If producer Kevin Feige and his colleagues at Marvel Studios and Disney announced that Avengers: Endgame was the conclusion to theMarvel Cinematic Universe, we’d probably be cool with that.
As mentioned in my review for the film, Endgame is the “cinema-shaking conclusion to one of the greatest pieces of modern storytelling and world-building in the history of the medium.” The 22 films that made up the saga achieved a complete story that took 11 years to roll out, and it’s unlikely we’ll see the likes of it again. Yet the economics of modern moviemaking mean that it isn’t the last we’ll see of Marvel heroes on screen.
Of course, Endgame has left us with a vastly different field to the one that we had this time last year. (I’ve popped some of those changes in a spoiler box in case you’ve not seen the film yet, but be aware: other SPOILERS may still pop up).
So what’s next? This time last year we speculated what was coming based on announcements and reports. A lot has happened since then, not least of which is Disney’s acquisition of Fox and properties like the X-Men and the Fantastic Four. Keep in mind that beyond Spider-Man: Far From Home, and the already slated Fox properties, Marvel and Disney haven’t announced a single thing. We probably won’t hear anything until at least Comic-Con in July this year.
Disney have already indicated that they are holding places for 7 Marvel films between 2020 and 2023. Those dates were: 31 July 2020, 7 May 2021, 30 July 2021, 5 November 2021, 18 February 2022, 6 May 2022, and 29 July 2022. However, these dates will have changed following the Fox merger, but we can use them as indicators of future releases for now.
Phase 3: Endgame epilogue
SPIDER-MAN: FAR FROM HOME (5 July 2019): This is still the only film we actually have completely confirmed beyond Avengers: Endgame, mostly because it’s Sony distributing it, and it is said to pick up minutes after that event. Since we spoke about it last year, a trailer has been released, and Marvel’s Kevin Feige has confirmed that this film will officially end Phase 3.
Phase 4: Known Unknowns
SHANG-CHI: While Marvel had an ill-fated attempt at martial art with the Netflix series Iron Fist, Destin Daniel Cretton is set to direct Marvel’s first leading Chinese-American superhero to reach the MCU. ComicBook.com reported that Feige answered a fan question in China with a definitive answer: “This is not an Endgame question, this is a question about the future…I’m not supposed to answer questions about the future but in this case, I will because the answer is yes.” So there you go. Given the Chinese box office numbers of later, the Master of Kung Fu could potentially be one of the biggest overseas hits for the studio.
THE ETERNALS: Last year this was just strong speculation. Since then, Chloé Zhao (The Rider) has been hired as a director Apart from being touted as featuring the first openly gay character in the MCU, the casting rumours and announcements have been huge: Angelina Jolie, Kumail Nanjiani, and Ma Dong-seok have been connected with the film. In the comics, the group are an advanced offshoot of humanity as part of a process begun by the Celestials. If you recall, the Celestials were mentioned in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2. Created by Jack Kirby as a Marvel analogue for the mythological/sci-fi work he was doing with New Gods, writer Neil Gaiman later wrote a run on the series with artist John Romita Jr.
GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY VOL. 3: This one has been a saga. Following the very public firing of James Gunn, and his subsequent signing on to the Suicide Squad sequel at the Distinguished Competition, he was eventually reinstated by Marvel after a fan and cast protest. While this was never officially announced, it was a done deal as far as Gunn was concerned, but now most reports are saying this won’t start production until 2021 for a 2023 release. Given the events of Endgame, it’s going to have a…different lineup.
DISNEY+ CONTENT: While we’re waiting, the Disney+ streaming service launching in November will have no shortage of MCU content. Already Falcon & Winter Soldier, Loki, WandaVision (apparently set in the 1950s!), Hawkeye, and animated What If…? series that will tie in directly to the characters created under the MCU. This fills the gap between the weekly Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. series, the Netflix shows, and the One-Shot films that used to appear on the DVDs/Blu-rays in the first two phases of the MCU.
BLACK WIDOW: There’s been chatter by Feige back since 2012 on this one. However, it seems to be full steam ahead now, with Cate Shortland announced as the director last year. Ned Benson is doing a rewrite of the script. Whether this is a prequel or sequel is yet to be confirmed, although the notes in the spoiler section will probably indicate which. Shooting is said to begin as soon as June 2019 in the United Kingdom with Scarlett Johansson and last until that September. This would probably put it on track for sometime in 2020/2021, the events of Endgame notwithstanding.
Phase 4: Probable, likely, bankable hits
BLACK PANTHER 2: The biggest original character debut in the MCU to date, with a global total of $1.3 billion and counting, you better believe that this film will be getting a sequel. It was confirmed in October 2018 that Ryan Coogler would return to write/direct the film. We guess that this will be 18 February 2022, mirroring the original’s release window in February 2018.
THOR 4: The joyful and offbeat Thor: Ragnarok, and the God of Thunder’s subsequent team-ups with his “sweet rabbit” friend in Infinity War and Endgame, has ensured that the world needs more Thor. Actress Tessa Thompson seems to think there will be one. In an interview with the LA Times, she said: “I heard that a pitch has happened for [another “Thor” film]. I don’t know how real that intel is, but I hear that the pitch has happened. I think the idea is Taika [Waititi] would come back.” I am a fan of all of that.
DOCTOR STRANGE 2: While not quite as big as some of its contemporaries, Strange played a massive part in Infinity War and its sequel. As Marvel goes deeper into cosmic territory, he will be an essential character. Plus, they teased us with a sequel back in 2016. Surely they won’t make us wait too much longer?
DEADPOOL 3/X-FORCE: Whether it has a hard connection to the MCU or stays doing its own thing. Even Feige,speaking with Variety, sees no reason to mess with a good thing. “When we were purchased, Bob [Iger] said to us, ‘if it’s not broke, don’t fix it. There’s no question that Deadpool is working, so why would we change it?” Indeed, on the day after Disney acquisition of Fox, Deadpool was one of the only Fox Marvel properties they displayed on their corporate site. Plus, Ryan Reynolds seems to be having a ball on social media with the merger.
Hopeless speculation and wishful drinking
FANTASTIC FOUR: If Marvel were to start the Universe again, or branch off into an alternate reality, the FF seems like the logical place to start. Despite having three theatrical bites at the cherry, Disney/Marvel now have the rights to make something on the scale and tone of their current slate. They could even be incredibly clever and set it in the 1960s, where they have already established a continuity of characters from the scientific community of Howard Stark, Obadiah Stane, and Anton Vanko to spies and allies in Peggy Carter, the earlier days of S.H.I.E.L.D. and HYRDA.
X-MEN: My bet is that Disney will sit on the X-Men for a while. Credit where it’s due: before the MCU, Lauren Shuler Donner kicked off a Marvel universe around the mutant characters that expanded into seven main films, three Wolverine spin-offs, two Deadpool movies, and more (including New Mutants, which may get lost in the wilderness). It paved the way for the MCU in more ways than one. Yet they have been a little oversaturated, and Marvel would be wise to slip them back into their world one mutant or two at a time.
NEW AVENGERS: This seems like an obvious move. Keep the Avengers brand and see how that functions without some of the heavier hitters that have led the previous arcs. If Tony Stark and Steve Rogers were the heart and soul of the MCU until now, maybe it’s time for Captain Marvel, Sam Wilson, and Doctor Strange to take the helm. The New Avengers comic of 2010 initially featured Luke Cage, Victoria Hand, Iron Fist, Jessica Jones, Mockingbird, Ms. Marvel, Spider-Man, The Thing, and Wolverine – all of which are now available under the Disney banner. The mind boggles.
