Marvel has started off 2021 with a bang, producing a large amount of content, spanning television shows and movies. Marvel’s Phase Three ended with record-breaking Avengers: Endgame and post-blip Spiderman: Far From Home, and its post-Infinity Saga Phase Four began with the Disney+ miniseries WandaVision. This year, Marvel is also releasing the miniseries The Falcon and the Winter Soldier and films Black Widow and Spider-Man: No Way Home.
The miniseries WandaVision stars Elizabeth Olsen as Wanda Maximoff/Scarlet Witch and Paul Bettany as Vision, and it was created by Jac Schaeffer, who also wrote the show, and directed by Matt Shakman. The series takes place directly after Avengers: Endgame as Wanda struggles to cope with the loss of Vision, and it pays homage to familiar sitcoms throughout the decades. She creates an idealized suburban life for them in the town of Westview, New Jersey, but things do not stay perfect for long, as the show quickly takes a dark turn. In the show, Wanda displays powers not previously explored by MCU films, and her character aligns more with the comic book version, and she finally embraces the Scarlet Witch moniker. The show premiered on Disney+ on January 15, 2021, with its first two episodes, and it ended on March 5, 2021, with its ninth episode. The show received a generally favorable critical response, and it was praised for its sitcom tropes, dark themes, and demonstrating the versatility of the MCU.
The Falcon and the Winter Soldier is the next Disney+ show from the MCU, and Anthony Mackie and Sebastian Stan reprise their roles as Sam Wilson/Falcon and Bucky Barnes/Winter Soldier, respectively. The show was created by Malcolm Spellman and directed by Kari Skogland. It aired on March 19, 2021, and will conclude on April 23, 2021, after six episodes. Similar to WandaVision, The Falcon and the Winter Soldier takes place right after Avengers: Endgame. The show follows the events after Steve Rogers giving Sam Wilson the shield, and the responsibility, of Captain America. It follows Sam Wilson and Bucky Barnes around the world and is expected to feature the banter that drew fans into their friendship in Captain America: The Winter Soldier and Captain America: Civil War.
The much anticipated Black Widow solo movie is going to be released May 7, 2021, after it was delayed twice due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The movie stars Scarlett Johansson as Natasha Romanoff/Black Widow and Florence Pugh as Yelena Belova/Black Widow, is directed by Cate Shortland, and is written by Eric Pearson. It will also feature an appearance by Robert Downey Jr. as Tony Stark/Iron Man. The movie takes place after Captain America: Civil War and will showcase more of Natasha Romanoff’s past as a former-KGB assassin and S.H.I.E.L.D. agent as she deals with a dark and personal conspiracy alone.
The 27th film in the MCU is Spider-Man: No Way Home, and it is scheduled to be released on December 17, 2021. It is a sequel to Spider-Man: Homecoming and Spider-Man: Far From Home, and Tom Holland will be starring as Peter Parker/Spider-Man again. Zendaya, Jacob Batalon, and Benedict Cumberbatch will also be returning to their previous MCU roles as MJ, Ned Leeds, and Dr. Stephen Strange, respectively. Dr. Strange will become Peter Parker’s new mentor, after Tony Stark in Spider-Man: Homecoming and Nick Fury in Spider-Man: Far From Home. Audiences can also expect the return of actors who played characters from Tony Maguire and Andrew Garfield Spider-Man franchises. Alfred Molina, who played Otto Octavius/Doctor Octopus in the 2004 Spider-Man 2, will be reprising his role; Jamie Foxx played Max Dillon/Electro in The Amazing Spider-Man 2 (2014) will do so in Spider-Man: No Way Home.
Phase Four and 2021 hold many possibilities for the Marvel Cinematic Universe, and it will be exciting to see comic-book Marvel characters be introduced to the big screen.
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