So I know it’s slightly early talking about Phase 4, as Phase 3 is yet to begin, but surely some of you must be thinking, what is actually going to happen once this long awaited conclusion hits our screens in 2019? What is going to be shown in those post-screen credits once the film comes to an end? Kevin Feige said that the Infinity Wars will be the ‘culmination’ of everything Marvel has done since Tony Stark and his Iron Man suit graced our screens in 2008.
I, however, don’t think this will be the last we see of this ever growing universe of Marvel characters, because since Iron Man, collectively the franchise has grossed over seven billion dollars, and Phase 3 hasn’t even kicked off yet! So I doubt they will stop after Avengers: Infinity War – Part 2. With all the success they have been receiving, surely Marvel would want to grow even more, and try to better themselves again and again till they have money falling out of their ears. So I am going to explore in this list six different directions they could go in, and whether or not the MCU can keep their popularity and impressive movie sales.
6. New faces of Marvel
It hasn’t been set and stone if any of the current cast will carry on after the Infinity Wars, but I highly doubt they will, purely because as actors, this will be a chapter closed in their books, as they’d want to explore new and different career paths and not be tied down to any further movie contracts; also, just to add, if I was to carry on the franchise, I’d like to freshen it up anyway. As good as they all are, I feel adding new faces will add more depth if Marvel plan to carry this on for years to come.
So the possible new faces of the Avengers could be: Black Panther (Chadwhick Boseman), Captain Marvel (?), the long awaited Spider-Man (Tom Holland), a new Captain America with either Bucky Barnes or Sam Wilson (Sebastian Stan/Anthony Mackie), Doctor Strange (Benedict Cumberbatch), new Thor (Thor is currently being played by a female at the moment in the comics), maybe some of the Guardians of the Galaxy especially with Chris Pratt becoming a fan favourite, and then we have the big guy… Hulk (Mark Ruffalo) who’s becoming very popular with the Marvel fans.
I could be completely wrong, and we could end up seeing a whole new team altogether. However, I feel this could be the ideal cast, as they’d already be popping up in Phase 3, building some ground in the MCU and popularity with the fans. There could be more thrown in the picture too, especially with the Marvel Netflix series becoming hugely successful with the likes of Daredevil, so they could well be in contention too! Whether or not it will be a success if these character do take over is down to gaining enough popularity with the fans during Phase 3, and if they can carry on the charisma and egotism that the first cast portrayed exceptionally well.
5. Avengers vs. X-Men
With the X-Men films’ story arc coming to a close and Phase 3 coming to an end in 2019, that could be enough time to maybe put this in consideration. I mean, who wouldn’t want all this carnage on the big screen? Obviously the only way for this to happen is if Fox and Marvel can close a deal together, plus having Phase 4 casted correctly to fit the narrative of the comic. The casting would have to be perfect, however, to capture the epic story that we see in the comic series, but you never know – Marvel likes springing us with surprises as the years go on.
4. Secret Wars
Another major story arc in the Marvel comics, Secret Wars could possibly be a massive hit film, and lead to a number of sequels for the solo films. Like the build up to the Infinity Wars, this could be the epic film after Phase 3; with this movie, we’ll be gifted with the new, rebooted X-Men and new Fantastic Four, again if Fox and Marvel can agree to a deal. This could also be a good way to introduce the Venom symbiote, thus setting up a new Spidey film. Imagine if this film were to be made, having the special effects that we have nowadays; we could be seeing a rather impressive spectacle. Whether to involve it in the MCU or just make it a standalone film, this really needs to be done for the comic lovers and the neutrals.
3. Sequels and new films
For there to be phase 4 at all, we are going to need sequels and new films, so I believe Phase 4 will open up a lot of sequels for the characters I mentioned in this list. With these sequels and new films, we’ll most likely see new villains, supporting characters, and new secrets, all the ingredients you need to make a new phase in the MCU. We could possibly see Black Panther 2, a second Doctor Strange film, a new Thor film with a female lead, Guardians of the Galaxy 3, and the list goes on. If they’d go ahead with Phase 4, they wouldn’t be short of ideas.
2. Secret Invasion
Personally this is what I thought Marvel was going to go with in Phase 1. Like the Secret Wars, Secret Invasion can open up more potential plot lines like Planet Hulk. This could be an interesting film to watch as the story is riddled with mystery; if directed well, you could get your audience questioning whether or not things are as they seem. The Kree-Skrull war is rather intriguing, and I think it would be entertaining for our audience to see our mightiest heroes all questioning whether they are who they say they are.
1. Planet Hulk
They say “Save the best for last” and what would be more epic than seeing a Planet Hulk film? Mark Ruffalo is yet to have a solo movie, and I believe he deserves one. His performance as Bruce Banner/Hulk has been the best yet. I believe that the Hulk has more potential to run longer in the MCU, and if they can get the character’s balance right in the film, then this could be the best Marvel movie to be released. Everyone loves the Hulk, and with his performance in both of the Avenger films, I am always feeling like I want to see more of the big green guy in another solo film, and what better for it to be than Planet Hulk? It would fit in pretty well in a linear story line too. The events of the Secret Wars happen, Hulk crashes on an alien planet, creates Planet Hulk, and then the Hulk comes back to earth, which results in World War Hulk, eventually side-stepping to Secret Invasion. Well, that could go all wrong, but at the end of the day, Planet Hulk would be a perfect comic to adapt into a solo film and Phase 4 story.
Overall, these are just my views and opinions of exploring the possibilities after Phase 3 and what I’d like to see happen. I could be completely wrong and anyone can challenge my predictions, but whatever Marvel does to carry on its franchise, I still believe it will be as successful as it was with the first two phases. It will be difficult for the new guys to carry on without Iron-Man, Thor, Cap and so on, but with the introduction of new characters such as Spider-Man, Black Panther, Captain Marvel and maybe a new Captain America, they should do enough to carry on the MCU’s popularity and bring new life into their films.
What do you think will happen in Phase 4 of the MCU? Let us know in the comments or on Twitter!