By “announcement” they meant their Phase 3 plan, and it sounds crazy. In all honesty, I ended up believing that the announcement today would be a dud, something that we already knew or didn’t care too much about. So I stared at my screen, sipped my coffee while listening to my “Best Movie Scores Ever” playlist all cool and like, playing the part of the jaded nerd girl perfectly. Then, the news dropped, and more followed, and I subsequently geeked out as fanboys and girls cried out in anticipation and excitement all over the interwebs. Kevin Feige, the Russo Brothers, Joss Whedon and more were there to deliver us these nuggets of joy.
Here’s what’s about to go down in the Marvel Universe Phase 3:
Captain America: Civil War: May 6th, 2016: I’ve been persistent in my belief that this storyline couldn’t be done, and while I’m still hesitant to have complete and total faith in it (shame on me), I am curious to see how this one plays out. Will it become a much more personal story due to the limited characters currently on Marvel’s roster? Or will it be as epic as it sounds? But, most importantly, will Anthony Mackie’s Falcon still be getting a large piece of the film? Feige did say that the movie version will be much different than the comics, and that – DUN DUN DUN – Black Panther will be playing a BIG role in in the film. But more on him later.
Doctor Strange: November 4th, 2016: No casting was announced for the titular role today, so those of us including myself who were up in arms about the Benedict Cumberbatch casting rumors can settle down for a while. Scott Derrickson is set to direct, and this movie was mentioned by Feige as able to “open up a whole new world for the cinematic universe.” So, let’s throw our casting predictions back out and start crossing our fingers for someone interesting.
Guardians of the Galaxy Sequel: May 5th, 2017: Audiences got a thank you video from James Gunn for making it the number one film of the year.
Thor: Ragnarok: July 28th, 2017: As Feige put it, Ragnarok means “the end of all things.” If that isn’t ominous enough for you, giving the name a quick search reveals that the main storyline involves a character that is a Cyborg clone of Thor who doesn’t do a whole lot of good, as well as a Norse-like apocalypse, so trouble is seemingly on the horizon for this demi-God. With Loki presumably taking a backseat in the third Thor film, can we hope for some actual development of the character beyond the group’s muscle?
Black Panther: November 3rd, 2017: And here’s where I began to freak out. Robert Downey Jr. and Chris Evans came to the stage to present Chadwick Boseman (42, Get On Up), who will be taking on the Black Panther role. This is an exciting move for the studio which has, largely, lacked any real diversity in its bigger players. Black Panther is also, simply, an immensely cool character and one of the most notable from the Avengers canon. But this was the second most exciting news for me, coming second only to…
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Captain Marvel: July 6th, 2018: So… I may have shrieked… just a little, when I read this name. I don’t know about you, but I have long waited to see Marvel trot out a female superhero who got to lead her own film, and here we finally have one. It will be the Carol Danvers character, and while Feige says that casting is still going to take a while (so feel free to speculate), the writer and director should be announced quite soon. Commence freaking out.
The Inhumans: November 2nd, 2018: This is a title that I’m not all too familiar with, but it does seem to promise further expansion of the Marvel universe and with the following and last announcement, that seems like a significant point. It also seemingly could tie into Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. and hopefully make the show immensely more interesting.
Avengers: Infinity War Part One: May 4th 2018 & Avengers: Infinity War Part Two: May 3rd 2019: Let us all assume that the cliffhanger at the end of Part One will be one of the most edge-of-your-seat moments of film that we’ll likely ever see – I can’t fathom it any other way. These two films will be the culmination of all of the work that Marvel Studios has done in less than ten years (to date) of turning out movies, and it’s going to be done with wonderful characters with tension-riddled stakes. I’m already worried about the fate of our heroes. While it seems absurd to speculate over a film four plus years away, I am going to assume that it could be one of the most exciting film events ever.
Hyperbolic? Perhaps, but with a studio as confident as Marvel has been lately, I can’t help but trust that it knows what it’s doing, and that it want fans to love the finished product as much as it does.
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So, what announcement excites you the most? Check out the gallery of the cool title cards released as well as some concept art for Black Panther.
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