Just when you thought things couldn’t get any better after “Avengers: Endgame”, Marvel Studios hit fans with some more big news.
Marvel Studios President, Kevin Feige lead a presentation at San Diego Comic-Con Saturday night, announcing the plans for the first two years of “Phase Four”.
Plans include a couple of major things.
First up, Tessa Thompson will be playing Marvel’s first open LGBTA character in “Thor: Love and Thunder” directed by Taika Waititi. The film is set to release on Nov. 2, 2021.
Tessa Thompson on Valkyrie: “First of all, as king, she needs to find her queen.” #MarvelSDCC pic.twitter.com/XR1I2wsUNR
— Ryan Gajewski (@_RyanGajewski) July 21, 2019
The studio also announced its newest franchise, The Eternals, and is set to introduce the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s first Deaf superhero played by The Walking Dead actress, Lauren Ridloff. Ridloff has been cast as Makkari. The casting is gender-bent as Makkari is a white male in the comics. Even more interesting factor is that Ridloff is a deaf actress which in turn will make Makkari a deaf superhero.
The character Makkari in the #Eternals movie will be the first deaf lead character in the MCU and will be portrayed by deaf actress Lauren Ridloff! https://t.co/V3vHXVzAtt pic.twitter.com/r6HjnSIlu8
— MCU – The Direct (@MCU_Direct) July 22, 2019
This will mark Ridloff’s first major film, having appeared in smaller movies such as The Magnificent Meyersons, Sign Gene: The First Deaf Superheroes, and If You Could Hear My Own Tune. Filming on The Eternals is rumored to begin over the next month or two in London.
And probably the coolest news of that day was Feige’s announcement of the rebooting of “Blade” played by Oscar-winning actor, Mahershala Ali.
Mahershala Ali gets the loudest cheer of the night by putting on a Blade cap. #MarvelSDCC pic.twitter.com/GD2KoCF3yn
— Ryan Gajewski (@_RyanGajewski) July 21, 2019
The reboot was even rumored which made the announcement even that much bigger. Wesley Snipes played the character in the 1998 film and two sequels.
