Phase 4 will be the first phase of the MCU not to include an Avengers movie as Marvel is electing not to hurry out another one of their high-stakes team-up events, even though it would be a guaranteed mega-hit, so they can focus on making it as good as previous films. It’s hard to guess what Avengers 5 could do to top Avengers: Endgame, after all. Having said that, it’s definitely on the way, as Marvel President Kevin Feige has now made clear.
While speaking with Collider to promote Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings, Feige was asked how long it might take for Avengers 5 to get here, with the interviewer questioning whether it will be four or five years away or perhaps more. As you’d expect from the spoiler-phobic studio head, Feige decided not to get too specific, instead indicating that it will take as long as it takes for the current story arc to build up, just as the Infinity Stone storyline took some time to come to a head.
“We want there to be a reasonable amount of time from the Endgame to start a new saga, which is already underway and already started. “Then you need some time as we did in phase one to build that saga before you start bringing everybody together.”
While Feige is careful not to give anything away, it’s intriguing that he’s saying the story that will feed into Avengers 5 has already begun. Is he referring to the increasing madness of the multiverse, soon to play a major role in Spider-Man: No Way Home and Doctor Strange 2, or is he talking about the Thunderbolts team that Val seems to be forming, as seen in The Falcon and the Winter Soldier and Black Widow? Or is it a bit of both?
A big part of the next phase of the franchise is also to do with introducing new heroes into the universe, many of whom will likely go on to become new members of the Avengers. Simi Liu’s Shang-Chi is shown to have already made some connections with certain familiar heroes in his origins movie, and other notable newbies on the way include She-Hulk, Ms. Marvel and Ironheart.
Don’t expect Avengers 5 to arrive anytime soon, then, but at least we know we’re already on the road to it.