Beyond the Endgame: What’s Next for the MCU?

WHERE DO WE GO AFTER THE ENDGAME?

After more than 10 years of universe building, it’s almost impossible to imagine what happens after the events of Avengers: Endgame. However, Marvel Studios’ upcoming plans do hint that some of our favorite heroes have life in them yet, and they’re about to be joined by some brand new company in Phase Four – which is currently set to stretch over ten films from Summer 2019 to Summer 2022. Here are the movies and TV shows on the MCU horizon.

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Loki Series

The series, which sees the return of Tom Hiddleston in the mischievous role, will reportedly follow the slick-haired trickster as he “pops up throughout human history as an unlikely influencer on historical events.” This time-travelling element conveniently gets around the fact that Thanos crushed Loki’s neck like an empty drink can in Infinity War. Will the timeline in which he makes off with the Tesseract during Endgame play into the series? We’ll have to wait and see. Rick and Morty’s Michael Waldron will serve as showrunner and write the pilot.

WandaVision

A Vision and Scarlet Witch series – WandaVision (yes, really) – is now also confirmed to be in development. Jac Schaeffer, who co-wrote Captain Marvel and penned the original screenplay for Black Widow before being replaced (see above), has been tapped to be the showrunner, executive producer, and write the pilot. Elizabeth Olsen and Paul Bettany will reprise their big screen roles for the series.

There are currently no reports on what the story will be, but if it was up to Olsen, it would focus on the ‘House of M‘. This 2005 X-Men comics storyline centers on a Scarlet Witch who’s descended into madness due to the struggle to control her immense reality-manipulating powers, putting herself and those around her in grave danger. Before the Avengers and X-Men can stop her, she remakes a reality where mutants run the world. Only two people remember life before House of M – one being Wolverine.

Kevin Feige just had this to say to assembled investors at Disney: “We like to take big swings at Marvel Studios … this story is definitely something unexpected and surprising, as well as something we can only do in a longform series.”

Elizabeth Olsen also teased that there’s a scene where Wanda and Vision adopt a 1950s look and suggests the series will pull from multiple comic book storylines.

Falcon & Winter Soldier

Falcon & Winter Soldier is the third Marvel series confirmed for Disney+, written by Empire’s Malcolm Spellman. The logo for the buddy show was unveiled at Disney latest shareholder’s meeting, but we don’t have any more details so far:

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What If…?

Kevin Feige also announced a Marvel What If…? animated series for Disney+ that explores alternate events that would throw the MCU timeline upside down. The first story will explore what would happen if Peggy Carter had taken the super soldier serum and Steve Rogers joined the fight in an armored suit from Howard Stark.

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Hawkeye series?

A Hawkeye series is also reportedly in the works. While it wasn’t officially confirmed at the Disney+ preview – likely due to the plot-spoiling Endgame – the adventure series will reportedly see Clint Barton pass the torch to Kate Bishop, the Marvel comic character that takes on the Hawkeye mantle. That said, he was seen training up his daughter Lila in Endgame, so it’s possible that the baton will pass to her instead.

Disney has not set dates for its upcoming series, but it is describing WandaVision, Loki and What If…? as launching during year two of Disney+. Falcon & Winter Soldier is expected for year one. THR reports that each of the series will run 6-8 episodes. Kevin Feige also assures us that – unlike the canceled Marvel-Netflix shows – they will all be integral to what’s happening in the MCU after Endgame: “These will be major storylines set in the MCU with ramifications that will be felt both through the other Disney+ series we’ll be producing and the future on the big screen.”

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Will the Marvel-Netflix Shows Return?

Daredevil, Punisher, Luke Cage, Jessica Jones, and Iron Fist may get brought back by Disney one day, according to Kevin Mayer, the Chairman of Walt Disney Direct-to-consumer and International: “They are very high-quality shows. We haven’t yet discussed that, but I would say that’s a possibility [to revive them].”

Marvel Television Exec Jeff Loeb also teased a revival in an open letter to fans that read: “Our Network partner [Netflix] may have decided they no longer want to continue telling the tales of these great characters … but you know Marvel better than that… To be continued…!”

Unfortunately, The original deal between Netflix and Disney reportedly contained a clause that prevents any of the characters from the five Marvel shows from appearing in any non-Netflix series or film for at least two years after cancellation, meaning the earliest we could see a revival is late 2020.

