Marvel dropped a TON of new information at Comic-Con this weekend . . . but let's start with what caused the biggest stir: NATALIE PORTMAN is coming backin the next"Thor"movie . . . as a FEMALE THOR.
The movie is called "Thor: Love and Thunder", and it's due out in November of 2021. Natalie's character, Jane Foster, became a female Thor in the comics, so they're just borrowing that storyline for the movie.
Natalie said, quote, "I've always had hammer envy."
TESSA THOMPSON will also return as Valkyrie. At the end of"Avengers: Endgame", Thor crowned her ruler of the New Asgard. And at Comic-Con, Tessa said that Valkyrie's first order of business will be to, quote, "find her queen." Which would appear to confirm that she's gay.
Marvel also released a timeline for the next few years, and it does NOT include a new"Avengers"movie. It's not clear if there'll ever be another one, but obviously, the team will look a lot different if there is.
Here's what's coming:
May 1st, 2020: "Black Widow". It could be a prequel given where things stood with her character after "Endgame".
November 6th, 2020: "The Eternals", starring Angelina Jolie, Kumail Nanjiani, and Salma Hayek.
February 2021: "Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings".
May 7th, 2021: "Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness". . . also starring Elizabeth Olsen as Scarlet Witch.
November 5th, 2021: "Thor: Love and Thunder".
Marvel also announced several projects that don't have release dates yet, including sequels to"Black Panther","Captain Marvel", and"Guardians of the Galaxy".
And how about this: They're bringing back"Blade". . . but with Mahershala Ali taking over for Wesley Snipes. . .
and since they acquired the rights when they bought Fox, they're taking yet another crack at"The Fantastic Four".
"X-Men" and"Deadpool" also came with that purchase, but nothing specific was announced this weekend. The head of Marvel did suggest that there'll be more"X-Men", though . . . and the creator of"Deadpool" says a third movie will happen soon.
Marvel also has four new series headed to the Disney+ streaming service: "The Falcon and the Winter Soldier","Loki","WandaVision", and the animated show"What If . . . ?"
Photo: Getty