The Marvel Cinematic Universe, or MCU, is the most successful film franchise of all time. And despite the fact that Marvel Studios will soon release its 21st film, 2019 could eclipse last year in terms not only box of office take, but cultural impact as well. Although, it will be difficult for anything to match the impact Black Panther had in 2018. 

Here are the three Marvel Cinematic Universe movies coming out this year and how each is expected to stand out:

• Captain Marvel on March 8 (Marvel's first female-led full-length film with its first female co-director)
• Avengers: Endgame on April 26 (The *real* culmination of a decade-plus building of its MCU storyline over 22 films.)
• Spider-Man: Far from Home on July 5 (The first glimpse at what a post-Avengers: Endgame MCU will look like with the returning cast from the very successful first outing.)

That's what we know for sure. What we don't know yet is exactly coming after the next Spider-Man movie, as Marvel has yet to officially announce its next slate. We know the dates the next few Marvel Studios films will debut, but not which films will be attached to those dates. 

Over the last few months however, reputable Hollywood sites like Variety, Deadline and The Hollywood Reporter have begun reporting on not only the next few MCU films we could see, but -- thanks to the forthcoming Disney+ streaming service  -- some of the new MCU TV shows as well.

Now, these new TV shows will be set apart of what we've seen previously. Earlier MCU shows like the Netflix shows, and ABC's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. were and are produced by Marvel TV, under the tutelage of Executive Vice President and Head of Television, Jeph Loeb. And were never referenced by the movies.

In a shift, Disney+'s series will reportedly be overseen by Marvel Studios head Kevin Feige and will have larger budgets than what is typically allocated for television shows.

With all of that in mind, here's what we expect over the next few years, both rumored and confirmed. You'll notice that Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 isn't listed below. That's because it's been put on hold. Once a director is announced, we'll add it to the list. And we'll be sure to keep this list updated as things change:

Movies

Black Widow 

• Director: Cate Shortland
  
• Writer: Jac Schaeffer
  
• Expected release date: May 1, 2020
  
• Status: Confirmed by The Hollywood Reporter on  July 12, 2018.
  

Doctor Strange sequel 

• Director: Scott Derrickson
  
• Writer: Unannounced
  
• Expected release date: May 7, 2021
  
• Status: Confirmed by: The Hollywood Reporter on Dec. 11, 2018.
  

Eternals

• Director: Chloe Zhao
  
• Writer: Matthew Firpo and Ryan Firpo
  
• Expected release date: Nov. 6, 2021
  
• Confirmed by: The Hollywood Reporter and Variety on Sept. 21, 2018.
  

Shang-Chi

• Director: Unannounced
  
• Writer: Dave Callaham
  
• Expected release date: Feb. 18, 2022
  
• Status: Confirmed by Deadline on Dec. 3, 2018
  

Black Panther sequel

• Director: Ryan Coogler
  
• Writer: Ryan Coogler
  
• Expected release date: Feb. 12, 2021
  
• Status: Confirmed by The Hollywood Reporter on Oct. 11, 2018
  

TV

The Vision and the Scarlet Witch

• Showrunner: Jac Schaeffer 
  
• Expected release date: Fall 2019
  
• Status: Confirmed by Variety on Sept. 18, 2018
  

Loki

• Showrunner: Unannounced
  
• Expected release date: Fall 2019
  
• Status: Confirmed by Variety on Sept. 18, 2018
  

Bucky and Falcon

• Showrunner: Malcolm Spellman
  
• Expected release date: Winter 2020
  
• Status: Confirmed by Variety on Oct. 30, 2018
  

Hawkeye

Showrunner: Unannounced

Expected release date: 2020

Status: Rumored

Lady Sif

Showrunner: Unannounced

Expected release date: 2020

Status: Rumored

How to watch every MCU property in the perfect order: From Marvel films to the shows on Netflix, here's the best order to experience the MCU.

Infinite Guide to Marvel: From the Avengers and MCU to the X-Men and everything in between, our newsletter will help you stay up to date on all things Marvel.