Every Marvel Studios Movie and Disney+ Project in 2023 and Beyond

On Disney+

Samuel L. Jackson, Ben Mendelson, Cobie Smulders, Martin Freeman, and Don Cheadle will return to bring life the 2008 comics storyline about a cadre of shapeshifting Skrulls who have infiltrated Earth and (allegedly) replaced many beloved superheroes. Emilia Clarke, Olivia Colman and Kingsley Ben-Adir (“One Night in Miami”) will also appear, with Ben-Adir slotted to be the main villain — the Skrull mounting the full-scale invasion of the planet. Clarke will play the grown daughter of Mendelson’s Talos from “Captain Marvel.”

Kyle Bradstreet (“Mr. Robot”) created the show, and Thomas Bezucha (“Let Him Go”) and Ali Selim (“The Looming Tower”) are directing.

MCU Tie-In: Unclear beyond the actors already returning to the series, but Feige has teased that this is the MCU’s most ambitious crossover event since the “Avengers” movies, so expect appearances from characters in other MCU titles.

On Disney+

In the Season 1 finale of “Loki,” the titular god of mischief (Tom Hiddleston) and his female counterpart — and first true love — Sylvie (Sophia Di Martino) confront the mysterious mastermind behind the Time Variance Authority, a man known as He Who Remains (Jonathan Majors). By the end, Sylvie fractures the timeline into the multiverse by killing He Who Remains, after she boots Loki into another reality entirely, one in which his TVA bff Mobius (Owen Wilson) doesn’t even recognize him.

That’s one heck of a cliffhanger! While Marvel did immediately announce that “Loki” is returning for Season 2, we do not yet know when the show will return, or who, beyond Hiddleston, is set to reprise their roles. One possible clue: He Who Remains’ formidable variant Kang the Conqueror will also almost certainly factor into whatever happens — so the question is whether “Loki” Season 2 would stream before or after Kang’s previously announced appearance in “Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania,” which is set to open in July 2023.

Production is expected to start on Season 2 in mid-2022, with Season 1 writer Eric Martin penning all the episodes and “Moon Knight” directors Justin Benson and Aaron Moorhead directing the majority of the episodes.

MCU Tie-In: Other than Kang, unclear. One tantalizing possibility, however, is that with the MCU split into all kinds of variant realities, several of Loki’s dear departed family, friends, and enemies could reappear back into his life — from his beloved mother Frigga (Rene Russo) to his murder victim Phil Coulson (Clark Gregg). Only time will tell!

In Theaters

Nia DaCosta (“Candyman”) will direct the sequel to the $1.1 billion-grossing sensation “Captain Marvel,” starring Brie Larson. The new title, however, makes clear that this won’t just be a story about Carol Danvers, and will instead be a small-scale all-female team-up adventure. Megan McDonnell (“WandaVision”) wrote the script.

MCU Tie-In: “Ms. Marvel” star Iman Vellani will co-headline the project as Kamala Khan, who idolizes Captain Marvel. And Teyonah Parris will appear as the adult Monica Rambeau, who transformed into an enhanced superhero during the run of “WandaVision,” which ended with an invitation by the Skrulls for Monica to go to space.

On Disney+

As Variety first reported in March 2021, Alaqua Cox will star in this “Hawkeye” spin-off series as Maya Lopez, a deaf Native American superhero who can perfectly copy her opponents in battle. The show is the first standalone superhero series about a Native American character.

As such, the central cast of the series is made up of indigenous actors, including Zahn McClarnon (“Reservation Dogs”), reprising his role as Maya’s father, and Native American acting legend Graham Greene (“Dances With Wolves,” “Wind River,” “1883”). Also among the cast: Chaske Spencer (“Wild Indian”), Tantoo Cardinal (“Killers of the Flower Moon”), Devery Jacobs (“Reservation Dogs”) and Cody Lightning (“Hey, Viktor!”).

