Considering She-Hulk brought back major references to 2008’s maligned and often ignored The Incredible Hulk, many thought that additional characters from that movie might make an appearance. Specifically, some theorized that Tim Blake Nelson’s Samuel Sterns, who was last seen beginning his transformation into the supervillain known as The Leader, would be the overarching or background villain of the series, especially after he was announced to be returning in Captain America: New World Order.
While The Leader was nowhere to be found in She-Hulk, head writer Jessica Gao says he was in her original pitch for the series. Speaking to Comicbook.com, Gao stated:
In my original pitch, I did have The Leader in there. Just as an option, as a suggestion, you know?…[b]ut really, I can’t remember why [it was taken out]. I don’t remember if it was organically taken out, because we just came up with other stuff, or if we were told no. I honestly don’t remember. But there was thought about either bringing him back or doing some version of a new version of Leader, or some relation to him. But, I mean truly, this was three years ago, and the show has evolved so much that I don’t remember what actually happened.
Jessica Gao
Now having seen the full She-Hulk series, The Leader’s absence did not weighing heavily on the character or story. Still, Gao’s comments add fuel to the growing theory flames that Marvel Studios is plotting a grand and expansive Hulk-related plotline in the future.
She-Hulk: Attorney at Law is now streaming on Disney+.
With Wilson Fisk and Matt Murdock both making their respective ways into the MCU, it’s just a matter of time before the two meet up. Whether that meeting is a reunion between the two characters or their first meeting in a vast multiverse continues to be a hot topic of debate, but one thing has been clear since Charlie Cox and Vincent D’Onoforio worked together on Daredevil: they each have a great deal of respect for the other. The two shared the stage briefly at D23 to discuss Daredevil: Born Again, an upcoming 18-episode streaming series and fans have been thrilled at the prospect of seeing them together again since. Fans aren’t the only ones excited about the reunion, however.
In an interview with GQ following his appearance on She-Hulk: Attorney At Law, Cox gushed about D’Onofrio’s talents:
He’s obviously a lovely guy, but more than that, he’s just such an extraordinary performer. He’s such a great actor. To be able to work opposite him and show up for a day of filming and see what he brings to the scene-which is always so much richer and more nuanced and more interesting [than] you could even have imagined in your mind I probably learned more from him about acting than I have from anyone else I’ve worked with. I think he’s made me a much better actor. Hopefully, I can learn more as we can continue working together.
Charlie Cox
D’Onofrio’s investment into the psychology of Wilson Fisk has been well-documented and paid huge dividends over the course of his time on the Netflix series. The actor has made it clear that he’s bringing the same energy to the character as he enters the MCU, meaning that when it comes time for him to meet Daredevil on screen, fans can expect something special.
Charlie Cox is back as Daredevil and he’s ready to make a few improvements. The actor made his big return to the role of lawyer Matt Murdock in last year’s Spider-Man: No Way Home, before putting on the vigilante suit and seeing a little more screen time in Disney+’s latest series, She-Hulk: Attorney at Law. When fans finally saw the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s Murdock take action, however, it looked a little different than the last time he appeared on Netflix. In She-Hulk, Daredevil was made to be a bit more acrobatic than he was in his own show, with additional CGI being used to more accurately reflect his comic book abilities. In a new interview with GQ, Cox revealed his hopes that this use of CGI continues in his next solo outing, Daredevil: Born Again.
When asked about what he hoped to accomplish on Disney+ that he wasn’t able to do on Netflix, the former Stardust star gave the following answer:
I guess what I would say is: hopefully, on the Disney+ show, Born Again, we will be able to use—and I hope that we do it sparingly, I believe it should be used sparingly—but we’ll hopefully be able to use a tiny bit more CGI in the action sequences. Just to emphasize his gymnastic abilities that have been basically impossible to do.
Charlie Cox
Marvel’s Netflix shows were known for their lower-budget feel, often resulting in the use of more practical action choreography that limited what Cox could do as the famously spry superhero. Of course, this doesn’t mean those fight scenes weren’t extremely well-done. Just that with a little added CGI, they might be able to do something more faithful to the source material. Also, to be fair, Cox prefaced his answer with a disclaimer explaining why he couldn’t give a more detailed response:
I’ve learned that these questions are a little tricky because the problem with them is that if I start detailing things I’d like to do, then very quickly, it becomes a news story. It potentially gets in the minds of not only the fans but also the creators and the writers. I really want to be careful not to muddy those waters because if it turns out to be a good idea, it can be a shame because it robs the fans of that moment of discovery. So forgive me for being a little bit vague in this area.
