Mutants, multiversal fakeouts,
and good guys gone bad — Marvel's phase 4 has really kept fans on their toes.
Evan Peters played Quicksilver in the Fox-produced "X-Men" films,
which prior to 2021 had been disconnected from the MCU timeline. That all seemed to change,
however, when Peters showed up on Wanda's doorstep in "WandaVision." Previously,
the MCU's Quicksilver was played by Aaron Taylor-Johnson,
and the character was killed off in the line of duty during "Avengers: Age of Ultron."
The appearance of Peters sent Marvel fans speculating wildly. The actor's appearance
as Wanda's brother Pietro seemingly opened the floodgates of the multiverse and perhaps
indicated that "X-Men" actors such as Patrick Stewart and Hugh Jackman could also show up.
So, was Peters playing the Taylor-Johnson version of Quicksilver who had somehow been
resurrected? Or was he a visitor from an alternate universe,
thus making the "X-Men" films tangentially canon to the MCU?
Much of this speculation would ultimately be squashed, as Peters' character in the
show was revealed to be … a random Westview citizen named Ralph Bohner,
cast by Agatha Harkness to pretend to be Wanda's brother. Though this MacGuffin may
have ultimately proven anticlimactic, it yielded some wild theories,
and may have been a none-too-subtle foreshadowing of the chaos to come.
Sam and Bucky found themselves reunited with Sharon Carter in "The Falcon and the Winter
Soldier." A criminal in the eyes of the American government because she assisted Captain America
during the events of "Civil War," Sharon was now living in Madripoor. Meanwhile, throughout the
series, there was constant mention of a mysterious Power Broker, who sold access to super-powers
to anyone who could pay and ruled Madripoor's underworld. The figure was heavily involved in
Madripoor's business and sounded like a potential big bad our heroes would eventually face.
But although Sharon appeared to be aiding Sam and Bucky throughout the series,
she would eventually be revealed as the Power Broker herself,
leading to a number of follow-up questions yet to be answered in the MCU.
Then, in a post-credits scene for the series, Carter was seemingly pardoned for aiding Captain
America by the US government and reinstated as an agent — but as we saw shortly afterward,
she's still maintaining her identity as the Power Broker. The intricate web of Sharon Carter's true
intentions, and what may have led to this 180 in allegiances, continues to hang over the MCU.
"I'm trying something different. Maybe you should do the same."
Wenwu spent centuries as the Mandarin, performing acts of terrorism within an organization known
as the Ten Rings, named after the ten magical rings that gave him his long life. Wenwu's son,
Shang-Chi, came to reckon with his father's exploits in adulthood. He grappled with his
family's history and eventually sought to stop his father once and for all.
During the entirety of "Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings," Wenwu was painted
as a criminal and a terrible father to his children. However, as MCU fans saw in the film,
Wenwu mistakenly believed his deceased wife was alive and being held captive
by the Dweller-In-Darkness, a creature best described as a cross between a demon and a
dragon. This delusion acted as Wenwu's justification for his wrongdoings. So,
what did it take for Wenwu to realize that his quest was a fool's errand? The answer is, his son.
In turn, Wenwu awoke to his mistakes and repented, sacrificing his life to the monster while also
giving his son control over the powerful rings. It was a powerful last-minute redemption, with a
longtime villain turning over a new leaf, hoping his final act can make up for a lifetime of pain.
"Dad, please… Your family needs you."
Laura Barton made her MCU debut in "Avengers: Age of Ultron," when the audience learned that
Hawkeye had a wife and kids he'd been keeping a secret while performing his superheroic duties.
In "Ultron" and some other minor appearances, there was little to suggest the character was
anything more than your average, ordinary, run-of-the-mill superhero spouse. That is,
until the Disney+ series "Hawkeye," in which Laura suddenly seemed very invested
in a Rolex watch that Hawkeye was trying to track down. We were told the watch had
connections to its former owner's identity, which could be compromised if the watch fell
into the wrong hands. Hawkeye succeeded in procuring the watch, whose owner was
revealed to be Laura herself. And the capper is that she's a former agent of S.H.I.E.L.D.
