This year is almost over, and Marvel Studios' decade-long "Infinity Saga" finally came to an end with Avengers: Endgame. I was there opening night, and it was something epic to witness. Spoilers to follow. My entire movie theater went silent when Captain America picked up Mjölnir and then broke into applause when all the dead characters (minus Black Widow) came through the portals for Chris Evans to whisper: "Avengers... assemble."
Of course, before I got to those epic moments, I had to sit through a couple hours of "time heist" that honestly had me checking my watch. While Endgame was something I, and the rest of the world, had waited for since Iron Man in 2008, I've since decided Infinity War is the superior film.
With that said, it's nearly impossible not to recognize what Endgame represented, the culmination of Marvel Studios' hard work over 23 movies (and a handful of television shows). The studio established a universe that has generated jealousy among others in Hollywood and adoration from moviegoers across the planet.
And now, Marvel has to reshuffle the deck and figure out how to build something new. When Thomas Edison finally completed the electric light, he didn't dust off his hands and retire. There was more to do, and so it is for Marvel Studios.
It's difficult to imagine moving on from a story arc that's been around since May 2008, but that's exactly what Marvel Studios has to do. And it's not that there's a lack of groundwork laid or anything.
The MCU introduced enough characters that are waiting for sequels to their original movies, like Black Panther and Captain Marvel (I don't care how much derision her movie received from trolls, I enjoyed it). Some characters are waiting on sequels to their sequels, like Ant-Man and the Guardians of the Galaxy.
But Marvel Studios also has to widen the base even more by introducing more characters. And that's where Phase Four finds itself. For those unaware, Marvel Studios grouped its movies in "phases." Phase One began with Iron Man and ended with The Avengers. Phase Two began with Iron Man 3 (Marvel's only bad movie) and ended with Ant-Man. Phase Three began with Captain America: Civil War and ended with Spider-Man: Far From Home.
These groupings all set up different minor villains such as Loki and Ultron before leading up to the ultimate force of destruction that was Thanos. Fans are left wondering what ultimate villain Phases Four and Five might set up. Noncomic-book readers might be wondering who can top Thanos. Comic book readers are setting up their wish list for who might take his place. Galactus? Kang the Conqueror? Who knows?
If I had to guess, though, I would say Marvel Studios is going to take a little break and include some smaller villains for now. I wouldn't be surprised if we went through all of Phase Four with hardly a glimpse at who comes next.
We didn't get our first look at Thanos until the first Avengers movie at the conclusion of Phase One. With that character's death, it would make sense for them to take things down a notch and focus on some smaller villains for the next several films.
Phase Four has six films slated for it right now. Those are Black Widow, The Eternals, Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings, Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, a Spider-Man sequel that has no name, and Thor: Love and Thunder.
As of now, it looks like a pretty good smattering of continuing stories with characters we already know and introducing new characters most noncomic-book readers had never heard of before. But be honest, how many of you had actually read Guardians of the Galaxy before it was a hit movie? I certainly hadn't.
I still don't know anything about who the Eternals are or Shang-Chi for that matter. I'm glad to see Marvel Studios expanding to give more characters screen time, but these aren't characters that I've ever really known before. Maybe I would have if they'd been featured in cartoons I watched growing up like the '90s X-Men series. By age 8, I could name several X-Men heroes and villains. But I still can't name one character from The Eternals.
Black Widow is a solid film choice. She should have had her own movie right after Iron Man 2 came out. But better late than never, right? Marvel Studios released the first trailer for her movie a few days ago, and it looks solid enough.
If we're dealing mostly with Russian spies and a lack of superpowered heroes, I hope Black Widow's solo movie goes the way of Captain America: The Winter Soldier. Give me a tightly-fitted story with close action and lots of hand-to-hand combat. We'll call it good. The trailer also brought forth a multitude of Jim Hopper jokes because it stars David Harbour from Stranger Things. Guess we know what happened to him after season three ended!
I think Scarlett Johansson has more than enough star power at this point to draw in a crowd for a solo Black Widow movie. The actress has proved she's a great action star. If I anticipate one big challenge for the movie, it's that it'll end up being set in a time gap, like Ant-Man and the Wasp. Some fans might walk in expecting a post-Thanos story and instead be greeted by a film that takes place after Captain America: Civil War. The story might muddy things up a little bit, especially seeing that she died in Endgame.
I'm excited to see new characters introduced in The Eternals and Shang-Chi. Supposedly, Marvel Studios is also working on a sequel to Black Panther and giving the Guardians of the Galaxy and Ant-Man third movies in their own respective franchises. I have no clue where those will fit in.
Spider-Man: Far From Home ended with such an abrupt note and serious consequences that I'm still reeling and waiting to see how the current MCU timeline addresses it.
And dagnabit, can somebody please get me a decent Ghost Rider movie? Keep Nicholas Cage far away and use Johnny Blaze or Danny Ketch. I don't much care for the Ghost Rider they put on Agents of Shield. Give me a real movie with Zarathos, Marvel. Johnny Blaze is only my favorite character in your arsenal. At least give me a Disney+ show.
Getting back to Phase Four, the movie I'm most interested in seeing is Thor: Thunder and Love. I'm eager to see what happens to our favorite Asgardian now that he has his revenge and is seeking some redemption.
The first two Thor movies weren't great. I think you'd be hard-pressed to find many Marvel fans who were enthusiastic about them. But Thor: Ragnarok? Holy cow! Combining the fresh injection of humor from director Taika Waititi with the evolving brotherly relationship of Thor and Loki and elements of Planet Hulk resulted in one of the MCU's best movies.
And the idea of Thor taking off for adventures with the Guardians of the Galaxy at the end of Endgame thrilled me to no end. I loved his chemistry with Starlord, Gamora and the crew. I hope he pops up in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3. And I'm eager to see Jane Foster rise to power with her own hammer.
I also relish in informing misguided souls who are eager to yell about how Jane Foster can't become Thor that she did indeed back in 1978. If Marvel Studios wants to give Natalie Portman a hammer, I'm all for it. Bring it on.
Marvel Studios has faced some more serious competition from DC Comics over the last year. Wonder Woman, Aquaman, Shazam! and Joker were all great movies. They were financially successful, too. And now that DC Comics has learned the valuable lesson that it can make good movies with one character at a time, Phase Four is going to see a different vision to comic book movies, and unlike Justice League or Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, they'll probably be solid films.
Phase Four holds as much promise as the first three. I just hope Marvel fans will be patient and remember that this studio is reshuffling the deck and looking to the future. If moviegoers expect Endgame with each new entry in the franchise, they're going to be disappointed. It took a decade to give us Captain America picking up Mjölnir. In another decade, maybe we'll get Avengers Vs. X-Men. A girl can dream, a girl can dream.
MovieStyle on 12/13/2019