Marvel’s Phase 4 Revealed
Marvel Studios has been saying it for a while now: AVENGERS: ENDGAME was meant to be the end of a series that became known as the Infinity Saga. It encompassed 23 films, from IRON MAN to ENDGAME. But fans wanted to know what’s next.
On Saturday night, at San Diego Comic-Con, the world found out. Marvel Studios President Kevin Feige took the stage at Hall H to reveal the full slate of Phase 4 properties, which includes five new movies that will drop in theatres in 2020 and 2021.
Two of the five films are sequels. Benedict Cumberbatch will reprise the role of the Sorcerer Supreme in DOCTOR STRANGE IN THE MULTIVERSE OF MADNESS. Thor (Chris Hemsworth), Valkyrie (Tessa Thompson) and Jane Foster (Natalie Portman) will continue the adventures of the noble Asgardian for Taika Waititi’s THOR: LOVE AND THUNDER.
In addition to the familiar, Marvel Studios will strike out into some bold new directions by introducing new heroes and exciting ensembles. Feige introduced actor Simu Liu as the action hero Shang-Chi, who'll lead SHANG-CHI AND THE LEGEND OF THE TEN RINGS. Marvel fans may recognize the name of the terrorist organization the Ten Rings, as they were part of the IRON MAN and ANT-MAN franchises in past films. They will be explored more in this new film, dropping in February of 2021.
Before that, in November 2020, Marvel will unveil the cosmic franchise ETERNALS, and the cast they have assembled for that one is mind-boggling. Angelina Jolie joins the MCU as Thena, a member of a race of celestial beings who came to our planet centuries ago and experimented with early apes to alter our species. Jolie will be joined in ETERNALS by Richard Madden, Salma Hayek, Kumail Nanjiani, Brian Tyree Henry, Dong-seok Ma and Lia McDugh as Sprite.
But the grand finale of the Marvel Studios panel was actually reserved for the next movie that will arrive on their release calendar, and that is Scarlett Johansson’s BLACK WIDOW. Arriving on May 1, 2020, the movie will explore a period of time in the super spy’s life after CAPTAIN AMERICA: CIVIL WAR, when Widow assisted Cap (Chris Evans) by detaining Black Panther (Chadwick Boseman) in an airport in Berlin. This movie may deal with the repercussions of those actions.
The footage shown at Comic-Con was hard-hitting and brutal, with Johansson engaging in a vicious hand-to-hand battle with newcomer Florence Pugh (MIDSOMMAR). The actress will play another member of the Widow training program.
But the highlight of the action footage shown in Hall H was the introduction of a famous Marvel Comic villain, Taskmaster. The assassin is able to mimic the fighting moves of any adversary, and in a brief conflict with Black Widow, Taskmaster looked like her mirror image. It was incredible.
We had a chance to interview the BLACK WIDOW cast following the Marvel Studios panel, and here’s what they told us about the upcoming thriller.
As you can tell, Marvel Studios has a robust and exciting slate of films coming to theatres over the next two years, giving fans plenty of opportunities to head to AMC and see some of their favorite characters on the big screen once again. Which of the Phase 4 Marvel movies are you most excited to see on screen?