Avengers: Endgame was a huge turning point for the MCU, but Marvel is far from finished.
The question is, what heroes are coming back in the near future? From gods of thunder to
green giants, here are the heroes we expect will and won't appear in Phase 4.
In spite of the trauma that Thor endures during the Avengers' conflict with Thanos, the thunder
god isn't done with the MCU just yet. At the 2019 Comic-Con International in San Diego,
we learned Thor: Ragnarok director Taika Waititi is returning to helm Thor: Love & Thunder,
currently scheduled for release in November 2021.
"YES!"
Ironically, while Thor's first two solo films were some of the least successful Marvel flicks,
Love & Thunder means that the Odinson will be the first MCU hero to have four starring
solo films.
Perhaps the biggest moment of the announcement was that Natalie Portman, who was nowhere
to be found in Ragnarok, would not only reprise the role of Thor's love interest, Jane Foster,
but would actually take on the power of Thor herself. Her comic book counterpart replaced
the god of thunder as the all-new Thor for four years, though we don't know yet exactly
how she'll achieve the same thing on the big screen.
While everyone in the real world was blaming Peter Quill for Thanos' win in Infinity War,
the first 90 minutes of Endgame saw Avengers like Tony Stark and Bruce Banner blaming Doctor
Strange. The good doctor didn't seem to take it personally, though because he's set to
return for Phase 4 in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, currently scheduled
to be released in May of 2021.
We don't know a lot of specific plot details yet about the film, though some rumors indicate
Strange will finally meet Clea, a woman who in the comics begins as his apprentice and
eventually becomes his wife. Plus, the villain Nightmare, ruler of an entire dimension of
bad dreams, has been mentioned as a possible antagonist.
Back in 2019, the split between Sony and Marvel over Spider-Man 's appearance in Marvel Studios
films had us all worrying we wouldn't see Peter Parker in the MCU again, but within
a month, they patched things up. Spider-Man will be free to rejoin his surviving Avengers
in future Marvel films as early as Phase 4.
While it wasn't a part of Marvel's initial Phase 4 lineup announcement, the third Spider-Man
film is currently slated for release in July 2021. There's little more than speculation
about what's next for Peter Parker, though it's almost certain that Spidey's identity
being revealed by J. Jonah Jameson will be a major plot point.
"He doesn't want to be famous? Then I'll make him INFAMOUS!"
No matter what else happens in the film, Spidey will definitely have plenty to worry about,
but that's usually how it goes for the ol' Parker luck.
While Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 won't hit theaters until 2022 at the earliest, that
doesn't mean we'll have to wait that long to see Marvel's most beloved space-faring
heroes. In March 2020, Groot actor Vin Diesel let it slip that some of the Guardians would
be appearing in 2021's Thor: Love & Thunder. It makes sense, considering how the thunder
god hitches a ride with the Guardians at the conclusion of Endgame, though Starlord's crew
probably won't play a central role in that film.
As for which Guardians will be in Love & Thunder, we're going to make an educated guess that
Gamora won't appear. While Star-Lord will almost certainly be hell-bent on finding his
lost love, we expect that's a story writer-director James Gunn is going to want to tell in Guardians
Vol. 3.
We know Ant-Man 3 is in the works, but we also know that the earliest we could see the
film in theaters is 2022, which would put it in Marvel's Phase 5 lineup. While we're
a little...short on specifics, most of the main cast from the previous two films is expected
back, including the Wasp and her parents, the original shrinking heroes. Plus, as we
all know, no Ant-Man film would be complete without Michael Peña's return as Luis, the
true star of the Ant-Man saga.
"And I was like damn homie you know what you gotta chin up cause you'll find a new partner
but you know what I'm Luis and he says you know what I'm Scotty and we're gonna be best
friends."
"Okay, hold on..."
One thing we're hoping to learn from the upcoming film is the answer to one of the MCU's biggest
unanswered questions: Who was Sonny Burch working for in Ant-Man & the Wasp? The crook
never reveals the employer who's desperate to get their hands on Pym's quantum realm
tech.
One intriguing fan theory about Ant-Man 3 is that the film will introduce the Fantastic
Four to the MCU. According to the theory, the team of explorers is stuck in the quantum
realm, much like Janet Van Dyne was. If this proves to be more than empty speculation,
then it could mean Burch was working for the Fantastic Four's arch-nemesis, Doctor Doom.
We'll have to wait a few years before we know for sure.
Though she sacrificed herself to recover the Soul Stone and help defeat Thanos in Avengers:
Endgame, it's not the last stop for Natasha Romanoff, aka Black Widow, the former spy
turned fallen Avenger. The first of the MCU's Phase 4 films will finally give the heroine
her due with a starring role in Black Widow, set primarily between the events of Captain
America: Civil War and Infinity War.
In a fittingly comic booky twist, Black Widow will be the first solo film released for a
Marvel hero who's already dead...unless she isn't. There are a couple of intriguing theories
that suggest Natasha might still be alive. One, for example, proposes that the Hulk's
use of the Infinity Gauntlet in Endgame succeeded in resurrecting not just the characters we
saw in the battle, but all the fallen heroes, including Black Widow. The problem? If it
did bring her back to life, it would've resurrected her where she died after falling from that
cliff, on the distant planet Vormir. And who knows? Crazier things have happened in the
comics, and it's arguable that a few weirder things have happened in the movies, too. Based
on the Hulk's sad claim that he tried and failed to return the Widow to the land of
the living, however, the odds are better that she really is gone for good.
