Marvel Studios' Hall H panel at the San Diego Comic-Con is less than one week and it's thought that the Phase 4 slate will be revealed in its entirety at the event. However, some very interesting information has been revealed in the meantime which may or may not shed some light on at least a handful of movies which could be included in that.
Recently, a number of inactive Facebook pages were discovered (all of which are set to private and currently unable to view) which appear to have been reserved for future Marvel Studios releases.
Now, there's nothing to say these are owned by Disney/Marvel Studios but it would certainly make sense, especially as all of these have been confirmed/rumoured to be in the works. We'll find out next Saturday for sure, of course, but this is definitely food for thought and it's looking like Phase 4 is definitely going to be much different to what's come before.
So, to check out this list of phantom pages, all you guys have to do is hit the "View List" button!
Facebook.com/DarkAvengers
There have been rumblings about a
Dark Avengers movie for a while and even though Spider-Man: Far From Home didn't introduce Norman Osborn, it's definitely feasible that we'll get a very different take on this team moving into Phase 4. Bear in mind that just because Marvel Studios is using this name, it doesn't necessarily mean the movie will follow the comics!
Facebook.com/YoungAvengersOfficial
Another very likely new direction for Earth's Mightiest Heroes following the events of
Avengers: Endgame, the roster of the Young Avengers could be made up both of characters we've met (Cassie Lang, for example) and completely new additions to the franchise. This could also help Marvel Studios break into the Young Adult market in a significant way.
Facebook.com/MarvelsIronHeart
Robert Downey Jr. has made it clear that he would like to see Ironheart replace Iron Man in the MCU and it definitely feels like her time to shine is coming. A solo movie for the character seems like a bold move on Marvel Studios' part but the character having a Facebook page doesn't necessarily mean that's going to be the case as she would be a good fit for
Young Avengers!
Facebook.com/BlackWidow
Black Widow is currently shooting (we've even seen set photos) and while it's yet to be officially announced, Scarlett Johansson is obviously going to reprise the role after her character was killed off in
Avengers: Endgame. It's thought that it will be set after
Captain America: Civil War and the lead villain is expected to be Taskmaster.
Facebook.com/MarvelsEternals
Another pretty obvious reveal,
The Eternals has been casting for a while now and it's thought that it will include the likes of Richard Madden, Angelina Jolie, and Millie Bobby Brown. Shooting hasn't begun as far as we know but there's a very good chance we'll get a concept art reveal at Comic-Con next weekend showing off these unique characters.
Continue reading below to see 10 characters we
think could steal the show in Marvel Studios' Phase 4!
Wonder Man
Wonder Man is, of course, a classic Avenger, but he's faded into obscurity in recent years and is far from a household name even among the most hardcore of comic book fans.
Created by Baron Zemo, Simon Williams was meant to help the Masters of Evil take down Earth's Mightiest Heroes but he later switched sides and has since battled some pretty serious mental issues and had to balance being a superhero with his career in Hollywood.
Nathan Fillion was supposed to make a cameo appearance on some posters in the Earth-set scenes in
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2, but that was scrapped so here's hoping Kevin Feige does actually have
something in mind for Wonder Man.
U.S. Agent
John Walker is a very interesting and complex character, and following Captain America's apparent death/disappearance, it's understandable that the US Government might want a Cap of their own - and one who will follow the rules that Steve Rogers broke when he refused to abide by the Sokovia Accords.
Plus, Sam Wilson is probably still considered a criminal after Steve broke him out of The Raft, so would they really be happy with The Falcon becoming the new Captain America?
The most obvious place for U.S. Agent to appear would be the
Falcon & The Winter Soldier TV series on Disney+, and recent rumours have actually pointed to that being the case.
The Sentry
The Sentry is a very divisive character who was given a huge role in the Marvel Universe around the time
Civil War was playing out. It didn't take long for Marvel's Superman to disappear, but he has made a number of appearances since and there's no denying that his split personality issues are interesting, especially when The Void makes itself known.
Marvel Studios could even make him a cosmic character or a full-blown villain if they so choose.
Ultimately, though, it's hard to say where The Sentry might appear, but Marvel Studios could reimagine him in a lot of very exciting ways. Just like Mysterio is seemingly trying to fill the void left by Iron Man, this hero could easily step forward to try and replace Thor now that he's in outer space with the GOTG.
Ares
If you're at all familiar with The Sentry, then chances are you'll be well aware that he literally tore Ares in half during
Siege. Well, that R-Rated moment is unlikely to make it to the big screen, but there's really no reason why this powerful God can't be given the chance to shine.