Sydney Freeland (“Reservation Dogs,” “Star Trek: Strange New Worlds”) and Catriona McKenzie (“The Walking Dead,” “Shining Vale”) are directing.

In a first for Marvel, all six episodes of the show will premiere at the same time.

MCU Tie-In: Maya will encounter her old boss, Kingpin (Vincent D’Onofrio), who first wreaked havoc on Netflix’s “Daredevil” series and reemerged in December 2021 on “Hawkeye.” Given that Daredevil’s alter-ego Matt Murdock popped up in “Spider-Man: No Way Home” and on “She-Hulk: Attorney at Law,” chances are he could show up on this series, too.

Also, in the Marvel comics, Echo has also crossed paths with Moon Knight and the Avengers, and figures in the Secret Invasion storyline, so she may end up in several MCU series.

In Theaters

“The Falcon and the Winter Soldier” head writer Malcolm Spellman and staff writer Dalan Musson are writing the script that will continue the story of Sam Wilson (Anthony Mackie) from “FAWS,” after he finally takes up the mantle of Captain America in the show’s finale, sporting a new red-white-and-blue costume — and falcon wings — courtesy of Wakanda.

Julius Onah (“Luce,” “The Cloverfield Paradox”) is directing the film, which finds Sam fighting the good fight without the support of the Avengers, who disbanded in the wake of “Endgame.” Also returning from “FAWS” are Carl Lumbly as Isaiah Bradley, a.k.a. the first Black supersoldier (who told Sam in “FAWS” that the U.S. would never accept a Black Captain America), and Danny Ramirez as Joaquín Torres, who inherits the Falcon moniker from Sam. Shira Haas (“Unorthodox”) joins the cast as Ruth Bat-Seraph, a.k.a. Sabra. In the comics, Sabra is a mutant who works as an agent of the Israeli Mossad, but a spokesperson for Marvel tells Variety that the filmmakers are taking “a new approach” with the character.

MCU Tie-In: Tim Blake Nelson will play Samuel Sterns, a.k.a. The Leader, a character that dates alllllllll the way back to 2008’s “The Incredible Hulk.” In that film, Emil Blonsky (Tim Roth) forces Samuel to use blood samples from Bruce Banner (played by Edward Norton) to transform Emil into the Abomination. In the aftermath, some of Bruce’s blood lands on an open wound on Emils skull, transforming him into The Leader. Sixteen years later, we’ll finally see what happened next for Samuel.

Another character from “The Incredible Hulk,” Thaddeus “Thunderbolt” Ross, will appear in “New World Order” — played by Harrison Ford (!), replacing the late actor William Hurt, who originated the role and played it several times, most recently in “Black Widow.”

The Leader and Ross may not be the only MCU legacy characters to return for “New World Order,” especially since  the anti-hero team-up movie “Thunderbolts” follows just two months later, which features disgraced former Captain America John Walker (Wyatt Russell), a.k.a. U.S. Agent, and the shadowy operative Contessa Valentina Allegra de Fontaine (Julia Louis-Dreyfus) — two characters first introduced on “FAWS.” And then there’s the post-credits tease for “FAWS,” in which Sharon Carter (Emily VanCamp) revealed herself to be the nefarious Power Broker just as she’s pardoned and brought back into the U.S. government — what’s to become of her?

In Theaters

Marvel Studios’ answer to DC’s Suicide Squad, “Thunderbolts” is a team of anti-heroes — or reformed villains, depending on your point of view — who are formed at first to do bad but then decide to try to make up for the errors of their ways.

Jake Schreier (“Paper Towns”) will direct from a script by Eric Pearson (“Black Widow”). The team will include Sebastian Stan as Bucky Barnes (aka the Winter Soldier) from “The Falcon and the Winter Soldier” and “Captain America: The Winter Soldier”; Florence Pugh as Yelena Belova from “Black Widow” and “Hawkeye”; David Harbour as Alexei Shostakov (aka Red Guardian) from “Black Widow”; Wyatt Russell as John Walker (aka U.S. Agent) from “The Falcon and the Winter Soldier”; Hannah John-Kamen as Ava Starr (aka Ghost) from “Ant-Man and the Wasp”; Olga Kurylenko as Taskmaster from “Black Widow”; and Julia Louis-Dreyfus as Valentina Allegra de Fontaine from “Falcon and Winter Soldier” and “Black Widow.”

