With Wandavision’s first season winding down and the premiere of The Falcon and the Winter Soldier coming in March, the MCU is finally kicking into high gear on Disney+.
At the annual Television Critics Association Winter Press Tour, MCU chief Kevin Feige revealed that the anticipated Loki series will debut in June and shared information on further Marvel TV plans.
The Trickster
It appeared that Tom Hiddleston’s Loki had met his end at the hands of Thanos in the opening scene of Avengers Infinity War. But leave it to the master Trickster to find a way to cheat death.
In Avengers Endgame, the team went on a time travel journey that involved trying to gain the Tesseract shortly after Loki’s capture in the first Avengers film. Things went wrong, and Loki was able to escape with the Tesseract.
Finding himself in a new timeline, Loki tries to carve his own path. This includes everything from traveling across time manipulating history to running for President of the United States.
Like other MCU projects, the series was put on hold due to the pandemic, with production suspended for a few months. Hiddleston’s busy schedule also delayed filming.
Debuting on June 11, the series is highly anticipated for giving the charismatic villain his own showcase and perhaps leading into the coming Thor Love and Thunder film.
Tatiana Maslany cast as She-Hulk
Feige also disclosed production is about to begin on the long-awaited She-Hulk series.
Emmy award-winner Tatiana Maslany will play Jennifer Walters, Bruce Banner’s cousin. An accident causes Jennifer to also transform into a green-skinned powerhouse. Unlike Bruce, Jennifer retains her intelligence while in her gamma-irradiated form and works as an attorney.
The series will be shorter than other MCU shows with half-hour installments and is rumored to run nine to ten episodes. It will be more of a comedy focusing on Jennifer handling legal cases rather than pure super-heroics.
The casting of Maslany is notable as the Orphan Black star had been announced in the role in September 2020 only to deny the reports. But in December, Marvel did confirm she would be taking on the role.
Dark of the Moon
Shortly after She-Hulk, production begins on Moon Knight. The character is often described as the Marvel Universe’s version of Batman.
While not confirmed by Marvel, it appears Oscar Isaac will play the title role of the white-cloaked hero. The character notably bounces between personas of a millionaire, a mercenary, and a cab driver, and it’s unsure whose side he is truly on.
Defenders return?
Feige was tight-lipped on the possibility of the characters of the now-canceled Netflix “Defenders block” appearing in MCU projects. While the rights for all the characters have reverted to Marvel Studios, it’s unsure if they can be used, especially with the original actors.
“I think we probably could do it, I think a lot of that stuff comes back to us. There’s always rumors online about things reverting, sometimes that’s true, sometimes it’s not, but I’m not exactly sure of the exact contracts but perhaps someday.”
Feige added how he hopes the new series can link to the big screen without making fans think they have to follow both. “Honestly, we tried to make the stories unfold in a way that if you are following along and have seen what has preceded it, you’ll be right up to speed. And more importantly, if you haven’t, you’ll be up to speed.”
Disney+ will premiere Marvel Studios Assembled, a docuseries going behind the scenes of Marvel projects. There is also the What If? animated series that shows alternate takes on the MCU, which still does not have a release date.
As the new wave of series continues, it’s clear the MCU is prepared to dominate the small screen as much as the big one.
Loki debuts on Disney+ on June 11. Wandavision airs new episodes every Friday. The Falcon and the Winter Soldier debuts on March 19.