Good morning guys! I want to preface this editorial by saying that this is the first article I've written for this site, editorial or not, so please bear with me. I am no stranger to the site, and I've seen my share of novice editorials, so I know what it's like. I will do my best here, so please go easy on me! For years I've watched from the shadows as the usual players give their two cents on this site, but I decided I would finally chime in. I wrote this all out last night and my computer erased it so now I'm trying to redo it at work, hopefully I don't forget anything as I go.
So as you can tell by the headline and teaser, I will be re-evaluating the foillowing image.
Now I'm sure most of you have seen this image. Let's be honest, if you found yourself in the editorial section of CBM, then you're no stranger to these things, and this image sort of blew up when it came out, although it was almost immediately shot down by most people, including me. At the time it seemed like someone just threw in a couple sure things for good measure, and then tossed in a lot of speculation. Civil War? World War Hulk? We all took it with a grain of salt. Now I'm going to break down this list movie by movie and how as things have come to light, it seems less and less ridiculous and what that could mean for the other movies on the list.
May 1st, 2015: Avengers 2 - Age of Ultron
This one is a given. We've known for years that this was happening and the date was also a given. The title itself was unveiled at SDCC 2013 so it was no surprise to see this spearheading the list.
Ruling: Confirmed
July 17th, 2015: Ant Man
When this list was first released, I don't remember if Ant Man had already settled into this date or not, regardless, this was another film that we already had very much information on so it was no surprise to see it on the list as well. Nothing big here.
Ruling: Confirmed
This one is a little trickier. We all knew after the massive success the Russo Brothers had with the Winter Soldier in terms of both box office and critical reception that we would be seeing our fearless leader again sooner or later. It had been confirmed that the dynamic duo would return to helm and no one really seemed to have a problem with that. When this list was revealed, though, while it may have been speculated that this release date would belong to Cap, it wasn't confirmed, and we definitely didn't have a title.
When the Civil was info came out this week, it was revealed (though not confirmed) that the title of Captain America 3 would indeed be Fallen Son, and this caused me to go back and take another look at this image. Because when it was released, some people wished and hoped to see Civil War, but I don't think ANYONE could have predicted we would see RDJ in Captain America 3. I mean, talk about left field. So with that date AND title coming to light, it would seem that this list deserved a little more credit than it had yet received.
Ruling: Confirmed, kinda.
This is another sort of complicated one. Anyone who read nearly any interview with Kevin Feige in the past year or so knows how adamant the man is to bring the Sorceror Supreme to life. It was even rumored at one point that Doctor Strange would be leading the Avengers in Iron Man's place going forwards. Possibly with Defenders or New Avengers in Phase 4? We will see. Also, is it possible that we could see the good doctor in Captain America 3? It would set him up nicely for his own movie considering we know his won't be an origin story, and he was conveniently name dropped in Cap 2. If Cap is searching for other heroes in The Fallen Son in the aftermath of Age of Ultron, could we see him visit Stephen Strange? We shall see.
Speculation aside, it wasn't hard to guess that Strange would win this release date. By the time this list was released, directors were already being circled and actors had already met with the studio, that is if Derrickson hadn't already been picked for the job. With that much already invested, and knowing what Feige said about existing franchises releasing in the beginning of the year, with new franchises launching after, it wasn't hard to accept this as the probable date of Doctor Strange. It has since been confirmed to be the case.
Ruling: Confirmed.
The God of Thunder has has mixed reviews critically, but has been successful at the box of during both of his solo outings, which means we can expect to see him again in Phase 3. Some people wondered if they might put Thor 3 off until the next Phase so as to not run down their roster so quickly, but it is highly believed that we will be seeing him again soon. The title of Ragnarok has not been confirmed, but in Thor 2 we saw a glimpse of foreshadowing that led us to believe it could come sooner or later, and it is something that many people would love to see on the big screen, with Surtur outshining Malekith and giving us a breath of fresh air from all that is Loki. Not that there is anything wrong with Loki or Hiddles portrayal, but we need to see our hero face something new. We know that Loki will still play into things, obviously, but it will be nice to have a threat that actually seems to threaten Thor this time. And the scene we saw from Avengers 2 showing what appeared to be Thor returning to Asgard would seem to insinuate he will be leaving Earth...again. So, we have no real evidence that this is the direction they will go for the story, but we can take a moment to observe the release date. Considering GotG2 has already been confirmed as the July release, that only leaves Thor with May or November as options, and to reiterate what Feige had said about new properties following old, it would seem like this will be where Thor finds his home.
