A lot of the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s fate in Phase 4 is unknown, past the fact that it will kick things off with Spider-Man: Far From Home. But there’s definitely some idea of what properties will make an appearance in the next stage of the evolution for the MCU, as confirmed by Avengers: Endgame producer Trinh Tran. While she was obviously vague about the specifics, the subject of diversity is the big focus for the next batch of films. In particular, Tran dropped the following hints:
All I can say is we have a ton of characters we haven’t explored, and I’d love to do them all. Especially given that with Captain Marvel’s success and the diversity that she brings with the female representation, and with Black Panther and that diversity, it would be great to get more of that out there. Because we have a lot of diverse characters in Marvel.
With both Captain Marvel and Black Panther raking in upwards of $1 billion in their theatrical releases, Marvel Studios has the track record to prove that audiences are definitely looking for better, more diverse representation at the multiplex. But on top of that marketable truth, the studio also has the properties to back up the current plans that Trinh Tran is hinting towards in Phase 4.
Obviously, sequels that follow both Carol Danvers and King T’Challa are going to be hot topics of discussion throughout the offices of Marvel Studios. That’s just for starters though, as the studio has also made announcements on other titles and casting that make for a more diverse MCU. One such title on the plate of the Marvel Studios creative team is the feature film adaptation of Shang-Chi, with Short Term 12 director Daniel Cretton directing, and the need for the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s first Asian-American lead to be cast.
Additionally, the Scarlet Johansson-led Black Widow solo film is gathering steam pretty fast, with a cast that seems to be constantly growing in recent weeks. That makes this particular project feel like more of a pressing matter for the near future, as all that needs to happen is for the project’s cast to fill out and a start date to be set. And that last concern seems to already be solved, as David Harbour has clued the world into a possible June start date.
Then there’s The Eternals, which is set to have Chloe Zhao directing a cast that will include not only Angelina Jolie and Kumail Nanjiani in its lineup, but also has a role open for an openly gay actor on this new Marvel cinematic super team. While most of these other projects weren’t mentioned by producer Trinh Tran during her talk with Screen Rant, they aren’t exactly surprises as they’ve been going concerns that for some time.
It shouldn’t be too long before Marvel Studios announces their official plans for Phase 4 and possibly beyond if the claim of a five year plan already drawn up is accurate. As it stands, we do know that Avengers: Endgame marks the beginning of the end, which will lead to a brand new beginning, on April 26.