Charlie Cox
Daredevil: Born Again is set to debut on Disney+ in the spring of 2024, with Cox and Vincent D’Onofrio returning to their respective roles of Murdock and crime lord Wilson Fisk.
With She-Hulk: Attorney at Law having wrapped up its first season on Disney+, fans have begun further anticipating the next venture involving a superheroic lawyer in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Charlie Cox has received generally rave reviews for his performance in the final two episodes of She-Hulk, greatly raising the level of interest for Daredevil: Born Again, which arrives on Disney+ in 2024 with 18 episodes (an unprecedented move for Marvel Studios projects on the streaming platform). While talking with Variety about his return as Daredevil, Charlie Cox discussed the concept of an 18-episode series and how it will impact the production and story of the new series.
It’s mad. I have no idea; your guess is as good as mine. Just in terms of shooting, physically it’s going to be a real slog and that will be a challenge in and of itself, which I’m excited about. It’s such a bold move. The character being a lawyer lends quite well to that. There’s a lot of story you can tell, just outside of the superhero element.
Charlie Cox
With Daredevil: Born Again being primed to be such a deep dive into the titular character and his world, questions will be asked of how much from the original Netflix series will be folded into this adaptation in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. When asked about who from the original series Cox would like to reunite with, the actor played it relatively coy. However, he did go fairly in-depth into the concept of being curious about where the character’s “canon” will be when the show streams.
It was an absolute delight to work with everyone on all of those shows at Netflix. They were the beating heart of all of those shows. I would be honored and thrilled to work with any of them again. I would hate to single anyone out and I would hate to speculate because I just don’t know what the plan is going forward. That’s way above my pay grade. There are so many great stories to tell. There are stories to tell again. That wouldn’t be inconsistent with what they do in the comic book universe. Often a new writer and artist will take over a book and they will start from beginning. So maybe we’ll be doing that, but I genuinely don’t know. I’m just thrilled that I’ve been invited to the party.
Charlie Cox
Charlie Cox makes some interesting points here about the possibility of Daredevil: Born Again being a true fresh slate for the character away from what he did before. The specific status of “canon” within the Netflix universe of Marvel characters, however, does still remain nebulous. That said, the inclusion of Vincent D’Onofrio as Kingpin alongside rumors about other returning Netflix characters can lead to the belief that at least some of the core story beats will remain intact.
The growing romance between Daredevil and She-Hulk caught the attention of fans, and She-Hulk, after showcasing strong amounts of chemistry in the latter two episodes of She-Hulk: Attorney at Law. Fans have begun to ask questions about whether Jennifer Walters will make some sort of appearance in Daredevil: Born Again. Charlie Cox addressed the idea.
I don’t like to speculate; I’ve learned over the years that when you get excited in an interview and you talk about things that could happen, the problem is that they then litter the internet. People talk about it, and then if it is a good idea, you end up ruining it for the fans. The only thing I’ll say is that I had such a blast working with Tatiana. She’s such an extraordinary actor, and the characters’ chemistry was really strong. There’s more fun to be had there, so whether we can go on that journey a little longer and our lives can collide again, I don’t know but I’d certainly be in support of that, if it can happen.
It’s been over two years since Murphy’s Multiverse first shared the news that Marvel Studios had created a limited liability company under the name Solve Everything Productions for its Fantastic Four film. Since then, information on production has been slow coming as the project lost its original director Jon Watts. But with a new director on board, Matt Shakman, working with writers Jeff Kaplan and Ian Springer, things seem to be gearing back up. With the new crew of creatives now together and a release date of February 14, 2025, now in place, it seems Marvel Studios has turned its attention to getting production underway.
To that end, Marvel Studios has apparently locked down studio space in the UK for the production of Fantastic Four. While no dates have been made available yet, past scheduling precedent would indicate that Marvel Studios would be looking to get production underway in the Fall of 2023. With the film originally having been slated for a November 8, 2024 release, a Fall 2023 start of production would have been in line with a typical Marvel Studios production. By bumping the title’s release back 3 months, not much changes other than having some additional time to finish VFX.
Of course, there’s still a lot of work to be done before Shakman and crew can start principal photography, most importantly, finding a cast. Rumors continue to swirl about dozens of actors involved in talks for all the main roles but while it’s certainly likely that Marvel Studios is in the process of casting, no official word has fallen on the results of that process. Then there’s the completion of the script, which given the title of the production company, may likely take heavy inspiration from writer Jonathan Hickman‘s take on Marvel Comics First Family.
