There are some exciting Marvel movies lined up for 2020 but, strangely, they aren’t coming from the main MCU, with Morbius and New Mutants creating more buzz. Under the direction of Kevin Feige, Marvel Studios has spent a decade dominating the big screen, and Disney’s purchase of the company solidified the Marvel Cinematic Universe as a box office juggernaut that could do no wrong. With a string of critical and commercial hits under its belt (marred by the very occasional dud), Marvel told an ambitious multi-film story that culminated in Avengers: Endgame and encompassed a fun epilogue in Spider-Man: Far From Home.
As the MCU moves away from the Infinity saga, the franchise finds itself in Phase 4, the slate for which was officially unveiled at last year’s San Diego Comic Con and included Black Widow and Eternals. Until now, the MCU has been highly self-contained as a movie series. TV shows such as Agents of SHIELD and Daredevil began with wider franchise connections, but soon faded into entirely separate entities that had very little in common with the movies.
In 2020, however, the MCU is extending its reach considerably. Aside from a range of intriguing TV projects on Disney+ (WandaVision, Loki, The Falcon & The Winter Soldier), Disney’s purchase of Fox requires the Mouse House to release movies originally intended as part of Fox’s X-Men universe. Furthermore, a messy and well-publicized battle for custody of Tom Holland means that Sony now has a stake in the MCU to some degree, and it’s these “outside” projects that are arguably overshadowing the primary MCU releases in 2020.
Marvel’s 2020 Is A Smaller Year For The MCU
After the bombastic conclusion that was Avengers: Endgame, it’s hardly surprising that Marvel is easing off the gas a little. For the first time in years, the MCU has no real long-term arc to speak of and nothing to work towards. There are certainly some exciting prospects on the horizon, such as Blade, Taika Waititi’s second Thor effort and Black Panther 2, while fans eagerly await the Fantastic Four and X-Men. However, without a central storyline running through the cinematic universe or a crossover event to build towards, Phase 4 feels very much like a transitional period for the MCU, and that is particularly true in 2020. Loose ends will be tied up in Black Widow and new characters will be introduced in Eternals but, for now at least, the MCU is missing the interconnected quality that made the franchise so successful.
Marvel’s step back from 2020’s film calendar serves several purposes. Although box office performance might indicate otherwise, superhero fatigue is very much a risk for Disney, and it’s entirely logical to give fans a bit of a breather before embarking on whatever long-term arc Kevin Feige has up his sleeve next. The launch of Disney+ is likely also a contributing factor towards Marvel’s quieter 2020 in theaters. Even Disney can only produce so much material at any one time, and original Marvel content is going to be a cornerstone of the new streaming service, making the MCU’s transition to TV the top priority.
Morbius & New Mutants Could Both Be In The MCU
It isn’t only the streaming realm Marvel’s superheroes will be invading in 2020, they’ll also be linked to franchises that previously had no connection to the MCU. This became clear with the recent release of the Morbius trailer, which not only included a Spider-Man Easter egg referencing the dramatic conclusion of Far From Home, but also reintroduced Michael Keaton’s Vulture from Spider-Man: Homecoming. It appears that Marvel were cornered into allowing Sony’s movies some degree of integration with the MCU in order to hammer out a deal to ensure Tom Holland’s Spidey remained one of their own. The full implications of this crossover are yet to become clear; Morbius had already finished filming before the Spider-Man rights controversy began, so Keaton and the MCU could have a limited role, but Sony looks to be building towards their long-awaited Sinister Six movie, which would surely now feature several MCU Spider-Man characters.
