Having gone from Phases consisting of six to eleven films during the Infinity Saga, the MCU's expansion onto Disney+ has opened the doors for Phase 4 to include upwards of 23 projects across theatrical releases and episodic series.
As of now, Marvel Studios appears to have six projects in front of the camera including She-Hulk, Moon Knight, Secret Invasion, The Marvels, Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania, and Black Panther: Wakanda Forever.
While the official slate is already huge, it seems Marvel Studios has plenty more tricks hidden up their sleeve if a recent report is to be believed.
MARVEL STUDIOS HAS NINE UNANNOUNCED DISNEY+ SERIES
A recent article from Charles Murphy from Murphy's Multiverse has revealed that the studio reportedly has nine unannounced Disney+ shows at various stages of development on top of the ten already confirmed.
According to the Marvel Studios insider, projects based on Ghost Rider, Nova, and Secret Warriors could possibly be among them.
WHAT ARE MARVEL'S NINE UNANNOUNCED SERIES?
Marvel Studios' post-Infinity Saga slate currently consists of 28 projects releasing across a multitude of different formats, including theatrical releases, Disney+ series, short films, and festive specials. Based on the expansive size of this slate, it's safe to say any unannounced films or series won't be released until 2024 at the earliest.
With nine unannounced Disney+ series on the way, it's hard to imagine the number of projects Marvel has in total, as the studio likely has a similar number of theatrical releases in development on top of that.
The cosmic space-cop Nova has been a highly requested character to lead a live-action solo outing for over a decade now. From the older and more experienced Richard Rider to high schooler Sam Alexander, multiple different iterations of the character have existed over the years, making it hard to predict exactly which they opt for.
Marvel Studios has so far used its Disney+ platform to explore a variety of unique genres, so a buddy cop show in space starring both iterations would certainly be a perfect route to take the character and satisfy both fan bases.
GHOST RIDER, SECRET WARRIORS & MORE
Whenever Ghost Rider does pop up in the MCU, it will be far from the first time the Spirit of Vengeance has appeared in live-action. Much like Nova, the mantle of Ghost Rider has been held by many, including Robbie Reyes, who Gabriel Luna played on Agents of SHIELD, and Johnny Blaze who featured in two Nicholas Cage-led blockbusters.
Back in 2019, Agents of SHIELD's Spirit of Vengeance was expected to lead an adult-orientated Hulu show. However, the series ended up as a victim of Marvel TV's unfortunate end.
While the cult followers of the show may hope for Gabriel Luna's return as Robbie Reyes, Marvel Studios President Kevin Feige will probably opt to reboot the character with a new actor to play the more famous Johnny Blaze iteration. But with recent reports of Charlie Cox's Daredevil and Vincent D'Onofrio's Kingpin reprising their Marvel TV roles in future MCU projects, Luna's return is certainly not out of the question.
Ghost Rider doesn't seem to be the only part of Agents of SHIELD set for a Marvel Studios reboot as Secret Warriors is reportedly among the unannounced series. During the series' third season, Chloe Bennet's Daisy Johnson/Quake led a team of Inhumans heroes under SHIELD known as the Secret Warriors.
Following the end of Marvel's first live-action show, Bennet was heavily theorized to be among those to return in the wider MCU due to the character's great popularity and comic book significance.
But after the actress took up a starring role in The CW's live-action adaptation of The Powerpuff Girls, the chances seemed drastically lower. Powerpuff is now being reworked at the network after they were reportedly displeased with the original pilot, so it wouldn't be at all surprising if the actress' schedule became a lot more open in the near future.
In terms of the other six projects, it's tough to predict which heroes Marvel Studios could choose to adapt next. Based on the characters debuting in other projects throughout Phase 4, some logical predictions could include America Chavez, Namor, Black Knight, Young Avengers, another animated project, and perhaps something Mutant-centric.
Whatever Marvel Studios may be working on in secret, fans shouldn't expect another grand-scale slate reveal from Kevin Feige until September 2022's D23 Expo at the earliest.
For the time being, WandaVision, The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, and Loki are streaming now with Phase 4's next entry What If...? set to premiere on August 11, exclusively on Disney+.
