Marvel Cinematic Universe Phase 4 Predictions

Marvel is about to do something unprecedented…again. And when the fourth title-yet-to-be-revealed Avengers movie comes out next year, “Phase 3” of the MCU will be complete and we will transition into Phase 4. We know little about it at this point, but there are a list of dates on the schedule that Marvel has claimed. So let’s speculate about what could be on deck.

Despite potentially losing some major characters, Marvel has this plotted out enough that Phase 3 could still be nothing but sequels. But to me, the fun is figuring out what the new properties will be. For the purposes of this exercise, I wanted to pick a couple new things, but realistically, the rest will be sequels.

Sony will actually kick off Marvel’s Phase 4 with Tom Holland’s Peter Parker in Spider-Man 2 on July 5, 2019. I’ve long desired to see Kraven show up in a Spider-Man movie. I had high hopes he would be the villain in Raimi’s fourth movie that never materialized. Although, that wasn’t apparently what was even being planned. With Marvel focusing on Spidey villains that have not seen the light of day, then Kraven, Mysterio and numerous others are possibilities.

Guardians of the Galaxy vol 3 on July 31, 2020

There’s lots of speculation that this would be in the 2020 spot and allegedly there is a “cosmic focus” to the next phase. So starting with this film makes sense. Adam Warlock is primed to be a big part of the movie and there’s another cosmic film in the line up later where the Guardians or Warlock could show up.

Black Panther 2 on May 7, 2021

If they are not fast-tracking this film, then they are stupid. And they are not stupid. The first film was given a Winter release date, usually a place where studios place something they don’t have confidence in. And it still did gangbusters. So putting this in an early May spot seems like a no brainer. In fact, I’m tempted to back this up and swap it with Guardians 3 so it comes out sooner, but this early May date is a big deal and I think this is exactly where it goes. My personal hope is that we see this film serve as the introduction to Namor and Atlantis which could lead into…

Doctor Strange and the “Defenders” on July 30, 2021

There has been no official word on a Doctor Strange sequel, although some speculation has him appearing in Spider-Man 2. While that’s possible, I still think he deserves a sequel and this might be a great time to form the original Defenders team. That name has been claimed by the Netflix shows, so I’ve put that in quotes in my title. It would need to be replaced with something else. Bring in Namor to this movie from his appearance in Black Panther 2 as well as bring in Hulk. The three team up to fight some big mystical foe. Expanding the mystical side of the MCU gives them a chance to work in Blade or even Ghost Rider setting them up for Marvel movies down the road.

Thunderbolts on Nov. 5, 2021

A lot of rumors have suggested The Eternals may pop up as a movie. It’s certainly possible, but I’m going to go against that rumor and predicting a Thunderbolts movie instead. Zemo was not killed in Civil War and still has enough of a beef with the Avengers that his new plan of replacing them with villains turned heroes could be rather interesting. The status of the Avengers could be left nebulous at the end of Avengers 4, so it’s possible there’s a gap that needs filling and The Thunderbolts step in. This has a lot of potential to be a great ongoing series of movies leading to an eventual confrontation with a reformed team of Avengers.

Black Widow on Feb. 18, 2022

I wanted to slot this in sooner, but having come up with essentially three team movies, I’ve placed this here. This would be a long overdue movie and pushing it to 2022 makes it seem like it’s even longer overdue. I would love to see this be an adaptation of the Nathan Edmonson/Phil Noto series. Keep it as much focused on Natahsa as possible.

Avengers 5 on May 6, 2022

Despite the inevitable departure of the “big three,” the Avengers brand will have to continue on. In whatever shape the team is in, somehow, some way, someone will pick up the pieces and put something back together again. My guess is that this a more cosmic oriented team led by Captain Marvel shows up and in doing so, it more or less gives her a sequel to her 2019 movie.

Captain America 4 on July 29, 2022

Everyone expects Chris Evans to be done with Cap, but that doesn’t mean Marvel is done with the character. Odds are Sebastian Stan will pick up the suit and carry on. And if he has his buddy Falcon alongside of him, then all the better.

This rundown does not give us an Iron Man 4 or Thor 4. Both are possible should the leads wish to carry on after Avengers 4, but that’s unlikely. It’s also a possibility they still want to carry on the franchise names with recasting or someone else taking up the mantles. That is not without precedent in the comics. I also don’t have Ant-Man 3 in this rundown which seems like a potential no-brainer, but I ran out of film slots. It is worth noting that 2020 only has one film and if they need to expand, then maybe there’s some opportunity there purposely left open depending on how Ant-Man and the Wasp does.

There has been rampant speculation that the Disney/FOX deal means FF and other characters can show up, but I honestly think it’s too soon to expect that. The deal isn’t expected to close until summer of 2019. These movies are already on the board and for them to bank on something that could fall through is unlikely. If the deal goes through, then FF and maybe X-Men don’t happen here until Phase 5 at the earliest. Which will be great timing because the second wave of Marvel actors will be cycling out by that point and it will be time for something to rejuvenate the series.

Additionally, I would love to see Daredevil transition to the big screen. I don’t see that happening for quite a long time, but Charlie Cox’s DD has been great even if the writing hasn’t always been. A secret hope of mine is that he will have a cameo in Avengers 3 or 4, even though I KNOW it won’t happen.

Again, this is all speculation and I will be pleased with whatever they come up with, I’m sure.