This plot twist presents a fun dynamic with which to revisit Laura's appearances up to
this point. In hindsight, the character was keeping a huge part of herself a secret.
Looking ahead to the future, it presents exciting opportunities to hopefully see her in action.
"Thank you."
From 2015 to 2019, Marvel Television created several shows for Netflix that referenced events
within the MCU, yet were seemingly unrelated to Marvel Studios. When Disney+ launched in 2019,
as Marvel Studios announced a slate of shows for the new streaming platform,
the Netflix partnership was terminated and those stories and characters seemed likely
to be narratively dismissed going forward. Even so, fans expressed their desire to see
the continuation of these versions of Daredevil, Jessica Jones, and others.
After a long period of radio silence, hope emerged in December 2021, which saw the
sudden return of two beloved portrayals in a big way. First Kingpin appeared as a villain
in "Hawkeye," with Vincent D'Onofrio reprising his role from the "Daredevil" series. That same month,
Charlie Cox made a surprise appearance as Matt Murdock in "Spider-Man: No Way Home."
Even after Daredevil's subsequent appearance on "She-Hulk," details are still fuzzy as to
whether these are the same versions of those characters from their Netflix incarnations,
or if what fans are seeing is in some sort of alternate timeline. Nevertheless,
these are huge Marvel characters, so clearly they are a necessary piece
of the puzzle and it's good to see the MCU won't be rolling the dice with recastings.
While the biggest reveal of "Spider-Man: No Way Home" was undoubtedly the return
of Tobey Maguire and Andrew Garfield as their respective versions of Peter Parker,
the film had even more tricks up its sleeve. One could argue that the film's conclusion
of Doctor Strange wiping the world's memories of Peter Parker will hold far
longer-lasting repercussions in future MCU installments than most people could imagine.
Thanks to a Strange spell gone wrong, individuals from countless universes
aware that Peter Parker is Spider-Man were in the process of being transported
to the MCU's primary timeline. While that spell could not be reversed,
its outcome could be changed and save Peter and his friends from danger.
To save the timeline from imploding, Peter and Strange devised a desperate plan to rid
the world's memory of Peter Parker, leaving the young hero completely alone in the proces.
It was a juggernaut of an ending for an already emotional story, with the touching nature of its
final scenes bringing a tragically beautiful conclusion to this "Spider-Man" trilogy.
Early trailers for "Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness" seemed to tease a
team-up of sorts, with Marvel's Sorcerer Supreme and its Scarlet Witch embarking
on a mission together. The ads also made it seem like the film's plot would revolve
around the fallout from Doctor Strange's multiverse-tampering actions in "Spider-Man:
No Way Home." As it turns out, both were misdirections to throw us off the real story here.
MCU fans were shocked when Doctor Strange discovered Wanda was in control of the very
monsters he'd sought out her support to help him fight. Determined to gain access to another
reality in which she could be a mother to her twin boys from "WandaVision," the Scarlet Witch would
stop at nothing to achieve her heart's desire. With an incredible performance by Elizabeth Olsen,
Wanda in "Multiverse of Madness" was a surprisingly wicked and powerful antagonist.
Trailers for "Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness" hinted at the film's inclusion of
heroes from across the multiverse, and they appeared in the form of the Illuminati,
a supergroup of Marvel characters. As teased with an audio clip in one of the movie's trailers,
Patrick Stewart's version of Professor Charles Xavier — seemingly from the
Fox-made "X-Men" films — was among them. But he was hardly alone — as it turned out,
this Xavier was but one member of an alternate reality super-team known as the Illuminati.