Ruling: Not Confirmed, but likely.
This movie has already been confirmed for this dat, and on my birthday! However, when this list was released, it had not been yet confirmed for this date. In doing so, Marvel Studios lent a little bit of credibility to this image, leading myself and others to wonder how much truth rings out in the other titles. With the recent rumors swirling, it's likely we could see Hulk in this movie in a sort of loose adaptation of Planet Hulk. Marvel is wary of a solo Hulk film at the moment, but they know they can tust Hulk in a team, so why not mix it up with this rag tag crew. And instead of arriving on Earth with the crew from Planet Hulk, Banner could return with the Guardians, which would leave them in a convenient spot for Thanos.
Ruling: Confirmed
At this point we are in full speculation territory. Here are the facts.
1.Stan Lee has mentioned many, many times that a Black Panther movie is coming. (Though, let's be honest, he says a lot of things.)
2.The release date is at the end of the year, which would seem likely to fit perfectly for a new fanchise.
3. If Tony is indeed joining Cap 3, and Hulk is indeed joing GotG2, that means the main characters are taken care of in this phase, leaving Panther or someone else (Ms Marvel, Nova) to join Ant Man and Strange. It's unlikely that we will see Inhumans take this slot, because right after Guardians of the Galaxy might prove a bit confusing.
4. It is highly rumored that we will see Wakanda in Avengers 2 and/or Cap 3. With Ultron upgrading and Cap's shield broken, it makes sense. This would be the perfect time to get this franchise off the ground.
Ruling: Possibly, but no way to really tell at this point.
This would have seemed like a dream that was never coming true to most of us, especially considering where a lot of the major properties lie (not getting into that at the moment) but considering the recent news, this now seems not only possible, but it looks like this is what Marvel actually has in store for us. Sure, RDJ could have been a red herring, but would they really have wanted to promise something like that only to throw us off? I don't think so. I think they are going to get in one of their most popular recent storylines while still fleshing out the Thanos arc on the other side of space until it all collides. It's weird to see an Avengers film in July, but it's only one month.
Ruling: Unconfirmed, but becoming likely.
Again, speculation here. But if you have been following along and agree with Hulk showing up in GotG 2, this could be what follows Civil War. Ruffalo has a 6 picture deal. If planet hulk is a team movie, and wwh is another of his films, plus three avengers movies, this could be their way of getting away from doing too many solo hulk outings. We'll have to wait and see here. I would have said it seemed outrageous, but maybe this is another storyline Marvel wants to loosely adapt before Infinity comes in and paves way for a new team of heroes. Also, between this and Civil War, it would explain why Marvel is only doing two movies in that year if they are both on this big of a scale. Not to mention, this is the perfect insertion for the Guardians of the Galaxy to meet the Avengers. Hulk is pissed and he's got new friends. They would take the place of the people from the World War Hulk comic, which would make some people upset, but it might work out a lot better. And ultimately, we know they'll all work together in the end against Thanos, and possibly even with the Inhumans. Which brings me to my next point...
Ruling: Possible. Truly not sure.
1. Marvel has recently been pushing Inhumans on their comics side, just like they did with Guardians before the movie was announced.
2. Marvel needs an answer to their mutant problem. This is a popular theory, and honestly quite an easy way out. If Quicksilver and Scarlet Witch prove to be Inhumans, I think this is likely.
3. AoS seems to be foreshadowing this. Sure, Skye's dad could be something else entirely, but this seems most likely. With Skye and Raina as Inhumans, people will be more familiar with the term by the time the movie releases.
4. If Civil War and World War Hulk happen back to back, people are going to need a break from the madness that just happened to the friendly faces we know. Much like we shot off to space to spend time with the Guardians after the seriousness of The Winter Soldier, this could be our break from that world, and all the while Thanos could be advancing in this movie.
Ruling: Likely
So, having gone over everything in detail, I would say it's not only possible, but it's probable that this list was actually spot on after all! I welcome criticism, and like I said this was my first attempt at an editorial. If you stuck around to read, thanks! Hit me a red glove and I'll be glad to chat you up in the comments section!