The Marvel Cinematic Universe finished off a successful 2021 with “Black Widow,” “Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings,” “Eternals” and “Spider-Man: No Way Home,” with each being nominated for an Oscar. With such a triumphant year of releases, what does Marvel have planned for 2022?

Movies 

Movie theaters are finally open after a long wait, and Marvel isn’t hesitating to seize the opportunity. The film company is quickly releasing more movies at fast rates, which are then placed onto Disney+ for viewers to watch once they leave cinemas. 

Morbius  

“Morbius” is an upcoming superhero movie starring Jared Leto as Michael Morbius. This film entails a biochemist’s attempts to cure himself of his disease. After a failed experiment, he accidentally injects himself with vampirism instead.

The release of this film has been prolonged for nearly two years, as it was set to be released in July 2020. After constant delays, “Morbius” will finally premiere on April 1, 2022.

The film is the third chapter in Sony’s Spider-Man Universe after 2018’s “Venom” and 2021’s sequel “Venom: Let There Be Carnage.” 

Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness

After his phenomenal performance in “Spider-Man: No Way Home,” Benedict Cumberbatch returns to the screen in “Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness.” After many side character appearances throughout various Marvel films, Cumberbatch will finally star in the sequel of “Doctor Strange” (2016). 

The movie will premiere on May 6, 2022 as part of phase four in the MCU series. The film will pick up from “Spider-Man: No Way Home,” when Dr. Strange casts a forbidden spell that opens a portal to the multiverse.

West Ranch Sophomore Ryan Oh said, “I’m looking forward to seeing Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness because it looks like there are gonna be a lot of new characters and old ones coming in.”

Thor: Love and Thunder 

“Thor: Love and Thunder” is an upcoming adventure/fantasy film coming to theaters on July 8, 2022. Chris Hemsworth returns on screen as Thor after his performance in “Avengers: Endgame.” Natalie Portman, also known as Jane Foster from previous films, will also return to the movie series.

Chemistry teacher and Marvel fan Mrs. Zeringue said “the movie is going to be action packed.” She also has hopes of “Thor reconnecting with Jane and [Marvel] build[ing] on that.”

After many of the original actors and actresses in the MCU finished their contract, it is signigigant in the MCU to see an original Avenger on screen. This film will also be known as the first in the MCU to have a fourth installment in a solo movie.

Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse 

Unlike other movies coming out this year, “Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse (Part 1)” is completely computer-animated. The colorful and action-packed film is set to follow Miles Morales again, with him reuniting with Gwen Stacy, evident in Marvel’s teaser released in Dec. 2021. 

However, according to an interview with Collider, filmmakers Phil Lord and Chris Miller plan to take on the sequel of “Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse” a different way. By embodying the concept of shifting through multiple dimensions, their artist team plans to seize the opportunity and give each dimension a different art style. 

Furthermore, the movie will be split into two parts. However, part two’s release date has not been announced yet. 

Black Panther: Wakanda Forever 

Marvel’s 30th film of the franchise will be starring Letita Wright as Shuri in “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever.” Known for its vast representation of African-American stars, culture and iconic playlist, fans are continuing to hype up for the late 2022 film. 

However, the film has been set back multiple times due to Chadwick Boseman’s death from colon cancer, who played Black Panther and King T’Challa. While Marvel writers have been attempting to rewrite production for the film, they promise to honor the actor respectively. 

“Considering how much of an impact the first movie made on not just black people, but all people, I’m hoping the second one has the same amazing outcome even though Chadwick Boseman will not be making an appearance,” sophomore Jibreen Saville, who loved the first film “Black Panther,” described.

Shows

With the global pandemic restricting Marvel lovers from watching new film installments in public theaters, Marvel brings the action into the living rooms of Disney+ subscribers  with several Disney+ shows. From a supernatural sitcom gone wrong to an interdimensional crisis that wrestles with the concept of freewill, these shows allow Marvel directors to test new ideas and concepts only possible on the small screen.

Moon Knight 

“Moon Knight”, the MCU’s adaptation of the popular marvel comic of the same name, follows an Egyptian based superhero with dissociative identity disorder. 

Viewers can look forward to actor Oscar Isaac’s performance as a hero struggling with his multiple identities and the plotting villains opposing him on the silver screen this March.

Disney+ day, an event roadmapping the rest of 2022 and beyond, saw Kevin Feige, the president of Marvel Studios, announcing the release of “Ms. Marvel”, “She-Hulk”, “Secret Invasion”, and “What If” season 2.

Marvel continues to release new trailers and teasers of new shows and movies. Be sure to look out for them to stay updated on upcoming releases.