Given that the film is said to kick off Phase 6 of the Multiverse Saga, it wouldn’t be a…stretch…to imagine that it might take on one of Hickman’s wildest creations, The Interdimensional Council of Reeds, which was first introduced in Fantastic Four #570, ironically titled “Solve Everything: Part One.” Earth 616’s Reed Richards joined a multiversal collection of his other selves by using one of his inventions, The Bridge, which allowed him to observe and access other worlds.
Episode 8 of She-Hulk: Attorney At Law saw Charlie Cox guest star as both Matt Murdock and Daredevil and fans ate up both his performance and the chemistry between his character and Tatiana Maslany’s Jen Walters. Since the episode debuted, fans have been clamoring to see more of the two together and while they got a few seconds of screen time with one another in the finale of She-Hulk, it didn’t quite satisfy the need of fans nor, apparently, Maslany.
In an interview with THR, Maslany joked that she’s been texting Cox daily, trying to find a way to guest star in Daredevil: Born Again, which is currently set to stream in 2024.
I keep texting him being like, ‘Am I required for set today?’ And he says, ‘We’ll let you know by lunch.’ But he just keeps putting it off. I’ve been waiting outside the set in my She-Hulk costume, so just put me in, coach.
Tatiana Maslany
While fans wait for word on a potential second season of She-Hulk and what future the character has in store in the wider MCU, it’s wonderful to see Maslany campaigning to keep the fire hot between Jen and Matt!
All 9 episodes of She-Hulk: Attorney At Law are now streaming on Disney Plus.
When it was announced that Kathryn Hahn’s Agatha, who fans grew to love in 2021’s WandaVision, was returning to the role for her own solo series, fans were curious about the direction it might take. After taking a sound beating from the Scarlet Witch and having her powers drained, Agatha was punished by being turned back into the nosy neighbor version of her character and left behind in Westview. Even as the start of production on Agatha: Coven of Chaos draws near, word on the plot of the series has yet to hit the web, though some intriguing casting details have.
In June, a casting leak indicated that the Agatha-centric series was looking for an actor, 17-20, to play a gay, lead character. The character was described as being “witty” and “astute” with a dark sense of humor and also being a “bit of a fanboy.” Fans of Marvel Comics readily identified this character as Billy Kaplan, aka Wiccan, one of Wanda’s sons seen in WandaVision. Teenage Billy was so much of a fanboy that he originally called himself Asgardian and styled himself after Thor’s look when he first entered into superheroing. While all the dots might not connect as to how an older version of Billy might appear in Agatha: Coven of Chaos, Agatha’s interest in Wanda’s children as seen in WandaVision could be a plot point that would easily carry over into her series. And with Mephisto once again rumored to be headed to the MCU, it’s possible that the Master of the Realm of Lost Souls might have a hand in things somehow.
While the appearance of an aged-up Billy likely means that his twin brother, Tommy, will appear as well, there’s one more Young Avenger who comes to mind when Billy is involved. Where is Teddy Altman? Fans have expected the character to turn up for the past couple of years now, but he’s never made his way into any of the projects he’s been rumored to appear in just yet. However, another casting call might just indicate that fans won’t have to wait much longer.
In addition to the casting call above, a second casting call for an actor, 18-20, to play a gay male has made the rounds. The character is described as “a kind soul” with a “great sense of humor” who is totally in love with his boyfriend and has an athletic build. Could this be Teddy? With not much to go on in terms of descriptors, it’s impossible to say with certainty, but the descriptors that are given are very much in line with the way Teddy has always been characterized. However, connecting the dots back to the other description, which almost certainly is Billy, Teddy becomes a VERY logical guess.
If Agatha: Coven of Chaos does introduce teen versions of Billy, Tommy and Teddy, it lays the groundwork for projects such as the Scarlet Witch solo series, The Children’s Crusade and, ultimately, the Young Avengers. Just the introduction of Teddy alone would also erase the strange concerns that Skaar would be replacing him in the MCU, allow for a connection to Secret Invasion and open up opportunities to tell more Kree-Skrull War stories down the road. With production on Agatha: Coven of Chaos set to begin early next year, casting announcements may soon reveal the true identity of these characters, giving fans something to look forward to in the somewhat near future.
