Phase 5 begins with Ant-Man and The Wasp: Quantumania next week, and like us, we know you're all eager for details on where the MCU is heading from here.
While Phase 4 was admittedly a mixed bag, it laid the groundwork for what looks set to be a crazy few years of storytelling as Earth's Mightiest Heroes find themselves forced to battle Kang and his countless Variants. Today, we have new intel on how Deadpool 3 ties into that, plans for some huge live-action debuts, and major Incursion news.
Yes, one is coming in Avengers: The Kang Dynasty, and you'll never believe which Variant looks set to take aim at The Avengers (hint: they're a little shinier than Kang).
We're delving into major SPOILER territory here, so you just need to tap the NEXT or VIEW LIST buttons below to see what the Multiverse Saga holds in store for us!
Only These Phase 5 Projects Are Multiverse-Related...
Many fans seem to feel that every story told in the Multiverse Saga should have something to do with alternate timelines and realities. However, it's all too easy to forget that, in the Infinity Saga, Thanos only made brief cameos in a handful of films before Avengers: Infinity War rolled around.
It's no real shocker then that many of the stories being told in Phase 5 won't include any Multiversal shenanigans.
However, the projects that will tie into the wider story being told are Ant-Man and The Wasp: Quantumania, Loki season 2, The Marvels, and Agatha: Coven of Chaos. That's all, folks!
The Darkhold's Importance Will Be Revealed
Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness revealed that the Darkhold had negatively influenced the Scarlet Witch and pushed her down a dark path. Eventually, she did the right thing and destroyed every copy in existence, only to then disappear.
It seems that might be exactly what Kang wanted. One of his Variants supposedly authored the book which is now said to be full of lies.
Fans have noticed similarities between the imagery in the Darkhold, the Ten Rings, Ms. Marvel's bangle, and the Quantum Realm's Chronopolis, and taking the Scarlet Witch off the table is a clever way for the villain to ensure he can rampage through the Multiverse unopposed.
Deadpool 3 Sets The Stage For Avengers: The Kang Dynasty
It's already become apparent that Deadpool 3 will be Multiverse-based as Owen Wilson is rumored to be reprising his role as Loki's fan-favorite TVA agent, Mobius. The Merc with the Mouth toyed with time travel in his last film, and with the Multiverse reborn, it's been widely assumed for a while that this would be how he lands himself in the MCU.
Apparently, this threequel is where the Multiverse truly becomes central to Marvel Studios' wider plan, setting the stage for Avengers: The Kang Dynasty and for Wade Wilson to be a huge part of the MCU moving forward.
We can only speculate about what this means, but Deadpool 3 may well feature yet another Kang Variant.
An Incursion And A Shocking New Villain
The Doctor Strange sequel went to great lengths to drive home the importance of Incursions and even ended with Clea recruiting the former Sorcerer Supreme to help stop one.
Many fans have theorised that they will now traverse the Multiverse in an effort to stop worlds from colliding, but Earth-616 will eventually find itself facing an incursion with a familiar reality: Earth-838. That's the home of The Illuminati, and a previously unseen member of the team is coming to the MCU to avenge his fallen allies.
That villain is thought to be an Iron Man Variant and the creator of the Ultron drones which failed to protect Captain Carter, Mister Fantastic, Black Bolt, Captain Carter, and Professor X from the rampaging Scarlet Witch.
Oh, and Robert Downey Jr. will likely return to play him.
The Beyonder And The Watcher
It's reiterated that the plan is for the MCU's true new big bad to be The Beyonder, though he will be a Kang Variant in the MCU.
He's not the only major comic book character about to make the leap to live-action, however, as it appears Jeffrey Wright will get the chance to play The Watcher in Fantastic Four. Things got a little vague at this point, but there's plenty here for us to speculate about.
Of all these rumours, the possibility that Downey will be back as an Iron Man Variant is by far the most compelling. One can quite effortlessly picture The Avengers believing their old friend has returned, only for him to unleash his wrath on them. We do have a couple more rumours to share, however...
A Couple More MCU Tidbits
We have to thank The Cosmic Circus for these latest MCU rumours, and strongly suggest you check out the podcast.
While they reveal that there's one more film set to be released between Fantastic Four and Avengers: The Kang Dynasty which hasn't been announced yet, we have a bonus scoop to share with you from our own sources.
This is only a rumor, but we're hearing Fantastic Four will see the team sent back in time when they gain their powers, leaving them stranded in the 1960s. Embraced as celebrities and given their admittedly cheesy superhero monikers, they'll make a home for themselves in that decade before returning home right in time for that war against Kang.
Take it with a pinch of salt for now, but that's likely the premise of this reboot!