MarvelBlog News for March 2, 2021

0

This past week was one of those rare times when Marvel felt like spilling the beans about everything.

We learned the new name for Spider-Man 3, the release date for Loki, and a host of other stuff.

Photo: Disney Investor Day/Marvel Studios

Let’s run through the highlights in MarvelBlog News!

Spider-Man: Home Slice

Tom Holland, the star of the current Spider-Man franchise, has developed a reputation for accidentally spoiling news.

Photo: Getty Images/Jesse Grant

In fact, he is partially the reason why Marvel boss Kevin Feige has grown so tight-lipped about upcoming storylines.

This past week, Sony played off Holland’s inability to keep a secret. The studio released three new names for the upcoming Spider-Man 3.

Photo: Looper

The three leads in the Spider-Man series each revealed a potential name on their social media pages.

Those titles were Spider-Man: Homewrecker, Spider-Man: Phone Home, and Spider-Man: Home Slice.

Photo: Tom Holland’s Instagram Account

While I would watch the crap out of any of those, they were transparently fake titles.

The following day, Marvel and Sony revealed the actual title, which is Spider-Man: No Way Home.

Photo: Marvel Studios

You should recall that the first two Holland films had the names of Spider-Man: Homecoming and Spider-Man: Far From Home.

So, most people had expected the word ‘home’ to play into the title somehow.

Given what we know about the project, No Way Home makes perfect sense.

Photo: Marvel Studios

The story will play into the new multiverse aspects of both the Spider-Verse and the MCU.

Peter Parker and/or other characters could feasibly find themselves stuck in the wrong reality for extended portions of the movie.

Photo: Michael Muller/CNET

While we’re on the subject of Holland, he recently commented that he plans to travel the world once he finishes filming.

Tom Holland talking about what’s next after #SpidermanNoWayHome

"I’m going to take a break and travel the world. it’s the first time since I signed onto (Spider-Man Hoco) that I don’t have a contract with someone" pic.twitter.com/UX0iph2rbi

— Spider-Man: Updates (@spideyupdated) February 24, 2021

This statement sounds strange to say about a 24-year-old, but Holland won’t be under contract for the first time in six years, which is a quarter of his life!

Don’t worry, though. Holland already indicated that he will happily remain in the role of Peter Parker for as long as Marvel allows it.

Tom Holland has revealed that he is ready and willing to play Spider-Man for as long as he can.

“If they want me to make 10 Spider-Man movies, you better believe I will be there.” #NoWayHome #SpiderManNoWayHome pic.twitter.com/uIcBIXkmQf

— Spideys News will return. (@spideysnews) February 24, 2021

Loki’s Release and the Upcoming MCU Schedule

I’m not exaggerating much when I say that I spent the body of the past year reading every tea leaf possible to learn the most likely MCU release schedule.

Disney wasn’t releasing any news, which forced me into an uncomfortable balance of reading production schedules and tracking countless nonsensical rumors.

Photo: Michael Buckner/Variety/REX/Shutterstock

Well, Kevin Feige must have felt sorry for a bunch of people like me. He was just unusually forthcoming about what’s in store for the MCU, starting with Loki.

Yes, Thor’s punk half-brother will star in his own Disney+ series in a few months.

Specifically, Loki will debut on the service on June 11^th, which is currently five weeks after the theatrical release of Black Widow.

So, the current schedule calls for WandaVision to end on March 5^th, The Falcon and the Soldier to start on March 19^th, and then…

Hmm, we still have some blanks to fill in. WandaVision had initially listed six episodes but actually filmed nine.

Photo: Marvel Studios

The Falcon and the Winter Soldier currently indicates six episodes with a finale on April 23^rd. I believe the six-episode count is correct for it.

Presuming that’s correct, Black Widow will open two weeks later.

Photo: Marvel Studios

The Current MCU Schedule for the Next Few Years

Then, we’ll all have a month to catch our breath before Loki begins.

