What’s Next for the MCU? PART 1

Phase 4

Now that we have all had some time to come down from our Endgame highs, it’s time to start looking ahead and what’s next for the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Obviously, there will be MAJOR ENDGAME SPOILERS ahead!

The only movie that has been officially announced my Marvel and Disney is Spider-Man: Far From Home, which hits theaters July 2. It seems likely that this film will deal with the aftermath of Endgame. From the most recent trailer, we see a world mourning the loss of Iron Man, and the webslinger seems to want to get back to a normal life. After all he was turned into dust for 5 years. According to Marvel Studios President, Kevin Feige, has stated that Far From Home will end Phase Three of the MCU, not start Phase 4. So we can expect to get some answers in Far From Home to the questions raised in Endgame. Were all of Pete’s friends snapped as well? (Probably, yes) Was Aunt May snapped, or has she been mourning Peter for the last 5 years? Does Happy start to take Peter under his wing, sort of replacing Tony Stark?

Officially, Disney has not told us anything beyond July, but with internet rumors and various media reports, along with a little logic, we can get a good idea of what Phase 4 might include:

Guardians of the Galaxy, Vol. 3

            Most of the buzz around the third Guardians film has been the firing and rehiring of writer/director James Gunn. With Gunn back on board, the film is moving ahead, and based on the last time we see the Guardians in Endgame, it looks like we will be getting a big screen version of the Asguardians of the Galaxy, with Thor joining the team. Gunn has often said that Vol. 3 would be the end of his version of the Guardians, so we may see some new characters introduced to take over the mantle. Other rumors surrounding this movie include the introduction of Adam Warlock, rumored to be played by Zac Efron.

Doctor Strange 2

            Next to nothing has been rumored about the Doctor Strange sequel, but based on the ending of the original, we can expect to see more of Baron Mordo, perhaps this time as the films primary antagonist.

Black Panther 2

            Of course Marvel is going to have a follow up to their smash hit of 2018. Almost nothing has been rumored about this movie either, and it’s even harder to speculate at who the film’s villain might be. It is possible that this film centers around Black Panther trying to recreate the Avengers as he does seem to fill the Tony Stark role most easily.

Black Widow

           Based on Black Widow’s...let’s call it “character development”, in Endgame, it’s safe to say that this will be set in the past, possibly showing Natasha becoming the deadly assassin that she was, or maybe even finally answering everyone’s burning question, “What the hell happened in Budapest?”

The Eternals

            There has been no mention of the Eternals in the MCU yet, so anything regarding the movie’s plot would have to be based on the comic books. Rumors suggest that the story will be mostly a love story, but expect an origin story as well, as there is no cinematic basis for the Eternals yet.

Shang-Chi

            Another film with so little details being talked about, that all we know has to be taken from the comics. It is speculated that Shang-Chi will be a Kung-Fu style movie, and fairly different from the typical Marvel style. In the comics, Shang-Chi is a martial arts master, and in later publications he has the ability to duplicate himself. Shang-Chi will also be a big step forward in the diversity department for Marvel as it should be their first Asian hero.

Captain Marvel 2

There hasn’t been much talk about it, but you have to think that Captain Marvel will be getting a sequel. The biggest question will be when is the movie set. We could see a continuation of the story of Carol Danvers and Skrulls in the 1990s, we could see what Carol was doing during most of Endgame, or we could even bring Captain Marvel current and pick up where Endgame left off.

What do you think about the current slate that's set for Phase 4 of the MCU? We'd love to hear your feedback and you'll have a chance to join our podcast episode on it as well.

Story by Tim Howell