Well, the Marvel Cinematic Universe is expanding ... again.
On Friday, Disney+ announced a slew of new titles that will appear on the streaming service within the next two years. The projects are a mix of animated and live-action series, which will tie into the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
The new series will debut as the MCU hits its fourth phase of content, which kicked off with Disney+ content like “WandaVision,” “The Falcon and the Winter Solider,” “Loki” and “What If...?” The modern era of Marvel has been defined by Disney+, except for the three feature films we’ve seen with “Eternals,” “Shang Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings” and “Black Widow.”
There’s no question all eyes will turn toward Disney+ to understand what’s happening in the MCU.
We’ve compiled a breakdown of all the new major MCU projects announced Friday and what they might mean for the future of the MCU.
‘Marvel Zombies series’ continues Marvel, zombies storyline
Yes. More Marvel zombies are on the way for the new series “Marvel Zombies.” The zombies first debuted in Marvel’s “What If...?” in one of the standalone episodes. There have been rumors of a zombies-based Marvel show since there’s a comic book storyline on the idea, which shows Marvel heroes in zombie form. It’ll be interesting to see how Marvel creates this story and what narrative Marvel uses to tell the story.
It was ‘Agatha: House of Harkness’ all along
Disney+ announced the debut of “Agatha: House of Harkness,” which will center around the witch Agatha Harkness, who made her debut in “WandaVision.” In October, multiple reports suggested Kathryn Hahn would reportedly return as Agatha Harkness in her own “WandaVision” spinoff show, as I wrote for the Deseret News. The series will likely be a dark comedy.
Nick Fury returns for ‘Secret Invasion’
A brief clip of Nick Fury in “Secret Invasion” appeared at the end of the 15-minute preview of the MCU on Disney+. In 2020, Variety reported Samuel Jackson would return as Nick Fury in a new Disney+ series, likely called “Agents of S.W.O.R.D.,” which would be a sequel series to “Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.” It was later confirmed to be “Secret Invasion,” based off the comic book storyline where the Skrull aliens invade Earth. Reports suggested that Ben-Adir — who played Malcolm X in the critically acclaimed film “One Night in Miami” this year — will play the lead villain for the upcoming series.
‘Spider-Man: Freshman Year’ keeps Spider-Man in the MCU
Spider-Man will return in the animated series “Spider-Man: Freshman Year,” which appears to be a part of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. There has been few reports about this series. But it comes as Tom Holland prepares to end his Spider-Man run in “Spider-Man: No Way Home.” Early reports suggest this new Spider-Man show will be canon for the Marvel Cinematic Universe and it will tell Peter Parker’s origin story.
‘Iron Heart’ continues Young Avengers trend
Disney+ confirmed a new “Ironheart” series after years of speculation. In 2019, there were rumors that Robert Downey Jr. would return in a new series called “Ironheart,” based on the superhero of the same name, which I wrote about. Ironheart is the superhero nickname for teenage genius Riri Williams, who carries on Iron Man’s legacy. Apparently, Downey Jr. was rumored to provide voiceover work to train Williams. We also learned recently that Ironheart will make her debut in the “Black Panther” sequel, titled “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever,” according to ComicBook.com.
‘I Am Groot’ gives Groot his own show
Marvel Studios’ announced “I Am Groot,” an animated original series. This is another series we know nothing about yet. We know Disney+ will release “Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special.” But there are few details about the Groot series.
‘Ms. Marvel’ gets an official release window
Disney+ shared the new logo for the “Ms. Marvel” series, which is due out in summer 2022. Per ComicBook.com, Disney executives said earlier this week in an earnings call that “Ms. Marvel” won’t hit Disney+ until the second quarter of 2022. “Ms. Marvel” will center around Kamala Kahn, who is a Pakistani American teen from New Jersey who becomes a superhero. Ms. Marvel is a relatively new hero, having debuted in the Marvel comics in 2014. She was Marvel’s first Muslim superhero to get their own comic book, as I wrote for the Deseret News.
‘She-Hulk’ brings back the Hulk, Bruce Banner for new series
The logo for “She-Hulk” — a new series coming to Disney+ — also made its debut on Disney+ Day. We saw brief clips of “She-Hulk” in the 15-minute look at the future of Marvel Cinematic Universe. Tatiana Maslany will play She-Hulk/Jennifer Walters on the show, which also stars “The Good Place” star Jameela Jamil. Other cast members include “Hamilton” star Renee Elise Goldsberry and Mark Ruffalo, who will reprise his role as the Hulk on the show which will center on Walters, the cousin of Bruce Banner. She-Hulk has become a major comic book hero, having joined the Avengers in the Marvel comics storyline.
‘What If...?” gets a second season
Disney+ confirmed Marvel’s “What If...?” will return for a second season. This has been a pretty open secret. In fact, writer AC Bradley told the Deseret News in an exclusive interview in August that there would be a second season of the show, which would explore more of the storylines teased in the first season.
‘Moon Knight’ is here
First, Disney+ released a new logo for the Disney+ series “Moon Knight.” Then, in the 15-minute look at the future of Marvel Cinematic Universe, we saw brief clips of Oscar Isaac appearing as Moon Knight in the show. The official series is here. Marvel Studios announced in March 2021 that Oscar Isaac would star in the upcoming project, centering on Marc Spector, who is an ex-mercenary who uses multiple identities to fight crime, including MoonKnight. He summons the powers of an Egyptian god to get his strength to become the dark hero.
We learn more about new Disney+ series ‘Echo’
Disney+ announced the new series “Echo,” which will star Alaqua Cox as Maya Lopez, who will make her debut in the “Hawkeye” series. Back in March, I wrote about how Echo would get her own series. Echo is a deaf Native American superhero who “has the ability to perfectly copy another person’s movements or fighting style, making her a formidable opponent in battle,” according to Variety.
‘X-MEN ’97’
The much-beloved 1990s “X-Men: The Animated Series” is getting a revival on Disney+ — starting from where the old series ended. The new series — titled “X-Men ’97” — will premiere sometime in 2023. The original animated series became one of the most popular superhero shows in modern history, according to The Wrap.