San Diego Comic-Con 2022 was a big one for Marvel Studios, as Kevin Feige unveiled a lot of what to expect for Marvel’s Phase 5 and Phase 6. In short, a lot is happening in the next couple of years, and it could mean some big things for the MCU.
So, what do the latest batch of upcoming Marvel movies tell us about the future? Here are some thoughts we’ve gathered so far, along with just some common sense speculation based on how things are currently lined up.
Captain America: New World Order May Lead Into Thunderbolts And Likely Utilize Julia Louis Dreyfus’ Valentina Allegra de Fontaine
We don’t know much about Captain America: New World Order beyond Anthony Mackie’s involvement in it as Captain America, but the way it directly precedes Thunderbolts certainly feels relevant. After all, Falcon and the Winter Soldier was where Valentina Allegra de Fontaine made her debut, and she’s a character with ties in the comics to the morally gray Thunderbolts.
The Thunderbolts go on some sort of mission in the following movie, though I’m not sure what that means for Captain America in the previous movie. Perhaps “New World Order” is a title implying the rules have changed, and that the world needs heroes willing to get their hands a bit dirty to get the job done. I’m intrigued all the same, and can’t wait to find out more.
Thunderbolts Will Be A Team Comprised Of The More Villain-esque Heroes Who Are Avengers Equivalents
Marvel Studios officially confirmed a Thunderbolts movie for July of 2024. It’s something fans theorized would happen ever since Valentina Allegra de Fontaine entered the picture and started recruiting Avengers-esque characters like US Agent and Yelena Belova for missions. We’ll likely see more super-powered individuals with a complicated sense of morality join her ranks, but we’re left to speculate exactly who.
As far as reasonable guesses, it’s interesting that Abomination is back in the MCU and seems like he’s on relatively good terms with Wong. Baron Zemo also had a decent run in Falcon and the Winter Soldier, so I don’t think it’s wild to speculate he’ll be along for the ride too. More recruits will surely join the fight, maybe even some new characters we haven’t met yet.
Kang Is The Big Bad Of The Multiverse Saga
Kang The Conqueror is the next big bad of the MCU, and as Kevin Feige teased at San Diego Comic-Con, he’s a lot different than Thanos. Part of what sets Kang apart from the purple Titan is the many variations of the character that exist in the Marvel canon. That alone will give fans something new to look forward to as different versions of Kang make their way into the universe.
Loki showed us He Who Remained, and those who attended San Diego Comic-Con saw Kang The Conqueror make an appearance in Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania. Unfortunately, attendees only got a brief glimpse of Jonathan Majors as Kang, but it was enough to see he was different than the Loki counterpart. It stands to reason we’ll get a few different versions of Kang before The Multiverse Saga is over, but we’ll have to wait and see.
Secret Wars May Be More Of A Table Setter Than A Capstone
We have not one, but two Avengers movies arriving in Phase 6, Avengers: The Kang Dynasty and Secret Wars. Secret Wars is currently set to run after The Kang Dynasty, both of which will likely heavily involve the multiverse. With Secret Wars currently being the final scheduled film in Phase 6, it's certainly possible it's more of a table-setter than a capstone to The Multiverse Saga.
Avengers: Secret Wars has us wondering if maybe it’s a movie meant to tease and set up where the MCU is headed in Phase 7 and beyond. Granted, we don’t know if that’s the case definitively, but considering the comics version of the story ended with the blending of the 616 and Ultimate universe, it's possible this movie sets up the next major overarching story for the MCU to deal with.
The Fantastic Four Will Have A Key Role To Play In Phase 6
There’s already a lot of hype surrounding the upcoming Fantastic Four movie, and it’s fair to say the stakes raised a bit with its position in Phase 6. This will be the first movie in the new phase, and with only two Avengers movies currently announced for this phase, it stands to reason some pretty impactful stuff might happen.
Reed Richards is one of the most brilliant minds of the Marvel universe, so I don’t doubt for a second he’d be privy to the existence of other universes and find means to communicate with them. It’s also worth mentioning that Kang The Conqueror was a descendant of Reed Richards in Marvel Comics, and it’s possible that’s still the case in the MCU. If so, expect Kang to have some sort of role in the movie, even if he wasn’t originally thought to appear.
We’re Clearly Not Done With The Multiverse
The Infinity Saga encompassed everything from the start of the MCU until Thanos’ defeat in Avengers: Endgame. Marvel officially announced The Multiverse Saga, which sounds like a saga much broader than what the franchise approached with Thanos. It also seems like things are far from over when it comes to Multiverse adventures, and it might be that things are only just getting started.
He Who Remains teased in Loki that his manipulation of the timeline prevented universes from colliding, as well as other versions of himself invading and disrupting the time stream. It feels as though this will ultimately lead to a multiversal war, which might be why there are two Avengers films already planned in Phase 6. All we know for sure right now is that there’s more fun to be had in the multiverse, and potentially a lot more variant heroes we’ll meet down the line.
Daredevil: Born Again Could Pave The Way For More Street-Level Stories
Daredevil: Born Again is the official series that will highlight the return of “The Man Without Fear.” While we still have questions about the longer-than-expected Charlie Cox-led series, one thing that seems obvious is that this only further paves the way for Marvel to introduce more street-level heroes that handle the threats that don’t necessarily have world-destroying implications.
Basically, we’re looking to see if the MCU is interested in recreating something like what happened during the Netflix years, which saw The Defenders unite with Daredevil, Luke Cage, Jessica Jones, and Iron Fist. Obviously, the lineup doesn’t have to be the same, especially with characters like Moon Knight and She-Hulk to possibly throw into the mix. It would be nice to see the formation of a Marvel hero team that takes on more of the crime syndicates and other things of that nature, as those stories can be just as entertaining as the cosmic otherworldly stuff.
We Might Be Waiting A While For An X-Men Movie
Marvel just laid out a roadmap for Phase 5 and 6, and many fans were quick to point out there isn’t an X-Men title listed anywhere. The good news is there’s still a chance with D23 coming up that more titles are added to the current lists then or even down the line. Phase 6 feels pretty bare in terms of releases, so it wouldn’t be the least bit surprising to see it add a few titles.
The bad news is, if this is the final list of projects to expect, we might be waiting until 2025 at the earliest for the MCU’s first proper X-Men movie. Now, I’m inclined to think that even if the movie is that far off (which isn’t guaranteed) that mutants will appear in the MCU as Phase 5 and 6 continue. Ms. Marvel’s recent mutant reveal feels like a clue that more mutants are coming, and possibly sooner than we think.
Marvel Studios gave fans a lot of information about Phase 5 and 6, but it’s entirely possible more details are to come in the months ahead that lay out the full scope of Marvel’s plan. Stay with CinemaBlend for more details and speculation as they come, and more reveals happening in the MCU.