"You know, I tried. When I had the gauntlet, the stones, I really tried to bring her back."
If so, Black Widow will be our final farewell to Scarlett Johansson's iconic character…and
our first hello to Yelena Belova, the comics' second Black Widow.
Valkyrie, the no-nonsense Asgardian warrior Tessa Thompson played to perfection in Thor:
Ragnarok is nowhere to be found for the events of Infinity War. She did, however, return
in Endgame to not only join the battle against Thanos but to be named the King of New Asgard.
And that won't be the last we see of her. Thompson is confirmed to reprise the role
in 2021's Thor: Love & Thunder.
We'll also be seeing a new side of Valkyrie. Thompson has made it clear the upcoming film
will more openly address Valkyrie's canonical bisexuality, and that part of her character's
journey in the film will include finding "her queen." Jaimie Alexander, who plays Sif in
the first two Thor films but hasn't been seen in any of the movies since The Dark World,
volunteered for the job, and has the fans behind her, though we don't know yet if Marvel
is taking her up on the offer.
Considering the events of Endgame, this may seem like a no-brainer, but don't expect to
see Iron Man back any time soon. Tony Stark sacrificed himself in the final battle against
Thanos, using the Infinity Stones against the villain and earning a heroic ending to
Iron Man's story in the process. But for a while now, there have been rumors that Robert
Downey Jr. will very briefly reprise the role in a cameo for Phase 4's Black Widow.
On one hand, as we've learned many times, rumors aren't really worth much until the
movie is in theaters and you know for sure. On the other, even the rumors claiming Downey
will return make it clear he won't really return. Instead, archival footage from a previous
film, most likely Civil War, will be used.
As late as January 2020, Downey has said he has no plans or interest in returning to the
role of Tony Stark. So while anything is possible in the MCU, don't hold your breath for a Phase
4 Iron Man return.
Black Panther 2 is coming, but surprisingly, considering the first film's massive success,
it won't be around in time for Phase 4. At Disney's D23 Expo in August 2019, Marvel Studios
President Kevin Feige gave Black Panther 2 a release date of May 6th, 2022. The good
news is that even though we'll have to wait for Phase 5 to return to Wakanda, it looks
like most of the people who made Black Panther so memorable will be back as well.
"I never yielded, and as you can see, I am not dead."
Chadwick Boseman will return to the throne as T'Challa, Danai Gurira will be back as
Okoye, and Letitia Wright will reprise the role of genius scientist and inventor Shuri.
There are even rumors Michael B. Jordan will return as Killmonger, though perhaps as a
figure on the spiritual plane rather than a physical villain. The aquatic mutant antihero
Namor has been rumored as a possible bad guy for the sequel, though there's been no confirmation.
Avengers: Endgame concludes Captain America's story beautifully. And while it's not impossible
Chris Evans could return to the role, he doesn't seem particularly thrilled at the prospect.
"No. No, I don't think I will."
Asked by co-star Scarlett Johansson in Variety's 2019 "Actors on Actors" issue, Evans said
that that if he were to return, it wouldn't just be a "cash grab," implying he would want
some compelling narrative reason to continue Cap's story and reverse his eagerness to move
on to new things.
So while it's not entirely out of the question that we'll see Steve Rogers fighting evil
again one day, don't expect it for Phase 4. Besides Evans' words on the subject, there's
no real natural fit for him in any of Phase 4's releases. The only obvious option would
be The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, but since that series seems to be partly based
on his absence and Sam Wilson filling his shoes as the new Cap, having Steve show up
to save the day would be a little weird.
Things got kind of rough for the Hulk at the end of Endgame, as the big guy's arm was horribly
scarred by using the Infinity Stones. Shortly after the film's release, the Russo brothers
confirmed that the damage the Hulk suffers is permanent, and he won't be in a great condition
to be fighting aliens or supervillains any time soon.
However, that doesn't mean that's the end of the green Goliath in the MCU. In particular,
there have been back-and-forth reports that Mark Ruffalo could be reprising the role of
Bruce Banner in the upcoming Disney+ She-Hulk series. Honestly, it would be a little weird
if he doesn't show up, there, since he's integral to her comic book origin thanks to a gamma-powered
blood transfusion.
That said, Marvel's Phase 4 announcement doesn't include She-Hulk, so it's likely even if Banner
does show up for his cousin's show, it won't be until Phase 5 at the earliest.
Captain Marvel was a massive hit, so it's a pretty safe bet there will be a Captain
Marvel 2. But we're equally sure it won't be during the MCU's Phase 4. Marvel Studios
has a pretty packed film slate up all the way through 2021, meaning the absolute earliest
the sequel could show up would be 2022, which puts it squarely in Phase 5.
What's potentially more interesting than learning when Captain Marvel 2 will be released is
when it will take place. Since the first film was set in the '90s, the option is open to
explore the chunk of time between the first film and Avengers: Endgame. Since Brie Larson's
hero is away from Earth for most of that film, the second installment could also look into
what she was doing between leaving our world and returning for the final battle against
Thanos. Our guess is that she was beating the living crap out of evil aliens, but we
won't really know until we see it.
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