Disney Plus has allowed the Marvel Cinematic Universe to grow exponentially and there is no slowing it down now. Here’s which Marvel shows await in Phase Four, Five and beyond.
The Marvel Cinematic Universe is the biggest, most dominant franchise in Hollywood today. Nearly 15 years old with a heap of billon-dollar blockbusters to its name, the recent successes of Spider-Man: No Way Home, Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness and Thor: Love and Thunder are just more indicators that it shows no signs of slowing down.
2021 saw the MCU grow in a completely different kind of way as it set its sights on the small screen too. With the help of the Disney Plus streaming service, new Marvel shows WandaVision, The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, Loki, What If…? and Hawkeye opened a new chapter for Marvel.
With Moon Knight and Ms. Marvel airing in 2022 already, it’s clear that the future is bright for the MCU on Disney Plus. But what Marvel shows are coming next in Phase Four, Five and beyond?
Marvel shows on Disney Plus 2022
I Am Groot
Release date: August 10, 2022
An animated series of shorts, I Am Groot will follow the beloved Guardians of the Galaxy member as he grows up throughout various adventures with his group of friends and superheroes by his side.
Vin Diesel reprises his role as Baby Groot in all five of the shorts, and they kick off on Wednesday, August 10.
She-Hulk: Attorney At Law
Release date: August 17, 2022
One of the most long-awaited Marvel shows on Disney Plus, She-Hulk: Attorney At Law has been in the making for some time. Mentioned among the first batch of MCU shows, it’s been a long time coming but that time is almost upon us.
Starring Tatiana Maslany in the title role, it sees Jennifer Walters turned into the Jade Giantess after a blood transfusion from her big green cousin Bruce Banner, a.k.a. the Incredible Hulk. Mark Ruffalo and Tim Roth reprise their MCU roles in the nine-episode half-hour legal comedy that will see She-Hulk face off against Titania (Jameela Jamil).
Untitled Marvel Halloween special
Release date: October 2022
One of the many mysterious projects on the horizon for Marvel Studios, the upcoming Halloween special will be directed by Michael Giacchino and it stars Gael Garcia Bernal and Laura Donnelly.
The first of its kind, it is rumored to be a Werewolf By Night project, with Bernal portraying the werewolf.
The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special
Release date: December 2022
James Gunn’s ragtag group of misfit superheroes will reunite ahead of their third standalone film for some festive fun in The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special.
Very little remains known about the actual plot at this point, but Chris Pratt, Zoe Saldana, Dave Bautista, Vin Diesel, Bradley Cooper, Karen Gillen and Pom Klementieff will all be reprising their roles as the Guardians in the special that is both written and directed by Gunn.
Upcoming Marvel shows on Disney Plus (without a release date)
What If…? season 2
Marvel’s What If…? was Marvel Studios’ first ever animated series and that allowed them to play with the MCU in a way that the previous projects weren’t able to, imagining what the shared universe could have looked like if some things that had went down a little different.
A second season is on its way, but while it was originally expected in 2022, its release date is currently a mystery.
Secret Invasion
Samuel L. Jackson will reprise his role as Nick Fury in one the most anticipated upcoming Marvel shows: Secret Invasion. Based on one of the most iconic Marvel Comics stories of all time, the six-part miniseries will follow Fury as he investigates the Skrulls’ invasion of planet Earth.
Quite the star-studded project, it will also see Ben Mendelsohn, Cobie Smulders, Martin Freeman and Don Cheadle return as Talos, Agent Maria Hill, Everett K. Ross, and James “Rhodey” Rhodes, while Emilia Clarke and Olivia Colman appear in mystery roles.
Ironheart
Another show focusing on the future of the MCU, Ironheart will tell the story of Riri Williams, a genius inventor who designs a suit of armor that rivals Tony Stark’s legendary Iron Man suit. A popular young character in the comics, fans were thrilled when they heard that Riri would be joining the MCU.
