Marvel's recent Avengers lawsuit could change the Marvel Cinematic Universe, and here's what it means for Phase 5. Marvel Studios has become one of the biggest forces in the entertainment business over the last 13 years thanks to the MCU's success. They've released 25 movies, four Disney+ shows, and have dozens of other MCU projects in development for the future. However, a new lawsuit will determine the future that some of Marvel's most notable characters could have.

The MCU has long been impacted by rights issues that were beyond its control. This primarily changed once Disney bought Marvel in 2012, but Spider-Man's rights remained at Sony, and Universal still would be involved in any solo Hulk movie. It was only due to Disney's acquisition of 20th Century Fox that the Fantastic Four and X-Men characters became accessible to Marvel Studios. The latest legal battle facing Marvel is regarding the heirs of Stan Lee, Gene Colan, and Steve Ditko attempting to gain control of the Marvel characters each man created. The list of characters whose futures are in question range from Iron Man and Spider-Man to Black Widow and Falcon. Marvel Studios is now suing the heirs and claiming that each character was created as work for hire, making them the property of Marvel and not their creators.

Related: Scarlett Johansson's Black Widow Lawsuit Echoes Marvel's Biggest Controversy

These lawsuits could drastically impact the MCU's future beyond Phase 4 depending on how they are settled. Previous lawsuits of this type have been filed by the heir of comic book creators, with DC previously facing a similar suit regarding Superman. The typical outcome of these lawsuits is that the companies/studios (in this case Marvel) retain their rights to use the characters, usually in exchange for further compensation to the creators or their heirs. If Marvel's lawsuit over the rights to these various Avengers characters plays out similarly, then the MCU's future and that of the individual characters in question shouldn't change at all.

Who will lead the Avengers in phase 4 Doctor strange Captain america sam wilson captain marvel

The worse outcome for the MCU's future could be if Marvel loses these lawsuits and the heirs of Stan Lee, Gene Colan, and Steve Ditko gain complete control over the use of these characters. Characters like Iron Man and Black Widow have already had their MCU stories come to a close, but Spider-Man, Doctor Strange, and Falcon are positioned to have big roles moving forward. Marvel Studios, Disney, and Sony losing their rights to these characters would mean their sudden departure from the MCU. This would likely halt any plans for third solo films starring Captain Marvel and Doctor Strange, while Falcon's time as Captain America could be cut short too. It would also surely rule out any of them from appearing in Avengers 5 since Marvel could start losing their rights by 2023, and the next team-up movie isn't expected to arrive that quickly.

Even if Marvel's lawsuit doesn't go their way, there is an opportunity for Marvel Studios and Disney to come out of this in a better position possibly. They could theoretically buy the rights to all of these characters, which could cut Sony out of the Spider-Man business. That would be devastating for Sony as a studio and their plans for a Spider-Man Universe. This could ensure Spider-Man stays part of the MCU beyond the current agreement between Disney and Sony. Of course, the opposite outcome would also be in play where the rights to Marvel's characters are sold to the highest bidders and split across various Hollywood studios and streaming services. That would be a massive blow to the MCU's future even beyond Phase 5.

More: The MCU Just Teased A New Avengers Team For Phase 5

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