Marvel's Phase 4 Slate: Everything You Need To Know About What's Coming After AVENGERS 4
Until Avengers 4 is released, Marvel Studios is keeping its Phase 4 slate under wraps. However, there's a lot we do actually know about what's on the way and you can find an in-depth breakdown right here.
The first trailer for Avengers 4 should be with us any week now and when that movie is finally released next April/May, the future of the Marvel Cinematic Universe will finally start to become clearer.
Phase 4 will be a lot different to what's come before based on what we know so far and Marvel Studios will no doubt unveil a slate of movies which will take us well into the 2020s. So, while we wait for some sort of official announcement from Kevin Feige and company, we're now delving into everything we know so far about what's on the horizon for the MCU.
Believe it or not, a surprising amount has been revealed over the past few months and we've collected every single bit of intel we have to bring you a definitive guide to Marvel's Phase 4 plans. From movies to TV shows and possible announcements, you'll find everything you need to know here.
So, to take a look at this breakdown, simply click on the "View List" button below to check it out!
The Official Slate Reveal
Marvel Studios President Kevin Feige has made it clear that they won't reveal what comes next for the MCU until after Avengers 4 hits theaters in 2019. With D23 set to take place next year, that would be the perfect place for the studio to hold another "Marvel Event," while Comic-Con is also a possibility.
However, with the latter event no longer as important as it once was, chances are Marvel will once again give it a miss, especially as it takes place after the release of Spider-Man: Far From Home.
With that in mind, short of some sort of special event in June, expect the Phase 4 slate to finally be revealed later on in the summer with D23 definitely the most likely possibility. The MCU will obviously start taking shape with the release of the first Phase 4 movie, though, and that arrives in early July...
Spider-Man: Far From Home
Despite there being speculation that Spider-Man: Far From Home takes place prior to the events of Avengers: Infinity War, Amy Pascal previously confirmed that the sequel actually picks up moments after Avengers 4 ends.
As a result, we'll be getting what will be our first taste of the new MCU when the wall-crawler deals with the fallout from Thanos' attack and takes on Mysterio in an adventure which will see him joined by Nick Fury and Maria Hill. We don't know how Avengers 4 ends but common sense says Spider-Man: Far From Home will at least drop some hints about what comes next.
Remember, Homecoming gave us our first look at a world where the Sokovia Accords are in place, not to mention picking up with Tony Stark after the shocking revelations he had to deal with in Captain America: Civil War.
Only Two Movies In 2020
Over the past few years, it's become the norm for us to get three movies a year from Marvel Studios. Once upon a time, we only had two and it appears as if we'll have to return to that status quo in 2020. Since James Gunn was fired by Disney, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 has been indefinitely delayed and that means it will no longer be ready in time for the year after next.
We do, however, know which movies will be coming out in 2020 due to where they currently are in terms of development and those are obviously Black Widow and The Eternals.
One is a solo movie for a popular character which may or may not draw the interest of moviegoers, while the other features a totally new group of characters. I'm not saying this is an unexciting year for us fans but there's not really a "big" Marvel Studios movie coming out in 2020 and it will be interesting seeing how they deal with that.
Black Widow
With Isaac Perlmutter no longer in charge of Marvel Studios' decisions and Kevin Feige finally not answerable to a man who believes that action figures featuring a woman's likeness won't sell, Black Widow is finally going to become a reality.
Directed by Cate Shortland, Jac Schaeffer penned the screenplay and rumour has it that the movie will be set in the 90s as we see a young Natasha Romanoff leave the KGB and join S.H.I.E.L.D., all while dealing with the Y2K virus. Some of the movie may also be set in the present day, so don't be surprised if we get more Avengers 4 fallout here.
Another female-led superhero movie is a bold move by Marvel and putting a well-known character like Black Widow in the spotlight pretty much guarantees it will have an audience.
The Eternals
Isaac Perlmutter forced Marvel Studios to develop an Inhumans movie but it appears as if the characters were never really of interest to Kevin Feige, hence why they ended up being butchered by Marvel TV. Regardless of whether or not he wanted to do something with the characters, it seems Feige will now take a crack with a similarly unique group: The Eternals.
Directed by Chloé Zhao with a screenplay from Matthew K. Firpo and Ryan Firpo, it's said that the movie will take a lot of inspiration from Jack Kirby's work rather than Neil Gaiman's newer run.
Beyond that, not a huge amount is known about what's in store for these characters beyond the fact that it will delve into the history of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, possibly tying into a number of well-known heroes and villains who we've already met in the MCU.
Long Overdue Sequels
Marvel's Phase 3 slate was pretty packed so there wasn't a lot of room for sequels. However, during Phase 4, we can definitely expect to see the stories of various characters continue to play out.
While I'm not sure there will be room for another Ant-Man and The Wasp adventure, we can bank on a number of other heroes receiving sequels, and it's honestly about damn time for at least one of them. Thankfully, the signs are all pointing to these happening and it wouldn't be at all surprising for Captain Marvel to return assuming her first adventure is a hit.
For now, though, these are the ones we're pretty sure will end up becoming a reality in Phase 4...
Doctor Strange 2
Doctor Strange was a hit back in 2016 but with the Sorcerer Supreme taking on roles in Thor: Ragnarok and Avengers: Infinity War, it's no great surprise that Marvel Studios hasn't found time to put the spotlight back on the Master of the Mystic Arts.
There's been a lot of talk about a sequel finally becoming a reality in Phase 4 and it definitely appears as if director Scott Derrickson is teasing a return to take the helm of the follow-up (which he's previously said will put the spotlight on the villainous Nightmare).
