Credit: Inside the MagicFor 15 years, Marvel movies have dominated the global box office. But now that’s starting to change.
What was once a constant stream of successes with critics and fans alike has turned into a mixed bag in recent years. While there are still standouts like Guardians of the Galaxy, Vol. 3 (2023), and Spider-Man: No Way Home (2021), we’ve also seen box office bombs such as Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania (2023).
It’s been a similar roller coaster over on Disney+. While Marvel’s foray into television got off to a strong start with WandaVision, some of its follow-ups have been less than popular, with its most recent effort – the Nick Fury (Samuel L Jackson)-led Secret Invasion – scoring the lowest score for any Marvel project in recent history.
With so many duds on its roster, it’s unsurprising that Marvel is scraping together a plan to save its flailing reputation. The solution? Quality over quantity. Which, of course, means cutting down on the number of new projects hitting our screens.
Which Marvel projects could be canceled?
For now, Marvel hasn’t confirmed which movies or shows are being struck from its release schedule. At the time of writing, the only Marvel movies with confirmed release dates are The Marvels (2023), Deadpool 3 (2024), Captain America: Brave New World (2024), Thunderbolts (2024), Blade (2025), Fantastic Four (2025), Avengers: The Kang Dynasty (2026), and Avengers: Secret Wars (2027).
Over on Disney+, Marvel is massively trimming its television offerings. Only two shows currently have release dates: season two of Loki and Echo. The latter’s release has been a question mark, with insiders claiming that the show is so bad that Marvel considered giving it the Batgirl treatment (AKA canceling its release and pretending it never existed).
If history has taught us anything, it’s that nothing is ever totally set in stone at Marvel. Projects already filmed are sure to hit our screens in some shape or form, but anything goes until production wraps. But while some projects are almost certainly safe – such as any return for Tom Holland as Peter Parker or the upcoming Captain Marvel (2019) sequel with Brie Larson – some Marvel movies and TV shows are definitely at risk of cancellation.
Untitled Wakanda series
Marvel is yet to give many concrete details about its Wakanda series. What we do know is that it’s intended to serve as a spinoff to Black Panther (2018) and Black Panther: Wakanda Forever (2022). Deadline previously confirmed that the series will be developed by director Ryan Coogler, who’s been signed on for a five-year television deal by Disney to flesh out the world of Wakanda further.
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Disney has made a five-year overall exclusive television deal with Coogler’s Proximity Media, which he runs with principals Zinzi Coogler, Sev Ohanian, Ludwig Göransson, Archie Davis and Peter Nicks. Coogler, who is working on the Black Panther feature sequel he will direct this year, will develop new television series for the studio. The first one will delight Black Panther fans: a drama based in the Kingdom of Wakanda for Disney+. The deal also enables Proximity to develop television for other divisions of the Company.
Bob Iger – now CEO of the Walt Disney Company, but then the Executive Chairman after handing over the reins to his (brief) successor Bob Chapek – commented on his own excitement about the deal, signaling huge confidence in both Coogler and his future projects.
Ryan Coogler is a singular storyteller whose vision and range have made him one of the standout filmmakers of his generation. With Black Panther, Ryan brought a groundbreaking story and iconic characters to life in a real, meaningful, and memorable way, creating a watershed cultural moment. We’re thrilled to strengthen our relationship and look forward to telling more great stories with Ryan and his team.
Wakanda – AKA the home of Black Panther (the late great Chadwick Boseman) and his successor Shuri (Letitia Wright) – boasts the world’s largest natural resource of vibranium, the super-strong metal used to make the Captain America shield for Steve Rogers (Chris Evans). As a result, it’s extremely well protected by the Black Panther and the Dora Milaje.
There’s definitely plenty to explore in a Wakanda series. However, there are currently no loose ends to tie up in regards to Wakanda specifically, so it wouldn’t have much of a direct impact on the big picture of the MCU – and which seems to be the kind of projects Disney is avoiding right now.
For now, it’s definitely delayed. Nate Moore – Marvel’s Vice President of Production and Development – previously revealed that complications with other Marvel productions have led to delays that impact the Wakanda-focused series.
But considering the fact that other spinoffs with minor characters, such as that planned for Eros (Harry Styles) and Pip (Patton Oswalt), have been scrapped, we wouldn’t be surprised if the Wakanda series went the same way. Instead, we expect a major focus on a standalone outing for Shuri as Black Panther – whenever that will materialize.
Nova
There have been two Marvel comic book versions of the superhero Nova: Richard Rider and Sam Alexander. It’s unknown which version Disney plans on including in its Disney+ series, but rumors from The Hollywood Reporter earlier this year suggested that the show is currently in the early stages of production.
