New year, new phase. With 2022 behind us, fans of the Marvel Cinematic Universe can look ahead to Phase Five, the sophomore collection of the MCU’s Multiverse Saga set to kick off next month with Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania, which will most notably serve as the first big-screen appearance of Kang the Conqueror, played by the astoundingly magnetic Jonathan Majors.
But, as just about every corner of the internet will tell you, Marvel sentiment isn’t quite what it used to be, with Phase Four, in particular, serving up a number of divisive titles while arguably over-saturating audiences with its additional Disney Plus content. The franchise probably won’t run out of steam as far as box office numbers go, but if it wants to retain the heart of its stories, Marvel will have to truly blow us away with Phase Five.
For now, though, the folks over at r/marvelstudios have taken to gauging, generating, and lamenting whatever amount of hype that Quantumania‘s imminent release is generating at the moment.
One user suggested that while the buzz doesn’t seem to be very loud at the moment, a reported second trailer for Quantumania set for a Monday premiere will probably show the public’s true, very animated colors.
Others were happy to admit their unwavering excitement for the film, mostly in the form of the aforementioned Kang the Conqueror, who looks set to bring a trove of narrative weight to the Multiverse Saga’s overarching story. And given the taste we got of Majors’ handling of the material in the first season of Loki, this is one development that could spark the interest of even the biggest Marvel detractor.
Others didn’t even realize how close Quantumania was to its release date.
With Marvel Studios having communicated that future phases will prioritize quality over quantity, fans have every reason to be hopeful going forward. Here’s hoping that Marvel fatigue was actually Phase Four fatigue.
Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania releases in theaters on Feb. 17.
