I’m well aware that every site has multiple articles up about last night’s Marvel Cinematic Universe announcements. Here’s the thing I’ve discovered over years of writing. Not everyone reads the same sites. I have people that follow me on Twitter and Facebook that I know aren’t going to any of the other geek blogs. So for someone in the world, they will learn what’s going on thanks to me. Also, I’m going to simplify things as much as I can. Assuming the only knowledge the reader has is what has so far been on screen in a Marvel movie. No comics assumptions, none of it.

So let’s go through what was announced. Unlike last night, I’m going to put this in order of release.

Black Widow May 1, 2020.

“But didn’t she die in Endgame?” Yes. This movie takes place after Civil War but before Infinity War and Endgame. In preview scenes showed at Comic Con, Natasha fights Yelena Belova (played by Florence Pugh). Yelena is also in the Russian assassin/spy program known as the Black Widows. Natasha meets up with the Red Guardian over the course of the movie. Red Guardian was the Russian attempt at a super soldier like Captain America. The main villain of the movie will be the Taskmaster. In the comics, Taskmaster has a photographic memory to copy the moves of anyone. So he sees Captain America fight, he can fight like that. He sells this ability to the highest bidder and works as a trainer. Sometimes with the good guys, sometimes the bad. As long as the check clears.

The Falcon and the Winter Soldier August 2020.

Get ready to subscribe to another service! The upcoming Disney Plus streaming service will also have five brand new Marvel shows that tie directly into the movies. That’s right. You’re going to have to watch these to get the full story. The first up is this buddy road trip show starring Captain America’s sidekicks. So far we know it will involve the shield and returning foe from Civl War: Baron Zemo.

Eternals November 6, 2020.

Alright, this is a complicated one. Created by Jack Kirby when he was deep into the mythology of gods. Remember the Celestials? The giant aliens that were seen in Guardians wiping out a planet. One was so big its’ severed head became a space station. Those guys showed up on Earth millions of years ago and began some genetic manipulation. The Eternals were one result of that. They became the gods of mythology. Still existing today, the Eternals watch over Earth to ensure it remains safely until the Celestials return. Overly simplified – it’s superhero gods Game of Thrones. It will also star Angelina Jolie, Salma Hayek, Richard Madden, Kumail Nanjiani and so much more.

WandaVision Early 2021.

This Disney Plus series will look at the relationship between the Scarlet Witch and the Vision. Possibly with a “how dare you date outside your own kind” (because Vision is a robot) allegory. This series will also explore why Wanda is also known as the Scarlet Witch and those revelations will tie into the upcoming Doctor Strange sequel.

Shang Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings February 12, 2021.

Shang Chi is a Marvel creation from the 1970’s at the height of Kung Fu popularity. He is a skilled martial artist, maybe the best on the planet. Some versions give him other powers through his martial arts skills but we don’t yet know which if any powers this version will have. Even more interesting is the Ten Rings part. In Iron Man 3 we were introduced to the Mandarin… who turned out to not be the Mandarin. Since the first Iron Man movie there has been mention of the Ten Rings. In the comics the Mandarin holds one ring on each of his fingers. Each ring gives him a special power. All ten combined are unstoppable.

Loki. Early 2021.

Remember when the Avengers went back to the first movie during the events of Endgame? They dropped the Tesseract and Loki escaped? This is what happened to that version of Loki next. Possibly taking place after Endgame. Possibly taking place throughout time as Loki journeys throughout the Marvel Universe. Remember, this is the Loki that had not yet turned good and thus anything is possible.

Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness May 7, 2021.

Marvel’s first horror movie. Also confirmation the Multiverse exists. The Multiverse is a comic and sci-fi idea (and in physics too but so far unproven) that every possible outcome has happened thus creating a different universe. Some are vastly different, some slightly. In the comics there are alternate versions of many characters on different Earths. The best example so far has been the animated movie Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse.

In this Doctor Strange sequel the Doctor along with Wanda the Scarlet Witch will battle Nightmare. Nightmare rules the Dark Dimension, the place we all go when we sleep. He draws godlike power off the subconscious minds of those sleeping.

What If…? Mid 2021.

Marvel’s first animated show. Debuting on Disney Plus. This series will look at twists and turns from previous stories and what could have happened otherwise. With definite possibilities of tying into the Multiverse. One already known is what if Agent Peggy Carter became Captain America? The potential here is endless. What if Bucky didn’t “die”? What if Captain America and Iron Man didn’t split? Almost all former cast members will be returning to provide their character’s voice.

Thor: Love and Thunder November 5, 2021.

This one is going to be nuts. Valkyrie, new ruler of Asgard, wishes to find a queen to rule with. Yes, you read that right. Yes, that is what it means. Yes, that is ground breaking.

Possibly even more shocking is that Natalie Portman will return as Jane Foster. A hammer wielding Jane Foster. Reminder, that Team Hellions was the first site to break the news when Jane Foster became the new Thor in the comics. Love and Thunder looks to be a MCU version of that story.

Hawkeye Late 2021.

A Disney Plus series. The series will take place after Endgame. Possibly showing some of Hawkeye’s five years post snap as Ronin. It will also introduce Kate Bishop, a young woman that Clint Barton trains to take on the Hawkeye mantle. Bishop is one of the Young Avengers in the comics which fuels speculation that could be an upcoming movie or series.

Blade

This one snuck in at the end. The new Blade, Mahershala Ali, will not be connected to the three earlier Blade movies starring Wesley Snipes. No date was announced.

 

At the end of the panel, Marvel head Kevin Feige said they had run out of time and he won’t be able to talk about the following: Black Panther 2, Captain Marvel 2, Guardians of the Galaxy 3, “Fantastic Four, and the Mutants”. Thus all of these movies are coming at some point as well. Disney has their big fan convention in August and it’s possible more details will come out then.