Natalie Portman is set to be the female Thor and Mahershala Ali is the next Blade, but that isn't the only big news Marvel had to announce this weekend.
It was a busy weekend for Marvel, with studio chief Kevin Feige taking to the stage to announce that Avengers: Endgame will overtake Avatar as the highest grossing movie of all time, not adjusted for inflation, once this weekend's figures are in, and also confirming what we already knew: "The Infinity saga is over."
Feige went on to finally reveal release dates for a number of films in the upcoming Phase Four of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. He was joined on stage for a panel discussion by several cast members, including Angelina Jolie, Salma Hayek, who will star as Thena and Ajax in The Eternals, Nathalie Portman – making a surprise return to the MCU as a female Thor, Scarlett Johansson, whose Black Widow will be the first new movie to hit screens on May 1 2020, and Simu Liu, who will take the title role as Marvel's first Asian lead in Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings.
There was also a big surprise reveal with the news that Blade is to be rebooted, with Moonlight's Mahershala Ali taking on the role of the vampire hunter played by Wesley Snipes in three previous films between 1998 and 2004.
Feige also revealed details of a slew of shows that will land on the forthcoming Disney+ streaming service and tie into the main cinematic universe, including Elizabeth Olsen's Scarlet Witch in WandaVision, which will lead directly into the Doctor Strange theatrical sequel. Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness will be directed by horror guru Scott Derrickson, who described the film as "Marvel's first scary movie."
Just when fans thought they'd had their fill of Marvel goodness, Feige ended to panel by teasing a number of forthcoming movies that don't yet have release dates, and that he didn't have time to talk about, including Black Panther 2, Captain Marvel 2, a new Fantastic Four movie, and a series of 'movies about mutants (presumably code for the X-Men, now a Disney property following its takeover of 20th Century Fox).
The confirmed 2020-2021 Marvel slate in full is:
Black Widow (May 1, 2020
Scarlett Johansson finally gets her long-awaited standalone movie as the biologically enhanced Russian assassin. Berlin Syndrome's Cate Shortland directs.
The Falcon and the Winter Soldier (Disney+, Autumn, 2020)
Anthony Mackie and Sebastian Stan will lead the first Marvel spin off to air on Disney+. Mackie's Falcon inherited the Captain America mantle at the end of Endgame, so we're guessing this could be a prequel.
Eternals (November 6, 2020)
Move over Avengers, The Eternals are in town, and Salma Hayak promised the Comic Con audience that the planet-protecting team will be Marvel's most diverse to date.
Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings (Feb. 12, 2021)
Talking of diversity, Marvel will get its first Asian lead on screens in 2021, when Chinese-Canadian actor Simu Liu plays martial arts expert, and son of Fu Manchu, Shang-Chi. In the comics, Shan-Chi eventually joins The Avengers, so one to watch out for there perhaps.
WandaVision (Disney+, Spring 2021)
WandaVision will take place in the aftermath of Endgame, and follow Scarlet Witch (Elizabeth Olsen's) struggles to come to terms with the death of her lover, Vision (Paul Bettany) in that film. It also promises to be a lead in to the second Dr Strange film.
Loki (Disney+, Spring 2021)
Norse trickster Loki returns to play havoc with his own movie. Feige revealed that this will be the 2012 version of the character, who in Endgame stole an Infinity Stone, but it will take place after Endgame.
Doctor Strange and the Multiverse of Madness (May 7, 2021)
Benedict Cumberbatch's Dr Strange and Elizabeth Olsen's Scarlet Witch are set to take the spotlight in the second Dr Strange standalone, which director Scott Derrickson has hinted will be closer to a horror film than most Marvel fare.
What If…? (Disney+, Summer 2021)
Few details have been revealed about this animated series, but we know Westworld's Jeffrey Wright will voice the all-seeing Watcher, and a number of MCU actors will reprise their roles in animated form to take a look at alternate timelines for the existing MCU.
Hawkeye (Disney+, Fall 2021)
Hawkeye, the superhero with no discernible superpowers, has long been the butt of fan jokes, so it seems appropriate that his spin off series will focus on the trials of being a superhero with no superpowers.
Thor: Love and Thunder (Nov. 5, 2021)
The next Thor film looks set to follow the adventures of Valkyrie, now King of Asgaard after Thor joined the Guardians of the Galaxy at the end of Endgame. Natalie Portman also returns in a nod to recent comic storylines, as a female Thor.
