Kevin Feige confirmed that Marvel’s Disney+ shows will connect directly to MCU films, taking place in the past, present, and future. This will allow the characters to finally go through some much-needed character growth.
The Marvel Cinematic Universe is known for creating a world where everything is connected. In the movies, there are often Easter eggs, cameos, and references to other films, and there are lots of moments that connect standalone films to the bigger picture. However, in the Marvel shows that have been on Netflix and ABC, these connections weren’t as important. While there were few, these television series have been mostly separate from the films.
This doesn’t sound like it’s going to be the case with the Disney+ shows, however. Instead, these shows will connect much more clearly to the MCU films. This makes sense seeing as how there are already plans to make shows about established MCU film characters.
In an interview with /Film, Marvel Studios President Kevin Feige talked about these new shows and how they will be part of the MCU in very direct ways. He said:
"It will be MCU proper. Sometimes it will take place as Captain Marvel did in a time before current events, sometimes it will take place during.What I will say, whatever happens in those, in those shows and with characters that have been in the films, they’ll undergo transformations, not Loki necessarily, but will undergo transformations in their series. And those transformations will be reflected in their next film appearances because we’ve been developing long form narrative stories for Disney+ at the exact same time that we’ve been developing a post-[Avengers: Endgame] MCU, we’ve been able to do something we’ve never done before, which is interweave them from the start, from the plant."
This quote highlights an answer to a question many fans have had. People have been wondering if all of these films would be after the events of Avengers: Endgame or not. It looks like these shows will happen at many different points along the MCU timeline, leaving theories about different shows very open to interpretation.
Feige’s comment about transformations in these series is also rather intriguing. While he mentions that this might not apply to Loki (although we aren’t sure if we believe that), this quote gives fans a lot to speculate on. It seems strange to single Loki out as not undergoing a transformation. Is he really confirming once and for all that Loki’s dead? That just may be. But still, this could just be to throw fans off their trail.
If not Loki, which other characters could undergo transformations? One option is that either Bucky or Falcon end up becoming the next Captain America. This is a topic of great theorizing for many fans of Cap and his friends. Most people expect one of these two to carry the shield, especially given the comic book precedence and fear that Steve Rogers may die in Endgame.
So, could it be that one of these two characters will pick up the mantle in the Disney+ series? A television show would be a great way to explore this change in an in-depth way that could be more meaningful and thought out.
Since both Falcon and Bucky are side-characters in the MCU, exploring one of them becoming Captain America might not be given justice in a movie. In a television series, however, there is so much more time to develop this idea.
If Bucky was Captain America, this could be a big shift in his character since he has never really been a part of the Avengers and has mostly been a loner and fugitive. Bucky also has a connection to Wakanda and T’Challa, so this could be a chance to explore this connection and lead into Phase 4 of the MCU.
On the other hand, if Falcon became Cap, the television series could take the time to establish him in a leadership role since he’s been more of a sidekick this whole time. Feige mentions that these transformations will be reflected in later film appearances, so Falcon or Bucky becoming Captain America in the series could do all of that groundwork, and then place one of them into the Avengers as a leader.
The transformation could also be less dramatic in this case. Maybe neither one of them takes up the shield, but perhaps they have to learn to work together and handle the grief of losing their best friend if Steve Rogers dies in Endgame. This type of character development is ideal for television, and we’d love to see it applied to Bucky, Sam, and lots of other characters in these series.
With actors like Tom Hiddleston, Sebastian Stan, Elizabeth Olsen, and Anthony Mackie likely to reprise these roles in the television series, fans have a lot to look forward to. It will be exciting for fans to get to see longer story arcs for some of these supporting characters.