If you’re excited to see her debut, you won’t have to wait that long, as Dominique Thorn will make her first appearance as the character in this year’s Black Panther: Wakanda Forever.
Armor Wars
Don Cheadle returns as James “Rhodey” Rhodes in his very first solo adventure. After the events of Avengers: Endgame (which saw Tony Stark sacrifice himself to save the universe from Thanos), Rhodey must contend with one of Iron Man’s greatest fears when his tech falls into the wrong hands.
The series is based on the Marvel Comics storyline of the same name, with Yassir Lester serving as head writer. Production is currently expected to begin in October 2022 in Atlanta, Georgia.
Untitled Wakanda series
The upcoming Wakanda series is still something of a mystery, but the Ryan Coogler-produced project remains one of the most intriguing. Danai Gurira will reprise her Black Panther role as Okoye in the drama series that is rumored to be an origin spin-off series for the head of the Dora Milaje.
Echo
Maya Lopez’s introduction in Hawkeye was only the beginning for the character known as Echo, as she is now set to lead her own spin-off. Alaqua Cox will reprise her role in the show, which is currently filming in Atlanta.
Echo will also reportedly feature both Charlie Cox and Vincent D’Onofrio in their respective roles of Matt Murdock/Daredevil and Wilson “Kingpin” Fisk, possibly setting the stage for Marvel Studios’ planned Daredevil series.
Loki season 2
The only live-action Marvel Studios series to, as of yet, receive a second season, Loki always had potential for more stories – and after the success of the first season, it’s easy to see why they opted to bring it back.
Tom Hiddleston, Owen Wilson, and Sophia Di Martino are reprising their respective roles as the God of Mischief, Mobius and Sylvie in the second season, which has already begun filming in the UK, making a 2023 release a likely possibility.
Agatha: House of Harkness
Kathryn Hahn’s Emmy-nominated performance as Agatha Harkness in WandaVision made a sequel inevitable, so when Agatha: House of Harkness was announced by Marvel Studios, the internet understandably went into meltdown.
A “dark comedy” series, the show reportedly begins filming in January 2023 and will run through until May. That means there will be a lengthy wait for it, but you can rest assured that fans will be waiting eagerly for Agatha all along.
Daredevil
The return we’ve all been waiting for, The Man Without Fear will make his long-awaited comeback in his own Disney Plus series, written and executive produced by Matt Corman and Chris Ord. Charlie Cox will reprise his role from the critically-acclaimed Netflix series in what is being described as a show that is “new but continued“.
What that means, we don’t know, but after Cox made his MCU debut in Spider-Man: No Way Home and Vincent D’Onofrio’s Kingpin appeared in Hawkeye, it was clear that Marvel Studios had no plans of rebooting the characters after the success of the Netflix series. And we can’t wait to see what adventures Matt Murdock gets up to in his own MCU show.
Spider-Man: Freshman Year
Announced during Disney Plus Day 2021, Spider-Man: Freshman Year is an animated series set within the MCU. It’s expected to serve as a prequel to Captain America: Civil War and Spider-Man: Homecoming and showcases Peter Parker’s early days of heroism, giving us a glimpse into his early comic book roots through the lens of the MCU.
Marvel Zombies
Directed by Executive Producer Bryan Andrews and written by Executive Producer Zeb Wells, Marvel Zombies is based on the comic series of the same name and will explore what would happen if a new generation of heroes were faced with a world overridden with zombies.
This is now the second time a Disney Plus animated series will tackle zombies after an episode of What If…? and it goes without saying that excitement is high.
X-Men ’97
X-Men: The Animated Series has gone down in history as one of the most popular animated shows of all time, so when Disney confirmed that it would be getting a revival/sequel series, fans were understandably thrilled.
X-Men ’97 is set to premiere sometime in 2023, with most of the surviving voice cast from the original series reprising their roles. Though produced by Marvel Studios, it is not set in the MCU.
Which of the upcoming Marvel shows on Disney Plus are you most excited for? Let us know in the comments below!