While the Morbius trailer all but confirms the integration of Sony’s villain movies into the MCU, the situation is far murkier with regards to New Mutants. A movie inherited from Disney’s Fox deal, New Mutants has been constantly delayed by both studios, with reports claiming Disney were not at all pleased with the finished cut and every connection to Fox’s existing X-Men movies has allegedly been scrubbed. Although this is no doubt a reaction to Dark Phoenix’s dismal failure, it has led to speculation that Disney might retcon New Mutants into the MCU. While Disney certainly have the power to do this, New Mutants remains a Fox movie, made by Fox producers with no connection to Disney. Conceding some MCU ground to Sony might’ve been necessary in order to keep Spider-Man around, but Disney have less to gain by doing the same with New Mutants, which was intended for a completely different superhero franchise. With that said, the Morbius situation makes New Mutants’ addition to the MCU distinctly more likely that is was at the end of 2019.
Morbius & New Mutants Are 2020’s Most Exciting Marvel Movies
Both Black Widow and Eternals will no doubt end up garnering positive reviews and making tons of cash, but it’s perhaps fair to say that the MCU’s “proper” 2020 releases are some of the least anticipated in recent memory. Marvel fans have been waiting to see Natasha Romanov in her own solo movie for many years, and although the Black Widow trailer promises a solid, visually-impressive action espionage movie, there’s an overriding feeling that this particular MCU installment is coming far too late. Marvel took a surprisingly long time to deliver a female-fronted solo movie, and finally broke that trend with 2019’s massively successful Captain Marvel.
Truthfully, however, Black Widow should’ve already happened by that point. The Avenger was overwhelmingly popular and had an intriguing backstory ripe for exploration; instead Marvel waited until Natasha had already been killed off (in Avengers: Endgame) before pulling the trigger on a Black Widow solo movie. This strategy makes Black Widow feel akin to an afterthought, and knowing the character’s ultimate ending has dampened excitement for what Romanov’s solo adventure might offer, since viewers already know the heroine’s future. While fans might know too much to get properly excited about Black Widow, the opposite could be said of 2020’s other MCU release, Eternals.
Throughout its history, the MCU has a strong record of taking comic characters largely unknown to the mainstream (Star Lord, Doctor Strange, Black Panther) and turning them into brand name superheroes, and Eternals could absolutely repeat that trick. Until then, however, it’s difficult to get excited about a film most people know next to nothing about.
In comparison, Morbius and New Mutants have seized a gap in the market and look to be the more intriguing Marvel projects on 2020’s slate, despite not being part of the direct MCU series. Morbius’ vampiric stylings already make him a more unique comic book character, and his live-action debut becomes even more tantalizing with the Oscar-winning Jared Leto in the title role. Morbius’ MCU connections now add even more fascination to the project, with fans desperate to see how these two previously disparate movie universes will intersect.
Against all odds, New Mutants has also gathered quite a following. Repeated delays and questions over quality can often be enough to kill a movie’s momentum, but the misfortunes New Mutants has endured somehow served to further build anticipation. As a horror-tinged superhero movie, plenty of X-Men fans were already looking forward to Josh Boone’s film, but the ensuing fight to get the film released has nurtured a sense goodwill against this plucky cinematic underdog that refuses to die. New Mutants is an ambitious and quirky take on the comic book format and fans want it to succeed. The slim possibility that New Mutants might also be the gateway for the X-Men into the MCU only fuels that hype further.
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Come the end of 2020, there’s a strong chance that Black Widow would’ve been hailed as a fitting MCU farewell to Natasha Romanov and the franchise’s entire mythology was upended by the introduction of the Eternals, each of which has become a household name. Morbius might’ve ended up being a divisive affair in the mold of Venom, with shoe-horned in MCU connections, and New Mutants could well have been edited to death. As of January, however, looking forward at 2020’s Marvel releases shows the MCU’s “proper” entries lagging behind their rivals.
More: Who Is New Mutants’ Villain? Here’s What We Know
- New Mutants Release Date: 2020-08-28 Black Widow Release Date: 2021-07-09 Morbius Release Date: 2022-04-01 The Eternals Release Date: 2021-11-05 Shang Chi Release Date: 2021-09-03 Doctor Strange 2 Release Date: 2022-05-06 Thor: Love and Thunder Release Date: 2022-07-08 Black Panther: Wakanda Forever Release Date: 2022-11-11
