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| Hilarious image stolen from hilarious interwebs. |
All of this requires spoilers. Lots of spoilers.
Now I don't wanna be that guy, so I'm giving you plenty of room to get out before you see anything that you don't want to. If you've accidentally stumbled in here, now is your chance to get out.
Or perhaps I can interest you in a spoiler-free review of Avengers: Endgame?
Or how about a ranking of every MCU film?
Still here? Ok, well, let's have at it.
But first - some of these films are confirmed and in various stages of pre-production. Marvel is yet to officially announce its release slate beyond Spider-man: Far From Home, due out later this year, despite having release dates locked away for a swag of films. So this blog is a mix of what to expect in the likely films, and some speculation on others we haven't heard official word on yet.
Black Widow solo film
Despite the events of Endgame, a Black Widow solo film is reportedly still going into production in June with Aussie director Cate Shortland (Somersault) at the helm. This means it's more than likely going to be set in the past, and given Black Widow's rich comic history as a spy who turned from the dark side, this isn't a bad thing. Of course, resurrecting superheroes is commonplace in the comic books (and the films - hell, that's the whole plot of Endgame), but don't expect that to happen just yet in Black Widow's case, if at all. But that's OK - there's plenty of past to dig through before the remaining Avengers start digging her up.
A-Force
One of the many cool moments in Endgame's final battle sees the remaining female superheroes team up to take down Thanos and by Spider-man some time. It's a great sequence that immediately reminded many people of A-Force - a short-lived all-woman Avengers-style team that appeared in the comics that featured Captain Marvel, the Inhumans' Medusa, She-Hulk, the intergalactic Singularity, mutant Dazzler, and Nico Minoru. Given the slow shift towards more female-led MCU films and bigger roles for actresses in the franchises, something like A-Force isn't too far away. And if that single scene in Endgame is anything to go by, it will be incredible.
Guardians Of The Galaxy 3
In case you missed it, Guardians 1 & 2 director James Gunn was dumped from Guardians 3, only to be re-hired several months later. This is possibly in response to cast members (particularly Dave Bautista) threatening a boycott if Gunn wasn't brought back. But since then, the most interesting GOTG3-related thing we've seen is in the end of Endgame, in which Thor is seemingly now part of the Guardians (or the "Asgardians Of The Galaxy" as he put it). While "Asgardians Of The Galaxy" is a Marvel comic series that began last year, it features neither Thor nor any of the MCU Guardians. And as far as I can tell, Thor has never been a member of the Guardians (unlike, say, Iron Man). Still, the idea of Thor butting heads with Starlord as part of the Guardians team is a tantalising one. Here's hoping this was more than just an Endgame end gag.
Spider-man: Far From Home
Of course the only MCU film we're 100% sure about is Spider-man's next outing, which appears to draw heavily on the impacts of Endgame, most notably in how Tony Stark's death affects Peter Parker. But if the latest trailer is anything to go by, it will also deal with an apparent rip in the time-space continuum caused by Thanos' snap that brings Mysterio AKA Quentin Beck into the MCU timeline. Unless of course Mysterio is lying, which is highly probably, given he's a villain in the comics. The prospect of a multiverses is a tantalising one, as evidenced by Spider-Man: Into The Multiverse. With at least a third Spidey film on the cards, could we see a crossover between the MCU and the animated multiverse?
X-Men & Fantastic Four
The other thing Spider-Man: Far From Home's multiverse line teases is an easy entry point for the X-Men, the Fantastic Four, and Deadpool without having to recast. With a simple reference to another split in the time-space continuum, the MCU gets to keep Ryan Reynolds as Deadpool, as well as all the X-Men, which would also make all of the existing X-Men movies MCU canon. The dire Fant4stic didn't get much traction, so expect that whole line to start again, but the prospect of pulling Hugh Jackman out of retirement for a stint in the Avengers is surely too good an opportunity for the MCU to pass on. Of course, they could always recast the roles (they'll probably keep Ryan Reynolds no matter what, which works given the meta nature of Deadpool) but the multiverse idea is at least an easy way to explain where the mutants and F4 have been all this time. And while we're on the subject of F4, what are the odds of Galactus being the Big Bad of the next phase of the MCU? Also, my money's on an Avengers Vs X-Men movie appearing sometime soon in the next phase if the mutants get introduced. It's a cool comic arc, and has the potential to work much like Civil War did.