MCU Tie-In: All of these characters carry a lot of baggage with them from their earlier appearances, which will no doubt factor into whatever transpires in “Thunderbolts.” With “Captain America: New World Order” opening just two months earlier, one also expects Sam Wilson, aka Captain America (Anthony Mackie), could play some kind of role here. And given that Baron Zemo (Daniel Brühl) is a major character in the Thunderbolts in the comics, it’s easy to imagine he could pop up, as well.

In Theaters

Back when he was making the Marvel series “Luke Cage” for Netflix, Mahershala Ali made it known to Marvel Studios that he wanted to star in a remake of “Blade,” the superhero franchise about the sword-wielding half-vampire first headlined by Wesley Snipes (and credited by many for paving the way for the superhero cinema renaissance). Marvel, smartly, said yes.

Stacy Osei-Kuffour (HBO’s “Watchmen”) has been tapped to write the screenplay. Yann Demange (“Lovecraft Country”) will direct, replacing filmmaker Bassam Tariq (“Mogul Mowgli”) who departed the project in September 2022, two months before it was scheduled to begin filming. Disney subsequently pushed “Blade” from 2023 to 2024.

MCU Tie-In: Unclear, but Ali did make an audio-only cameo in one of the post-credits scenes in “Eternals” with Kit Harington’s Dane Whitman.

In Theaters

While Fox’s “X-Men” movies officially ended with the twin flops of “Dark Phoenix” and “The New Mutants” prior to the sale to Disney, the two “Deadpool” spin-off films remain the most financially successful “X-Men” movies ever made, earning $1.57 billion combined. Which could help explain why Feige confirmed to Collider in Jan. 2021 that star Ryan Reynolds is “overseeing” a new script for “Deadpool 3,” which will be set within the MCU and will still be rated R.

There was no more news for over a year, and then in March 2022, Reynolds announced that regular collaborator Shawn Levy (“Free Guy,” “The Adam Project”) will direct the film. Regular “Deadpool” screenwriters Rhett Reese and Paul Wernick are writing it.

Oh, and, in September 2022, Reynolds announced that Hugh Jackman will return as Wolverine again.

MCU Tie-In: Deadpool and Wolverine have never been a part of the MCU before, but if Jackman’s return is any indication, shoehorning Reynolds’ fourth-wall-breaking mutant anti-hero into the MCU promises to be wiiiiiiiiild.

On Disney+

Dominique Thorne (“If Beale Street Could Talk,” “Judas and the Black Messiah”) will play Riri Williams, who, in the comics, is an engineering prodigy who develops her own supersuit similar to Tony Stark’s Iron Man.

Screenwriter, poet, playwright, and educator Chinaka Hodge (“Amazing Stories,” “Snowpiercer”) will serve as head writer. Sam Bailey (“Dear White People”) and Angela Barnes (“Blindspotting”) are dividing directing duties, and Proximity — the production company co-founded by “Black Panther” filmmaker Ryan Coogler — is producing with Marvel Studios.

Anthony Ramos (“In the Heights”) plays Parker Robbins, aka The Hood, who starts as an ally of Riri’s but winds up as an antagonist — dabbling in the dark arts will do that. The cast also includes Lyric Ross (“This Is Us”), Manny Montana (“Good Girls”), Alden Ehrenreich (“Solo”) and Shea Couleé (“RuPaul’s Drag Race”).

MCU Tie-In: Williams first appeared in 2022’s “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever,” and Jim Rash will reprise his role as the Dean of MIT from 2016’s “Captain America: Civil War.”

