Following Avengers: Endgame’s mind-blowing finale and Spider-Man: Far From Home’s tantalizing postscript, the next stage of the Marvel Cinematic Universe has been indefinitely delayed by the COVID-19 pandemic. If everything had gone to plan, Phase Four would already be underway with the theatrical release of Black Widow this past summer and the imminent arrival of Eternals later this year.
But alas, the world is facing a historic health crisis and the MCU’s Phase Four has been indefinitely delayed (among other, more pressing concerns). From the debuts of various iconic characters to the premieres of a few shows on Disney+, there’s a lot to look forward to on Marvel’s slate.
Answers About Black Widow’s Past
While a lot of Phase Four is dedicated to charging headfirst into the franchise’s future with the introduction of a multiverse, it is set to kick off with a prequel looking back into the past. The long-overdue Black Widow will reportedly take place between Captain America: Civil War and Avengers: Infinity War, featuring many characters from her past.
Finally, over a decade after Scarlett Johansson’s debut as Natasha Romanoff in Iron Man 2, she’s getting her own standalone adventure. Better late than never. The movie promises to answer a lot of questions about the backstory and personal life of one of Marvel’s most mysterious heroes.
A Thor/Guardians Team-Up
Phase Four will bring fans the continued adventures of Taika Waititi’s zany, revitalized Thor. The last time we saw the God of Thunder, he was hitching a ride from the Guardians of the Galaxy, barbing Peter Quill about who was really the team’s leader.
It’s since been confirmed that the Guardians will appear in Waititi’s upcoming Thor: Love and Thunder. Even if they’re only in one scene, this is an exhilarating prospect.
The Multiverse
After the multiverse fake-out in Spider-Man: Far From Home, the MCU’s real multiverse will become a major plot point in Phase Four. In particular, WandaVision, Loki, and Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness will focus on parallel dimensions.
Some fans are even expecting a live-action Spider-Verse featuring Tobey Maguire’s Peter Parker, because Sam Raimi has been tapped to direct the Doctor Strange sequel.
Moon Knight’s Introduction
Marvel is working on a Moon Knight series for Disney+ that will premiere in 2022, pandemic permitting. Moon Knight is one of the most fascinating characters from the comics. He’s a lot like Batman, except he has superpowers acquired from an Egyptian god and he has multiple identities to keep up appearances and investigate the criminal underworld undetected.
But Moon Knight is far from the only beloved Marvel character coming to Disney+ in Phase Four, as there are also series planned for Ms. Marvel, She-Hulk, and Kate Bishop.
Jane Foster Becoming The Mighty Thor
Natalie Portman got seriously short-changed with the role of Jane Foster in the first two Thor movies. She was a generic love interest in the first one and got rewritten into a background character to capitalize on Loki’s post-Avengers popularity in the sequel. It’s no wonder Portman refused to come back for the third one.
But Taika Waititi is set to finally give the talented actor a substantial role in the MCU with Thor: Love and Thunder, which will see Jane taking on the mantle of Thor like she did in the comics.
A Spider-Man/Doctor Strange Team-Up
It was recently announced that Benedict Cumberbatch will play Stephen Strange in the upcoming third Spider-Man solo movie. As a New York-based hero who has an established rapport with Spidey, Strange could be called upon to help the webslinger in the immediate aftermath of the Daily Bugle revealing his secret identity and framing him as a terrorist.
Strange could be taking on a Tony Stark-esque role as Peter Parker’s new mentor, or he could just make a cameo appearance like he did in Thor: Ragnarok.
The Black Knight’s Introduction
Marvel fans have been looking forward to seeing this medieval-themed superhero in the MCU ever since a city with a bubble was spotted in the Quantum Realm in Ant-Man and the Wasp and the fanbase jumped the gun on what that meant.
Kit Harington has been cast to play the Black Knight alongside his old Game of Thrones co-star Richard Madden in the upcoming Eternals movie.
“What If...?” Scenarios About The Infinity Saga
Disney+ will be releasing an animated anthology series based on the What If...? comics, exploring hypothetical scenarios about various Marvel characters. The show’s first season will have one episode for each of the films in the Infinity Saga.
Each one will tweak something in the movie’s plot and follow the story down that avenue. What if Tony Stark never escaped from the Ten Rings? What if the other half got snapped away? What if Thanos won the Battle of Earth?
The Return Of Jamie Foxx’s Electro
As the MCU’s third Spider-Man solo movie nears the start of its production, one of the more surprising last-minute announcements about the threequel is that Jamie Foxx will play Electro.
Foxx previously played the role in the much-maligned The Amazing Spider-Man 2, but the one-note characterization squandered the actor’s immense talent. Hopefully, the MCU can fix that.
The REAL Mandarin
One of the MCU’s biggest disappointments on its mostly spotless track record is the twist in Iron Man 3 that reveals the Mandarin, Tony Stark’s fearsome arch-nemesis from the comics, to be a buffoonish actor hired to be the face of the Ten Rings as opposed to its actual leader with sinister magical abilities.
Marvel is looking to rectify this mistake in Phase Four, with the introduction of the real Mandarin in Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings. He’ll be played by the legendary Tony Leung and will replace Fu Manchu as the title character’s father.