Wakanda Forever
The sequel to one of the most beloved movies in the MCU, Black Panther: Wakanda Forever was already the most anticipated superhero movie before Marvel released that amazing trailer at SDCC. Excitement has only increased as the trailer reminded everyone that Ryan Coogler remains an incredible blockbuster director and that he assembled an outstanding cast for this movie.
Of course, the biggest question about the film remains the central character after the untimely death of star Chadwick Boseman. Although rumors have pointed to Shuri as the next Black Panther, Feige and Coogler have been reluctant to confirm. For that reason, it seems unlikely that they’ll give more information at D23. However, we’re likely to learn more about the new characters introduced for this movie, including great anti-hero Namor the Sub-mariner and Iron Man successor Riri Williams, who will also star in her own series Ironheart.
Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania
Perhaps the biggest problem currently facing the MCU is the lack of focus, as the universe has neither an official Avengers lineup nor a big bad to follow Thanos. To address the latter, we’ll likely see more of Jonathan Majors as Kang the Conquerer, briefly mentioned at the end of Loki and the official antagonist of Ant-Man and the Wasp in Quantumania. In addition to seeing more of the deeply charismatic Majors, Ant-Man news means that the always-charming Paul Rudd will likely be involved, but don’t expect the blissfully apathetic Bill Murray, who will co-star in an undisclosed role, to be sharing the stage.
Secret Invasion
The question of Avengers will likely be addressed in Secret Invasion, the big event series on Disney+. Based on a 2008 crossover of the same name, Secret Invasion stars Samuel L. Jackson’s Nick Fury, who discovers that shape-shifting Skrulls have already infiltrated Earth and must assemble a team to repel them. With no official release date yet set, we probably can’t hope for much more than a sizzle reel or short trailer at D23. But there will likely be some indication of the heroes who will join Fury’s battle, giving us a glimpse at the next generation of Avengers.
Upcoming Marvel Projects
Save for James Gunn’s very active Twitter feed, we don’t know that much about the Guardians of the Galaxy Christmas Special coming at the end of the year, nor about Vol. 3, which comes to theaters in 2023. Don’t be surprised if Gunn has a teaser for the Christmas Special, if not some more about Vol. 3 (though it will be hard to top actor Chukwudi Iwuji’s SDCC appearance in character as the High Evolutionary).
With confirmed appearances in She-Hulk: Attorney at Law and Echo, Charlie Cox has been receiving quite a push lately. And while a reboot series called Daredevil: Born Again has been announced, there’s no other information, not even about co-stars Elden Henson and Deborah Ann Woll, who played Foggy Nelson and Karen Page on the Netflix show. We’ll likely get some confirmation about those actors, and possibly even more news about Netflix carryovers, such as Krysten Ritter’s Jessica Jones.
