A much-loved cartoon gets a modern reboot, an Oscar-winning superhero movie gets a sequel,
and Kraven the Hunter is getting his own movie?
These are the Marvel projects coming in 2023.
"Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur" has been in development since 2019, when it was officially
announced during D23.
The animated series adaptation is produced by Disney Television Animation in partnership
with Marvel Animation, with Oscar nominee Laurence Fishburne attached as co-creator
and executive producer.
Set for a February 10 debut on Disney Channel and Disney+, the 2023 series will be led by
Diamond White as Lunella Lafayette aka Moon Girl, Fred Tatasciore as Devil Dinosaur, Alfre
Woodard as Lunella's grandmother Mimi, and Fishburne as a mischievous trickster called
the Beyonder.
According to the show's official synopsis, the animated series will be following the
adventures of Lunella Lafayette, a 13-year-old super-genius who accidentally brings a T-Rex
named Devil Dinosaur into present-day New York City through a time vortex.
Together, they must protect the residents of the Lower East Side from any potential danger.
"All you need to know is that I'm a superhero."
Starting off the MCU's Phase 5, "Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania" will once again find
Peyton Reed directing the third installment of the Paul Rudd-led superhero franchise.
The threequel is currently scheduled for a February 17, 2023 release, with all the major
players returning for their roles.
After appearing in "Endgame," the film will also reintroduce Scott's teenage daughter,
Cassie Lang.
Not only does it appear that Cassie will be getting her own supersuit this time around,
but now, she'll be portrayed by "Freaky" star Kathryn Newton.
The new film will also feature the live-action debuts of major Marvel villains in the form
of M.O.D.O.K. and Kang the Conqueror, who will be portrayed by Jonathan Majors.
Comedy legend Bill Murray will also play Lord Krylar in the film.
Following the release of the official trailer, it's been revealed that "The Good Place" actor
William Jackson Harper has joined the ensemble cast.
As seen in the trailer, Scott, Hope, and Cassie — along with Hope's parents Hank Pym and
Janet Van Dyne — get accidentally transported into the Quantum Realm after an invention
of Cassie's malfunctions.
Together, they'll embark on an adventure through the Quantum Realm where they'll meet strange
new creatures as a secret universe gets revealed.
Nick Fury will finally be getting a starring role in the MCU courtesy of the upcoming Secret
Invasion series.
Fury made his first iconic appearance all the way back in 2008's Iron Man when he showed
up in a post-credits scene
"I'm here to talk to you about the Avengers initiative."
Since then, Nick Fury has been a constant thread tying the many separate MCU storylines
together, playing pivotal roles in a number of films from "Captain America: The Winter
Soldier" to "Spider-Man: Far From Home" to "Captain Marvel."
In December of 2020, Disney announced at their Investor Day event that the Nick Fury series
will actually be an adaptation of the popular "Secret Invasion" storyline from the comics.
"Secret Invasion" is set to be a crossover event, bringing together characters from across
numerous MCU properties.
The storyline in the comics centers around an invasion of the Skrulls, who have already
popped up in the MCU in a decidedly more sympathetic role than their comics counterparts.
In the comics, the shape-shifting Skrulls have secretly invaded Earth, taking the place
of some of Marvel's heroes.
Naturally, Samuel Jackson is set to reprise his role as Fury in "Secret Invasion," along
with Cobie Smulders as Maria Hill, Martin Freeman as CIA operative Everett K. Ross,
Don Cheadle as War Machine, and Ben Mendelsohn returning as Talos, his character from "Captain Marvel."
Olivia Colman, Emilia Clark and Christopher McDonald will also be joining the star-studded cast.
As for the behind-the-scenes talent, Kyle Bradstreet — who's best known for his work
on the Emmy-winning series "Mr. Robot" — will serve as writer and executive producer.
After briefly appearing in "Thor: Love and Thunder," the Guardians of the Galaxy will
return on May 5, 2023 with their third and reportedly final installment.
James Gunn is officially back as writer and director with all of the main Guardians returning
for one last ride.
"Vol. 3" will also feature the long-awaited live-action debut of the powerful Adam Warlock,
portrayed by Will Poulter.
Warlock's involvement was first teased during the post-credits scene of "Vol. 2," where
he was created for the purpose of destroying the Guardians.
"That, my child, is the next step in our evolution."
