You are in THE MULTIVERSE SAGA!
Did you feel the geek quake coming out of San Diego?!
Marvel Studios returned to San Diego Comic Con unleashing major news about upcoming Marvel Comics Universe Films and Disney+ shows. Marvel officially christened the current and near future phase of films under the banner THE MULTIVERSE SAGA. The Multiverse has been a huge part of LOKI Season One, SPIDER-MAN NO WAY HOME and DOCTOR STRANGE IN THE MULTIVERSE OF MADNESS.
Along with more big news about films we already knew were coming, new films, official titles, release dates announced and the biggest one – the first trailer for BLACK PANTHER WAKANDA FOREVER which introduces Namor the Sub-Mariner, a war between Wakanda versus Atlantis and someone popping claws and carrying on the legacy of Black Panther.
Let’s get into a recap and discuss the comic book connections to the big announcements:
We have to start with the biggest reveal! Director Ryan Coogler returns as director of BLACK PANTHER WAKANDA FOREVER with Angela Bassett as Queen Ramonda in a powerful moment acknowledging the loss of T’Challa (played by the late Chadwich Boseman) and the powerhouse characters and cast in mourning and preparing for a new threat to their kingdom: Namor the Sub-Mariner and warriors from under the sea.
Namor is a Marvel icon with so many ties to the Marvel Universe. Namor has been around since before Marvel was even Marvel Comics! The Prince has been a Fantastic Four villain, Invader, Avenger, X-Men ally, Defenders co-founder, Illuminati member, lover of Emma Frost and love entanglement of Susan Storm Richards and ruler of Atlantis. In that role of King, Namor has made alliances with other world leaders like Doctor Doom and bitter enemies like King T’Challa. If you read Jonathan Hickman’s epic NEW AVENGERS run – it has elements of GAME OF THRONES with super-heroes and villains.
In the new film we meet Namor and his cousin Namora but they are different from the Atlanteans of the comics. In fact, they may not be hailing from Atlantis. The trailer shows warriors from what appears to be the Aztec and Mayan cultures of Mexico.
The sequel also introduces Ironheart ahead of her own Disney+ series. Dominique Thorne plays the young genius who will join Wakanda’s own genius Shuri in the fight for the kingdom. In the comics Riri Williams built her own suit of armor inspired by Iron Man and was supported by Tony Stark after her heroic actions. Williams later joined the teen heroes known as the Champions.
Two key scenes in the WAKANDA FOREVER trailer, We see a first look at Michaela Coel is what appears to be never seen before tribe (in white) of Wakanda – is she an ally or enemy? During a battle scene we do see someone wearing the costume and unleashing the claws- who will become the new Black Panther? In the comics T’Challa’s sister Shuri took the role. I can’t help but think Lupita Nyong’o as super spy Nakia might be a contender.
Here is the film lineup in their release date order:
WAKANDA FOREVER November 11, 2022
ANT-MAN AND THE WASP: QUANTUMANIA February 17, 2023
GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY: VOLUME 3 May 5, 2023 introducing Will Poulter as Adam Warlock
BLADE November 3, 2023 with Mahershala Ali as Blade, the Vampire Hunter
CAPTAIN AMERICA: NEW WORLD ORDER May 3, 2024 with Anthony Mackie as the new Captain America
FANTASTIC FOUR November 8, 2024
THUNDERBOLTS July 26, 2023
AVENGERS: THE KANG DYNASTY May 2, 2025
AVENGERS: SECRET WARS November 7, 2025
The following Disney+ series were announced/updated:
SECRET INVASION Spring 2023
LOKI Season Two Summer 2023
ECHO Summer 2023
IRONHEART Fall 2023
AGATHA QUEEN OF CHAOS Winter 2023
DAREDEVIL BORN AGAIN Spring 2024 with Charlie Cox returning as Matt Murdock
What are the comic book connections to these new projects? Who’s Who? What are the comic book counterparts of these impressive titles?
Let’s start with Disney+ series:
SECRET INVASION
Samuel L. Jackson and Ben Mendelsohn will return as Nick Fury and Talos from CAPTAIN MARVEL along with Cobie Smulders as Maria Hill. The series is based on the Avengers epic in which rogue Skrulls infiltrated and impersonated every team, government agency and even villain groups to conquer Earth.
LOKI Season Two
The Asgardian God of Mischief and Sylvie survived monsters and TVA to confront “he who remains” at the end of it all – a mystery man claiming to be a variant version of Kang. Is Loki a free agent now and will the time displaced Asgardian return to the film series as a threat as the MCU builds up to AVENGERS: THE KANG DYNASTY?
ECHO
Echo was the breakout character of the HAWKEYE limited series. With her ties to Wilson Fisk, we will likely see a confrontation, team-up or perhaps romance with Matt Murdock/Daredevil? In comics Maya Lopez was raised by Kingpin before eventually partnering with Daredevil. Echo was a big part of Avengers when she wore the costume/identity of Ronin.
IRONHEART
After her debut in BLACK PANTHER WAKANDA FOREVER, Riri WIlliams will get her own series. The young genius built her own Iron Man inspired suit of armor and eventually joined the teen heroes, The Champions.
AGATHA QUEEN OF CHAOS
Katherine Hahn is back after her working her spell in WANDAVISION as the real villain that inspired a theme song, “It was Agatha all along!” In the comics Agatha was more of an older ally, mentor to Wanda and even was nanny for the kids of Fantastic Four’s Reed and Sue. After the revelations of the Darkhold, Wundagore Mountain, Chthon in the last Doctor Strange film, it would given Agatha motivation to attempt to seize more power. If Wanda is gone, will Agatha attempt to take the role of Scarlet Witch or harness the Chaos magic?
