With the release of Marvel’s The Guardians of the Galaxy: Holiday Special in December 2023, Phase 4 of the MCU will come to an end. A highly controversial and mixed phase of the MCU will finally complete its journey, and (perhaps) new hope will be reborn with the arrival of 2023. There are a number of projects that Marvel is poised to offer its fans. throughout 2023 – whether as theatrical films or as a series/show for Disney+. Let’s take a look at the top 5 Marvel 2023 projects we’re most excited about.
5. Heart of Iron (Fall 2023)
Marvel is about to introduce a new young superheroine in her own solo series – Ironheart. We know that Riri Williams, aka Ironheart, was originally going to have her own movie. Instead, Marvel decided to give it a six-episode series slated to premiere in the fall of 2023. This series would have been further below that ranking, but by Dominique Thorne first performance as Riri Williams (aka Ironheart) in Black Panther: Wakanda Forever changed that.
Thorne played the character with great devotion and fun and managed to add the energy of young blood to the film. There’s still a lot that isn’t known about Thorne’s character, like her backstory, motivation, and origins (except for the fact that she’s a prodigal technological genius like Tony Stark). Little is known about the plot at this time, but we do know that the show will continue the events of Black Panther: Wakanda Forever. Now that audiences have seen her abilities, they’re surely very excited to learn more about her and see how she’ll play out in the future of the MCU. The series will also feature Anthony Ramos as an evil magician – The Hood and Sacha Baron Cohen like the cunning Marvel devil – Mephisto.
4. Secret Invasion (early 2023)
Secret Invasion supplants Ironheart in the rankings only because Marvel Studios had already released the first teaser trailer for the series. The teaser promised the return of many fan favorites like – by Samuel L. Jackson Nick Fury, Cobie Smulders Maria Hill, and by Ben Mendelsohn Talos. The teaser also showed that the series will likely see Marvel return to the beloved tone of movies like Captain America: The Winter Soldier.
The six-episode miniseries is set to premiere in early 2023 on Disney+. The series promises to be the biggest crossover even since Endgame and will also star Emilia Clarke, Olivia Colmanand Kingsley BenAdir in yet unknown roles. The series’ official premise reads – Fury and Talos attempt to stop the Skrulls who have infiltrated the highest reaches of the Marvel Universe.
3. Loki Season 2 (Summer 2023)
Other than Marvel’s Phase 4 animated show “What If…?”, the only series that has officially been greenlit for its second season is – Loki. At the end of the first season of Loki, the female variant of Loki – Sylvie (Sophie DiMartino) kill the one who remains (Jonathan Majors) leading the Sacred Timeline to shatter into several unstable branches. And towards the end, Loki arrives in an alternate timeline where his friend Mobius (Owen Wilson) no longer recognize it.
Tom Hiddleston has always been the fan-favorite anti-hero of the Marvel Universe ever since he emerged. The first season was full of surprises and twists, it also managed to expand the Marvel Universe to a much wider spectrum. Season two will presumably pick up where the first season left off and is now set to premiere in the summer of 2023.
2. Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 (May 2023)
James Gunn breathed new life into the MCU by introducing once unrecognizable characters like Star-Lord, Drax, Groot, Nebula, Gamora, and Rocket. He directed Guardians of the Galaxy and Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2, but due to the reappearance of some very old tweets by the director himself, he had to part ways with Disney and Marvel. However, Kevin Feige (Marvel Studio’s head honcho) convinced him to return once more in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3. The film is set to hit theaters in May 2023. The Guardians will continue their cosmic adventures of Thor: Love and Thunder and will likely see them deal with issues like – grief over the loss of Gamora and Yondu, the search for Gamora’s variant, and will see them facing a new threat – Adam Warlock (Will Poulter).
Gunn has previously stated in an interview that this film will be his last outing “with the current Guardians team” because after the film’s release, he will be returning to DC studios. This further heightened public interest. Exclusive footage from the film was previously shown at this year’s Comic-Con, but it hasn’t been released online yet. The film also stars Chris Pratt, Zoe Saldana and Dave Bautista. The film’s official premise reads – Still reeling from the loss of Gamora, Peter Quill rallies his team to defend the universe and one of their own – a mission that could spell the end of the Guardians if it fails.
1. Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania (February 2023)
High on our list is obviously – Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania. It officially launches phase 5 of the MCU and will continue the story of At Paun Rudd’s Ant-Man in the Multiverse Saga. Along with Paul, big names like Michael Douglas, Evangelina Lily, Jonathan Majors and Michelle Pfeiffer have also joined the cast. Catherine Newton will make her MCU debut as the daughter of Scott (Cassie) in the film. Bill Murray will also have a surprising appearance in the film. The studio has also released a trailer for the film and from the looks of it, this time our little superhero is about to embark on one of his grandest and most dangerous adventures yet.
Major’s Kang will likely be the main antagonist and true string-puller behind all the multiversal madness unfolding in the MCU so far, and we can’t wait to see his badass side in the film. It’s also rumored that longtime Marvel comic villain MODOK will also be making his live-action debut in the film, giving fans all the more reason to be excited about the film. Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania is scheduled for release in February 2023.