It’s crazy to think that we’re already talking about Marvel’s Phase Four slate of films when we still haveCaptain America: Civil War,Black Panther,Captain Marvel, a newSpider-Man, and much, much more before we move into a new “Phase.” But, for better or worse, that’s where we are — keeping one eye firm on the present with our ears open to anything and everything coming down the road. To that end,JoeandAnthony Russo, the directors behindCivil Warand the two-partAvengers: Infinity War, is teasing a new line-up of Marvel’s heroes for Phase Four.
Speaking at a Q&A panel from Wizard World New Orleans Comic Convention and quoted byComicBook.com, Joe Russo said of developingInfinity War:
“Everything is finite, right? Nothing can last forever. It’s cyclical. Some New Avengers in Phase Four are going to become prominent and then maybe some Avengers might not be around anymore. So, we’ll see how all this plays out but you have to treat every character with respect. I think it’s interesting that if you’ve seen four or five movies with the lead character having an arc, I want to see some story telling from some of the secondary characters. We’re focusing on that right now withInfinity Warwhile we’re breaking into those movies, is which characters can we pull to the forefront who potentially haven’t had their own ‘A’ story arc to this point. I think you’ll see that the supporting Avengers are going to become primary Avengers.”
In other words, that means good news for everyone not named Captain America, Thor, Iron Man, Ant-Man, and Star-Lord. It’s difficult to discern whether he’s also referring to folks like Doctor Strange, Black Panther, Captain Marvel, and Spider-Man, who haven’t had their standalone ventures yet but will in the years ahead. My personal hope is thatElizabeth Olsen’s Scarlet Witch gets a ton more screen time, but it would also make sense for the MCU’sInfinity War, if I’m to make an educated guess — she received her powers from the Mind Stone, after all.
If you also look at recent and upcoming comic books from Marvel, there’s evidence there to suggest the MCU is planning a major shake-up to continue the franchise. We already have one new line-up of Avengers with Scarlet Witch, Falcon, Vision, and War Machine, though that could quickly change with the events ofCivil War. Plus, we need to think about who from the standalone Phase Three films might stick around in Phase Four. There are currentlythree mystery Marvel movies slated for release in 2020, so start placing your bets at whatKevin Feigeand company have planned for us. For now, here’s what the schedule looks like so far:
