Warning: The following contains SPOILERS for Avengers: Infinity War!
Beyond Avengers 4, much of the future of the MCU remains a mystery. The only films that have been confirmed thus far are the recently titled Spider-Man: Far From Home, which is the first movie out of the gate in Phase 4, and Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, which will be released at some point in 2020. Given that Spider-Man and the majority of the Guardians died in Avengers: Infinity War, the existence of these films early in Phase 4 has led to some logical assumptions about what is going to happen with these characters. But you know what they say about assumptions, and Kevin Feige has warned us not to make any, saying:
We're holding off on specifics on all of it for all the same reasons we hold off on everything. For the most part, it's keep the surprises going. The one thing I'll say is... the mere fact that those films exist, people shouldn't take any indication that they can now guess what will happen. Let's put it that way.
Kevin Feige's response comes after CinemaBlend's own Eric Eisenberg asked him in an exclusive interview if Marvel is treating the productions of the confirmed Phase 4 films differently given what happened to many of those characters at the end of Infinity War. His answer seems to indicate that Marvel is playing its cards close to the chest about what the future holds in order to keep audiences on their toes. And just because we think the announced movies are clues about what will transpire in Avengers 4 and beyond, that doesn't mean that they are or that we are reading into them correctly. The mere notion that we are making the wrong assumptions is highly intriguing and inevitably leads to more fun speculation.
Up until this point, we've been making certain assumptions based on what has been announced. That made the end of Avengers: Infinity War quite interesting. We were heartbroken when our heroes fell, but there was also some relief in assuming that they wouldn't be dead for long and that they would be resurrected or have their deaths reversed in time for future movies. These are logical and educated guesses, but they are still guesses, and Kevin Feige's statement sheds some doubt on them and raises plenty of questions.
We know that Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 takes place after Infinity War and Spidey will go on a globetrotting adventure facing off with Mysterio in Far From Home, but that's about it. Kevin Feige's statement could be misdirecting us to be sure, but he could also be preparing us for a Phase 4 that will really throw us for a loop. Evangeline Lilly has evoked the highly intriguing Lost comparison for Avengers 4, which could mean that some of Phase 4 will exist in a kind of alternate reality or something to that effect, which opens up a whole can of worms that could throw all of our preconceived notions out the window. It's tough to say exactly what Kevin Feige means here, but it definitely gives MCU fans a lot to chew on and theorize about as we anxiously await the franchise's next chapter.
It's funny because when Marvel announced its entire Phase 3 slate in late 2014, we knew exactly what was coming and each step was a fun chapter on the road to an established destination. But right now, we know very little about what Phase 4 holds and we can't even trust what we do know to help us extrapolate and get a view of the larger picture. That's kind of cool, but it also makes the wait for Avengers 4 all the more agonizing.
You can see all of the upcoming MCU movies, as well as some mysterious release dates, in our guide. For all the latest on what happens when you assume things, stay tuned to CinemaBlend.
