WARNING: The following article contains spoilers to key moments in the MCU. We recommend getting caught up before you proceed.
Fans are still eagerly counting down the days until the releases of the upcoming Marvel TV shows, especially those who are waiting until they arrive to get a Disney+ subscription. These series, which will be exclusive to Disney’s streaming service, will chronicle the continuing adventures of various characters from the MCU, as well as introduce a few new faces.
Marvel has been very hush-hush about what we should expect from shows like The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, Loki, or WandaVision, all of which that 30-second spot during the Super Bowl only prompted more unanswered questions about. Not to mention, we still do not know when Ms. Marvel or Moon Knight are set to come out, nor any important casting updates about them.
Our anticipation for these secretive series is so strong and our lack of knowledge about them is so frustrating that we cannot help but list out all the questions we are dying for answers to. So, without further ado, these are just a few things we still do not know about Disney+’s upcoming Marvel TV shows.
Who Will Play The Lead In She-Hulk?
Mark Ruffalo’s Bruce Banner has never mentioned his cousin in any of his appearances throughout the Marvel Cinematic Universe, but she will most likely have his attention when she begins to exhibit abilities and an appearance similar to his hulking persona. Such is the premise of She-Hulk, inspired by the comic in which a blood transfusion from her cousin turns Jessica Walters into a muscle-bound, green-skinned heroine, much like The Incredible Hulk, but with more personality.
Mark Ruffalo has expressed interest in making an appearance on the Disney+ series, the release date of which remains TBA at this time, but there is still no word on who will play the title character. Ruffalo recommended the unlikely choice of his Thor: Ragnarok co-star Tessa Thompson as She-Hulk, but maybe it should go to another actress with experience as an action heroine who is new to the MCU. Perhaps, The Mandalorian’s Gina Carano?
How Will The Loki Series Tie Into Doctor Strange In The Multiverse Of Madness?
The announcement that Loki would get his own self-titled series after we saw Thanos kill him in Avengers: Infinity War had us confused, until Tom Hiddleston’s Tesseract-snatching cameo in Avengers: Endgame cleared that up. Then, when Kevin Feige told Bloomberg that the show will be connected to the upcoming Doctor Strange In The Multiverse Of Madness, that was a cue for the confusion’s triumphant return.
With Loki set to drop on Disney+ in the spring of 2021, the series may serve as a lead-in to the sequel starring Benedict Cumberbatch, set for May 2021, but how? Will an episode center on Loki enacting revenge on Doctor Strange for that 30-minute falling trick in Thor: Ragnarok? Will there be a nod to the story arc in which the God of Mischief becomes the Sorcerer Supreme instead? Whatever the connection may be, I hope it is especially strange.
Who Will Play The Lead In Moon Knight?
A face we have never seen in the MCU is one of Marvel’s more obscure heroes (who started off as a villainous werewolf hunter), Moon Knight. The billionaire playboy by day and lunar-powered, god-like vigilante by night (who also has Dissociative Identity Disorder) will make his live action debut in his own self-titled Disney+ series, which has yet to be cast.
There has been much speculation as to who would play heavyweight boxer-turned-Marine-turned-mercenary Marc Spector, such as Daniel Radcliffe for one, but nothing has been confirmed, in addition to its release date. Whoever is cast in the title role for Moon Knight should be an actor who is physically imposing and could pull off a convincing portrayal of a patient suffering from DID… James McAvoy?
What Alternate Timeline Stories Should We Expect From What If…?
Of all the Marvel TV shows coming to Disney+, I am most intrigued by What If…?, an animated anthology series based on the comic book of the same name that will reimagine key events in the MCU in an alternate chain of events. Several acting veterans of the franchise are set to reprise the voices of their roles, such as Josh Brolin as Thanos, Karen Gillan as Nebula, or Michael Rooker as Yondu Udonta, just to name a few.
Considering how shocking and bizarre the comic series has been known to be, all I want to know is what sort of weirdness are we in for with this show? Will we see Flash Thompson get bit by a radioactive spider, or Nick Fury as an outer space World War II fighter, or Thanos becoming an Avenger? Living in mystery until the series drops in 2021 is probably for the best, but I am not sure I can wait that long.
Who Will Play Clint Barton’s Apprentice, Kate Bishop, In Hawkeye?
Husband and father Clint Barton will finally get a chance to put his life as the most eagle-eyed Avenger behind him by passing the Hawkeye moniker down to a younger generation of archer: a girl named Kate Bishop. The question is, who will play the young heroine opposite Jeremy Renner when the new Hawkeye series drops in in the fall of 2021?
