For all of Marvel‘s success, the studio still has something of a villain problem, with not even the great Mads Mikkelsen able to create something memorable in his bad-guy turn in the smash hit “Doctor Strange.” But next summer, the studio will get another shot with “Spider-Man: Homecoming,” and Kevin Feige has confirmed what has long been known/rumored for a while now regarding Michael Keaton‘s character, while also talking about the foes that lay ahead in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
“We’ve had a wish list and most of them in the near-term are coming together. Cate Blanchett is playing Hela in ‘Thor: Ragnarok.’ Michael Keaton’s Vulture in ‘Spider-Man’ is something. And of course, finally, we’re showcasing Josh Brolin’s Thanos [in ‘Avengers: Infinity War‘]. We’re looking forward to that very much,” he told the Toronto Sun.
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So yes, Keaton will be playing Vulture, as has long been expected. As for what lays ahead even further down the road, Feige reveals the studio is working very hard on a number of projects simultaneously.
“Once we get ‘Strange’ out, there will be eight films that we’re actively working on [from next year’s ‘Guardians’ sequel up to 2019’s untitled ‘Avengers’ sequel]… Once we get into 2021, 2022, 2023… it’s the same balance,” he said. “We want to continue stories in unique ways with characters that we’ve established. There’s facing the crossroads of how to adapt characters after they’ve had five or six or seven appearances. Then there’s choosing the new ones, like Guardians, like Ant-Man, like Doctor Strange… and we certainly know what the handful of those are going to be.”
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Indeed, Marvel has staked out release dates on July 12, 2019; May 1, 2020; July 10, 2020; and Nov. 6, 2020, and Feige says they pretty much know what those films are.
“Where we go after ‘Avengers’; what those 2020 films are, we’re pretty sure what those are going to be… but if I tell you that, we’re getting into spoilers,” Feige teased.
Share your Marvel movie wishlist in the comments section below and let us which character you hope will hit the big screen. And remember, the Marvel machine is hardly winding down, with movies plotted until 2028.