While the MCU's Phase 4 went without an Avengers film, it's been revealed during Marvel's San Diego Comic-Con panel that Phase 5 won't have one either. Instead, Marvel Studios will be focusing on a greater number of new projects and sequels that will debut all kinds of new heroes and villains. As such, it appears as though Marvel is adopting a new strategy for its large team-up films as opposed to what's been seen before in the Infinity Saga.
As confirmed by Marvel President Kevin Feige at SDCC, Phases 4, 5, and 6 are all part of the Multiverse Saga. However, while the previous Infinity Saga had four Avengers films, the Multiverse Saga will only have two that will release in Phase 6. Avengers: The Kang Dynasty and Avengers: Secret Wars will serve as the culmination of this new saga with back-to-back installments in 2025. However, this means that the nearly finished Phase 4 and upcoming Phase 5 won't see Earth's Mightiest Heroes assembling at all.
According to Kevin Feige, Marvel Studios is learning from their experiences with Avengers: Infinity War and Endgame which epically concluded the Infinity Saga:
"You know, we’re not gonna culminate every 10 months in an Avengers movie. And each of the films themselves now has become quite big and are crossover events in many ways. And after the creative experience we had with Infinity War and Endgame, it felt like it was about capping a saga."
It seems as though the Avengers movies will now mark the end of sagas as opposed to phases. While this does mean that the Multiverse Saga will be going without its Avengers and Avengers: Age of Ultron equivalents, that will probably be a good thing considering everything Marvel Studios currently has in development from now till 2025.
Why MCU Phase 5 Doesn't Need An Avengers Movie
Compared to its first three phases, it does seem as though the MCU needs more room to breathe and more time to build toward epic crossover films. Considering the massive expansion of characters and narratives the MCU has seen since the beginning of MCU Phase 4, there's a lot of ground to cover for each hero's place in an Avengers film to feel earned. Likewise, individual MCU films have indeed increased in scope and size with many serving as smaller crossover event films in their own right. As such, it's good that a new Avengers film isn't coming "every 10 months," as Feige says. Marvel Studios knows that Avengers films should be special, representing the very best and most epic narratives the MCU has to offer.
It makes perfect sense to save Avengers films as concluding chapters and the culmination of sagas. While some fans may be disappointed that there won't be an Avengers film until 2025, the build and hype will be well worth the wait. Given the ongoing evolution of the MCU, Marvel Studios' new strategy for their biggest crossovers is incredibly smart, one that will keep Avengers films as epic and iconic as they should be for the long term.
