New additions expand Marvel universe

Maddy Mirallegro, Co-Editor in Chief

As the hit show “WandaVision” starring Elizabeth Olsen (Wanda Maximoff) and Paul Bettany (Vision) came to an end, Marvel fans were left wondering what comes next? Luckily, fans will not have to wait long because multiple new shows and a new movie are all premiering this spring and summer. 

“WandaVision” wrapped on March 5 tying most of the loose ends up such as why Evan Peters joined the cast as Wanda’s deceased brother, Pietro Maximoff.

Unfortunately for all of the Marvel theorists out there, Pietro was, in fact, not the demon Mephisto but a struggling actor by the name Ralph Bohner who was under Agatha Harkness (Kathryn Hahn) spell.

The series also brought back a few familiar faces such as Dr. Darcy Lewis (Kat Dennings), Jimmy Woo (Randall Park) and a grown up Monica Ranbau  (Teyonah Parris), Maria Ranbeau’s child from Captain Marvel, who now has powers after going through the force field. Many fans are speculating that the reason this trio was brought back was to reintroduce them to the universe before putting their characters into the next phase.

On the heels of “WandaVision”s series finale, Marvel released “The Falcon and the Winter Soldier” on March 19. 

Sebastian Stan reprises his role of Bucky Barnes aka The Winter Soldier, Steve Rogers’ (Captain America) childhood best friend turned HYDRA agent, for the eighth time. Anthony Mackie continues as Sam Wilson aka The Falcon for the seventh time in the Marvel universe. 

So far the show is drastically different from the sitcom style of “WandaVision.” “The Falcon and the Winter Soldier” is jam packed with action and buddy cop comedy that makes viewers question if Mackie and Stan were actually acting or if it was the pair acting like themselves. 

Something that got fans excited was the introduction of more super soldiers and Eli Bradley (Elijah Richardson). The only previous super soldiers were Steve and Bucky, so for Marvel to introduce more super soldiers is huge. 

As for the introduction of Bradley, this gives Marvel a clear path to introducing even more Young Avengers. The “WandaVision” series had already  introduced Wiccan and Speed aka Wanda’s children Billy and Tommy Maximoff (Julian Hilliard and Jett Klyne). 

Once “The Falcon and the Winter Soldier” ends, Marvel fans have a month off before diving into the chaotic world of “Loki.”

Set to premiere on June 11, Tom Hiddleston will bring Loki back to life alongside Owen Wilson who plays Mobius M. Mobius, who he meets after getting arrested for messing up the timeline. In “End Game” we saw the past version of Loki grab the tesseract and disappear into a large flash which then creates a rift in the Marvel Universe. 

A circulating question after another trailer for the show dropped, is who is the woman sitting next to Loki?

Many Marvel fans are speculating that the woman is none other than Lady Loki. In the comics, Loki takes over the human body that is meant for Lady Sif, thus creating Lady Loki.

Marvel does not stop there, the following month on July 9, Natasha Romanoff aka Black Widow is getting her first ever solo movie. Originally set to come out in May 2020, the long-awaited movie will take place after the events of “Captain America: Civil War” but before the events in “Avengers: Infinity War.”

Scarlett Johanson will be reprising her role as Natasha for the ninth time, and she will be joined by Florence Pugh, Rachel Weisz and David Harbour.

Theories and rumors are already flying about what is going to happen in the film. One theory is that the entire movie is a flashback that Natasha is having as she falls to her death in “Endgame.”

Marvel fans have a load of new content to look forward to in the following months. As a bonus and as a surprise birthday gift for new Marvel actor Simu Liu, Marvel premiered the teaser trailer for “Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings” on April 19. The movie will feature Marvel’s first ever Asian superhero and is set to release September 3.