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At the recent San Diego Comic Con event, it was confirmed that Phase 4 of the MCU was nearly wrapped up. While some have criticized the lack of direction in this stage of the MCU, it is now confirmed that things are heading towards the eventual Avengers: Secret Wars event.
Knowing where things are heading in the future, it is easy to look back at some Phase 4 events and see which moments will have the biggest impact. From key characters being introduced to storylines that will feed into other projects, fans will want to remember these Phase 4 events.
Val Assembles A Team
Nick Fury has been noticeably absent from Phase 4 of the MCU, but another shadowy figure has emerged and followed in Fury's footsteps. Valentina Allegra de Fontaine or "Val" first appears in The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, recruiting John Walker as U.S. Agent then convinces Yelena Belova to kill Clint Barton.
Given the people she is working with and the trouble she is willing to make, it seems clear that Val is the one assembling a team for Thunderbolts. While the roster is not yet confirmed, it is clear this group of anti-heroes will not be as easy to root for as the Avengers.
Variants Emerge
While fans have come to know and love many of the MCU characters as they are, Loki revealed there may be other versions of them out in the multiverse. Sylvie might be the best Loki variant, but there are countless other Lokis out there each with their own unique take on the character.
This has led to moments like Spider-Man meeting his variants. It has also seen characters return as variants such as Captain Carter. There is really no end to the possibilities of these variants and they will no doubt allow for some of the most crowd-pleasing moments in the MCU going forward.
Greek Gods Are Established
The MCU has already established gods in this reality with the Asgardians, Egyptian gods, and the Panther God. Thor: Love and Thunder expanded that aspect of the universe by introducing the Greek gods. While seeing the likes of Zeus in the MCU might seem strange, these were also established characters in Marvel Comics.
But it seems apparent the Greek gods will have a role to play going forward with the mid-credit sequence introducing Hercules played by Brett Goldstein. Given that Hercules is a fan-favorite member of the Avengers from the comics, it is a big addition to the MCU.
Sam Wilson Becomes Captain America
When Steve Rogers passed the shield on to Sam Wilson at the end of Avengers: Endgame, there were still some questions about what that actually meant. However, The Falcon and the Winter Soldier confirmed it as Sam eventually took up the title of the new Captain America.
Ever since Steve and Tony Stark ended their MCU run, fans have speculated about who would lead the heroes going forward. With Captain America: New World Order coming, Sam can really establish himself in the role and become a leader just like Steve.
The Netflix Characters Return
While the Netflix Marvel shows referenced the events of the MCU, the movies largely ignored these series. When the shows were all canceled in a surprising move, fans worried that was the last they had seen of these popular Marvel Netflix characters.
However, Phase 4 has ensured fans these stories are still very much on the table with Daredevil and Kingpin returning already leading up to the new Daredevil: Born Again series. With rumors of Punisher coming back as well, it seems these Marvel adventures will be largely folded into the overall MCU.
The Mysterious Origin Of The Ten Rings
Shang-Chi made for one of the best new MCU characters in Phase 4. His solo movie was largely a standalone adventure allowing the exciting new character and his world to be introduced. But he was eventually welcomed into "the circus" at the end with hints that his story has a larger bearing on things.
The mid-credit scene in Shang-Chi finds Captain Marvel, Bruce Banner, and Wong looking into the mysterious Ten Rings artifacts and discovering that it is sending a beacon to some unknown place. Surely, whatever is on the other end of that beacon will have a big role to play.
The Timeline Is Broken
The first season of Loki showed that the TVA is largely built on lies and the so-called Sacred Timeline seemed like just another one of them. But when Loki and Sylvie meet He Who Remains, he claims to be the one keeping the timeline in order.
However, when Sylvie decides to go through with killing him, it breaks the timeline and causes all kinds of mayhem. Interestingly enough, the effects of the broken timeline have yet to be seen in other MCU projects, but it seems inevitable that these separate timelines will begin colliding.
Mutants Are Confirmed
In depicting Kamala Khan's abilities in Ms. Marvel, the show was willing to change a lot that was established in the comics. But one of the biggest changes is the revelation that Kamala turned out to be a mutant.
While it remains to be seen how that development will impact that one character, simply the mention of mutation in the MCU is a huge moment. Fans have been waiting to see how the X-Men and mutants will be brought into the cinematic universe and this is the first indication of their existence.
Franchises Collide
After months of rumors and denials, the sight of seeing Tom Holland join fellow Spider-Man actors Tobey Maguire and Andrew Garfield in Spider-Man: No Way Home was a thrill for fans. And with Patrick Stewart's Charles Xavier appearing in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, it is clear that MCU is willing to incorporate other franchises.
Avengers: Secret Wars promises to be a massive crossover event and there is no limit to the characters who could be included. Fans could see actors reprise beloved characters from other cinematic universes or failed Marvel projects could get a shot at redemption.
Kang Is Introduced
Though Thanos is a tough act to follow, the new big bad of the MCU is already quite promising. After He Who Remains claims dangerous variants of himself will be unleashed if the timeline is broken, Loki finds himself in a new reality and sees a statue of Jonathan Majors as Kang the Conqueror.
It is an eerie glimpse at the upcoming threat to the MCU as Kang will be further explored in Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania before taking on more heroes in Avengers: Kang Dynasty. He certainly has the potential of being one of the MCU's most effective villains.