On Disney+

As Variety first reported, Kathryn Hahn will star in this “WandaVision” spin-off series about Agatha Harkness, the witch she played to Emmy-nominated perfection. “WandaVision” head writer Jac Schaeffer will write and executive produce the show, part of her overall deal with Marvel Studios and 20th Television. In keeping with Hahn’s performance, the new show — which was initially titled “House of Harkness” but by all rights should be titled “Agatha All Along” — will be a dark comedy. Joe Locke (“Heartstopper”) will costar in an unspecified role, and Emma Caulfield Ford will reprise her role of Dottie from “WandaVision.”

MCU Tie-In: Unclear, though Agatha’s connection to Wanda Maximoff (Elizabeth Olsen) certainly seems to provide ample storytelling possibilities, especially since, when we last saw Agatha, she’d been trapped by Wanda in her sitcom persona of Agnes, the quintessential sitcom nosy neighbor. Schaeffer is also developing a second “WandaVision” spin-off focusing on Paul Bettany’s Vision (more on that series below).

On Disney+

After “Daredevil” ran for three seasons on Netflix through 2018, Matt Murdock (Charlie Cox) faded back into the shadows once the streamer cut ties with Marvel in advance of the debut of Disney+. After Murdock popped up again as Peter Parker’s lawyer in 2021’s “Spider-Man: No Way Home” — and his nemesis, Kingpin (Vincent D’Onofrio), reemerged the same month as the lead villain on “Hawkeye” — there was a great deal of anticipation that the Man Without Fear would return to fight crime again.

In May 2022, Variety reported that Matt Corman and Chris Ord (“Covert Affairs”) signed up to write and executive produce a new “Daredevil” series, which will unfold over 18 episodes in its first season — triple the usual number for a drama series in the MCU.

MCU Tie-In: Unclear, but on “Hawkeye,” we learned that Clint Barton (Jeremy Renner) and especially Maya Lopez (Alaqua Cox) had a complicated relationship with Kingpin, so either of those characters could factor on the show. Matt’s burgeoning relationship with Jennifer Walters (Tatiana Maslany), a.k.a. the title hero of “She-Hulk: Attorney at Law,” could also play a role.

The biggest burning question, however, is whether any of the other characters from Netflix’s Marvel shows — Jessica Jones (Krysten Ritter), Mike Colter (Luke Cage), Danny Rand a.k.a. Iron Fist (Finn Jones), or Frank Castle a.k.a. Punisher (Jon Bernthal) — will also return.

In Theaters

When Disney bought 20th Century Fox (now 20th Century Studios), Marvel fans knew instantly that it would mean that the X-Men and the Fantastic Four — the two classic Marvel franchises that had heretofore existed outside the MCU — would finally join the fold.

Matt Shakman (“WandaVision”) will direct the film. He took over from “Spider-Man” filmmaker Jon Watts, who was originally announced as the director by Feige in December 2020, but backed out of the project in April 2022, citing superhero cinema fatigue.

MCU Tie-In: Unclear, but in the comics, the Fantastic Four play a critical role in the “Secret Wars” series.

In Theaters

In the same way that “Avengers: Infinity War” lead into “Avengers: Endgame,” Phase 6 of the MCU — and the Multiverse Saga — will conclude with two “Avengers” movies, starting with this one. Destin Daniel Cretton (“Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings”) will direct. No casting has been announced.

MCU Tie-In: Given the title, it’s safe to presume that Jonathan Majors’ Kang the Conqueror will play a role.

In Theaters

In 2015, Marvel Comics published a nearly year-long miniseries called “Secret Wars,” in which an incursion between the main Marvel universe (Earth-616) and the Ultimate Marvel universe (Earth-1610) caused the destruction of both. Afterwards, many variants of Marvel characters find themselves living on a post-apocalyptic planet called Battleworld.

