Which MCU Movies Have Been Put on the Backburner?

Recently, long-time Marvel Studios producer Nate Moore revealed that the Armor Wars movie (set to star Don Cheadle as James “Rhodey” Rhodes/War Machine) was officially on the back burner. It was an update undoubtedly disappointing to fans of this character, but also not super surprising for those following the history of Marvel Studios in recent years. This outfit has been consolidating the projects it’s put into development, which has also included axing Nova and Strange Academy TV shows. In response to recent MCU criticism and decreasing box office numbers, Marvel Studios is aiming to put quality over quantity. That means productions like Armor Wars are now being paused, though it’s far from the only MCU feature that’s gone from a splashy high-profile announcement to being shelved.

Several MCU titles once set to debut in the mid-2020s and beyond have been ground to a halt in recent years as part of Marvel Studios reorganizing its creative priorities. Perhaps these films will one day see the light of day, but for now, these Marvel Studios features are on that fateful back burner Moore was talking about.

Armor Wars

Let’s start with the most obvious example of this trend. Armor Wars, announced with a slew of other MCU movies and TV shows at a Disney quarterly earnings report in December 2020, was once planned as a Disney+ TV show. Two years later, it was instead overhauled into a movie. This already chaotic production was in service of a concept meant to let Rhodey step into the spotlight, much like how WandaVision and The Falcon and the Winter Soldier let previously supporting MCU players like Wanda Maximoff and Sam Wilson (respectively) become protaganists. However, this movie appears to not be happening in the near future. Productions like Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania have taught Marvel Studios a valuable lesson about beating a dead horse with pre-existing MCU characters.

Shang-Chi Sequel

Thanks to Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings making a pretty penny at the box office in 2021, a Shang-Chi sequel was announced at the end of that year that would’ve reunited the original film’s creative team. Given how much audiences adored the original Shang-Chi, this is one MCU follow-up moviegoers likely would’ve greeted with open arms. However, years have gone by and no further updates have appeared while Shang-Chi himself has been M.I.A. from the MCU for years. Shang-Chi director Destin Daniel Cretton has also moved on to helming the next MCU Spider-Man movie, meaning a sequel won’t happen for ages now if it even ever gets off the ground.

Eternals Sequel

With its mid-credit scene setting up Harry Styles as Eros/Starfox, Eternals was clearly meant to set up a sequel and more in the MCU. Director Chloe Zhao openly said she’d be down to helm Eternals 2 and all the actors were signed on to play their respective characters in multiple movies. However, Eternals garnered a divisive response from audiences and critics alike when it debuted. To boot, its domestic box office haul was (at the time) the second-lowest grossing ever in the MCU. Though Nate Moore confirmed in October 2022 that the Eternals as a group would eventually reappear in the MCU, Kevin Feige himself confirmed that Eternals 2 wasn’t happening in July 2024.

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Untitled Project Produced by Scarlett Johansson

In 2021, as part of the resolution of Johansson’s lawsuit over lost Black Widow profits with Disney, it was announced that Johansson’s future exploits with the Mouse House would include a new Marvel Studios movie produced by Johansson. No further details were announced about the gestating production, but Kevin Feige confirmed in summer 2023 that the project was still on the way. However, nearly two years later, no further news has emerged on this possible entity and Johnasson has grown busy with other endeavors, including directing movies. Don’t expect to see this one in multiplexes everywhere anytime soon.

Blade

The saga of the MCU’s Blade movie starring Mahershala Ali is nothing short of tragic. Announced back at the Marvel Studios San-Diego Comic Con Hall H panel in July 2019, this motion picture’s gone through two directors and countless release date delays as Marvel Studios grapples with figuring out what a new Blade reboot should look like. An inkling of hope emerged even after all those setbacks in the summer of 2024 when go-to MCU screenwriter Eric Pearson was hired to pen a new Blade draft. However, just a few months later, Blade was removed entirely from Disney’s release schedule. This maneuver suggested the production, while not necessarily dead, is now way less of a priority for Marvel Studios.

What stalled MCU production are you most disappointed by? Let us know in the comments below!