Secret Invasion
The debut of the Skrulls in Captain Marvel could pave the way for one of the biggest crossover events of the Marvel comics - Secret Invasion. In this arc, the Skrulls invade Earth and impersonate some of Earth's mightiest heroes, leading to the ultimate "who can you trust?" thriller. This kind of twist-heavy storyline is much-loved by many comic fans (I can take it or leave it) and it's up there with House of M and Civil War as one of the most significant events in the comics. Now that we have Skrulls in the MCU, it's probably only a matter of time before we see Secret Invasion.
Dr Strange 2
This is rumoured to be happening, and it's more than likely that it will see Dr Strange go up against his friend-turned-enemy Baron Mordo (played by Chiwetel Ejiofor in the first Dr Strange film). But there's another Big Bad lurking in the background that could play a larger part not just in a Dr Strange trilogy but maybe in the next phase of the MCU as a Thanos-style boss - Dormammu. Dormammu is a supremely powerful character constantly trying to tear down the wall between our dimension and his own dark dimension. What's not to say that Thanos' actions might have weakened that wall, setting up Dormammu as an Avengers-worthy foe?
Captain Marvel 2
Given the huge success of the first outing from Carol Danvers, a sequel is a sure thing. As to what that will entail, it may see a continuation or escalation of the Kree-Skrull War, which is a major storyline in the comics and plays a part of the first film's plot. But the reality is that it could go anywhere - Carol Danvers has had some wild and varied adventures in the comics that have taken her all over the universe. One thing that seems likely is that her huge power set will probably keep her in space where the MCU gurus can find foes with enough firepower to keep her on her toes.
Black Panther 2
As with Captain Marvel, the success of Black Panther guarantees a sequel. But with two of his greatest foes - Killmonger and Klaw - already dealt with, who does that leave for T'Challa to fight in a follow-up? M'Baku, played by Winston Duke, is a regular enemy in the comics and could be next, but it would be great to see Namor finally make an appearance in the MCU. Namor and Black Panther have had a fiery relationship in the comics, including in one recent arc which saw Namor and his Atlanteans all-but destroying Wakanda. And remember Okoye saying something about an undersea earthquake in Endgame? Hmmm.
The new TV shows
WandaVision, Falcon & The Winter Soldier, and Loki will be hitting the screens of Disney+ subscribers in the next few years. But what they will contain is anyone's guess, especially given that Vision and Loki are officially dead in the MCU. Elizabeth Olsen told Variety that WandaVision will be set in the 1950s, which has many hypothesising that time travel is involved. Others have suggested the '50s setting hints at a reimagining of Tom King's excellent 12-part Vision comic series, which saw Vision try to have a normal suburban life in between his superhero outings. As for the other series, Falcon & The Winter Soldier has the potential to be the buddy cop procedural you never knew you wanted, while Loki could find Thor's trickster brother returning from the dead (he's magic after all) and apparently zooming through history or wreaking havoc in an alternate timeline.
She-Hulk
There are hundreds of Marvel characters we haven't seen yet in the MCU, but one of the most popular is She-Hulk. Lawyer by day, hulk-alike hero by night, Jennifer Walters has become a fascinating character in recent years who is truly worthy of a spot in the MCU. While Marvel has been known to pull unexpected heroes up to the A League on occasion (Guardians Of The Galaxy is the best example to date), She-Hulk's big moment is surely soon.
The Eternals
The Eternals were a race of god-like ancient aliens who counted Thanos among their number and had something to do with the creation of life on Earth. It's all very convoluted in the comics and has been retconned a couple of times, but that hasn't stopped a movie about The Eternals being put onto the MCU slate. Angelina Jolie and Kumail Nanjiani are apparently attached, but given the huge amount of power at their disposal, it's possible The Eternals could be setting up the Big Bad for the next phase of the MCU.
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