In a little less than a week Spider-Man: Far From Home will be released and conclude Phase 3 of the MCU. With that in mind, it’s time to give our Marvel Phase 4 First Thoughts. Without any hard evidence on exactly what movies are coming next and the exact order of said movies, we do know which ones are most likely getting made. I say this, because things change all the time. Remember when there was supposed to be an Inhumans movie by now? Let’s get on with it.
The First Movies in Phase 4
I think it is safe to say that the Black Widow prequel will be one of the first movies to start Phase 4. This makes sense to us as it will be taking place in the past (Most likely) and set up for the next big installment of the MCU. We may get glimpses, easter eggs, or “throw away” lines that actually mean something to the bigger picture once other movies are released.
The MCU placed many lines and easter eggs that people took as throw-a-ways in the earlier phases and were able to work such things into the actual movies. The Black Widow movie could set up future events that haven’t happened yet and now that Thanos is no longer a threat, it could make way for villains that were waiting in the shadows.
Another movie that we believe will be released sooner than later is Black Panther 2. This will most likely be the 2nd or 3rd movie in the first part of Phase 4. Black Panther was a box office success and Wakanda now plays a larger part in the exporting/import business across the World. If another Earthly threat is starting rearing its ugly head and Wakanda is a huge part of the economy across the planet, it makes sense to use this movie as the jump-off point to really introduce the next over-arching enemy.
Fans also are clamoring to see what awaits T’Challa now that he is back after being gone for 5 years. Who was watching Wakanda? Okoye? M’Baku? While the MCU in Endgame made it look like Okoye, she may have only been a messenger.
While not sure if Black Panther will be the 2nd or 3rd movie in the next phase, an argument could also be made for Dr. Strange 2. He has the Time Stone and we can see this being used to help introduce a new big bad. Maybe the good Doctor also uses his detective skills to notice something in the timeline that is starting to rear its ugly head and was overlooked previously.
Mid-Way through Phase 4
At the mid-way point is where the Guardians and Thor 4 will make their return. According to our first previous predictions, we get how Earth is going to be affected, but what about the rest of the Universe? Guardians and Thor 4 will connect the dots to give the audience a look at the higher level threat the new “baddy” presents. We will most likely get the full plot of new villains plans.
Since Thor is now directly connected to the Guardians it makes sense that we will get these movies within a few months of each other. This makes it easier to film both around the same time as there could be big crossovers in Thor from the Guardians and vice versa. If the shooting schedules are closely entwined it makes it easier to keep the actors in that shooting schedule and not muddy it up with other commitments.
If these movies are to be released closer to one another, another MCU movie will probably sit between them. That movie is up in the air. I could make a case for Captain Marvel 2, The Eternals, and Shang-Chi. If I had to make a pick now, I would say Captain Marvel 2.
Again with ties to Thor and Guardians as she flies all over space, she could sit between the two to give the full picture of what is happening in space. She could also introduce I could also see an Eternals cameo or mention to start setting up for that movie.
Finishing off Phase 4
The last movie in Phase 4 will be an Avenger movie, but before that happens we need a Spider-Man 3. Spider-Man 3 will set him up to be the leader of the Avengers taking over for Tony Stark. Peter is still to young and impressionable to be able to handle the task of being the leader of the group. With only having one movie out after Avengers: Endgame, Peter will need to grow a bit more and a single movie will not give him all the growth he needs. The third Spider-Man movie will see him grow into the man he needs to be to take up the mantle as the leader.
There even maybe some Avengers movies sprinkled throughout this phase and that would see Peter playing a junior leader to Captain Marvel, Dr. Strange, and/or Falcon. Showing that Peter is starting to learn what it means to be at the top of the team.
Conclusion
There is still a lot that is unannounced for Phase 4 and a clearer picture will be made after Spider-Man: Far from Home is released. Marvel needs to keep audiences in some sort of suspense on what is to come, but balance that with enough information to keep us wanting to come back to see how it plays out.
Phase 4 will be an exciting time and huge turn for the MCU as it appears more movies will be set in space than on Earth. The MCU appears to be moving into a more expansive setting to help explain and introduce new characters to its universe. Using the “unknown” of space is a good way to do it, but could easily be the downfall as these conflicts millions of miles away may only hold die-hard fans attention. A lot of the fun in the Marvel movies is seeing how the plot affects Earth and its citizens like us. In other words, the MCU has hit close to home and now appears to be moving further away.
Only time will tell, and we at Nerd Caster are going to continue to throw money at these movies as we are all in with whatever the Disney/Marvel has to give us.
