Exploring Next Phase of The MCU | After Black Panther 2 and Ant-Man 3 (1/2)

The final film of phase Four in the MCU was "Black Panther 2," which premiered in February of this year. The movie introduced two new heroes and the Marvel anti-hero, Namor. Following Chadwick Boseman's untimely passing in 2020, Marvel chose to make Princess Shuri the queen of Wakanda, just like in the comics. However, the actress who played Princess Shuri, Letitia Wright, made several controversial remarks, leaving Marvel uncertain about whether to keep her in the role. As a result, the character Ironheart, also known as Riri Williams, was given a larger role in "Black Panther 2." This surprised and bewildered Marvel fans worldwide.

Originally, it was planned for Ironheart to make her debut in a live-action TV series, following the example of Ms. Marvel and She-Hulk. However, Marvel has deviated from this plan and instead decided to introduce Ironheart in a cameo appearance in the movie "Black Panther 2." After this, Ironheart will have her own standalone series in 2023. It should be noted that Marvel has explicitly stated that Ironheart is not a replacement for Iron Man, as the comics have established her as a unique character. Although Ironheart, much like Ms. Marvel, represents a younger generation of superheroes, she is still different from the classic heroes in terms of nostalgia and iconic status. Nevertheless, Marvel is committed to nurturing the future of the franchise by developing these new characters.

Marvel has been reluctant to introduce the anti-hero Namor into the MCU for years due to his similarities with Aquaman, a DC character. Although Namor is the main villain in "Black Panther 2," it is uncertain whether he will be redeemed and become an Avenger, like Scarlet Witch and Quicksilver. In addition, Namor's appearance marks the return of mutants to the MCU.

Marvel Phase 5 Movies

After "Black Panther 2," the MCU officially enters phase 5, with the first film being "Ant-Man 3," which picks up right after the events of "Black Panther 2." This movie reveals the MCU's biggest secret, that the mastermind behind everything that has happened is Kang the Conqueror!

Before the official start of Kang's story, the fifth phase of the MCU started off with some leisurely productions. "Secret Invasion", "Guardians of the Galaxy 3", and "Echo" will be released one after another. "Secret Invasion" is one of Marvel's famous significant events, which involves the Skrulls with the ability to clone take over most of the Earth's superheroes and launch a massive attack. Marvel surprisingly downgraded this major event to a live-action series, seemingly with the intention of consolidating the MCU's storylines. Although it is unclear how many seasons the show will have, based on the comics' plot, multiple movie-level superheroes are destined to appear, including possibly Spider-Man (Tom Holland).

The movie "Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3" was originally planned for Phase 4 and was supposed to be released before "Thor: Love and Thunder," but it was pushed back to Phase 5. The director, James Gunn, hinted that an important character would die at the end of the movie and strongly implied it would be Rocket Raccoon, which deeply hurt many fans worldwide. Some even speculate that Gunn was seeking revenge for his previous firing from Marvel.

Currently, it seems that Gunn and Marvel have reached a certain consensus, and the main storyline of "Guardians of the Galaxy 3" should still focus on the history of the Rocket, but it may not be tragic, while Nebula is reportedly in danger. As for future collaborations between Gunn and Marvel, it seems to depend on their moods. The neighboring studio values Gunn very highly; "Suicide Squad 2" and the second season of "Peacemaker" are already in production, but they have not officially signed Gunn, instead publicly expressing the hope that their own directors can learn more from him. Marvel is surprisingly tolerant of this, and it is unclear what these two big shots are up to. However, it can be certain that Marvel is obviously intending to make the MCU more diverse and not be limited to a few directors.

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