup… so far.
NOTE: We’re only tackling the movies that were officially announced during Marvel’s Phase 4 presentation in Hall H – so no Black Panther II, Captain Marvel 2, or Guardians of the Galaxy vol. 3… yet.
Black Widow
Release Date: May 1, 2020
- Scarlett Johansson as Natasha Romanoff / Black Widow
- David Harbour as Alexei Shostakov / Red Guardian
- Rachel Weisz as Melina
- Florence Pugh as Yelena Belova
- O. T. Fagbenle as Mason
- Ray Winstone (undisclosed role)
- Directed by Cate Shortland
A lot was learned about Black Widow during Marvel’s SDCC2019 panel: Harbour is Red Guardian, Russia counterpart to Captain America. Florence Pugh is indeed Yelena Belova, the replacement Black Widow to Natasha Romanoff in the comics. Ray Winstone is a big mystery, but a lot of fans think that Rachel Weisz casting as Melina is misdirection. In the comics, Melina is Iron Maiden, but in Black Widow, we suspect she’ll turn out ot be a gener-flipped Taskmaster.
The Falcon and the Winter Soldier
Release Date: Fall 2020 on Disney+
- Anthony Mackie as Sam Wilson / Falcon / Captain America
- Sebastian Stan as Bucky Barnes / The Winter Soldier
- Emily VanCamp as Sharon Carter
- Daniel Brühl as Helmut Zemo
The Falcon and the Winter Soldier managed to get a good rise out of Marvel fans, when Anthony Mackie and Sebastian Stan came to Hall H to make ceremony of the passing of Captain America’s shield. As for the show: the confirmation that Sharon Carter is coming back to the MCU was exciting for fans – but more so was the confirmation that Brühl’s Zemo will become his full-fledged Marvel Comics self.
The Eternals
Release Date: November 6, 2020
- Angelina Jolie as Thena
- Richard Madden as Ikaris: An Eternal “fueled by cosmic energy”.
- Salma Hayek as Ajak: The leader of the Eternals.
- Kumail Nanjiani as Kingo
- Lauren Ridloff as Makkari
- Brian Tyree Henry as Phastos
- Lia McHugh as Sprite
- Don Lee as Gilgamesh
- Directed by Chloe Zhao
A lot of the bigger Eternals cast members were rumored long before Marvel’s Hall H presentation – the exceptions being Atlanta and Joker actor Brian Tyree Henry as Phastos, and Salma Hayek as Ajak. Needless to say, Eternals is one of Marvel’s most star-studded casts yet, which is probably necessary as the characters and their mythos are also some of the more obscure material, as far as mainstream fans are concerned.
Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings
Release Date: February 12, 2021
- Simu Liu as Shang-Chi
- Tony Leung Chiu-wai as The Mandarin
- Awkwafina in undisclosed role
- Directed by Destin Daniel Cretton
Aside from revealing its two big stars, Shang-Chi changed expectations in a big way with the reveal of its full title The Legend of the Ten Rings. That subtitle has attached the Master of Kung Fu’s origin story with the story of the MCU’s real Mandarin and his crime organization, which has been operating in the shadows ever since kidnapping Tony Stark and causing his Iron Man origin. Needless to say, fans are now paying a lot closer attention to Shang-Chi
WandaVision
Release Date: Early 2021 on Disney+
- Elizabeth Olsen as Wanda Maximoff / Scarlet Witch
- Paul Bettany as The Vision
- Teynoah Parris as Monica Rambeau
WandaVision is the biggest mystery in Marvel’s Phase 4 lineup. At first it appears that the Disney+ series is a kitschy romantic story with a 1950s period piece aesthetic – but that may be major smokescreen. During SDCC2019 it was revealed that the series serves as a preamble to Wanda’s role in Doctor Strange 2, and given Scarlet Witch’s comic book history, the series could be setting up one the biggest Scarlet Witch developments for Phases 4 and 5 of the MCU. The fact that this will be where we first meet the adult Monica Rambeau is also strong indication that WandaVision is probably a bigger MCU game-changer then fans think.
