Yes, the dead will walk among the living once again in Phase 4 of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. With the Infinity Saga coming to a close following the release of Spider-Man: Far From Home, there were no shortage of casualties in the battle to save not only Earth, but the universe as a whole. Some fan favorite heroes saw their apparent demise in order to keep the forces of evil at bay. Yet, audiences have not seen the last of some of them who look to return in upcoming movies and TV shows throughout the next phase.
On the big screen, Phase 4 promises plenty of fresh faces, as well as returning favorites, confirmed so far. In 2020, fans will be treated to both Black Widow and The Eternals, released in the spring and fall respectively. To kick of 2021, Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings will be released in February with Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness due out in May, considering all pans out. Thor: Love and Thunder releases in November to round out the year. There is a little something for everyone here, with prequels, origin stories, and sequels, meaning there is plenty of potential for deceased favorites to make a comeback.
On the TV front, Falcon and the Winter Soldier will debut in 2020, along with WandaVision, which was recently pushed up. 2021 promises the highly-anticipated Loki show, as well as the Hawkeye series, which is reportedly still on the way. Once again, dealing with multiverses and all sorts of crazy timelines, these series offer up more opportunities for dead heroes to return. Of course, there are other series, such as Moon Knight and films like Guardians of the Galaxy Vol.3, that may or may not be included in Phase 4, so they should be in consideration as well.
Black Widow
The most obvious of the bunch, Black Widow will be returning in Phase 4. Considering she has an entire film about her on the way, it is a surprise to no one that she will be back on the big screen. However,, she won't be coming back from the dead. Her death came during last years' Avengers: Endgame when she sacrificed herself in exchange for the Soul Stone so that the remaining Avengers could undo Thanos' snap from Avengers: Infinity War. As necessary as it might have been, it was still a major morale blow to the remaining members of the team.
Sadly for them, she will not be resurrected. The upcoming Black Widow movie will be a prequel, set between the events of Captain America: Civil War and Avengers: Infinity War. In the film, Natasha Romanoff will return to her native Russia in order to not only confront her past personally, but go on an important mission that would affect her future. She will reunite with past allies and family as she seeks to take down Taskmaster, a new villain to the franchise. This return is hardly a surprise, but is notable regardless.
Vision
Following Vision's gruesome demise in Avengers: Infinity War, it will be interesting to see how he's brought back. The character was first technically introduced in 2015's Avengers: Age of Ultron and survived up until Avengers: Infinity War, when the character was killed in order for Thanos to receive the Mind Stone from his forehead. His end was very definitive, hence why fans have been baffled as to how he could come back in the upcoming WandaVision series.
The series has been described as "weird" by Paul Bettany, the actor who plays Vision. In the same vein as classic sitcom format, the show will explore both Wanda Maximoff and Vision as characters, while taking the presentation of the program in a rather "avant-garde" direction. The show itself may be strange in its format alone, but the strangest aspect is how exactly Vision will return. Since the program is set after the events of Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers: Endgame, it has yet to be revealed how Vision will be resurrected. Will he be reconstructed? How will he operate without the power of the Mind Stone? Only time will provide the answers to all of these questions and more.
Gamora
Another casualty of Avengers: Infinity War, Gamora of the Guardians of the Galaxy was sacrificed by Thanos on Vormir so that he could retrieve the Soul Stone. She was clearly deceased, however her story does not end there. When Nebula and James "War Machine" Rhodes returned to 2014 Morag for the Power Stone as part of the "time heist" in Avengers: Endgame, audiences got to see Gamora once again. There was a twist this time, as it was not Gamora fans had come to know, but rather the ruthless assassin and prodigy of Thanos she was prior to the events of both Guardians of the Galaxy films.
Following Tony Stark's snap in Avengers: Endgame, which wiped out Thanos and his forces, it has been mentioned that the 2014 Gamora remains alive. Surely this will be an important piece of the Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 story, as Peter Quill attempts to find her. The two encountered one another during the final battle at the Avengers HQ, so he is aware of her and would surely want to bring her back for the sake of both himself and the Guardians team. The release of the third installment of the Guardians of the Galaxy films is still up in the air, but Gamora could make her presence felt in Phase 4 should the film release under this wave of films.
Tony Stark
The man who started it all, Iron Man may already come back to the big screen this year. One of the most iconic moments in film history was Tony Stark's self sacrifice, where he wielded all 6 Infinity Stones in order to defeat Thanos and his army. Of course, the universe-saving move came at the cost of his life. With the end of Tony's story came the end of the tenure the man behind the character had in the MCU. After more than a decade in the suit, Robert Downey Jr. appeared prepared to leave the role behind following Avengers: Endgame. However, the role may not be ready to leave him just yet.
Rumors and speculation have ran rampant since the announcement of Black Widow, a film set prior to the both Natasha Romanoff and Tony Stark's deaths. One of the big questions on everyone's minds was whether or not there would be a Tony Stark appearance in any capacity. There have been heavy rumblings that RDJ would reprise his iconic role this coming May, however nothing has been officially announced. If the rumor mill is to be believed, the genius, billionaire, playboy, philanthropist could make one last appearance during Marvel's Phase 4.
The next series of films and TV shows in the MCU are poised to be some of the biggest yet. Surely the franchise is looking to move forward with new characters and stories, but it wouldn't be too surprising if they call back to the originals more than fans have been led to believe. Some of the names on this list are confirmed, while others aren't quite there yet. With that being said, it would be in the best interest of all Marvel fans to keep a keen eye throughout Phase 4 for some of their favorites in the coming years, dead or otherwise.