Marvel Characters Waiting in the Wings

Here are the other Marvel characters that may yet appear in the MCU…

Moon Knight

Marvel Studios has future plans for Moon Knight, aka Marc Spector, a masked New York vigilante with multiple personalities and incarnations. Spector gained his superhuman powers after a visitation by the Egyptian moon god Khonshu when he was mortally wounded in a fight.

Moon Knight can see in complete darkness, resist mind control, recover from wounds faster than normal humans, and his strength, endurance, and reflexes are enhanced depending upon the phases of the moon. When the moon is full he is capable of lifting up to 2 tons.

When Screen Rant asked Kevin Feige about Moon Knight’s inclusion in the MCU, he confirmed it’s definitely in the works: “Yes. Does that mean five years from now, 10 years from now, 15 years from now?”

His entry may have already been teased in Winter Soldier, whose writers hope a version of Moon Knight makes it to the MCU — when Agent Jasper Sitwell explains Project Insight human threats to Hydra, including Bruce Banner, Stephen Strange (before the Doctor Strange solo movie was announced), as well as suggesting they’re “having trouble with a TV anchor from Cairo,” the place where Specter gets his powers.

Ms. Marvel

Ms. Marvel, aka Kamala Khan, is a safe bet to make it into the MCU. Last May, Feige confirmed that a project for the Muslim-American hero is “definitely sort of in the works” for after Captain Marvel’s introduction. Feige also insists that the MCU version of Kamala wasn’t born during the events of Captain Marvel, ruling out the theory that Maria’s daughter Monica Rambeau could somehow use the Ms. Marvel mantle. However, Monica Rambeau did become a superhero in the comics, and was – perhaps confusingly – initially known as Captain Marvel. Maybe she’ll get her own movie one day.

Brie Larson herself knows the importance of bringing Kamala Khan into the MCU, saying she’d love to team up with her: “My dream would be that Ms. Marvel gets to come into play in the [Captain Marvel] sequel.”

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Nova

The homeworld of the intergalactic police force Nova Corps, Xandar, was introduced way back in Guardians of the Galaxy. However, its most prominent member – Richard Rider – has yet to make his MCU debut. In the comics, the New Yorker Rider was chosen at random by alien Rhomman Day, the last surviving Centurion of the elite Nova Corps, to inherit his powers and take the rank of Nova Prime. This gives him superhuman strength, near invulnerability, the ability to fly, and a uniform with a sealed life-support system.

Ant-Man co-writer Adam McKay recently revealed that Marvel Studios is “kicking around” an idea for a Nova film. While this is by no means an official announcement, it does indicate that Richard Rider has a chance of appearing in the MCU.

In May 2019, Endgame writers Stephen McFeely and Christopher Markus revealed they almost introduced Nova in Infinity War, where he would’ve taken Hulk’s role of crashing into the Sanctum Sanctorum after Thanos destroyed the Nova Corps.

Captain Britain

While promoting Spider-Man: Homecoming back in 2017, Kevin Feige confirmed that the UK superhero has been considered for the MCU: “We have discussed it. There are a lot of actors that come in and ask about that part, so we’ll have to see.”

One notable actor who is down for the role is Orlando Bloom, although he is likely too old, as Brian Braddock becomes Captain Britain in his early 20s.

Captain Britain, aka Brian Braddock, has a mystical rather than scientific origin (think more Doctor Strange, less Captain America). While bleeding to death after being run off-road by a mercenary, his powers were given to him by Merlin and his daughter Roma, who told him he could live if he became Britain’s next great champion. While wearing his suit, Braddock has superhuman strength, durability and heightened senses. His body is also surrounded by an invisible force that allows him to sustain powerful energy blasts, bazooka shells, extreme temperatures, and falls from great heights without injury.

Avengers: Endgame may have quietly dropped a reference to Captain Britain in the scene where Steve Rogers is watching Peggy Carter in her office. If you listen closely to Peggy’s exchange with another SHIELD employee, she mentions something about a person named “Braddock” who “hasn’t checked in.”

We’ll keep this article updated with new juicy MCU nuggets as they come in, but one thing’s for sure – Endgame is only the beginning.

Article written by Zach Williamson and Sophie Hart.

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