DAREDEVIL BORN AGAIN
Charlie Cox returning as Matt Murdock and Vincent D’Onofrio as Wilson Fisk (after his official MCU debut in HAWKEYE). Marvel’s previous three DAREDEVIL series were amazing. Elements and characters of the classic BORN AGAIN story have been used but still if producers plan on a new season based on the epic Frank Miller story, expect a brutal powerhouse series for The Man Without Fear. I hope producers will harness Typhoid Mary, a creation of writer Ann Nocenti, who is actually a mutant and is still a major character tied to Matt and Fisk.
Let’s talk about those movies and titles!
ANT-MAN AND THE WASP: QUANTUMANIA
Paul Rudd and Evangeline Lilly return as Scott Lang and Hope Van Dyne. Michael Douglas and Michelle Pfeiffer are back as Hank Pym and Janet Van Dyne. Scott’s daughter Cassie is a teen now but the big question is will be take Pym Particles to become the Young Avenger known as Stature? Jonathan Majors was announced as villain Kang the Conqueror before making an appearance in the LOKI season finale. It was revealed MODOK will be a villain the sequel too.
GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY: VOLUME 3
“I shall call him Adam” was the ominous hint from the villainess of the last film as she planned to create a perfect warrior to hunt down the Guardians. Will Poulter will play the iconic Adam Warlock, the golden genetically created being rebelled against the scientists who made him to become a traveler through space and eventually a hero. In the comics it was Adam Warlock who lead the Infinity Watch against the Thanos in the comic version of THE INFINITY WAR saga.
BLADE
You could say the original BLADE with Wesley Snipes (produced before Disney bought Marvel Comics) was the first big movie hit that led to the Marvel movie empire. Like X-Men and Fantastic Four, the rights to Blade are back with Disney/Marvel. The Oscar winning actor will play the vampire known as the Daywalker. Eric Brooks was born with all the strengths of a vampire and none of their weaknesses and became a major hero fighting bloodsuckers, demons and other monsters. November 3, 2023
CAPTAIN AMERICA: NEW WORLD ORDER
Sam Wilson (Anthony Mackie) wields the shield as the new Captain America following the events of Steve Rogers journey in AVENGERS ENDGAME and asking Sam to take on the role. No word on the villain, director or if Bucky Barnes/Winter Soldier will return. In the comics Joaquin Torres (a character introduced on Disney Plus) becomes the new Falcon. Misty Knight (a character seen in the LUKE CAGE Netflix series) is a major supporting character in the Captain American comics starring Sam. In the comics Red Skull has been resurrected time and again and we’ve yet to meet his devious daughter, Sin.
FANTASTIC FOUR
No cast or directors yet. We did see a version of Reed Richards (John Krasinski) from the Multiverse in the latest Doctor Strange film. My big question is how Marvel Comics First Family will be introduced? Have they been in another reality or perhaps been in the main MCU but hidden the whole time? What FF villain will they face? Doctor Doom is such a major part of SECRET WARS that I wonder if producers are saving the biggest Marvel bad guy for the two AVENGERS films of 2025 but with Doom having moments in earlier films like Thanos in the INFINITY SAGA.
November 8, 2024
THUNDERBOLTS
A fan favorite concept team but there are different versions in the comics. The original was a team of new heroes who were secretly classic villains led by Baron Zemo. Spider-Man villan Norman Osborn then Luke Cage led later incarnations of the team featuring criminals working for the government for their crimes.
July 26, 2023
AVENGERS: THE KANG DYNASTY
Kang is the time-travelling super villain from the 30th century who is a descendant of Reed Richards of the Fantastic Four. Jonathan Majors played a variant version of Kang in LOKI Season One and is the villain of ANT-MAN AND THE WASP: QUANTUMANIA. No official word but given his comic connections, Kang could be the villain or at least have an appearance in the Fantastic Four MCU film.
The time traveling Warlord is known by many names including Immortus, Scarlet Centurion, Rama-Tut – when he lived in ancient Egypt and encountered the future X-Men villain Apocalypse and Iron Lad – a heroic younger version of himself who formed the Young Avengers.
The Kang Dynasty is a classic Avengers epic by Kurt Busiek in which the villain conquers Earth in coordination with his son, rogue Atlanteans and Deviants. Kang claims to be saving the planet from several dark futures.
May 2, 2025
AVENGERS: SECRET WARS November 7, 2025
No official word on the plot but SECRET WARS is the title of two of the biggest game changing stories in the history of Marvel Comics. In the original story, an alien called the Beyonder kidnaps heroes and villains and places them on a planet called Battle World. The alien wants to understand the nature of desire so he tells his combatants to slay your enemies and gain all you desire. This was the first big epic limited series that brought together Avengers, Fantastic Four, X-Men, Spider-Man against an army of their combined greatest enemies.
The second Secret Wars was the aftermath of the end of the Marvel Universe when incursions from Earths from across the multiverse destroyed every Earth. In the ashes emerged a Battleworld with sections from different alternate realities with God Emperor Doom ruling. With the concept of incursions introduced in the latest Doctor Strange film, signs points to this version but both are epic.
Now we have a loose map to Phase Six but we still have the introduciton of X-Men somewhere in here but Marvel definitey gave fans excitement and big questions to ponder/geek about. See you at the movies!
By Editor