Marvel is in its eighth year of dominating the comic book genre (yep — RDJ starred in the first Iron Man in 2008), and the franchise is busy prepping a bevy of new entries into the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
In a series known as "Phase Three," these upcoming adaptations follow up with old characters and introduce some long-awaited favorites. This arc is set during a time of discontent, where public opinion has turned against superheroes and the original Avengers are divided.
Though the original team is a fractured, it makes room for a welcome influx of diversity. Black Panther, the first major Black character in mainstream comic books, has a film due in summer 2018. Captain Marvel, the most powerful woman in Marvel's universe, will arrive in theaters the same year. Both are serious concerted efforts at expanding the imagination of how women and people of color are portrayed as supers onscreen.
Check back here for continuous updates on Marvel's upcoming releases. We've got the scoop on everything from Doctor Strange explainers to Captain Marvel casting rumors.
Doctor Strange (November 2016)
Benedict Cumberbatch dons a beard to play Doctor Strange, a neurosurgeon turned mystic superhero. After a car wreck leaves his hands unfit for surgery, the doctor trades medicine for mysticism and martial arts. Doesn’t sound familiar? Strange has been a supporting character for most of the 2000s.
Film adaptations for Doctor Strange have had difficulty materializing, but November’s release is star-studded. Chiwetel Ejiofor, Rachel McAdams, Michael Stuhlbarg, and Mads Mikkelsen play supporting roles. Watch for Tilda Swinton, who plays a Celtic mystic teased in the trailer — Marvel took heat for whitewashing the character, who is Tibetan in the comics. Swinton has expressed an interest in exploring an often-overlooked gender identity in her character’s androgyny: EW asked Swinton how her the mystic identified and the actress said she “wouldn’t know how to answer that one. I think it’s all in the eye of the beholder.”
Photo: Courtesy of Marvel Studios.
Guardians Of The Galaxy Vol. 2 (May 2017)
Rumors have been swirling about what stars will make the cut in this follow up to 2014’s megahit (which was a surprise hit with both critics and fans). In this installment, the superhero team will help Peter Quill (a.k.a. Star-Lord, a.k.a. Chris Pratt) learn more about his father, according to the studio. The same gang of Guardians is set to return, with some new cast members. Tommy Flanagan, Steve Agee, Elizabeth Debicki, Chris Sullivan, Pom Klementieff have been cast, and Kurt Russell (who will likely be playing Pratt’s dad), too. Sylvester Stallone was also spotted on the film’s Atlanta set, according to CinemaBlend.
Fans hoping for some Guardians-Avengers crossover action might be disappointed: In June, director James Gunn was thought to have teased a Thor appearance in the summer 2017 movie, but Gunn denied the rumor via Twitter.
Photo: Courtesy of Marvel Studios.
Thor: Ragnarok (November 2017)
Rejoice! This Thor installment checks in with old characters and is packed with new faces. Thor (Chris Hemsworth) and Hulk (Mark Ruffalo), who both traveled to distant planets and split up the Avengers team at the end of 2015’s Avengers: Age of Ultron, are back. At a panel at Wizard World Philadelphia, Hemsworth said this threequel would have a funnier tone, which adds to the appeal of the cast’s newest addition, Jeff Goldblum.
Goldblum told Empire that director Taika Waititi encouraged him to add his distinct flavor to his character, whom Goldblum described as "a hedonist, a pleasure-seeker.” Cate Blanchett, Karl Urban, and Tessa Thompson will also co-star.
Photo: Courtesy of Marvel Studios.
Captain Marvel (July 2018)
A lady lead joins the fray of the Marvel universe in the form of Carol Danvers/Captain Marvel, possibly the most powerful force on Marvel’s squad. There have been several iterations of Captain Marvel — both male and female — but female fighter pilot Danvers was selected to usher the character on-screen. Danvers’ comic story originated in the 1960s and she’s oscillated between the stories of X-Men and the Avengers as a progressive, powerful woman (Captain Marvel was once known as Ms. Marvel and edited a feminist magazine in the 1970s).
Marvel’s current powers include “flight, enhanced strength, durability, and the ability to shoot concussive energy bursts from her hands,” according to the studio. Details are thin on the plot of the summer 2018 film, but Marvel comic book writer Kelly Sue DeConnick has spoken openly about reclaiming Danvers’ historic feminism. “This is a woman with a military background, a feminist background,” DeConnick told Vanity Fair. “The idea that she would be flying around with her ass hanging out is ridiculous.”
No actress has been cast as the titular super, but rumor has it that Brie Larson leads the pack of contenders (she’s also got Chris Evans’ support). CinemaBlend has reported that other stars vying for the role include Sienna Miller, Emily Blunt, Rebecca Ferguson, and Katheryn Winnick.
Photo: Courtesy of Marvel Studios.
Black Panther (July 2018)
An esteemed director joins the Marvel universe in summer 2018 to introduce one of the studio’s most complex characters. Ryan Coogler (director of Creed, Fruitvale Station) is at the helm of Black Panther’s story, the first Black superhero in Marvel’s roster (and in mainstream comics).
Black Panther is a monarch that moonlights as a superhero. By day, he’s T’Challa, a descendent of warrior royalty in Wakanda, a fictional African nation. As Black Panther, he’s an unparalleled strategist with acute senses. His royal heritage required him to eat a heart-shaped herb that increased his powers. The Black Panther’s primary antagonist is Dr. Doom, though it’s not confirmed that the character will appear in the live-action adaption.
Chadwick Boseman will lead as T’Challa; Michael B. Jordan, Lupita Nyong’o (as Black Panther’s love interest, according to THR), and Andy Serkis will also star.
This isn’t the only high-profile release featuring the Black Panther. The character also got a second life on the page: Between the World and Me scribe Ta-Nehisi Coates is writing an 11-issue series of Black Panther for Marvel.
“In Black Panther, there is a simpler question: Can a good man be a king, and would an advanced society tolerate a monarch?” Coates wrote in The Atlantic about the character’s essential motivation.
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