It is hard to believe but we are less than six months away from Avengers: Infinity War and the beginning of the end (of Phase 3). We know that Thanos is coming and the end of the MCU's latest film, Thor: Ragnarok, seemingly teases the cosmic conflict in its end-credits scene. There are however, a ton of questions about what happens after Avengers: Infinity War and the as yet untitled Avengers 4. Phase 4 of the groundbreaking and ludicrously lucrative Marvel Cinematic Universe is still very much a mystery. While we are rapidly approaching the culmination of Phase 3, according to Marvel Studios President Kevin Feige, Marvel won't be divulging the next slate of films until after May of 2019. He said:
Yes. It won't be for a while. Our focus is on the next six movies. Finishing the first three phases, getting Untitled Avengers out into the world in May '19 before publicly focusing on anything else.
Indeed, Marvel is playing things close to the vest for now. We haven't even seen a trailer for Avengers: Infinity War yet, and with good reason. All enthusiasm is good, but it is understandable that Marvel wants people to focus on the present and the five remaining Phase 3 films. Years ago, on the heels of DC's film slate announcement, Marvel unexpectedly announced all of its Phase 3 plans. These plans have since shifted and changed, but have retained their shape. While speculation and the building to a massive event is fun, Marvel may want to return to a time when each new film was a huge deal, versus merely a stepping-stone to the grand finale. So, based on Kevin Feige's comments to Collider, we have a while to wait to find out what's next.
Still, secrecy breeds speculation and there is a ton of secrecy in the MCU right now. Avengers: Infinity War's consequences will be massive and will set up an Avengers 4 where the title itself could be a spoiler. Can a decade's worth of films and the Thanos threat be tied up and dealt with in a single movie? The fourth Avengers is a huge mystery because that film may result in a completely different MCU. The only thing we really know about the next phase--which may not even be called Phase 4--is that everyone's favorite wallcrawler will be kicking off the next chapter. The other thing to consider is that while Marvel no doubt has a plan, the situation could be fluid. If the highly discussed Marvel-Fox deal comes to fruition, it could profoundly alter future plans as Marvel would have a ton of new toys to play with.
The next phase of Marvel's movies is a mystery for now. But we have a ton of thoughts on what characters and storylines could play a major role in Phase 4 and where the MCU goes from here. While we await our superheroic futures, be sure to check out our list of upcoming Marvel movies.
