From WandaVision to What If, it seems like nowadays you need an encyclopedia of Marvel characters to understand what you’re watching. Thankfully, I have that. Here is your guide to shows coming soon to Disney+, the characters you can expect to see in those shows, and the possible comic book inspirations.

WandaVision:

This is a series that, as you can probably guess, follows Vision and the Scarlet Witch (Wanda Maximoff). This may seem strange given that Vision got himself killed by Thanos in Infinity War, however keep in mind that these characters come from comic books, where dying and coming back to life is like a superhero rite of passage. This series seems to center around Wanda and Vision attempting to live a suburban life, and those familiar with comic books may have an idea of what this series is inspired by. Back in 2015, Marvel released Vision. This miniseries centered around Vision attempting to live a suburban life, not with Wanda, but another synthezoid programmed to have the same brainwaves as Wanda, just like Vision has the same brainwaves as Wonder Man (Poor Simon most likely will never make an appearance in the MCU.) The two also have two synthezoid children, Viv and Vincent. Things don’t exactly work out like they hoped though. It is unclear how much influence the miniseries will have on the show, but it’s worth keeping an eye out for characters like the Grim Reaper. Two other characters that may be making an appearance are Vision and Wanda’s fake soul children (comics get weird y’all.) Wiccan and Speed. Given Paul Rudd’s reported interest in having the Young Avengers in the third Ant-man movie, and those are two members of the group, it seems likely that these two may appear at some point in the series.

Falcon and the Winter Soldier:

Falcon and the Winter Soldier is set to take place after Sam has taken up the role of Captain America, with Bucky fulfilling his comic book self’s role as Cap’s sidekick. There are many comics that this series could take inspiration from, so it’s hard to guess what will and what won’t influence this one, especially given its unique take on U.S.Agent, but it is almost guaranteed that we will see an updated falcon costume to more fit his role as Captain America, and a few speeches about how he isn’t like Steve. Whatever happens, it should be an interesting show with a fun dynamic.

Loki:
Unfortunately, an unredeemed Loki is now on the loose and running amok throughout all of space and time. This premise sounds like it could be a fun way of shining a light on the original villain of the Avengers. Loki has had a few solo comics over the years, but my bet for this series’ inspiration is the 2019 run where Loki is king of the Frost Giants (although the miniseries Vote Loki would be very fun). This features a Loki trying to be more heroic goes around causing mischief, sending a demon to heaven, and even including a time jump to the old west where he introduces Wolverine to his favorite nickname, bub. Mischief, check. Time travel, check. We can only hope that this Loki will also be trying his hand at doing good, because frankly, villain Loki has gotten kind of boring, and seeing him trying to do good, and no one trusting him because, well Loki, is much more fun. This series could also lead up to an adaptation of a great recent comic event, War of the Realms.

Hawkeye

Who exactly was asking for a movie, much less a series, about Jeremey Renner’s Hawkeye? I certainly wasn’t. However, the possible comic book influences for the character are certainly more interesting than anything we’ve seen in the movies so far. Everything from the new characters slated to be introduced (like Kate Bishop, sharing the name of Hawkeye) to the graphic design hint at this being based on the hugely popular 2012 Hawkeye series written by Matt Fraction. This series does a deep dive into Hawkeye’s daily life, dealing with depression and him overall being at a low point in his life in nearly every way. This comic feels much more human than anything seen in the MCU so far, which could turn Hawkeye from bland side character to fan favorite. We can only hope it involves some of the more intriguing aspects of his character (Did you know Hawkeye was deaf? I didn’t before I read the comics).