The son of Zeus and the Olympian God of War, Ares is also Hercules' brother and has served as both a hero and villain over the years (though he was misled by Norman Osborn as a Dark Avenger).
Marvel Studios would have a lot of freedom to do whatever they like with Ares in many respects given the way his allegiances often changed, but it would be fun to see this unique take on the God, especially if
The Eternals is going to introduce Hercules and change this shared world's mythology as we know it.
Black Knight
Rumour has it that Marvel Studios is considering introducing Black Knight in the next
Ant-Man movie by revealing that he's been trapped in the Quantum Realm for hundreds of years.
Time will tell on that front, but as the wielder of the Ebony Blade and a member of The Avengers, Black Knight is actually one of the Marvel Universe's most powerful superheroes and someone who would definitely bring a different feel to whatever we're going to see throughout Phase 4.
Ultimately, it just depends whether we're getting a third
Ant-Man movie, but fans are anxious to see more of The Wasp, so there is a decent chance that will happen. With any luck, though, Marvel Studios will consider getting a new director to take the helm in order to shake things up a little.
Hercules
Hercules has a lengthy history in the Marvel Universe and, as you can see above, there have been a number of iterations of the character. He's been an Avenger, a replacement for The Hulk, and even Wolverine's boyfriend in an alternate universe, and rumour has it that he will be the MCU's first openly gay superhero as part of
The Eternals.
That would definitely be cool to see, while him making his presence felt in the present day would also be fun. After all, Hercules has always been one of the most entertaining members of The Avengers and some team-ups with Thor would definitely be appreciated.
There's a lot that could be done with Hercules and it wouldn't be that hard to imagine him carrying his own franchise, even if the "Hercules" label has been soured somewhat in recent years thanks to movies like the one directed by Brett Ratner starring Dwayne Johnson!
Moon Knight
Fans have made it clear that they would like to see Moon Knight on the big screen, and Kevin Feige has hinted that he does have plans for the emotionally unstable superhero, who has a number of different personalities. Well, that hopefully will indeed be the case because there's more to this guy than just being Marvel's Batman.
Marvel Studios arguably dropped the ball by allowing Marvel Television to use Daredevil, so this is Feige's chance to introduce a vigilante character to the MCU in the right way.
Moon Knight definitely deserves his own movie, but Marvel Studios could also take a slower approach to introducing him by using Marc Spector first and having his origin story play out elsewhere. He's an awesome character and one who deserves to grace the big screen sooner rather than later.
Eric O'Grady
With the
Ant-Man franchise seemingly heading down a more fantastical route, it now seems unlikely that Eric O'Grady, a former S.H.I.E.L.D. Agent who becomes a villainous version of the size-changing hero, is a priority for Marvel Studios for the time being.
That's a shame, though, as it would be great fun seeing him and Scott Lang square off, especially when they arguably have a fair bit in common. Throw in the fact that Eric misusing his powers would be downright hilarious, and he could help breathe some new life into the
Ant-Man movies after the sequel ended up being a tad underwhelming.
If those rumours about a
Dark Avengers movie are correct, then it would definitely make sense for Norman Osborn to recruit this "evil" version of Ant-Man for his team.
Taskmaster
Taskmaster has been used a lot more in recent years, both in the comic books and in video games. Unfortuantely, there's been no sign of him on the big screen and that's genuine surprise when a) he's one of Marvel's most visually unique villains and b) also one of the most exciting in terms of how he fights (he can remember his opponent's moves at the cost of his own memories).
While he's often used as a henchman or someone who targets lower tier superheroes, there's no real reason why Taskmaster couldn't be portrayed as the big bad of an upcoming movie.
Personally, I think it would be awesome to see him square off with someome like Black Panther, while he would definitely make a very interesting opponent for the MCU's new Captain America!
Captain Britain
Everyone knows who Captain America is, but what about Captain Britain? Marvel Studios has spent a lot of time in the UK (everything from
Guardians of the Galaxy to
Spider-Man: Far From Home were shot on that side of the pond) so it's honestly surprising that he's yet to appear.
There really is a lot of potential with the character, especially as his powers are mystical in nature and tied into British mythology. Brian Braddock is also a badass, and not just Steve Rogers with a British flag plastered across his chest.
Looking to Alan Moore's work would be a smart move, as he took things in some very weird and unexpected directions. Meanwhile, newer adventures tying into the Multiverse would also be fun to see explored. The question is, will moviegoers be interested in a
Captain Britain movie after spending so many years following Captain America?