Arguably the most intriguing addition to the cast is "Peacemaker" actor Chukwudi Iwuji
who has been tapped to play the villainous High Evolutionary.
As for the plot, Marvel.com says Peter Quill will lead his team in another universe-saving
mission, while also trying to protect one of their own members.
We also know Gamora will have teamed up with the Ravagers and won't have any memory of
her relationship with Star-Lord, and we'll be getting a lot of Rocket Raccoon's tragic backstory.
Previously, Gunn has hinted that "Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3" will be a darker, more
emotional journey for the space-travelling team and that it will be the last time we
see this iteration of the Guardians.
Winner of the Academy Award for Best Animated Feature of 2018, "Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse"
is considered by some to be among the greatest superhero films ever made, thanks in large
part to its supremely innovative animation style.
We'll see if Sony can capture lightning in a bottle twice with "Spider-Man: Across the
Spider-Verse" which will center on the burgeoning romantic relationship between Miles Morales
and Gwen Stacy, aka Spider-Gwen.
Joining Miles and Gwen for the sequel will be Spider-Man 2099 hero Miguel O'Hara, voiced
by "Moon Knight" star Oscar Isaac, and Jessica Drew, aka Spider-Woman, who will be voiced
by "Insecure" star Issa Rae.
Oscar-winner Daniel Kaluuya will play Hobie Brown, aka Spider-Punk, and Jake Johnson will
reprise his role of Peter B. Parker.
They'll be facing off against the Spot, played by Jason Schwartzman.
"Across the Spider-Verse" will hit theaters on June 2, 2023.
Its sequel, "Beyond the Spider-Verse," will hit the big screen on March 29, 2024.
While Marvel is keeping quiet so far about what Carol Danvers will be up to the next
time we see her, we do know that she won't be alone.
The film that was originally presented as a sequel to 2019's "Captain Marvel" was revealed
in 2021 to actually be a team-up feature titled "The Marvels."
Brie Larson will be returning as Carol Danvers, aka Captain Marvel, but joining her this time
around will be Teyonah Parris, who was introduced in "WandaVision" as a grown-up version of
Monica Rambeau, and Iman Vellani, who burst onto Disney+ as Carol Danvers' #1 fangirl,
Kamala Khan, aka Ms. Marvel.
As the only character in the trio without "Marvel" in her name, the title of "The Marvels"
suggests that Monica Rambeau will see her fully embracing her identity as a superhero.
The comics have seen her take a number of names, including Photon, Spectrum, and even
Meanwhile, Kamala Khan unlocked her own superpowers after finding a mystical bangle, fighting
the Clandestines, connecting with both her culture and her family, and discovering she's
both a djinn and a mutant — all before accidentally swapping places with her idol, Carol Danvers.
As for the plot, we know the film will pick up immediately after "Ms. Marvel," but the
specifics are being kept under wraps for now.
"The Marvels" will be helmed by "Candyman" director Nia DaCosta, and will be soaring
into theaters on July 28, 2023.
Marvel's Disney+ series "Loki" was full of surprises, not the least of which was that
the show will be getting a second season.
The first season of "Loki" saw the trickster god apprehended by the Time Variance Authority
thanks to his actions in "Avengers: Endgame," where he deviated from the original timeline
by stealing the Tesseract and escaping instead of being transported back to Asgard to be
tried for his crimes.
Once at the TVA, he teamed up with Agent Mobius and another Loki variant named Sylvie to uncover
the secrets behind the time-controlling agency.
The first season ended with the introduction of He Who Remains, who promised his even more
dangerous variant — Kang the Conqueror — would be appearing soon.
We know Majors as Kang will first be appearing in "Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania," and
that he'll definitely be a factor in "Loki" Season 2.
The finale also stranded Loki in an alternate dimension TVA where no one knew him.
The returning cast will be joined by someone who's a Marvel rookie but a multiverse veteran
– Ke Huy Quan of "Everything Everywhere All At Once" fame.
It's also been reported that Kate Dickie of "Game of Thrones" will allegedly be playing
a villain.
However, whenever "Loki" does return, it will be in the hands of new directors.
Season 1 director Kate Herron will be replaced by Justin Benson and Aaron Moorhead.
In addition to critically acclaimed films like "Spring," "The Endless," and "Synchronic,"
the duo has previously worked on "Moon Knight," which is what reportedly landed them the "Loki" gig.