Loki
Release Date: Early 2021 on Disney+
- Tom Hiddleston as Loki
The biggest revelation about this Loki series during SDCC2019 was really more of a confirmation: The show will follow the version of Loki that escaped with the Tesseract during the Avengers’ botched time heist in 2012, during Avengers: Endgame. Loki will basically explore 2012 still-evil Loki as he tries to come to terms with just what the hell happened to his invasion plan, and where he now stands in the Marvel Cinematic Multiverse.
Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness
Release Date: May 7, 2021
- Benedict Cumberbatch as Doctor Stephen Strange
- Benedict Wong as Wong
- Rachel McAdams as Christine Palmer
- Elizabeth Olsen as Wanda Maximoff / Scarlet Witch
- Directed by Scott Derrickson
The title Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness has thrown Marvel fans for a loop, but director Scott Derrickson and Kevin Feige have certainly sold the sequel, teasing a major role for Scarlet Witch in what will apparently be Marvel’s first “horror movie” (that still has a PG-13 rating, mind you). The title implications are massive, as is Scarlet Witch’s role in the film. Needless to say, Doctor Strange deserves that May summer launch date.
What If?
Release Date: Summer 2021 on Disney+
- Michael B. Jordan as N’Jadaka aka Erik “Killmonger” Stevens
- Sebastian Stan as Bucky Barnes / Winter Soldier
- Josh Brolin as Thanos
- Mark Ruffalo as Bruce Banner / Hulk
- Tom Hiddleston as Loki
- Samuel L. Jackson as Nick Fury
- Chris Hemsworth as Thor
- Natalie Portman as Jane Foster
- Taika Waititi as Korg
- Hayley Atwell as Peggy Carter
- Stanley Tucci as Abraham Erskine
- Toby Jones as Arnim Zola
- Chadwick Boseman as T’Challa / Black Panther
- Karen Gillan as Nebula
- Jeremy Renner as Clint Barton / Hawkeye
- Paul Rudd as Scott Lang / Ant-Man
- Michael Douglas as Hank Pym
- David Dastmalchian as Kurt
- Neal McDonough as Dum Dum Dugan
- Dominic Cooper as Howard Stark
- Sean Gunn as Kraglin (and Other Characters)
- Djimon Hounsou as Korath
- Jeff Goldblum as Grandmaster
- Michael Rooker as Yondu Udanta
- Chris Sullivan as Taserface
The biggest surprise of Marvel’s animated What If? series is just how many of the MCU actors (major and supporting) that are lending their voices to the series. It’s pretty official. Fans are also excited to see this longtime Marvel Comics staple applied to the happenings of the MCU.
Hawkeye
Release Date: Fall, 2021 on Disney+
- Jeremy Renner as Clint Barton / Hawkeye / Ronin
As the true heart and soul of The Avengers, Hawkeye is long overdue for his own series. The Hawkeye Disney+ show will examine more of his time as Ronin between Avengers: Infinity War and Endgame, as well as his training of a new Hawkeye, the long-awaited Kate Bishop.
Thor: Love and Thunder
Release Date: November 5, 2021
- Chris Hemsworth as Thor
- Natalie Portman as Jane Foster / The Mighty Thor
- Tessa Thompson as Valkyrie
- Directed by Taika Waititi
Thor 4 was confirmed just before SDCC 2019 kicked, but fans still had no idea what Taika Waititi had planned for his Thor: Ragnarok sequel. The Love & Thunder title was a real trip – but fans were nowhere near prepared for the twist that Natalie Portman’s Jane Foster is coming back to the MCU, and that she will be inheriting the power of The Mighty Thor in this new film!
Blade
Release Date: TBD
- Mahershala Ali as Blade
The big show-closing surprise to Marvel’s Hall H panel is that two-time Oscar-winner Mahershala Ali is playing the MCU Blade! The new Blade movie won’t arrive until Phase 5, but original Blade (and Marvel movie godfather) Wesley Snipes has already endorsed the change.
Upcoming Marvel Studios projects include Black Widow on May 1, 2020, The Falcon and The Winter Soldier in fall 2020, The Eternals on November 6, 2020, Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings on February 12, 2021, WandaVision in spring 2021, Loki in spring 2021, Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness on May 7, 2021, What If? In summer 2021, Hawkeye in fall 2021, and Thor: Love and Thunder on November 5, 2021.
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