Avengers: Endgame truly marked a turning point for the MCU. For the first ten years, stories usually focused on the core Avengers team, but now everything is changing at Marvel Studios. Part of this is down to many of the cast coming to the end of their contracts, with Chris Evans and Robert Downey Jr. fulfilling their obligations with Endgame and Scarlet Johansson doing the same with Black Widow.
So, where are we going from here? Well, it seems that over Phase 4 we’ll see the mantles of these characters being passed down. We already know that Sam Wilson will become the new Captain America (though what we’ve heard about The Falcon and the Winter Soldier suggests it won’t be an easy transition) and that Jane Foster will take up Mjolnir in Thor: Love and Thunder.
But now, our sources – the same ones who told us Marvel was developing She-Hulk and Ms. Marvel shows, and that the Justice League Snyder Cut is coming to HBO Max – have explained that similar tactics will be used on most of the major heroes who remain. For example, Paul Rudd’s Ant-Man will be succeeded by his daughter, Jeremy Renner’s Hawkeye by Kate Bishop and Black Widow by Yelena.
Those should all happen in the near-ish future and beyond that (probably around Phase 5), we’re being told that we’ll see Shuri become Wakanda’s new Black Panther, Ironheart taking up the vacant Iron Man position, Monica Rambeau replacing Carol Danvers as Captain Marvel and She-Hulk taking over from the Hulk. The most controversial one we’re hearing, however, is that Tom Holland’s much-loved Peter Parker will pass on the Spider-Man name to Miles Morales.
While there’s a certain portion of the fandom that doesn’t like any change, the live-action nature of the MCU makes replacements like these inevitable. Actors age, get tired of having to keep in superhero shape or simply get so rich that they’re able to freely explore smaller more personal projects and move away from blockbusters.
Of course, beyond just these changes, we’re going to see a ton of new heroes entering the MCU over the 2020s. The Eternals will bring a lot of powerful characters to the screen as will the Fantastic Four. And, of course, then there’s the MCU’s take on the X-Men. Suffice it to say, the future looks bright.