Among the more interesting projects Sony has planned for their Spidey-centric universe
is a solo vehicle starring the classic villain Sergei Kravinoff, aka Kraven the Hunter.
Descended from an aristocratic Russian bloodline, Kravinoff has dedicated his life to becoming
the world's greatest hunter, and no quarry has ever stoked his obsession quite like Spider-Man.
While we're unsure of the plot, we know the screenplay will be penned by "The Equalizer
2" scribe Richard Wenk and screenwriting duo Art Marcum and Matt Holloway.
MCU veteran Aaron Taylor-Johnson, who portrayed the ill-fated Quicksilver in "Avengers: Age
of Ultron”, will be taking on the lead role as Kraven the Hunter.
"Didn't see that coming."
In addition to the solo film, Taylor-Johnson reportedly signed on for appearances in multiple
other movies as well, indicating that the Kraven film is likely to be just the beginning
of the character's arc in the Sony Spider-verse.
Joining Taylor-Johnson in "Kraven the Hunter" will be Oscar nominee Ariana DeBose as the
voodoo priestess, and possible Kraven love interest, Calypso, Fred Hechinger as Kraven's
half-brother Chameleon, and Christopher Abbott as the mercenary assassin the Foreigner, who
will act as the film's villain.
Oscar winner Russell Crowe, who made his MCU debut as Zeus in "Thor: Love and Thunder,"
will also be appearing in the film in an undisclosed role, as will Levi Miller and Alessandro Nivola.
"Kraven the Hunter" will be helmed by "Triple Frontier" director J.C. Chandor, and is scheduled
to hit theaters October 6, 2023.
Mutant fans, get excited for "X-Men '97," a revival of the popular '90s animated series.
This marks Marvel Studio's first confirmed X-Men-centered project, which is currently
slated for the fall of 2023 with 10 episodes.
It hails from head writer/executive producer Beau DeMayo, who's previously worked on "The
Witcher" and "Moon Knight."
And the creative team behind the original show — director Larry Houston and showrunners
Eric and Julia Lewald — will be consulting on the series.
Along with a cast of newcomers, "X-Men '97" will feature the return of the original voice cast.
Some are set to reprise their roles from the original series, while others have been tapped
for new characters.
Images of first-look concept art have confirmed the appearances of Wolverine, Rogue, Gambit,
Cyclops, Jubilee, Storm, Jean Grey, and Beast.
Ahead of its long-awaited debut, it's also been announced that "X-Men '97" will be receiving
a second season.
In a surprising and delightful announcement in October 2021, Marvel revealed that a "WandaVision"
spinoff starring Kathryn Hahn's witchy Agatha Harkness was in the works for Disney+.
In "WandaVision," Hahn spent the first half of the series playing Wanda and Vision's nosy
neighbor Agnes, who played along with Wanda's sitcom scenarios.
However, it was ultimately revealed that Agnes was actually a centuries-old witch named Agatha
Harkness who'd been secretly pulling strings behind the scenes of Wanda's picture-perfect,
TV-ready town.
"Lovely to finally meet you."
While in the comics, Agatha was a wise, elderly witch who even served as a magical mentor
to Wanda for a time, in the MCU, Agatha is an ambitious and power-hungry villain who
absorbed the power of her coven and has used it to sustain herself for centuries.
After a sky-high showdown with Wanda in the "WandaVision" finale, Agatha was ultimately
trapped by the Scarlet Witch inside Westview, her mind altered to lock her in her Agnes
persona, even as Wanda released the rest of the town's residents.
Marvel hasn't yet announced whether the Agatha series will take place prior to Agatha's adventures
in Westview or pick up sometime later, presumably after she's managed to shake off Wanda's enchantment
and regain her powers.
However, we suspect the latter, as Emma Caulfield Ford will reprise her role as Westview resident
Dottie and Debra Jo Rupp will return as well, most likely as Mrs. Hart from "WandaVision."
Deadline has reported that Aubrey Plaza of "Parks and Recreation" fame is set to join
the show, possibly as the villain of the series.
Jac Schaeffer of "WandaVision" fame will serve as showrunner, and we also expect things to
get musical.
Kathryn Hahn said to TV Line,
"Who knows, there may be a little song here or there ... but no one is saying about that
— certainly not me!"
