Anthony Mackie Says That Marvel's Phase 4 Will Be "Very Different"
The Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) has been the blueprint for building a successful franchise, not only financially (with a combined revenue of more than 22 billion dollars), but also in the way of storytelling: never before have so many films that are all very well able to function on their own been connected by an overarching story. The so called “Infinity Saga” consists of 23 feature films, starting with 2008’s Iron Man and ending with 2019’s epilogue to Avengers Endgame, Spider Man: Far from Home. Apart from the movies, there have been several TV shows, which, though rather loosely connected to the films, at least usually did not contradict them, like Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D or Jessica Jones. And finally, the Infinity Saga also brought forth some comics and novels that further expanded the adventures of the main characters.
Several other studios have tried to replicate the success of the MCU, most notably DC/Warner Bros. with the DC Expanded Universe (with varying success) or Universal’s Dark Universe, which sought to bring back classic monsters like the Mummy or Dracula. While the future of the latter is very much in doubt, DC has somewhat moved away from creating a consistent environment for all their superheroes and villains, in favor of a more independent multiverse, where certain characters may exist in several shapes and sizes at the same time (like the Joker).
After the mighty conclusion of the Thanos storyline, Marvel Studios now faces the task of somehow having to reinvent themselves. It would be easy to just restart the cycle that has been so successful again: bring-in new characters in stand-alone movies, present a new supervillain as a threat, and constantly ramp things up onto a new ultimate battle in a few years.
But it seems that Marvel might take some inspiration from DC after all. As Anthony Mackie, who will put on the suit of Falcon and (presumably) the shield of Captain America in the upcoming series The Falcon and the Winter Soldier (starting in March 2021 on Disney+) recently told Entertainment Tonight Canada, Phase 4 of the MCU will be quite different from all that has come before.
"This phase is very different than the first phase. There are a lot of interesting characters that they're bringing to life and a lot of different things that will be happening that people won't expect."
And this is something that Marvel Studio's mastermind Kevin Feige has also said in the past, probably to prepare fans for what's to come.
Initially planned to launch with Black Widow in 2020, Phase 4 now starts with two TV projects on Disney+: First WandaVision and then the aforementioned The Falcon and the Winter Soldier series, before we finally get to see the backstory of Scarlett Johansson’s Black Widow in May of 2021 (if COVID-19 doesn’t intervene again). Apart from these projects, there will be three more Marvel feature films for the big screen in 2021: Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings in July, Eternals in November. and the yet untitled Spider-Man 3 movie by the end of the year, making it the first time that four MCU feature films are released within one calendar year. But there is even more: also starting in May is Loki, with Tom Hiddleston taking on the role of Thor’s not-so-beloved brother, followed by the animated What If? series, then Ms. Marvel and finally Hawkeye, making a total of 10 Marvel projects in this year alone.
Kevin Feige has also said that it’s not defined yet when Phase 4 will end, but it is likely that at least Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 and Thor: Love and Thunder will also be a part of it, as well as the sequel to Doctor Strange, which even has the multiverse in its title. So there might be even more.
Already, the content of Phase 4 seems quite diverse (more than that of the previous three phases), with the classic sitcom-like WandaVision, the more spy and action-oriented The Falcon and the Winter Soldier series, and the probably rather tongue-in-cheeky Loki. Marvel is surely taking some risks here, not only by broadening the roster of characters (for example with their first film starring a lead Asian superhero, Shang-Chi), but also with a much closer integration of its TV shows with the movies. It remains to be seen if and to which extent the audience is willing to follow this “multiverse approach.”
But it wouldn’t be Kevin Feige if he didn’t already have a master plan for Phase 4 (and probably way beyond that), and if the different storylines that will unfold in front of us in the coming months weren't all linked together to end in a collective climax.
Source(s): ComicBook.com