"I am Iron-Man."
Ever since those famous words, the Marvel Cinematic Universe activated its rocket boosters and has flown to new heights. We've had big hits like
The Avengers and
Captain America: Civil War. Game changing films like
Guardians of the Galaxy and
Black Panther. And heartwarming gems like
Spider-Man: Homecoming and
Thor: Ragnarok. All in all, it seems like Marvel Studios can't lose. However, with their ten year grand plan coming to a close, you have to wonder where they plan to go from here on out. Well, wherever they plan on going, success is simply in their blood.
First off, let's address the elephant in the room. Our original Avengers group is going to take a final bow sooner or later. We have the highly hyped
Avengers: Infinity War and its untitled sequel on the horizon. Everyone is expecting great things, but we're also expecting some closure. In other words, Tony Stark could finally be hanging up the suit for good. Captain America may not even make it out alive. Changes are coming, and they're inevitable. Although through the years, Marvel has brilliantly planted seeds for future characters with new stories to tell.
For instance, having someone as popular as Spider-Man in the MCU is huge. He's a kid, with a long heroic life ahead of him. That gives us plenty of time to see him interact with new opportunities we've never seen before. And with Tom Holland playing the web-head so well, you already have an established fanbase that can only get bigger.
Then we have the king of Wakanda himself; Black Panther. His first solo outing this year has been nothing but incredible. The love for this character has been overwhelmingly great, and his box office success is truly a phenomenon. It's very possible T'Challa could be the Avengers new financial supporter somewhere down the line, as well as becoming an Avenger himself.
Let's not forget about Ant-Man and his little adventures. Sure, he's not exactly as mainstream as his other co-workers, but he certainly has a place in the MCU. However, he won't be making his name known alone. With the assistance of the Wasp, you can only imagine what crazy things they'll be doing together.
The best part about all of this, is we're not even close to scratching the surface. With
Disney in the process of buying
21st Century FOX, we could very well see the Fantastic Four and the X-Men in the MCU. Marvel's First Family has never gotten the treatment it deserved movie wise. However, if Marvel can give Spider-Man a warm welcome back home, there's no telling what they could do for Mr. Fantastic and his superpowered family. The X-Men is also another possibility for the MCU, although they could be a bit tricky integrating smoothly. The X-Men is such a large concept, that it could be difficult to fit so many cards in one deck. At the end of the day, all of these characters could come to fruition here, but it will take awhile before we actually see it.
Last but not least, we have a superheroine that will be heading to theaters March 9th, 2019. And her name is Captain Marvel. She's been associated as being a B or C list character before, but that could easily change if this film is a hit. Captain Marvel has a rich history in the comics, with numerous storylines. That just gives Marvel Studios a lot of material to chew on.
Overall, the future of the MCU is extremely bright. There doesn't seem to be a fatigue for this universe at all. In fact, many would say the MCU has built up even more anticipation as time has passed. Sure, there could be a few missteps along the way. We may get an
"Iron Man 3" or a
"Thor: The Dark World" here and there. Although, with the immense and precise planning Kevin Feige has done in the past, we should all have faith he's taking our beloved world of heroes in the right direction.