How the MCU will get to this point (if this is indeed the plot of the movie) remains something of a mystery, as several major players in the comic book storyline — including the Fantastic Four and their mortal enemy Victor von Doom — have yet to show up in the MCU. Equally intriguing is that following “Secret Wars,” Marvel Comics more-or-less rebooted, launching “all-new, all-different” versions of many of its most beloved titles. Most curious, indeed.

Michael Waldron (“Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness,” “Loki”) will write the screenplay.

MCU Tie-In: Given its storyline and placement at the end of the Multiverse Saga, expect all of the characters to show up in this one.

In Development for Disney+

What would happen if you lost to Tony Stark — not as a supervillain, but as a businessperson? Well, Simon Williams knows: In the comics, he’s the son of a captain of industry whose business buckles under pressure from Stark Industries. So Simon turns to Baron Zemo, who transforms him into the superhero known as Wonder Man.

“Shang-Chi” director Destin Daniel Cretton is developing the series with head writer Andrew Guest (“Brooklyn Nine-Nine,” “Community”), part of Cretton’s overall deal with Marvel Studios and Onyx Collective. Cretton may direct as well. 

Yahya Abdul-Mateen II (“Watchmen,” “Aquaman”) will play Williams.

MCU Tie-in: Ben Kingsley will reprise his role as ne’er-do-well British actor Trevor Slattery from “Iron Man 3” and “Shang-Chi.” Otherwise, unclear, though it seems unlikely that the MCU version of Zemo would be the source of Williams’ superpowers, given his abiding hatred for all superheroes everywhere.

In Theaters

In the comics, the Armor Wars storyline depicted Tony Stark’s horror when his Iron Man technology ends up in the wrong hands. With Stark dead in the MCU, Don Cheadle’s James Rhodes will headline this adaptation instead. Yassir Lester (“Black Monday”) will serve as screenwriter.

Originally developed as a Disney+ series, Marvel Studios announced in September 2022 that “Armor Wars” will be a feature film.

MCU Tie-In: At the 2022 D23 Expo, Feige said “Armor Wars” will carry over the events from the 2023 Disney+ series “Secret Invasion.”

On Disney+

In the Season 1 finale of “Loki,” several major cliffhangers from the season — which explored alternative storylines within the Marvel Studios multiverse — were effectively resolved. At least two, however, weren’t: One, the discovery by Captain Carter (voiced by Hayley Atwell) that the “Hydra Stomper” suit worn by her beloved Steve Rogers during WWII has been preserved to the present day, and someone was still inside it; and two, the appearance of an alternative Gamora (Cynthia McWilliams) wearing Thanos’ armor and teamed up with Tony Stark (Mick Wingert) in a kind of cosmic Iron Man suit.

As head writer A.C. Bradley told Variety, fans can expect both storylines to continue in Season 2, which director Bryan Andrews indicates could premiere at some time in 2022 (though Marvel Studios hasn’t made any official announcement).

The full Gamora-and-Tony storyline was supposed to be a part of Season 1, but COVID-related delays pushed that episode to Season 2.

“I think everyone’s going to be surprised by the way Gamora gets that armor, and how her relationship with Tony evolves,” Bradley says. “Because they’re obviously good friends in that bit that we see [in the Season 1 finale].”

Other alternative realities in Season 2 will include an episode set among medieval knights in 1602; “Shang-Chi” characters battling Odin and the Asgardians; and Tony Stark joining Valkyrie in a racing episode set on the planet Sakaar from “Thor: Ragnarok.”

MCU Tie-In: Bradley has been clear that the show exists within the Marvel Studios canon as part of the multiverse. How that will work is uncertain; while a version of Captain Carter did show up in “Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness,” it was not the same version as the one from “What If…?”

On Disney+

With the 20th Century Fox “X-Men” movies dead and gone following Disney’s acquisition of the studio, many fans thought Marvel Studios would first reboot the mutant superheroes in a series of live-action films or TV series.

