From changes to the Avengers lineup to a new Guardians of the Galaxy movie and a whole
bunch of potential new villains, here are some of the major changes that we can expect
to see as the Marvel Cinematic Universe moves past Endgame into Phase 4.
One of the biggest question marks surrounding the end of Phase 3 has been who will be left
standing after the story of the Infinity Stones wraps up.
While a comic book character's story can go on basically forever, the situation is different
when those characters are played by real people.
Actors have contracts, and contracts have expiration dates.
Most of the original Avengers lineup is facing the end of their deals with Marvel as of Avengers:
Endgame.
Whether it's through heroic death or well-earned retirement, our time with some of these characters
is coming to an end.
That said, the odds of losing all six original Avengers in a single film is kinda inconceivable,
especially since we know Black Widow is getting her own movie.
But it's pretty likely that we'll be saying farewell to some familiar faces as the saga
of the Infinity Stones come to a close, and the next era of the MCU takes off.
Things used to feel so simple, and now, everything is about to change.
"We're in the endgame now."
Captain Marvel dominated the box office in 2019, with the flying, photon-blasting fighter
pilot raising the stakes on what the MCU's heroes are capable of on screen.
Her solo film also laid the foundation for a seriously super-powered future.
While the movie left with Carol Danvers out in space on her own adventures, it's clear
that Danvers will be joining up with the Earth-bound Avengers for Endgame and its aftermath.
Don't just take our word for it.
Marvel Studios head Kevin Feige has said that Captain Marvel is, quote, "about to take the
lead and be at the forefront of the entire cinematic universe."
He's also confirmed that she'll be arriving to the series as its most powerful character
at least, for a little while.
Much like the actors who came before her in the series, Brie Larson has reportedly signed
a seven-picture deal with Marvel, so we can count on seeing a lot more of the new Captain
all the way through Phase 4, and maybe even beyond.
"I like this one."
Infinity War and Endgame are two of the biggest movies in cinematic history, so it makes sense
that phase 4 is kicking off with a slightly-more-grounded story.
Arriving just a few months after the fourth Avengers movie is Spider-Man: Far from Home,
the second full-fledged solo movie for the webslinger in the MCU.
According to producers, the film will bring Peter back down to Earth after his experience
with the Avengers, with the high schooler attempting a return to normal life.
As Kevin Feige put it,
"He is, quote-unquote, a normal person, lives a normal life, with a normal environment,
who, you know, got these powers, and who is exposed to these extraordinary things."
While the MCU will probably ramp up to another Thanos-sized threat eventually, it's starting
things off with a narrower scope.
One of the high points of MCU Phase 3 was the wildly successful arrival of Black Panther.
Sure, he made a handful of appearances in Captain America: Civil War, but T'Challa's
first solo film turned heads, won Oscars, and broke records.
Black Panther also came out just months before Infinity War hit theaters, with Wakanda playing
a key role in the movie's climactic battle.
So even though T'Challa met a temporary end during that finale, it's not surprising that
he's been confirmed as coming back for a sequel.
While no date's been set yet for Black Panther 2, odds are that Wakanda's best will show
up again pretty quickly after Endgame has... um... ended..
From the small-scale springboard of the first Iron Man, the MCU has become a pretty big
place, with giant personalities to match.
We've already met cosmic entities like Ego the Living Planet, the Kree Supreme Intelligence,
and everyone's favorite Mad Titan.
But how about more cosmic good guys?
It's time to meet a new team in Phase 4: the Eternals.
Rumors of a film about the Eternals gained steam in April of 2018, just in time for Infinity
War to make universe-shattering power the new normal.
While Spider-Man and Black Panther may help keep things grounded, the Eternals are sure
to help keep a focus on the MCU's cosmic side.
The arrival of the godlike characters also has the potential to set the stage for some
staggeringly powerful heroes and villains as the MCU proceeds.
In December 2017, news broke that Disney would be absorbing large portions of Fox in a historic,
eight-digit merger.
If you're not a fan of the Disney monopoly, that's bad news.
But for Marvel Studios fans, the development is exciting, with huge implications for the
characters we might see in the MCU.
Now that Disney has officially gained access to Fox's intellectual property, they also
got the film rights to several of the company's most famous characters, including the Fantastic
Four, the Silver Surfer, Deadpool, and the X-Men.
It's something that Marvel fans have been clamoring for for years, Kevin Feige included.
"Having access to all of the characters is something I've been dreaming about for my
almost 20 years at Marvel."
Many Marvel fans will tell you that Guardians of the Galaxy is one of the best things to
ever happen to the MCU.
But the future of the franchise was thrown into doubt when writer-director James Gunn
was abruptly fired in mid-2018.
The situation played out in the public eye, with actors and fans venting their anger over
the firing and Disney digging in its heels.
It was eventually confirmed that Gunn's script would be used for the postponed third installment.
Finally, in March 2019, Disney relented and rehired Gunn to finish what he started.
Even better, it was reported that the studio never met with or considered any replacement
director.
Now that Gunn's back in the pilot seat, the series is officially back on track for Vol.
3.
"Hell yes."
"Dope."
Marvel's Phase 4 isn't just changing the face of the movies it's also revamping the TV side
of the MCU story.
In late 2019, Disney will be launching a new streaming service, Disney+, which promises
to be a major destination for fans of Marvel properties.
It's been reported that the service will host multiple limited series centering around specific
characters like Vision and Scarlet Witch, Falcon and the Winter Soldier, and the seemingly
unkillable Loki.
But don't write these off as cheap spin-offs: all characters will be played by their actors
from the films, with big budgets to match.
The impact the shows have on the MCU is likely to be far greater than what we've seen from
series like Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. or the Marvel shows on Netflix.
Unlike those loosely-connected series, Kevin Feige has made it clear that the Disney+ shows
will be essential to the MCU, directly impacting the movies in ways we haven't seen before.
So if you thought you didn't need to pay for another streaming service… think again.
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