The Marvel Cinematic Universe’s first three Phases are collectively known as the Infinity Saga, with Thanos and his search for the Infinity Stones acting as the main connective threads between the Marvel movies from Iron Man to Spider-Man: Far From Home. The MCU’s Phase Four launched last year with offerings like WandaVision and Black Widow, and while there are various ties between some of these movies and shows, it’s still hard to tell where we’re headed with this superhero franchise’s next big saga. Fortunately, Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige has revealed it won’t be too much longer until we learn more what’s coming on this front.
In the midst of Disney+ subscribers watching Ms. Marvel and Thor: Love and Thunder’s theatrical premiere happening in a few weeks, the Phase Four cycle is starting to wind down, though it’s unclear right now exactly when Phase Five will kick off. In any case, while speaking with Total Film, Kevin Feige said the following about how the end of Phase Four will make it clearer to audiences what kind of new picture is being put together on the overall MCU tapestry:
As we’re nearing the end of Phase 4, I think people will start to see where this next saga is going. I think there have been many clues already, that are at least apparent to me, of where this whole saga is going. But we’ll be a little more direct about that in the coming months, to set a plan, so audiences who want to see the bigger picture can see a tiny, tiny, tiny bit more of the roadmap.
There’s certainly no shortage of connective threads to pull on that have been established in Phase Four. The biggest of those is unquestionably the MCU’s multiverse, which Loki paved the way for and was followed up on in Spider-Man: No Way Home and Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness. On a similar note, Loki also introduced Jonathan Majors’ He Who Remains, a Kang the Conqueror variant, and we’ll meet the main Kang next February in Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania. We also have things like the mystery surrounding the Ten Rings Shang-Chi’s father bequeathed to him before dying, Julia Louis-Dreyfus’ Valentina Allegra de Fontaine putting together her a team of special individuals (which will likely come to fruition in the Thunderbolts movie) and even more “gods” being introduced in the MCU thanks to Moon Knight and Thor: Love and Thunder.
Basically, there are a lot of different overarching plot threads to keep track of in the MCU right now, but it’s hard to say which of those will be the main hook of this saga that Kevin Feige is teasing. While the multiverse may seem like the most logical conclusion to some, it’s possible that the big Secret Wars-like event that’s been rumored to be further down the road than presumed, and the Infinity Saga follow-up is actually focused on something else. Per Kevin Feige, we’ll have a better indication of what lies down this narrative path relatively soon, although oftentimes with this franchise, answers often lead to more questions.
As far as the rest of this year’s MCU output goes, beyond the arrival of Thor: Love and Thunder and Ms. Marvel wrapping up, Black Panther: Wakanda Forever hits theaters in November, and on Disney+, She-Hulk: Attorney at Law premieres in August, followed by the untitled MCU Halloween special (which is reportedly about Werewolf by Night) in October and The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special in December. That’s not to say all these project will be integral to this new saga, but it’s definitely worth keeping an eye out for clues.
Check out our guides on upcoming Marvel movies and upcoming Marvel TV shows to learn what the MCU will be deliver after 2022. Those of you eager to see Thor: Love and Thunder will be able to do so starting with preview screenings on July 7; tickets can be preordered now.