In addition to returning as the director for the untitled "Shang-Chi” sequel and “Avengers:
The Kang Dynasty”, Destin Daniel Cretton's newest deal with Marvel Studios includes the
development of a brand new MCU series, which was previously speculated as a "Shang-Chi" spinoff.
However, according to The Hollywood Reporter, Cretton's secret MCU project is actually a
live-action TV adaptation of "Wonder Man," a Marvel superhero created by Stan Lee, Don
Heck, and Jack Kirby.
Wonder Man, aka Simon Williams, is known as one of Marvel's oldest heroes.
In the comics, Simon is a celebrity by day and a superhero by night.
He gained his powers through an ionic energy experiment done by Baron Zemo, allowing him
to have superhuman abilities such as strength, speed, agility, durability, and more.
Joining Cretton in developing the Disney+ series is "Brooklyn Nine-Nine" producer Andrew
Guest, who will serve as the head writer.
Meanwhile, Cretton is expected to executive produce and direct one or multiple episodes.
The outlet notes that the project is still in the early stages of development and might
potentially start filming in 2023.
Even before the "Wonder Man" series was confirmed, speculation about the hero's potential MCU
debut was stoked after fans spotted a picture of Wonder Man in one of the behind-the-scenes
featurettes for "WandaVision."
Given the hero's history with Wanda Maximoff, it's likely that Marvel Studios might have
initially planned to include Wonder Man in the series.
In the comics, the character is also closely linked with Vision, so it's always possible
that Paul Bettany's new White Vision might show up soon.
Whether or not Vision appears, we do know who will be playing the titular character
— the one and only Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, who's appeared in major projects like "Aquaman,"
"The Matrix Resurrections," and "The Get Down."
We also know that at least one memorable MCU character is making his return.
According to Variety, Sir Ben Kingsley will be reprising his role as the lovable if troublesome
thespian Trevor Slattery.
We last saw Trevor in "Shang-Chi," where he accompanied the titular hero into the magical
realm of Ta Lo.
It makes sense that Trevor would be returning here as both he and Simon Williams are actors,
and it also marks Kingsley's reunion with Cretton.
As the casts for the various Disney+ MCU shows continue to be fleshed out, doors are opening
for other series featuring some of these new characters.
Such is the case with a new series centered around the character of Echo, who was introduced
in 2021's "Hawkeye."
In the comics, Maya Lopez, aka Echo, is a deaf Native American woman who's raised by
the villainous Kingpin after he kills her father.
Echo has the ability to perfectly mimic other people's movements, similar to Taskmaster.
She's also an accomplished athlete and acrobat, as well as an expert markswoman.
In "Hawkeye," Echo is played by newcomer Alaqua Cox, where she's a high-ranking member of
the Tracksuit Mafia seeking vengeance against Clint Barton's alter ego, Ronin.
Her backstory in the series remained largely the same as in the comics, including her close
relationship with Vincent D'Onofrio's Kingpin, who was first introduced to audiences in Netflix's
"Daredevil" series.
Although Echo appeared to have killed Kingpin in the final episode of "Hawkeye," The Hollywood
Reporter has announced that the crime lord will return for Maya's upcoming series.
Plus, we'll also see Charlie Cox reprising his role as Daredevil, who's a close associate
of Echo's in the comics.
There are also rumors that Krysten Ritter's Jessica Jones will appear as well.
Deadline has also reported that Devery Jacobs of "Reservation Dogs" will be playing a lead character.
Also rumored to be joining Alaqua Cox in an undisclosed role is celebrated actor Graham
Greene, who received an Academy Award nomination for his performance in "Dances With Wolves"
and previously starred alongside MCU actors Jeremy Renner and Elizabeth Olsen in 2017's
"Wind River."
Filling up the cast with more Indigenous actors lines up with reports that the show will see
Maya go back to her hometown to reconnect with her Native American roots.
Echo's comics storylines also significantly intersect with Moon Knight's, who led his
own Disney+ show.
Additionally, in the comics, Echo was the first person to carry the mantle of Ronin
before Clint Barton took it over — although in the MCU, Barton was the original vigilante,
whose actions directly impacted Maya Lopez's life.
We don't yet know if these comics details will make an appearance in the show.
The showrunner for the series is Marion Dayre, who's also worked on "Better Call Saul," "Shantaram,"
and "The Act."
Speaking with the "Writers Panel" podcast, Dayre revealed the show wouldn't hit Disney+
until December 2023.