Throw in reports that Benedict Cumberbatch has signed a new deal to return as Stephen Strange and it would definitely be good to explore more of this character's world, especially as his popularity has only continued to increase since back in 2016.
Black Panther 2
It was recently revealed that Ryan Coogler has finally agreed to return and direct Black Panther 2 and it's thought that he'll have the sequel ready in time for a 2021 release. That's incredible news, especially after the first instalment exceeded expectations both critically and commercially and had a bigger cultural impact than we could have ever imagined.
Expectations will be high for Marvel Studios to deliver but there's no reason to suspect they won't.
In terms of plot details, we know nothing about what to expect from the Black Panther sequel as of right now but exploring more of Wakanda is a must. However, based on what happened at the end of the first instalment, don't be surprised if we see T'Challa start to explore America as well.
Thor 4
Thor was a solid movie and Thor: The Dark World was something of a disappointment and a rare failure for Marvel Studios (well, I say "failure" but reviews weren't that bad and it was still successful at the box office). However, Thor: Ragnarok finally put the franchise on the right track.
After the God of Thunder was essentially rebooted by Taika Waititi, the filmmaker returning is a must as it's clear now that there's so much more that can be done with this character. A more humorous tone for his adventures definitely seems to work and Marvel Studios is no doubt already doing everything possible to get Chris Hemsworth to stick around.
He'll probably be more than happy to do so too, especially as he's made it clear on a number of occasions how happy he was with the response received by Thor: Ragnarok. Bring on a new trilogy!
Guardians Of The Galaxy Vol. 3 = Cancelled?
When James Gunn was fired, there was immediately talk about someone else being hired to take charge of the movie (all while keeping his screenplay intact). Since then, it seems as if Marvel Studios has thought better of that, especially as you just know the sequel will come under fire for using his script but not necessarily executing it in a way that's as effective.
Throw in some protesting cast members and it's clear that starting from scratch is the best move here, with a new writer and director in charge...even if that means losing a couple of cast members.
Honestly, I think Marvel Studios will now wait a few years, allowing the dust to settle before taking this franchise down a slightly different route. Whatever happens, we know that Gunn is no longer going to spearheading a "Marvel Cosmic Universe" spinning out of the events of Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3.
What About The Avengers?
Avengers 4 may be a finale of sorts for this era of the Marvel Cinematic Universe but there's no way the franchise ends with Thanos' defeat. While we'll probably be waiting until at least 2022 for a follow-up, Avengers 5 will become a reality at some point.
There's already talk of Marvel Studios developing a Dark Avengers movie, while Black Panther setting up that base on the West Coast tells me that we could end up seeing the formation of the West Coast Avengers as the team moves away from New York City and we get a whole new iteration of Earth's Mightiest Heroes.
Some fans believe we could end up seeing the Young Avengers but I believe that's something Marvel is taking its time building towards and we probably won't see the group become a reality for a number of years even if it is teased during Avengers 4.
The Movies We Don't Know About
Inevitably, Marvel Studios will have some surprises planned for us and there will probably be movies we never could have guessed would be released coming our way during Phase 4.
What these might be is hard to say but look at what a huge surprise Captain America: Civil War was, for example! Ant-Man and The Wasp is another one and I definitely think The Eternals won't be the only new characters we cross paths with during this next wave of Marvel movies.
We're just going to have to wait and see but rumours will no doubt swirl in the meantime.
Disney's Streaming Service
Marvel TV is a separate part of the company to Marvel Studios, hence why the Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. and characters like Daredevil and the Runaways exist very much on the periphery of the MCU.
However, Disney's planned streaming service is going to change that as we've learned Kevin Feige is overseeing a number of live-action adaptations which are set to have much higher budgets than your regular Marvel TV shows. They're also expected to run for eight episodes and will tell the stories of characters who don't necessarily need a movie of their own.
Where in the timeline they'll be set isn't clear or what sort of ramifications they'll have for what's happening on the big screen but we can forget about them being unable to do anything more than constantly refer to the Battle of New York in 2018 despite it taking place in real-time SIX YEARS ago.
Loki
The God of Mischief died during the events of Avengers: Infinity War but there's a very strong chance that he faked his death and is still out there somewhere. This series will no doubt delve into what he did next and that should be a lot of fun to see as Tom Hiddleston saying goodbye to this role so soon (even though he has been playing him since 2011) would be a great shame.
Scarlet Witch
The Scarlet Witch is one of Marvel's most popular characters, so the hero getting a show of her own definitely makes sense. However, we've recently heard that The Vision could end up with a leading role here as we learn more about their relationship and presumably how they deal with the fallout from Avengers 4. There's a chance it could be set between Civil War and Infinity War, though.
The Falcon/The Winter Soldier
We recently learned that The Falcon and Bucky/The Winter Soldier will also get the opportunity to receive the spotlight on Disney's streaming service and that promises to be a lot of fun if their dynamic so far has been any sort of example. Storywise, we have no idea what's coming but it could be that these two are forced to deal with the death of Captain America if he perishes in Avengers 4.
About The X-Men And Fantastic Four...
Well, this is the big question for Phase 4 really, isn't it? The Disney/Fox deal isn't completed yet and probably won't be until next summer and even then it will take a while for Marvel Studios to get their hands on the X-Men and Fantastic Four. Scripts will need to be written and directors will need to be found, while casts will obviously have to be put together too.
There's a chance that an X-Men or Fantastic Four movie could be squeezed right into the end of Phase 4 but they'll probably end up being the focal point of Phase 5 when you stop and think about it.
However, there's no denying that it would be, well, fantastic to see Kevin Feige unveil the Phase 4 slate with the "4" being the Fantastic Four logo. We'll just have to wait and see but here's hoping these characters finally get the big screen adaptations they deserve in the hands of Marvel...
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