Marvel May Organize Their Films By Something Other Than "Phases" After AVENGERS 4

[Dead2009]

https://www.comicbookmovie.com/aven...ng-other-than-phases-after-avengers-4-a150523

Speaking to Collider, Marvel Studios President Kevin Feige implied that Phase 3 could very well be the end of how the studio currently groups their cinematic releases.

“We’ve been lucky that [contract expirations] haven’t factored in too much. We’ve had people under contract for certain films, then we’ve had new ideas and new directions like Civil War like we wanted to do, and we’ve been lucky enough to make new contracts. Or Spider-Man: Homecoming, the cast has been awesome in their enthusiasm for the direction and the storylines that we’ve been telling. So it really does, right now, all start with where we wanna take the stories. Certainly as we get to Infinity War there is a sense of a climax if not a conclusion to, by the time we’re at untitled Avengers 4, the 22 movies that will have encompassed the first three phases of the MCU. And what happens after that will be very different. I don’t know if it’s Phase 4, it might be a new thing.”

What exactly is Feige hinting at with his talk of expiring contracts and conclusions? Chris Evans, Robert Downey Jr., Jeremy Renner and Scarlett Johansson are all close to the end of their contractually-required film appearances as their respective characters. If any of them decide they want to move on from the MCU, Marvel will have to take a hard look at whether it makes the most sense to recast, write their character off or opt for a total reboot. If Marvel's Ultimate line was a sweeping reboot of the 616-Universe, could we see a similar concept play out in the MCU?

 

[Princess Leia]

Unless Disney/Marvel finally decides to write a Black Widow film, I feel like Avengers 4 will be the end of Scarlett's Marvel journey. RDJ, Evans, Hemsworth, and Renner are probably calling it quits too. The new Avengers line up could be Ant-Man, Wasp, Captain America (Bucky Barnes), Captain Marvel, Doctor Strange, and Black Panther.

There are at least 2 more Spider-Man films planned after Homecoming. They want to focus each film on a different year of Peter's high school career, releasing films once every 2 years, so Tom Holland will be playing a teenager until he's 25. If Disney/Marvel wanted to, they could have a 'time jump' to accommodate the stars' ages (like Pretty Little Liars).

Guardians has a third sequel planned. My guess is that it will be released in late 2019 or early 2020, with the other date going to the unannounced-but-probable Doctor Strange 2. Black Panther & Captain Marvel will probably get sequels sometime between late 2020 (Black Panther, most likely) and 2022. Ant-Man & the Wasp could get a third film to create a trilogy. The original Avengers team (if they live through Avengers 4) could all make tiny, non-obligated cameos, I suppose.

So, who will be added to the MCU? I'd like to see She-Hulk (not sure if Marvel or Universal has the rights to her though). Outside of her (and Black Widow, fingers crossed), I'm not really sure who else will be getting stand-alone movies after Avengers 4.

 

[spacemt354]

Infinity War ends the contracts of big names like Thor, Black Widow, Hawkeye, Captain America, Iron Man but rather than doing a complete universe reboot (or a multi-verse type thing they have done when they reboot the comics) I could see them doing a version of that, but not a full reboot because then characters like Dr. Strange wouldn't get a sequel and his journey just started (making more than every Phase 1 solo film too).

Maybe Cap passes the mantle onto Bucky , Thor rebuilds Asgard. Hawkeye goes back to his family. Something where the main Avengers can be referenced after Phase 3 without having to be big presences in the films. And if another large universe changing event happens again, Marvel has shown they can re-negotiate contracts so maybe they will have something in place. As much as I would like to see a Black Widow movie...maybe it could be a Netflix series? I know that sounds crazy but I think her backstory would work better in episodic form than a 2 hour movie just based on her skill sets and that we're 7 years from when she started.

Keeping with the 3 films per year trend, this would be my guess starting with what we know after this year

Black Panther - February 16, 2018
Avengers: Infinity War - May 4, 2018
Ant-Man and the Wasp - July 6, 2018
Captain Marvel - March 8, 2019
Avengers 4 - May 3, 2019
Spider-Man: Homecoming 2 - July 5, 2019
------------------
then....the 2020 dates that Marvel has confirmed -- May 1, August 7, and November 6, 2020.

Guardians of the Galaxy 3 - May 1, 2020
New Property - August 7, 2020
Dr. Strange 2 - November 6, 2020

I guess a new property for August because they moved the date back to August from July which tells me it's something new. They did the same for Guardians 1 in 2014, trying it out in August.

My hope -- they get the rights to Fantastic Four and that takes the August 7, 2020 slot Either that or something cosmic. Mar-Vell?

then after that is anyone's guess...but...

Black Panther 2 - February 2021
Ant-Man 3/Captain Marvel 2 - May 2021
Spider-Man Homecoming 3 - July 2021

Avengers 5 - May 2022
Ant-Man 3/Captain Marvel 2 - July 2022
New Property - November 2022

 

[DisneyJayL]

Arcs!

 

[Matt_Black]

Regarding She-Hulk, apparently all the Hulk characters would require Universal to be cut in.

Now, Marvel has insinuated that they're reacquired the rights to Namor. They're squandering Squirrel Girl on TV (huge mistake, you've got a big name actress who'd expressed interest in playing her).

Otherwise, they could probably do Ka-Zar & The Savage Land, maybe; he predates the X-Men by 20 years, so there's a could chance he's not included in the FOX license.

 

[DisneyJayL]

I'm not so sure.