Marvel‘s Phase 4 is, without question, a riddle wrapped in an enigma nestled in some far-flung corner of the MCU.
Beyond the launch of Spider-Man: Homecoming 2, the studio’s slate post-Phase 3 is a total mystery, and if recent comments from Kevin Feige are any indication, there may not even be another Phase once the current one wraps up. That’s because just yesterday, the producer made some confusing remarks on the future of the franchise, hinting that the structure of the Marvel Cinematic Universe may change drastically after Avengers 4 lands.
Now, we have some more from Feige on what lies ahead for the MCU, and though he wouldn’t spell out any specifics, he was quick to stress, once again, that Avengers: Infinity War and its currently untitled sequel will really be a conclusion to everything that’s come before.
“I think really where the focus of the whole studio for the next two years is finishing phase 3. Completing a really unprecedented 22 movie inter-connected epic, and that is what we’re thinking about. We have ideas. We have things for what happens next, but it will really be a conclusion to 22 films.”
Due to the producer’s careful comments here, it’s tough to figure out what exactly the studio may have planned. He could just be saying that, from 2020 onwards, the MCU will start work on a new overarching story, and what with the threat of Thanos and the Infinity Gauntlet finally having been dealt with by then, that’d make sense.Â
However, he does seem to be emphasizing that these movies will mark the end of everything that’s been building up since 2008. Which suggests that there might not actually be a Phase 4 at all. But instead, something entirely different. At this point, it’s hard to say, and all we can really do is just sit tight and wait until the House of Ideas decides they’re ready to reveal more.
In the meantime, there’s still much to look forward to from the franchise. Thor: Ragnarok is up next and from what we understand, it’ll be the first of four “very unique and very different” films from Marvel Studios, along with Black Panther, Infinity War and Ant-Man and the Wasp.
