Outside of the sadly unloved Agents of SHIELD and the now denounced Netflix series, Marvel Studios have mostly stayed away from the small screen end of things. All of that’s changing now with
Here’s a rundown of the series end of things. Check out our other article for more about the movies coming up.
The Falcon and the Winter Soldier
While the movie line-up for 2020 seems a little lighter than the initially planned three movies a year, The Falcon and the Winter Soldier marks the very first 100% Marvel Studio’s series.
Where The Defenders were jointly produced with Netflix, and Agents of SHIELD eternally hung in continuity-limbo, The Falcon and Winter Soldier will finally be official canon in the form of a series.
Featuring both Anthony Mackie and Sebastian Stan reprising their MCU roles (thought Anthony Mackie would arguably be Captain America now), the more interesting name attached is Daniel Bruhl who was introduced as Helmut Zemo in Captain America: Civil War.
Having been the instigator of the MCU‘s civil war, even when last seen, Zemo was confident that his actions would have repercussions beyond that one event. While things between the two ends of the Avengers have been settled (probably ’cause half of team Tony is dead), only time will tell if Zemo has more up his sleeve.
WandaVision
Quite possibly the second most underused character (coming in second after her accent), Scarlet Witch has arguably been one of the most potentially interesting characters in both comics and movies.
Also, one of the most powerful.
While we haven’t entirely seen the full scope of her powers in the movie, Wanda’s reality-altering abilities have been the stuff of Marvel Comics sale tactics legends! With enough power to spawn a whole slew of new #1s as well as pain Thanos, the character clearly has miles to be explored.
And if you’re a fan of Tom King’s run on Vision, you’d know the direction for this show could be pretty interesting.
We fully expect to see a broken Wanda altering reality to allow for a happy life with Vision, only for it to wreak havoc across existence. In addition to Paul Bettany, expect cameos from Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Jeremy Renner, and Benedict Cumberbatch who might also facilitate Olsen’s shift over to Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness!
Loki
So this one’s a bit of a “meh” for me. While I’m definitely looking forward to it, I was hoping to see the God of Mischief return by way of reincarnation following his death at the hands of Thanos in Infinity War. Stuck in his now mortal (and child) form, the premise would have been a great avenue for both humour and demented darkness as the machinations of Loki manifest through the actions of a child.
Cast Young Sheldon’s Iain Armitage as Loki, with Tom Hiddleston playing the child’s own perception of himself, and we’d have been good to go.
Unfortunately, we’re probably gonna get a show about Loki doing things following his escape from the Avengers during Endgame‘s little visit to 2012… which still MAKES NO SENSE!
UPDATE: Loki is said to be set during the events of Endgame. So perhaps the series may restore the character back to where he should have always been… and maintain his death.
What If…?
If this series of firsts weren’t already enough, here’s another: the MCU’s first animated series!
Seemingly adapting the popular series featuring alternate takes on the heroes and events we’re familiar with, What If…? will also feature returning talents from the films’ cast and Westworld’s Jeffrey Wright bringing to life the much anticipated Watcher.
While this would honestly function as a standalone series (consisting of standalone episodes), it would be pretty awesome to have each episode portray a portion of a fractured multiverse caused by Wanda due to the events of WandaVision. And given the timing of that and this, as well as the Doctor Strange sequel, it’s possible that the three of them may tie into a reality-bending set-up for Dormammu.
Hawkeye
Been feeling the lack of Hawkeye love since Infinity War? Well you wouldn’t be the only one.
Initially announced as Hawkeyes, the series still seems to be headed towards introducing next gen Hawkeye Kate Bishop. Though Endgame seemed to have hinted to Clint Barton’s daughter eventually assuming the role, it sounds like the series will be sticking to it comic book roots.
We’re hoping this is set in the 5 years between Infinity War and Endgame, and offer a look at Clint’s spiral into darkness as Ronin, and portray his relationship with an apprentice who may eventually assume the moniker instead.
Also, expect people to suddenly start buying up copies of Matt Fraction’s and David Aja’s run of Hawkeye just based off how the title card looks.
Blade
The final nail in the Netflix-Marvel series of shows, the casting of Mahershala Ali as the Daywalker is all but an official declaration that the two universes exist separately.
Having played Cottonmouth in Luke Cage, Ali’s involvement in Blade would, by the laws of all that is natural, indicate that the Netflix property does not coexist with the MCU despite its best efforts.
While the original Blade trilogy ended on an abysmal note (thanks, Goyer), any new iteration would still be faced with the momentous task of living up to Wesley Snipes’ take on the character.