Marvel Studios upcoming Disney Plus streaming series Ironheart continues to shape up to be the MCU’s first really magic vs. tech battle. Kevin Feige announced Anthony Ramos as the series’ main antagonist, Parker Robbins, aka The Hood, at D23 and a recent rumor that Sacha Baron Cohen will appear as Mephisto continues to gain traction as more sources chime in on its legitimacy. With two major magic users in her way, it would stand to reason that Riri Williams might need some help understanding just what she’s up against and a new rumor might point in the direction of just that kind of ally.
According to Geek Vibes Nation, actress Regan Aliyah, who joined the cast at the end of August, is set to play Zelma Stanton in Ironheart. Stanton is a relatively recent addition to the Marvel Comics’ universe, having been introduced in 2015 at the beginning of Jason Aaron’s run on Doctor Strange. Shortly after meeting Strange, Zelma agreed to work at the Sanctum Santorum as his librarian. More recently, Zelma has appeared in Strange Academy, a series in which Strange and some of the most powerful magicians in the Marvel Universe have opened a school for young magic users.
At this point, we can only speculate as to what Zelma’s role in Ironheart might entail, but it does seem likely she will be assisting Riri as she learns about magic and takes on The Hood and the powerful demon Mephsito. As is often the case for characters adapted into the MCU from the comics, Zelma’s origin story might be changed a bit to allow for her to hop right into the action. Whatever the case, for a show featuring a tech genius, Ironheart is becoming very magic-heavy and very interesting.
Production on the highly anticipated Mahershala Ali-led Blade movie is currently shut down after losing director Bassim Tariq. After Tariq’s departure, it was revealed that Beau DeMayo had agreed to rewrite the script. With the hiring of DeMayo, it was expected that Marvel Studios would quickly fill the director position, but instead, the studio has slowed down to “deepen the search” for a new director, while also taking time to further strengthen the film.
On Comicbook.com’s Phase Zero podcast, Giacchino addressed whether he could take the reins on Blade. Unfortunately for fans, it looks like the list of potential directors does not include the Werewolf By Night director. Giacchino expressed that Blade would conflict with some of his other projects in the works timing-wise:
“I mean, look, I love Blade. I think that’s an amazing, amazing character. It’s one of my favorites. But I feel like that thing is already in motion in a way that is like, and I’m in motion on other things as well, and there’s just– It’s a whole… you know. It’s just, timing-wise, it’s a little crazy. So I feel like, you know… I want that to be a great movie. I want that to be an awesome movie, because that character deserves it in a huge way. But yeah, right now, I mean, no.”
New York Comic Con hasn’t really been known to be the kind of event where fans should expect huge reveals from Marvel Studios. Traditionally, it’s been a place for Marvel TV and Marvel Comics to take center stage and NYCC ’22 was comic-heavy. Jonathan Hickman revealed some of Valerio Schiti’s artwork from their mysterious new comic series, the 2022-23 event slate was revealed, including the Fall of X and numerous non-event series were teased or introduced. All in all, a great weekend for Marvel Comics.
However, during their Next Big Thing panel, Editor-in-Chief C.B. Cebulski dropped an interesting nugget of information about the relationship between Marvel Comics and Marvel Studios, both of which are now overseen by Marvel’s One Above All, Kevin Feige. According to Cebulski, Marvel Comics works to stay about “10 years” ahead of Marvel Studios. In essence, that means comic arc that are being told wouldn’t make their way into the narrative fabric of the MCU until 2032. On the flipside, it could also mean that Marvel Studios currently announced slate of projects is looking to draw on comic arcs from 2012.
Though it’s clear and expected that not every project in 2022 is based on stories from 2012, interestingly enough, some of that flipside lines up. The end of 2021 saw Matt Fraction’s Hawkeye, which was published in 2012, adapted into a Disney Plus streaming series. Incursions, which were introduced to the MCU in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, first appeared in issue #3 of Jonathan Hickman’s New Avengers in January of 2013. The idea of Wakanda at war with Atlantis, which is central to Black Panther: WakandaForever’s plot, came from the pages of the Avengers vs. X-Men event, which ran for most of 2012. Kamala Khan first hit the pages of a comic in 2013. Jason Aaron’s epic run on Thor, which introduced Gorr and Jane Foster as the Mighty Thor, characters seen in Thor: Love and Thunder, began in, you guessed it, 2012. It’s by no means a perfect predictor, but for the past year, there are enough hits to make one take the time to look at how the next (about) ten years of Marvel Studios projects could be shaped by the last (about) ten years of Marvel Comics.