For those who may have answered “Hailee Steinfeld,” the Academy Award-nominee and Bumblebee star’s casting was merely a rumor and no confirmation has been made of who will play Kate Bishop in her live action debut after starring in the Hawkeye comics’ 2012-2015 run. You know who is apparently good at archery, though? Jennifer Lawrence.
How Will Moon Knight Tie Into The Films Of The MCU?
The connections that shows like Loki, The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, and even She-Hulk have with the Marvel Cinematic Universe are crystal clear. However, it is decidedly unclear at this time how the Moon Knight series on Disney+ will relate to the franchise.
This psychologically disturbed and highly powerful warrior is not really a household name in the comic book world, not to mention he has never made an official appearance in the MCU (other than a few subtle, if not bogusly far-reaching, hints in a couple of the Captain America movies), so his role within the overall story raises suspicion. It should be mentioned that Moon Knight still has no official release date at this time either, so who knows what upcoming films, or which of its fellow Disney+ series, may provide the link? Maybe James Gunn’s third Guardians of the Galaxy movie (or is that a far reach, too)?
Who Will Play The Lead In Ms. Marvel?
Speaking of characters who have long deserved a spot in the MCU, Kamala Khan will make her live action debut as her alter ego, Ms. Marvel, in her self-titled Disney+ series. The New Jersey teenager is, according to the comics, an Inhuman who took up the mantle previously held by her idol Carol Danvers when a Terrigan bomb unlocked her abilities.
Kamala Khan’s debut as Ms. Marvel is one of the more hotly anticipated Marvel TV shows, especially given its TBA release and because she is the first Muslim character to headline a comic book, which makes the question of her casting all the more pressing. However, Marvel did tap Bisha K. Ali, a writer for Hulu’s TV update of Four Weddings and a Funeral, to be the series’ showrunner, so there’s a good start.
Who Is Going To Be Captain America In The Falcon And The Winter Soldier?
At the conclusion of Avengers: Endgame, Sam Wilson (Anthony Mackie) accepts an aged Steve Rogers’ shield, signifying an official passing of Chris Evans' war hero-turned-vigilante character's moniker to him. To be fair, The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, which will see Mackie and Sebastian Stan’s MCU heroes partner up for more adventures together, was announced months prior to the release of that monumental film, but it still makes me wonder why the show has not changed its title to Captain America and the Winter Soldier.
The answer may not be found in the Disney+ Super Bowl ad, which even shows Sam Wilson tossing the shield around, clearly practicing to be the new Cap, but in recently uncovered set photos that reveal series star Wyatt Russell as John Walker, a wounded war veteran who has taken on many aliases in the comics, including that of Captain America, but most recently U.S. Agent. The uniform Russell wears appears to resemble a combination of the classic Cap suit (shield included) with details from the U.S. Agent uniform, which bears the question, is this man going to be the new Captain America? If so, that would explain why Sam Wilson is still using his original Avenger alias, but how Walker got ahold of that vibranium shield (if it is the true shield) is another question.
Who Is Owen Wilson Playing In The Loki Series?
When Marvel revealed that Owen Wilson, the comedic actor known for Wedding Crashers and voicing Lightning McQueen in Cars, would be joining Tom Hiddleston on Loki, only one word could be used to describe the universal reaction: “wow.” Of course, the announcement also bore the question, “Who is he playing?”
As of now, nothing has been confirmed by Marvel regarding Owen Wilson’s role, but some have speculated he could be playing Justice Peace, a time-traveling mercenary working under the Time Variance Authority. If this turns out to be true, that would explain the letters “TVA” embroidered on Loki’s prison outfit in the Disney+ Super Bowl ad.
What The Heck Is WandaVision Even About?
There was a brief moment in time when I felt I had a good grasp on what Disney+’s upcoming series reuniting Elizabeth Olsen’s Wanda Maximoff with Paul Bettany’s Vision was about. But now, with the cryptic promotional material and those vague blink-and-you-miss-it clips in that Super Bowl ad, I can confidently say I have no idea what is going on with WandaVision.
Paul Bettany has called the show “fucking bonkers,” which is the best way that I can describe seeing Scarlet Witch appear in flashes between a 1950s sitcom aesthetic to what appeared to be The Brady Bunch set in the recent teaser. On one hand, WandaVision looks to be partially inspired by Tom King’s bizarre The Vision comic book, that imagines the Avenger settling down for normal suburban life, but on the other hand, Kevin Feige has teased that the show will also connect to Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, so the levels of craziness this show is in for seem infinite at this point. All I can say is, “Bring it on.”
Honestly, I do not mind, and actually prefer, to be kept in the dark about what is in store for the Marvel TV show line-up on Disney+, but it is fun to treat the anticipating like a guessing game. Until the release of these series, among other future MCU releases, be sure to check back for more updates here at CinemaBlend.
