The MCU has finally completed Phase 4 with the release of Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, and the era that has been building since the days of Avengers: Endgame and Spider-Man: Far From Home has come to a close. Phase 4 marked a lot of changes within the MCU, as it shifted away from the characters that the audience had grown to love over the first three phases and introduced a lot of new heroes and villains to the fans. Phase 4 had the task of needing to set up the new stages of the MCU, post-Avengers, and find a way to bridge the gap while still feeling fresh.
Now that Phase 4 is officially over, 2023 will bring the beginning of Phase 5, and now that the MCU is more comfortable in this new territory, there will likely be even more exciting changes and stories to come from them. With that comes the introduction of new heroes who will be entering the fray to make their mark on the MCU, and maybe even become as beloved as the cast of characters that came before them. Additionally, there are a lot of Marvel heroes that aren't technically in the MCU that are going to be gracing both the big and small screens over the next year. Here are all of the new heroes that Marvel will be introducing in 2023.
Cassie Lang/Stature
Though Cassie Lang has technically appeared in the MCU a few times before, she's finally going to become a major player in Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania. It's likely that fans will finally get to see her become a superhero like she is in the comics, and step into that role as Stature (which involves her having the same set of powers as her dad, Scott). This might even be another tee-up for a possible Young Avengers show or movie, as Cassie is an integral part of that team and will now finally have a proper MCU introduction.
Adam Warlock
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 is going to see the introduction of Adam Warlock, a major character in the comics, played by Will Poulter. Warlock is a cosmic being created by a group of researchers that calls themselves the "Enclave", and he was created to be the prototype for a perfect human being. He is guided by the High Evolutionary, who gives him his life's purpose and direction. In the comics, he has a symbiotic bond with the Soul Gem and has the ability to sense its location at will, so it will be interesting to see if that makes its way into the MCU as well. Warlock has superhuman strength, speed, and durability, and has a variety of other powers such as flight, telepathy, energy manipulation, and pyrokinesis (in other words, he can basically do it all).
Kraven the Hunter
While Kraven typically doesn't assume the role of a hero, he will be getting his own movie in 2023, in the veins of something like Venom (as it's a Sony production rather than an MCU one). Aaron Taylor-Johnson will be making his Marvel return as Kraven, in a movie that will introduce the character to new audiences and perhaps set him up for future crossovers with the other Sony Marvel projects, or even perhaps with Spider-Man one day, as he's one of Spidey's well-known adversaries.
Spider-Man 2099
In another entry that's Marvel but not part of the MCU, Spider-Man:Across The Spider-Verse will introduce a few new versions of Spider-Man to fans, including Miguel O'Hara, aka Spider-Man 2099, who will be voiced by Oscar Isaac. This version of Spider-Man is from the future, and is someone who Isaac himself described as "the one Spider-Man that doesn't have a sense of humor".
Spider-Punk
Another new hero entering the fray in Across The Spider-Verse, Spider-Punk - or Hobart "Hobie" Brown - is a punk-rock version of Spider-Man who is British and plays the electric guitar. Not much other info is known about him in regards to his role in Across The Spider-Verse, but part of the fun of this series is all of the incredibly varied versions of Spider-Man. Oscar-winner Daniel Kaluuya will be lending his voice to the character.
Ironheart
Though Riri Williams made an appearance in Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, she will get to be the star of her own show when Ironheart releases on Disney Plus in 2023. Riri is a super genius, and makes herself mechanical suits similar to Tony Stark's Iron Man creations. She has already made an appearance in the MCU, but having her own show will allow her to step into the role of hero rather than just being a side character, and will give her the chance to become more well-known. Riri might even make it into an eventual Young Avengers show or movie; though she's not typically in the line-up, she's one of quite a few young protagonists in the MCU right now and could easily fit into the team.