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Technically Nova would have a tenuous link to existing Marvel movies. In the comics, the hero is linked to the Guardians of the Galaxy through the Nova Corps. The intergalactic military and police force was first introduced in Guardians of the Galaxy (2014), arresting and imprisoning the eponymous group after a fight on Xander.
The Nova Corps was later entrusted with the Power Stone. Of course, Thanos later destroyed Xandar in his pursuit of the Infinity Stone in Avengers: Infinity War (2018), which seemingly put an end to the Nova Corps in the MCU – and, in turn, Nova.
However, existing storylines in the comics provide a convenient way for Marvel to translate Nova onto the screen still. The comics see Richard Rider randomly selected to join Nova Corps. When they’re destroyed, he takes on their combined power. Guided by the Worldmind computer, he then embarks on a mission to seek justice for Nova Corps under the name Nova while also rebuilding the order.
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Industry insider Daniel Richtman previously revealed that the planned Nova project would be led by Moon Knight and Ms Marvel screenwriter Sabir Pirzada. There were rumors that Supernatural‘s Jared Padalecki or Teen Wolf‘s Froy Gutierrez would take on the role of Nova. Some also believe a Nova debut would tie into the return for the “legendary Star-Lord” (Chris Pratt) promised in the credits to Guardians of the Galaxy, Vol. 3.
However, it doesn’t seem like Nova is a major priority for Marvel right now, with rumors spreading earlier this year that the studio had wiped it from its release slate. A series based in space takes a lot of CGI (and, therefore, a lot of money) to make.
Jumping back into the Guardians of the Galaxy cinematic universe crafted so skillfully by James Gunn without having James Gunn actually at the helm is also a major risk. The writer and director created what some consider the best trilogy in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Returning to that world risks ruining that legacy.
From a business perspective, we doubt Marvel cares too much about the latter. However, we still wouldn’t be surprised if this project has already been quietly canceled – although, hopefully, Marvel will pick it back up later.
Eternals 2
A sequel to Eternals (2021) hasn’t been officially confirmed by Disney, but it seemed like a pretty sure thing back in 2021. The majority of MCU movies have either already received sequels or had them greenlit, with the only other current exceptions being The Incredible Hulk (2008) – which is unsurprising, considering Bruce Banner was recast to Mark Ruffalo and his storylines instead woven into other Marvel films – and Black Widow (2020), which was kind of a sequel in itself.
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However, Eternals wasn’t like other Marvel movies. Directed by Chloé Zhao, it became Marvel’s first ‘Rotten-rated movie Rotten Tomatoes. It also underperformed at the box office, taking home just $402.1 million on a $236.2 million budget. Critics generally agreed that while it was visually stunning and contained some unique themes for the MCU, the final film was slow, and the storyline a series of “bafflingly incoherent nonsense.”
There’s no doubt that before it hit theaters, Marvel wanted to transform Eternals into a fully-fledged franchise comparable to Captain America, Iron Man, and Thor. The film – which saw immortal alien beings known as the Eternals reunite after thousands of years to defend Earth from the Deviants – contained plenty of teasers for future installments.
But since its release, it’s been pretty much radio silence from Marvel on whether an Eternals sequel will ever happen. The studio has already offloaded a potential spinoff for Pip and Eros. Marvel producer Nate Moore has confirmed that the Eternals will return to the MCU, telling Phaze Zero that “I don’t want to spoil anything, but we have not seen the last of those characters.”
At this point, it seems unlikely that Marvel would invest the time and money into a standalone sequel to an MCU movie that didn’t pull in the big bucks the first time around. There have even been talks of Marvel retconning Eternals to introduce another superhero franchise, X-Men. In other words, right now, it feels as likely as a Marvel character ever actually acknowledging the giant Ocean Celestial left sticking out of the earth at the end of Eternals.
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Instead, we predict a few appearances from various Eternals characters in other Marvel movies. Dane Whitman (Kit Harington) was teased for a cameo in Blade in a post-credits scene where it was revealed he possesses the Ebony blade, a sword that bestows its wielder with the powers of the Black Knight. Harington has since denied plans for a Blade cameo (if the Marvel film even happens, but more on that later), but a crossover seems like a guarantee at some point.
We’d also watch out for some possible appearances from Sersi (Gemma Chan), Druig (Barry Keoghan), Kingo (Kumail Nanjiani), Thena (Angelina Jolie), and more in Avengers: Kang Dynasty (2026), Avengers: Secret Wars (2027), or even a future Thor (Chris Hemsworth) project.