In addition to Professor X, the roster included Karl Mordo, Captain Peggy Carter, Maria Rambeau,
Black Bolt, and Reed Richards. Nearly every character was played by veteran Marvel actors
returning to play variant versions of their previous roles. But Mr. Fantastic,
as portrayed by John Krasinksi, was fancasting come true, as Marvel Studios
President Kevin Feige was happy to indulge months of fans urging Krasinski's casting.
While the jury is still out on whether Mr. Fantastic will look like Krasinksi in the
upcoming "Fantastic Four" film, Reed's brief moment alongside the rest of the other eclectic
members of the Illuminati was a thrilling tribute to Marvel media over the years.
In the first season of "Loki," the titular character found himself at the headquarters of
the Time Variance Authority. The organization's mission was seemingly to control the entire
timeline of the universe and stamp out any "variants" which may occur. Going by the motto
"for all time, always," the TVA's no-nonsense, bureaucratic ways were hellbent on maintaining
the so-called "Sacred Timeline." Through a series of convoluted explanations and revelations,
MCU fans learned that the TVA was seemingly responsible for maintaining the integrity of
existence itself with mysterious figures known as the Time-Keepers overseeing the whole operation.
The audience would ultimately have the rug pulled out from under them, however,
when Loki and Sylvie discovered that the TVA was merely a false front. The TVA's agents were
unaware that the Time-Keepers were robots, and the agents had past lives they'd been made to forget.
The TVA, and its stated purpose of controlling the Sacred Timeline, was an elaborate lie hiding the
actions committed by He Who Remains. Better known to Marvel fans as Kang the Conqueror,
he disrupted time when multiple versions of himself from other timelines tried to interfere
long ago — and he created the TVA to make his timeline the only timeline. There is more Kang
to come in future MCU projects, but his initial reveal was a plot-twist disruption from the
aforementioned logic of "Loki," perhaps laying the groundwork for future misdeeds yet to come.
The titular heroes of "Eternals" had a long held belief that they existed to
keep Earth safe. As it turned out, they were actually just conduits to prepare
Earth's inhabitants for extinction upon the birth of a being known as a Celestial.
As MCU fans discovered alongside the film's characters, they've already done
this countless times with other planets, but they just can't remember. What to the
viewer was a mere plot twist was, to the characters, the disruption of their entire
reason for existing and their overall perception of the world's existence.
Now that they know the truth, the Eternals go forward unwilling to continue as pawns
in a scheme for the mass extermination of all life forms on Earth. Instead,
they are determined to challenge what's expected of them and save the planet in
doing so. Like "Loki," the world-building of "Eternals" was quite complicated,
and the repercussions of its big "gotcha" moment have yet to be fully understood.
With Phase 4's inclusion in the MCU's "Multiverse Saga," opportunities have
begun presenting themselves for the occasional cross-pollination of franchises. Chief among
these seems to be "X-Men" alumni, as Evan Peters and Patrick Stewart were both members
of the beloved Fox "X-Men" movies and now have at least some tangential place in the MCU.
However, Marvel Studios has yet to formally establish the X-Men as a part
of the MCU proper. Therefore, a detail at the end of the "Ms. Marvel" series
came as a huge reveal, perhaps setting up significant repercussions to come.
Early in the series, Kamala Khan inherited a powerful bangle from her grandmother and
immediately gained superpowers, making it seem as though the power was derived from
the bangle itself. But with help from the scientific findings of her friend Bruno,
Kamala would come to learn that the powers were within her genetic
structure all along. The bangle simply unlocked what had already been present.
In the last episode's final moments, Bruno shared another layer of discovery,
explaining she possessed a mutation while a music cue from "X-Men:
The Animated Series" played in the background.
"There's something different in your genes, like a mutation."
This was big news in an MCU that had never said the word "mutant" before for various
reasons, and was now seemingly laying the foundation for the X-Men for the first time.
Kamala shrugged off the news, simply referring to it as a label. But could
the revelation possibly open the door for "X-Men" to be more prominently featured
in the MCU going forward? As Stan Lee might say, stay tuned, true believers.