Entertainment
Get ready for so many inclusive marvels to behold. The Marvel Disney+ announcements from the 2019 D23 expo underscored perhaps some of the studio's most inclusive casts of superheroes to date. Among the new series that Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige highlighted during the Aug. 23 Disney+ First Look Showcase at D23 in Anaheim, California included: WandaVision, She-Hulk, Loki, Falcon and the Winter Soldier, Moon Knight, What If...?, and Ms. Marvel.
In WandaVision, Elizabeth Olsen will reprise her MCU role of Wanda (aka The Scarlet Witch) to explore her romance with Vision (played by Paul Bettany). Hers, of course, is just one of the many strong women who will be featured after Disney+ launches on November 12. Olsen gives the credit to Feige for that — and much more.
"I think Kevin's just always tried to be with the times. I think it's not just women ... I think it's people of color," Olsen told Variety on an Aug. 23 D23 red carpet. "Especially with all the announcements they just made at Comic-Con, all those casts are the most well-represented casts they've had yet. He knows what's going on, he wants to push everything forward. I think he's just a smart man with a good heart and a good moral compass with good values."
Here's a roundup of some of the most interesting Marvel Disney+ tidbits — including major casting announcements — from D23.
'WandaVision' (Spring 2021)
Feige revealed that the 1950s-set series is going to be “half classic sitcom and half MCU spectacular,” per Variety. The clip that Olsen and Bettany unveiled for audiences wasn't actually from the new show, but, rather, included MCU footage of the "star-crossed lovers" intermixed with scenes from '60s classics The Dick Van Dyke Show. According to Vanity Fair, the clip showed "Mary Tyler Moore's character Laura Petrie worrying that she and her husband weren’t who they thought they were."
Also appearing in WandaVision will be: Kat Dennings (as Darcy Lewis from the Thor franchise), Randall Park (as Jimmy Woo from Ant-Man and the Wasp), and Kathryn Hahn "playing the classic sitcom archetype of the "nosy neighbor.""
'Ms. Marvel' (TBA)
Kamala Khan, a Pakistani-American teen from New Jersey, will be Marvel’s first lead Muslim character when the Disney+ series premieres at a yet-to-be-announced date. Quelling fans' concerns that such a groundbreaking character will be on TV only, rather than the broader Marvel Cinematic Universe, Feige announced at D23 that Ms. Marvel will also start appearing in the studio's films as well, per MTV News.
'The Falcon and the Winter Soldier' (Fall 2020)
As reported by TVLine, there were no Falcon and the Winter Soldier clips shown at D23, but Feige did confirm that Emily VanCamp will reprise her role of Sharon Carter, the former S.H.I.E.L.D. agent and niece of Peggy Carter. In addition to MCU vets Anthony Mackie and Sebastian Stan playing the title roles, as well as Daniel Brühl returning as Captain American: Civil War villain Baron Zemo, the series will introduce Wyatt Russell as Cap's adversary, John Walker.
'What If...?' (Summer 2021)
Fans already got quite a bit of What If...? info at this year's San Diego Comic-Con. The animated series which will explore alternate realities, such as zombie Captain American taking on Black Panther's T'Challa. The big D23 reveal, however, was the Hayley Atwell's Agent Carter will become Captain America, er, Captain Carter, instead of Steve Rogers.
'Moon Knight' (TBA)
Although Feige made the exciting confirmation that Moon Knight will come to Disney+ sometime in the future, he didn't offer any additional details in terms of plot and casting. Per Polygon, however, the title character is "a former criminal turned avatar of the Egyptian moon god Khonshu (based on the actual Egyptian moon god Khonsu)." The website further explained that he "fights street level crime and generally does not socialize well with other superheroes, due to having the voice of Khonshu and two alternate personalities within his psyche."
'She-Hulk' (TBA)
Unfortunately, the She-Hulk announcement also didn't include much more information other than that the series is in the works. Marvel stans, however, know that the title character (aka Jennifer Walters) is Bruce Banner's attorney cousin, who gains her superpowers following an emergency blood transfusion. The high-powered butt-kicking possibilities are endless.
'Loki' (Spring 2021)
Although title star Tom Hiddleston did appear on a big screen via a pre-taped video, new info on the Loki-centered series was scarce. "This journey that you and I have been on isn’t over yet," he said in the video, per IndieWire. "In fact, it’s only just begun."
Per VF, Marvel did announce that director Kate Herron will helm all six episodes of a show which will, reportedly, "send Loki hopping and skipping through time and answer the questions: "where did Loki go after Endgame? Will he make a friend and will the sun shine on him again?""
After all these exciting D23 announcement, Marvel fans will now have so much to look forward to on Disney+ for years to come.