2023
Riri Williams will make her debut in 2022’s Black Panther: Wakanda Forever before her solo series, Ironheart, streams on Disney Plus. The character first appeared in the comics in 2016, so this series is 7 years post. That’s not exactly 10, but it might prove informative later.
2024
Captain America: New World Order will hit theaters in 2024. Ten years earlier, Sam Wilson: Captain America hit newsstands. The Nick Spencer book could hold some clues as to what fans can expect in the film.
A version of the Thunderbolts featuring Bucky Barnes appeared in the comics in 2016. Bucky and the Thunderbolts are headed for the big screen in 2024.
Deadpool 3 hits theaters in 2024 and while nobody knows exactly what to make of the Ryan Reynolds/Hugh Jackman team-up, one theory is that it could adapt Marvel Comics Deadpool Kills the Marvel Universe, which came out in 2012.
Fantastic Four. Announced in 2019, it’s taken a while to get made and is going to take a while longer. Whenever fans see it, it is likely to be heavily influenced by Hickman’s run on the characters which started in 2010.
2025 and 2026
Marvel has plans for two Avengers films over these two years. If you’re wondering who might be on the team, Marvel Comics All-New, All-Different Avengers, first published in November 2015, might be a decent resource.
Beginning with 2022’s Werewolf By Night, monsters are now historically part of the MCU and more are on the way. In 2015, Marvel Comics published The Howling Commandoes of S.H.I.E.L.D.
A Nova project continues to be in the works and The Human Rocket is likely to land on one of the dates slated for D+ in 2025 or 2026. A Nova comic series, featuring Sam Alexander, launched in 2013.
In July, a pair of trademarks were filed for what are believed to be MCU solo projects for Hercules: Rise of the Gods and Black Knight: Origins. in 2015, comic series featuring both of those characters brought them back into the spotlight after some time away. Black Knight dove into the cursed nature of the Ebony Blade while Hercules told the story of the Greek godling making his way through the modern world. Both of these ideas are adaptable in the MCU given where the characters were left in their introductions in Eternals and Thor: Love and Thunder, respectively.
An Illuminati project has been reportedly in the works at Marvel Studios for a few years now. In 2015, Marvel Comics published The Illuminati, featuring Parker Robbins, who will make his debut in Ironheart, Titania, who debuted in She-Hulk: Attorney at Law and the Enchantress, Sylvie Lushton, who seems to have a lot in common with Loki’s Sylvie.
Avengers: Secret Wars was originally planned for 2025. While there have been multiple iterations of the story, it’s believed that with Michael Waldron writing it, it will be strongly influenced by Hickman’s version of the story.
2026-2032
Years back, Marvel Studios was looking for a pitch for a Secret Warriors project. While the first volume in the comics hit shelves in 2008, a second volume featuring Kamala Khan was released in 2017.
Quite a bit of buzz continues to persist around Marvel Studios bringing the Midnight Sons to the MCU and a trademark was filed. In 2017, a Spirits of Vengeance mini-series was launched that featured many of the characters you’d associate with Midnight Sons in a war at the gates of hell.
Marvel Studios trademarked Avengers: Eternity Wars. Marvel Comics published an Eternity War event in the pages of The Ultimates in 2017.
With the X-Men not quite set to appear in the MCU for some time, the 2018 event Hunt forWolverine might make a good adaptation at some point in the late 2020s, once the X-Men have become established.
War of the Realms is one of the finer events Marvel Comics has produced in years. While it doesn’t seem like on the surface like a story that could be told in the MCU, remember the multiverse is in play and anything is possible, including giving Malekith a fair shake.
Another property that could potentially take inspiration from Jonathan Hickman is an adaptation of Dawn of X. Hickman’s redefining take on mutants kicked off in 2019, meaning it could hit the low end of what Marvel considers about 10 years if an adaptation were to hit the MCU around 2026 or later, which actually seems about right.
This is nowhere near comprehensive as there are so many unknowns about what projects are in development and nearing a green light, which are still slogging through and which have been shuffled to the back of the pile. However, it does give us a better idea of what about “10 years” means. It looks like characters and stories are fair game if they were about 7-12 years before the project is intended to release. Obviously, that window can expand either way and it is a lot more likely to expand on the side of more than 12 years than less than 7 years, but it provides a window through which we can potentially peer into Marvel Studios’ plans.
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