Instead, Marvel is reviving the seminal Saturday morning “X-Men” animated series, which ran for five seasons from 1992 through 1997 and is widely considered to be the reason Fox decided to make a live-action “X-Men” movie. The series will continue the story from the original series, focusing on the mutants Rogue, Beast, Gambit, Jean Grey, Wolverine, Storm, Jubilee and Cyclops; they’ll be led by Magneto, sporting long hair and a purple suit. (On the original series finale, Prof. Charles Xavier is forced to leave Earth to be cured after a crippling attack.)

The X-Men will be joined on the show by Cable, Bishop, Forge, Morph and Nightcrawler, and they’ll be battling the Hellfire Club (non-“Stranger Things” version) with Emma Frost and Sebastian Shaw. Mr. Sinister and Bolivar Trask will also appear.

No voice cast has been announced yet. Beau DeMayo (Netflix’s “The Witcher: Nightmare of the Wolf”) will be the head writer.

MCU Tie-In: Unclear, but with the multiverse in full bloom, “X-Men ’97” doesn’t have to link up with any of the MCU, anyway.

On Disney+

Unlike the smooth, modern look of “What If…?”, this animated show will harken back to Peter Parker’s comic book origins as he begins his journey to become Spider-Man.

This version of Peter’s life will feature a bunch of new characters, including Nico Minoru, from the Runaways team; a new crush who isn’t Mary Jane or Gwen Stacey; Amadeus Cho, who becomes a new Hulk in the comics; a Wakandan exchange student; and Harry Osborn, with Harry’s father Norman serving as Peter’s mentor. (Well, at first, anyway.)

Charlie Cox will be voicing the role of Daredevil, and Doctor Strange will appear as well (though it’s unclear if Benedict Cumberbatch will voice that role). Paul F. Tompkins will voice a new character named Bentley Witman.

We’ll also see some classic Spidey villains, including Unicorn, Chameleon, Scorpion, Speed Demon, Tarantula, Rhino, Butane and Doc Ock.

Jeff Trammel (Cartoon Network’s “Craig of the Creek”) is the head writer and executive producer.

And, yes, a “Sophomore Year” season is also in the works.

MCU Tie-In: Early press materials had indicated that this show is a prequel to the Tom Holland storyline in the MCU, but details unveiled at San Diego Comic-Con 2022 — like the appearance of Harry and Norman Osborn — threw cold water on that idea. So: multiverse!

On Disney+

Pretty much everything you need to know about this animated series is right there in the title: A zombie apocalypse causes most of the Avengers to turn into super-powered, flesh-craving undead. The title comes from the 2005-2006 comic book mini-series written by, who else, “The Walking Dead” creator Robert Kirkman, with art by Sean Phillips; those comics were already loosely adapted on an episode of the first season of “What If…?”

This series will feature zombie versions of Clint Barton, Captain Marvel, Captain America (cut in half), the Abomination from “The Incredible Hulk” and “Shang-Chi,” Ghost from “Ant-Man and the Wasp,” Scarlet Witch, Okoye from “Black Panther” and Ikaris from “Eternals.” Taking them on will be Yelena Belova and Red Guardian (along with a team of Widows) from “Black Widow,” Shang-Chi and his BFF Katy, Kate Bishop from “Hawkeye,” Jimmy Woo from “Ant-Man and the Wasp” and “WandaVision,” Death Dealer from “Shang-Chi,” Ms. Marvel, and a biker gang of Skrulls from “Captain Marvel.”

“What If…?” director Bryan Andrews is also directing this show, with Zeb Wells (“Robot Chicken”) serving as head writer and executive producer.

MCU Tie-In: Unclear.

In Development for Disney+

In Feb. 2021, Disney announced that “Black Panther” director Ryan Coogler was developing a series for Disney Plus set in the Kingdom of Wakanda, the fictional African nation that serves as the home for the Black Panther and his ruling royal family. The series is part of a multi-year overall TV deal between Coogler’s production company Proximity Media and the Walt Disney Company. The Wakanda project has not yet been ordered to a full series, but in a statement announcing the deal, Coogler hinted that it was not the only MCU-based series Proximity is developing for Disney Plus.

