Geekery: Jane Foster Returns to the MCU – Plus Blade, Shang-Chi, and More
Hall H was the place to be at DSCC this weekend – it’s where Marvel did all of their panels and announcements. Come see what the MCU’s phase 4 has in store for fans!
The first announcement was about a known project – The Eternals. The Jack Kirby created series focuses on an offshoot species created by the Celestials when they were mucking about with sentient life on Earth, and are intended to protect Earth. It will star Richard Madden as Ikaris, Kumail Nanjiani as Kingo, Lauren Ridloff as Makkari, Brian Tyree Henry as Phastos, Salma Hayek as Ajak, Lia McHugh as Sprite, Don Lee as Gilgamesh, and Angelina Jolie as Thena. The project is being directed by Chloé Zhao.
The Eternals will arrive in theaters November 6, 2020. Check out the panel here.
Fiege also shared more on the Black Widow solo movie. Scarlett Johansson will be joined by David Harbour as Alexei AKA The Red Guardian, Florence Pugh as Yelena, O-T Fagbenle as Mason, and Rachel Weisz as Melina. Cate Shortland is directing, and they’re in production right now in London. Not sure if they’re going to pull some multiverse shenanigans or some timey-wimey magic for this one after what happened in Endgame.
Black Widow will hit theaters May 1, 2020. Check out the panel here.
Shang-Chi (‘Rising of the Spirit’ in Chinese) was the first phase 4 movie to be announced this spring. The character first appeared in Marvel comics in 1973. He’s a wushu master, and has the ability to create duplicates of himself; he’s also been a member of The Avengers. The movie stars Simu Liu (The Expanse, Kim’s Convenience) in the title role and he will be going head to head with the real Mandarin played by Hong Kong cinema star Tony Leung. The cast also includes Awkwafina in a mystery role.
Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings hits theaters February 12, 2021. Check out the panel here.
Coming on the heels of that is the next installment of Dr. Stephen Strange’s story. Word is this is going to go down the Marvel horror route, which I approve of. It’ll include Scarlet Witch (played by Elizabeth Olsen) and will tie into her Disney+ series WandaVision – a first for the MCU. They’ve generally kept their TV projects and movies separate. Not a lot of reveals on the story beyond that, but they’ve got 18 months to tease it out.
Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness will cast its spell in theaters May 7, 2021. Check out the panel here.
Thor 4 was announced a week or so ago, with Taika Waititi back in the director’s chair – it’s pushed back the live-action Akira project indefinitely. During the panel, the bombshell that the new movie will be focused on Jane Foster taking on the mantle of Thor, and Natalie Portman reprising her role, was dropped. Chris Hemsworth and Tessa Thompson (whose Valkyrie was confirmed as the first openly LGBTQ+ character in the MCU) will also be returning.
They played a bit with Thor Odinson not being up to the task, and just wanting to take a break, in Endgame. We will have to see if he becomes unworthy of Mjölnir, or if he hands it over so he can take a vacation. I really dug Russell Dauterman and Jason Aaron’s work with the character, so I’m really excited about this. Just as a reminder…
This is not She-Thor. This is not Lady Thor. This is not Thorita. This is Thor. This is the Thor of the Marvel Universe. But it’s unlike any Thor we’ve ever seen before.
Thor: Love and Thunder will arrive in theaters November 5, 2021. Check out the panel here.
At the end of the panel Feige told fans at the event that they didn’t have time to get to everything; and to expect more on Black Panther 2, Captain Marvel 2, Guardians 3, and The Fantastic Four. He also pretty much confirmed that we’re MCU X-Men movies in the not so distant future. And then a familiar face walked out and put on a hat…
[It] came about, frankly, quite a while ago, and I’m very happy that they never leaked so that we could unveil it today at Hall H. It came about from the passion that we had for Blade, and had for years. Mahershala, coming off his second Academy Award this year, said he wants to come and meet. And I was like, “I hope he talks about what I think he’s going to talk about.” And he brought up Blade, and we were like, “We’re in. We’re doing it.”
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The trilogy of movies that starred Wesley Snipes was one of the first Black superhero franchises, and one of the most successful comic book movies to come out of the 1990s. They were groundbreaking, and they’re still a fun watch even though the effects don’t hold up. I’m ready to see this character on the big screen again.
