Six new Marvel superheroes coming to Disney+ in 2021

Marvel Entertainment and successful superhero shows have become synonymous over the past decade - a statement that reflects Marvel's tremendous success in creating the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU), which has already become the highest grossing film franchise in history. It has theatrically released 23 films grossing over USD22.5 billion in 13 years. 

Marvel has also worked on Television series and short-films. But with the popularity of streaming services skyrocketing in past years, Marvel Studios will be releasing some of their best superhero shows on Disney's - the media giant that owns Marvel Entertainment, streaming service DisneyPlus (Disney+). 

Last week, President of Marvel Studios Kevin Feige unveiled a number of projects that Marvel will be releasing over the next few years. 

Here are the Marvel superhero shows to be released on Disney+ next year and what these may contain.

1. WandaVision : January 15, 2021

The iconic superhero duo Wanda Maximoff aka Scarlet Witch and Vision will return in Marvel's new series "WandaVision". 

Vision, the sentient android built by Tony Stark, was destroyed by the supervillain Thanos in the feature film "Avengers: Infinity War" causing the famous angry outbursts of Scarlet Witch in "Avengers: Endgame". 

Despite the character's death in MCU, Kevin Feige has confirmed that Paul Bettany will reprise his role as Vision while Elizabeth Olsen will return as the Scarlet Witch.

The trailer shows a 1950s suburban setting for the series which has led many fans to wonder whether events in WandaVision actually takes place in reality or in a simulation created by the Scarlet Witch's brain, which can warp reality. 

The trailer also playfully hints at something much more sinister like an alternate reality trap and the return of the mind stone, the powerful infinity gem with psychic powers both of which are interesting ideas to explore, not to mention the fact that the mind stone was seemingly destroyed in "Avengers : Endgame".

Writer Jac Schaeffer back in August, 2019 described the show as "half sit-com, half MCU adventure" getting the fans even more hyped up for the show. Disney+ will air this much anticipated six-episode series on January 15, 2021.

2. The Falcon and The Winter Soldier : March 19, 2021

The ending moments of "Avengers:Endgame" saw Captain America handing the mantle to Sam Wilson aka The Falcon. This series follows him and Bucky Barnes aka The Winter Soldier who will be played by Anthony Mackie and Sabastian Stan respectively. 

The chemistry between Sam and Bucky in the trailer hints at the famous buddy-cop genre where two vastly different and conflicting personalities are forced to work together to defeat a common enemy. 

The duo will fight against the anarchist group Flag-smasher, which is used in Marvel Comics as the name of a supervillain signifying so-called "anti-patriotism". The trailer points towards a global threat that the superheroes will be facing considering Flag-smasher's role in the comics.

Feige called the series to be a six-part "Cinematic Experience". Initially scheduled to be released in August 2020 the production of the series was halted due to the pandemic. It will be aired on March 19 through the streaming service Disney+ expanding the Marvel Cinematic Universe further.

3. Loki: May, 2021

Tom Hiddleston reprises the role as Loki in what's been dubbed by many as "the most anticipated" series of 2021! 
The character Loki, the Norse god of mischief, has always fascinated Marvel fans as he is portrayed as a mischievous supervillain who goes through a redemption arc in the MCU being reformed in the process. 

The supervillain has the power of deception and during the beginning stage of the MCU, had sought to expand his powers using Infinity gems.

"Avengers Endgame" sent the superheroes back in time to save the Universe during which Loki escaped with the Tesseract aka the space stone creating an alternative reality which is explored through this series. 

This alternate "unreformed" Loki travels through time causing mischief in various timelines including 1970s New York, as shown in the trailer. 

Kevin Feige characterized the show as a "murder mystery" while also calling the mystery confusing which might just be a good thing considering Loki is the trickster god. 

The show will come to Disney+ in May 2021 to create what Feige calls massive repercussions in other realities across the Marvel Cinematic Universe that would be addressed in the feature film "Doctor Strange" in the Multiverse of Madness.

4. What If...?: Mid 2021 

Marvel's popular comic storyline "What If...?" also gets to be adapted in the upcoming series of the same name. The storyline explores what would have happened if certain events in the Marvel Universe took place in a different way.

What if Peggy Carter became the super soldier instead of Steve Rogers? 

What if the trickster god Loki wielded the mythical hammer Mjolnir instead of Thor?

What if Steve Rogers put on the Ironman suit instead of Tony Stark?

Uatu the watcher, a celestial being observing the flow of time, describes this alternate timeline story in Marvel Studios' first animated series in the MCU. 

The series features voices of all prominent actors known for their roles in the MCU, Chris Helmsworth as Thor, Tom Hiddleston as Loki, Samuel Jackson as Nick Fury, Sabastian Stan as Bucky, Josh Brolin as Thanos and so on. 

Also, the late Chadwick Boseman's last performance as T'Challa will prove to be an emotional pull for all Marvel fans.

The series will debut on Disney+ in Mid 2021 and possibly will open paths for other popular alternate timeline stories to be adapted in the future should this one prove to be a successful one. 

"What if...?" is initially planned to be a two-season series releasing in 2021 and 2022 with 10 episodes each season.

5. Hawkeye : Late 2021

The famous archer of MCU returns with his own series with Jeremy Renner reprising the role.

Clint Barton aka The Hawkeye lost his entire family during the infamous "snap" of Thanos in Infinity war, and got them back after five years during the events of "Avengers:Endgame". 

The series might delve deep into what happened to a psychologically broken Clint Barton during those five years.

It also hinted that the show takes inspiration from Matt Fraction's Hawkeye comics in which Clint trains young Kate Bishop who eventually takes up the mantle of Hawkeye, that storyline also shows Clint and Kate fighting a gang of Eastern European mobsters in a crime-ridden city.

Though it's unclear how the plot of Hawkeye will unfold, Kevin Feige did mention that the series will be released by late 2021 on Disney+ and will be directly tied to the story of the MCU.

6. Ms Marvel: Late 2021

Last but not the least, Marvel Studios is bringing the Pakistani-American teenager turned superhero Ms Marvel on Disney+ next year. 

Young Iman Vellani has been selected to play the role of Kamala Khan aka Miss Marvel. Marvel has shared the video clip of the moment when Kevin Feige informed the young actress over a zoom call that she got selected for the role. 

Her ecstatic and cheerful expression went viral online and congratulations around the world embraced her for being the first person to bring a young Muslim  immigrant girl turned superhero to screen.

Apart from being an inspiration for many girls worldwide, Ms Marvel is also considered a powerful character in Marvel Comics. She is known for her elasticity and shapeshifting superpowers because of the so-called "inhuman" gene. 

Marvel has confirmed that the storyline of the show will lead Ms Marvel to meet Captain Marvel, played by Brie Larson, in Captain Marvel 2, the MCU feature film poised to release in 2022. 

With all these shows, Disney+ will be looking to make inroads in the contest among streaming services which is a promising endeavor considering the popularity and convenience of online streaming in recent times. 

Disney+ already boasts 86.8 million subscribers which has made it the most viable rival to the streaming behemoth Netflix, with 195 million subscribers. 

A flurry of superhero shows in 2021 might just bring Disney the chance to challenge Netflix's primacy in the streaming world.