Armor Wars
A solo outing 15 years in the making, Armor Wars is said to focus on James Rhodes, AKA Rhodey (Don Cheadle). In the original Marvel comic book series, Armor Wars follows Tony Stark confronting villains who have stolen Stark Enterprises’ Iron Man armor technology for their own wrongdoing.
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However, considering that Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr) sacrificed his life in Avengers: Endgame (2019), it seems like the MCU’s version of Armor Wars will shift the conflict over to War Machine – who, it was recently revealed in Secret Invasion, has actually spent the last few years being impersonated by a Skrull, perhaps since Captain America: Civil War (2016).
Armor Wars was originally intended to be a Disney+ series but was later upgraded to a cinematic release. Since then, it’s held multiple suspected release dates. It is now thought to be penciled in for some time in 2026. Reports emerged that it was set to start filming in April 2023, which later proved to be false.
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For now, the common consensus is that the Marvel film is still in ‘development hell.’ While we’d assume Marvel wouldn’t want to scrap a project that’s undoubtedly received so much time, attention, and money, it’s fair to say that Armor Wars isn’t on the most stable ground right now.
Blade reboot
When will Blade come out? That’s the question that’s haunted Marvel fans for years. A reboot of Blade (1998) – starring Wesley Snipes as the eponymous half-vampire “daywalker” (AKA a Dhampir) who hunts vampires – has been in the works at Marvel Studios for a while now, with the initial announcement first coming in 2019.
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The first Blade trilogy plays an important part in Marvel film history – even if it isn’t a part of the MCU. The films were massively popular with audiences (even if critics didn’t always feel the same) and helped push superhero content to the masses.
In fact, the Blade trilogy was so popular that it spawned a 2006 TV series reboot starring Kirk “Sticky” Jones as the lead character. However, fans were resistant to any form of Blade that didn’t involve Snipes, meaning this only lasted less than three months.
This time around, Eric Brooks is set to be played by Mahershala Ali. He’ll be joined by scream queen Mia Goth in an unspecified role (thought to be the villain), while the film is to be directed by Yann Demange and written by Michael Starrbury. Ali’s casting has been set in stone for years, with Blade receiving numerous release dates in that time.
Latest reports suggest that the film was set to start production in Atlanta, Georgia, this summer. However, like many Marvel movies, its plans have been majorly disrupted by the Writers Strike and the SAG-AFTRA Strike. For now, its release has been shifted to 2025, although don’t be surprised if that date shifts again. Fingers crossed, this many delays will lead to a reboot that exceeds the first Blade trilogy and not Marvel ditching their plans altogether.
‘Shang-Chi’ spinoff
Back in 2021, Destin Daniel Cretton – the director of Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings (2021) – inked an exclusive multi-year deal with Marvel Studios and Hulu’s Onyx Collective, stipulating that he return to write and direct a Shang-Chi sequel, as well as a spinoff TV show for Disney+. Cretton has since signed up also to start wrapping up the multiverse saga by directing Avengers: The Kang Dynasty.
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This came after Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings grossed over $432 million worldwide. Reviews praised Simu Liu’s take on the title character, with the actor nominated for multiple awards alongside his co-stars Michelle Yeoh (Ying Nan), Tony Leung (Xu Xenwu), and Awkwafina (Katy).
At the time, Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige praised Cretton as “an amazing collaborator” and expressed his excitement for future projects involving the writer and director. “Destin is an amazing collaborator who brought a unique perspective and skill to Shang-Chi and The Legend of the Ten Rings,” he said. “We had a fantastic time working together on the film, and he has so many intriguing ideas for stories to bring to life on Disney+, so we’re thrilled to expand our relationship with him and can’t wait to get started.”
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While no details have been set in stone for the TV show, it’s rumored to center around Xu Xialing (Meng’er Zhang) and the Ten Rings – the clandestine terrorist organization founded by Xu Wenwu. While the character was killed in Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings, the post-credits scene saw Xialing take over in his place, despite telling her brother Shang-Chi that she would disband the criminal group.
The question is whether the TV show fits in with the new priorities for the Marvel universe. As a Marvel insider told The Sunday Mirror after Harry Styles was axed from the MCU, “The whole business and Marvel franchise is being rethought. The focus is on creating the biggest projects with the biggest revenues.”
It’s unlikely that a Ten Rings spinoff TV show would fit this bill – although this is definitely a storyline that we hope Marvel picks up again in the future.
Which Marvel movies or TV shows are you most excited about over the next few years? And which Marvel movies or TV shows are you not so interested in? Let us know in the comments!