“We are especially excited that we will be taking our first leap with Kevin Feige, Louis D’Esposito, Victoria Alonso and their partners at Marvel Studios where we will be working closely with them on select MCU shows for Disney+,” Coogler said. “We’re already in the mix on some projects that we can’t wait to share.”

MCU Tie-In: Unclear.

In Development

“Moon Knight” writer Sabir Pirzada is developing a project based on Nova, the intergalactic superhero tied to the Nova Corps from the Marvel Comics. It’s unclear whether this project would be a series for Disney+ or a theatrical feature.

MCU Tie-In: Unclear, though Nova Corps was a central part of 2014’s “Guardians of the Galaxy” — and we learn in 2018’s “Avengers: Infinity War” that Thanos devastated Nova Prime in order to secure one of the Infinity Stones.

In Development for Disney+

The second “WandaVision” spin-off after “Agatha: Coven of Chaos,” this series would follow the exploits of White Vision, the emotionless physical reproduction of the dearly departed Vision introduced in the final episodes of the MCU’s inaugural Disney+ series. A Marvel comic book run from the 1980s shares the same title as the show, but its events were largely covered on “WandaVision”; it’s believed the series would instead follow the new Vision as he attempts to regain his memories.

Jac Schaefer, the creator and head writer of “WandaVision” and “Agatha,” is also heading up this series, and Paul Bettany will return in the role.

MCU Tie-in: Unclear, though if anything could resurrect Wanda Maximoff from underneath the rubble of Wundagore Mountain, it’s the return of her beloved Vision. Also, the “Vision Quest” comic book run was part of the West Coast Avengers title, so the events of “Avengers: The Kang Dynasty” and “Avengers: Secret Wars” could factor in as well, depending on how quickly this show could go into production.

Premiered In Theaters

The title for the third “Ant-Man” movie refers to the infinitesimal Quantum Realm first explored in “Ant-Man and the Wasp” — and the storytelling mechanism for all the time traveling shenanigans in “Endgame.” Director Peyton Reed is returning once more, along with Paul Rudd (as Scott Lang), Evangeline Lilly (as Hope van Dyne), Michael Douglas (as Hank Pym) and Michelle Pfeiffer (as Janet van Dyne). Kathryn Newton (“Big Little Lies”) will play Cassie Lang, Scott Lang’s grown daughter. Bill Murray will play an unspecified role as an old acquaintance of Janet’s from the Quantum Realm. And Jonathan Majors (“Lovecraft Country”) will play villain Kang the Conqueror.

MCU Tie-In: Jimmy Woo (Randall Park) from “Ant-Man and the Wasp” and “WandaVision” will appear. And Majors made his MCU debut in 2021’s Disney Plus series “Loki” as a variant of Kang known as He Who Remains, whose death causes the start of the multiverse and presages Kang’s introduction. One would expect those events to tie into “Quantumania” in some fashion.

Now Playing in Theaters

Work on “Guardians Vol. 3” temporarily stalled after Disney fired Gunn from the project in 2018 after alt-right online figures highlighted old tweets of Gunn’s featuring jokes about pedophilia. Gunn expressed immediate and profound regret for the tweets, and less than a year later — after a campaign by the film’s stars to reinstate him — Disney rehired him. Chris Pratt, Zoe Saldana, Dave Bautista, Karen Gillan, and Pom Klementieff are all returning.

As for the story, one of the post-credit teasers in “Vol. 2” hinted at the creation of beloved Marvel comics mainstay Adam Warlock, who will be played by Will Poulter (“Midsommar”). Chukwudi Iwuji, who played a pivotal role on Gunn’s DC Comics adaptation “Peacemaker” for HBO Max, is playing the High Evolutionary.

MCU Tie-In: Other than references to “Endgame” and “Vol. 2,” almost none at all.