After the well received Endgame (2019), Marvel fans eagerly awaited the next phase of films to grow the Marvel Cinematic Universe. MCU did not disappoint in 2021.

Right into the new year, Marvel released TV shows for the first time. These included the Emmy nominated Wanda Vision, Falcon and the Winter Soldier, and Loki. 

“I really like how Marvel is exploring characters in different formats. For example, I loved how Wandavision came to life,” says PR junior Vedika Shah. “Additionally, I like how Marvel is entertaining and educational by addressing social issues like racism and classism in the Falcon and the Winter Soldier.” 

All the shows were clearly well received and built excitement for larger projects like Black Widow and Shang-Chi in 2021. The universe is expanding.

What If?

Another Marvel TV show that is currently streaming on Disney+ is one of the first animated Marvel shows. It warps the beloved Marvel universe and poses the audience the question of “what if?” The first episode starts out with a bang, giving the audience the question of what if Peggy Carter had been given the supersoldier serum and not Steve Rogers, or as most people know him, Captain America. Captivating and charming, What If explores the infinite possibilities of the space-time continuum leaving the audience eager for the next episode to see what could have been.

Eternals

This new release coming to theaters November 5th, directed by Oscar winner Chloe Zhao, is about god-like beings sent down to save the crumbling humanity from deviants. The star studded cast includes Angelina Jolie, Berry Keoghan, Salma Hayek, and Lauren Ridloff. After Disney+’s release of Loki and the introduction of deviants, the public is anticipating great things for this movie. 

“I’m most excited about the new characters that Eternals is going to introduce and I’m excited to see new actors introduced to the Marvel universe like Harry Styles and Angelina Jolie,” said Elise Scherrer, a junior at Prairie Ridge. 

Hawkeye

This winter Disney+ is dropping yet another Marvel show. Hawkeye primarily focuses on Hawkeye’s protege, Kate Bishop played by Hailee Seinfeld. After Black Widow’s after credit scene where Yelena Belova, played by Florence Pugh, was offered revenge on Hawkeye for allegedly killing her sister, Natasha Romanoff, Marvel has geared people up for the ultimate showdown between the two newest characters in the universe, Yelena and Kate. 

Spider-Man: No Way Home

The long-awaited finale in the Spider-Man trilogy will finally be in theaters December 17th. In the last Spider-Man film when Spider-Man was revealed to be Peter Parker, fans were eager for how the next film would pick up this cliffhanger. 

Everyone’s favorite actors will be reprising their roles with Tom Holland as Spider-Man, Zendaya as MJ, Jacob Batalon as Ned, and a new addition to the Spider-Man films, Benedict Cumberbatch as Doctor Strange. 

There is speculation that this movie explores the entirety of the Spider Verse and fans have theorized that Toby Mcguire and Andrew Garfield will reprise their roles as previous versions of Peter Parker and create a tear in the multiverse. 

“I think all three of them brought different qualities to Peter Parker and Spider-man, so it would be cool to compare them while they share the screen,” says senior Alicia Sosnowski. 

Most of the plot has been predicted by fans, but all Marvel fans are gearing up for this final Spider-Man film.

Marvel is bringing a lot for its clientele for the last half of 2021 and the public hopes that Marvel will not disappoint and allow them to “marvel” at the new releases.