Screen Rant

This series also lists six episodes, which I tend to believe less than The Falcon and the Winter Soldier.

I must admit that Disney may have filmed more episodes of WandaVision once it realized a pandemic-caused content shortage, though.

If that’s the problem, Loki probably stops at six episodes. Notably, a recent Disney leak indicates that the show will get a season two.

However, we’re just getting started with MCU TV shows! Disney+ has confirmed another 12 (!) Marvel TV series after WandaVision.

The first two are obviously The Falcon and the Winter Soldier. Here’s the current order after Loki:

• What If…?
• Marvel
• Hawkeye
• Moon Knight
• She-Hulk
• The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special
• Secret Invasion
• Ironheart
• Armor Wars
• Wakanda

That’s the television side. Here’s the current release schedule for 2021/2022 MCU movies (counting Spider-Man):

• Black Widow – May 7th
• Shang Chi and The Legend of the Ten Rings – July 9th
• Eternals – November 5^th
• Spider-Man: No Way Home – December 17^th
• Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness – March 25th, 2022
• Thor: Love and Thunder – May 6th, 2022
• Black Panther 2 – July 8th, 2022
• Captain Marvel 2 – November 11th, 2022

The current schedule suggests that the MCU on Disney+ will slow down a bit in 2022 and beyond. Everything through Hawkeye will come out this year!

Photo: Marvel

We may have as little as two full seasons in 2022, which would have seemed like a lot in 2020.

I expect that viewers will get spoiled quickly by the current 2021 schedule, though. We may demand new Marvel episodes every week from now on!

Photo: Daily Mail/GC Images

Marvel Miscellany

With so much actual news this week, I must quickly cover some stories, a few of which may receive more attention in future updates.

For instance, Fandom scooped everybody else with a huge exclusive.

Clark Gregg’s Agent Phil Coulson and Chloe Bennet’s Daisy Johnson from Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. will return to the MCU!

According to Fandom, they’ll appear in an upcoming MCU series. The article doesn’t confirm which series, but the writer logically concludes that it’s Secret Wars.

Marvel

I’d be surprised if at least one of them doesn’t appear in that upcoming series, which is already well into production.

Speaking of which, Fandom later added that Charlie Cox will return as Daredevil in Secret Invasion. Clearly, Matt Murdock has a role to play in the MCU.

Marvel

Similarly, Kevin Feige had some comments about Deadpool. The head of the MCU indicated that no other projects in development will have R ratings:

Feige says other than #Deadpool3, there are still no plans to explore R-ratings for the MCU. Naturally, if there is a story where that would make sense, sure they would discuss it. (i.e. don’t hold your breath for an R-rated Marvel project outside Deadpool)

— Aaron Couch (@AaronCouch) February 24, 2021

Feige doesn’t rule out the possibility but states it’ll only happen if/when a darker story makes sense. In other words, Deadpool will remain the outlier.

In later comments, Feige stated that Marvel has already started working on Deadpool 3, which is a bit of a surprise.

"We target everything we do now for kids and adults… Other than Deadpool that has established itself as a genre and rating," Feige says, saying they'll aim more for PG-13/PG, adding that they have already started working on DEADPOOL #TCA21

— Alex Zalben (@azalben) February 24, 2021

Of course, the biggest shocker involved WandaVision. Feige revealed that the recent WandaVision cameo had been planned since early in development.

Photo: Marvel/Empire Magazine

So, the recasting definitely wasn’t due to a lack of availability on the part of the previous performer. It was 100 percent story-driven!

Oh, and I’ve got a final bit of news for the Bruce Campbell fans reading this. Ash is currently quarantining in England:

Quarantine short film #1: London intersection. pic.twitter.com/JYXAmubLTR

— Bruce Campbell (@GroovyBruce) February 21, 2021

Can you guess where Dr. Strange in the Multiverse of Madness is currently filming?

Raimi and Campbell’s bond remains airtight after all these years.

Photo: GETTY IMAGES

Have a great week, true believers!