Ms. Marvel

Ms. Marvel, aka Kamala Khan, is a superhero mega-fan. She adores them, knows everything about them, and even writes fanfiction about them. Then, she becomes an inhuman (remember that show? Me neither.) and develops the ability to “embiggen” herself, basically making her a combination of Mr. Fantastic and Ant-man. Surprisingly, aside from a few team-ups and the initial passing of the torch moment, Captain Marvel (previously Ms. Marvel in the comics) doesn’t actually interact with Kamala that much. Kamala is a more recent character, her first comic being in 2014, so there isn’t too much material to draw from. Presumably this series will center around her original run of gaining her powers and learning to use them. So long as Marvel doesn’t limit this series, it will be one of the most diverse in the MCU, featuring characters who are muslim, LGBT, disabled, and one very funny appearance from a Wakandan treating America like rich white americans treat third world countries. This will presumably be a more lighthearted show, and I think it will be one of the most exciting. I desperately hope this leads into a Champions series, featuring fan favorites like Miles Morales Spider-man, Nova, and Viv Vision on the team (Would you look at that. A Vision show featuring a suburban life and a Ms. Marvel show. Maybe Marvel is gearing up to bring the Champions in.)

She-Hulk

After receiving some hulk blood in a transfusion from her cousin Bruce Banner, lawyer Jennifer Walters became She-Hulk. Spanning back to 1980, there is simply too possible source material and too little current information to make any true guesses regarding what this series will contain. Probably her origin. Maybe not. Her eventual shift from tall green-skinned beauty into a more typically hulkish figure? Maybe. Probably not. The time she had to defend fellow hero Starfox (no, not the nintendo character) in court against accusations of sexual misconduct? Probably not. Sure would be interesting though. The point is, there is a lot they could touch on with this series, and who knows what they will do.

Moon Knight

Moon Knight has been one of my favorite heroes for a while now, and was actually on a previous, unpublished article I had been working on for heroes not likely to appear in the MCU alongside Ms. Marvel. Only Doctor Voodoo needs a show now and I will have been thoroughly proven wrong. Beginning as Marvel’s counter to Batman, Marc Spector died? Nearly died? Was resurrected? It’s changed a few times over the years. The point is, he at least believes he was saved by the egyptian moon god Khonshu, and now serves as such. Originally merely donning multiple secret identities, now it has developed into Moon Knight having multiple personalities, primarily Steven Grant the rich philanthropist/director, Jake Lockley the cabbie, the original Marc Spector, Moon Knight the hero, and Mr. Knight, the white suited brute. My expectation is that this will focus more on the recent runs such as the brutal 2014 run originating his sharp, white three piece suit outfit for Mr. Knight and the trippy 2016 run diving into Marc’s personalities, his mental health, his jewish heritage, and his relationship to the moon god Khonshu. Both are fun, both are extremely captivating, and both are very, very dark. Who know, maybe later on we’ll get a movie based around the current Avengers story where Moon Knight takes on the Avengers after stealing the iron fist from Iron Fist, Doctor Strange’s magic, Ghost Rider’s ride, and Mjolnir, hitting Thor with several moons in the process. Yeah, I definitely want to see this on the big screen.

What-If

Can I be honest? This might be the one I’m most excited for. This is currently the only animated Marvel show set to come to Disney+, and it has one of the most original premises. This show is based around the long running What If comics published by Marvel where they ask a question, and do a single comic within that universe. What if Loki was the worthy brother? What if Aunt May died instead of Uncle Ben? What if the Fantastic Four never gained super powers? These are the kind of questions often answered by What if comics, and this show carries on, currently having three episodes revealed. What if Peggy Carter was the super soldier, what if T’Challa became Star Lord, and what if zombies. I can’t wait to see what other stories get twisted and shifted around for this show. Maybe this will open the door from some of the more off the wall concepts, like the comic 1872 showing Marvel characters in the old west, or 5 Ronin, with the characters in feudal Japan. Maybe we’ll even get some of the cyberpunk of the world of 2099. That’s my hope anyway.

My Hopes

There are a few things that I hope Marvel will consider making shows or movies for in the future. I mentioned a few in the summaries of the other characters, but here’s a short list of comic stories and characters I want in the MCU. Firstly, Immortal Hulk. A true horror story featuring Bruce Banner, his many personalities, and characters like Red She-Hulk, Doc Samson, and Rick Jones, as they fight against most of the world, Bruce claiming to want to end it. Death’s Head is a bounty hunter  free lance peace keeper from the future. He’s just very funny and has a cool design. That’s really it on why I want him on the screen. X-men. Just. Anything X-men. Please. If I could choose, do a version of the original five X-men. I want the X-men.