2020 was the first time in 12 years that a Marvel Studios release didn’t grace big screens across the globe. As we inch closer to fully reopening, fans are excited to get back in cinemas for the continuation of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Today — just one day after the 13th anniversary of the MCU and the release of Iron Man — Marvel is celebrating a return to movies with a Phase 4 teaser video that reveals a first look at Eternals, new titles for Black Panther 2 and Captain Marvel 2, and more.
After a recap of Phases 1-3 with voiceover from the late Stan Lee, clips from Black Widow (long-delayed and now coming to theaters and Disney+ on July 9th) and Shang-Chi and the Legends of the Ten Rings (out September 3rd) are shown. Then an unassuming clip of Selma Hayek riding a horse signals the first footage seen from Eternals.
Arriving November 5th from Oscar-winning director Chloé Zhao, the film features an all-star cast (in order of appearance in the teaser): Hayek as Ajak, Kumail Nanjiani as Kingo, Lia McHugh as Sprite, Gemma Chan as Sersi, Richard Madden as Ikaris, Angelina Jolie as Thena, Don Lee as Gilgamesh, and Lauren Ridloff as Makkari. “We’re the ones who changed everything,” says Chan’s Sersi.
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Also in the movie but not seen in the clip are Brian Tyree Henry (Phastos), Kit Harrington (Dane Whitman/The Black Knight), and Barry Keoghan (Druig).
Promising that “What the future brings will be worth the way,” the video then shows off logos and release dates for all the MCU’s upcoming movies. First comes what we already knew: Spider-Man: No Way Home (December 17th, 2021), Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness (March 25th, 2022), and Thor: Love and Thunder (May 6th, 2022). Then come the bombshells.
Hitting theaters July 8th, 2022, the sequel to Black Panther will officially be titled Black Panther: Wakanda Forever. It’s a pretty powerful title, considering the battle cry’s impact in the original movie and the tragic loss of King T’Challa himself, Chadwick Boseman.
Speaking of continuing Black Panther: Wakanda Forever without Boseman, star Lupita Nyong’o told Yahoo she feels “very pensive and meditative” returning to set as Boseman’s loss “is still extremely raw for me.” She continued,
“But at the same time we have a leader in Ryan [Coogler], who feels very much like we do, who feels the loss in a very, very real way as well. And his idea, the way which he has reshaped the second movie is so respectful of the loss we’ve all experienced as a cast and as a world. So it feels spiritually and emotionally correct to do this. And hopefully, what I do look forward to, is getting back together and honoring what he started with us and holding his light through it. Because he left us a lot of light that we’re still going to be bathing in. I know that for sure.”
Next comes The Marvels, which no, comic fans, isn’t an adaption of Kurt Busiek and Alex Ross’ acclaimed Marvels. It’s the sequel to Captain Marvel, which is set to see Brie Larson return as Captain Marvel/Carol Danvers and newcomer Iman Vellani transition from Disney+’s Ms. Marvel to the cinematic side of the MCU. We’ve long known Vellani would debut on the streaming series before moving to the big screen, but the not-so-subtle insignia inclusions on The Marvels logo seals the deal.
The Phase 4 teaser clip ends by revealing release dates for Ant-Man and The Wasp: Quantumania (February 17th, 2023) and Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 (May 5th, 2023). As a final tantalizing bit, the Marvel Studios Phase 4 image is drawn up like the Fantastic Four logo. Marvel regained rights to the superhero family in the Disney/Fox merger, and Spider-Man trilogy director Jon Watts is currently working on the MCU version.
In typical Marvel fashion, even a simple three-minute teaser celebrating a return to movie theaters brings with it a ton of exciting news. Check out the video below.
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