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

Marvel Phase 5 TV series

The TV series in the MCU is the highlight of phase 5. First up is the return of the popular show "Loki" for its second season, which is expected to continue exploring Kang's story and the multiverse. In the summer, "Captain Marvel 2" will be the main focus, with three Captain Marvels potentially appearing in the film, including the hero Spectrum from "WandaVision" who may join the Captain Marvel family. This movie is expected to officially kick off the crisis of the MCU's main universe and the multiverse.

Another notable event is the return of Marvel's popular hero Daredevil to the MCU in the new show "Echo." Marvel listened to the fans and did not recast the actor, which is rare. According to Marvel's plan, the story of Daredevil will still be in the works. "Echo" is a spin-off series, and Echo, the non-conventional female hero who performed well in the 2021 Marvel show "Hawkeye," will play the lead role in this show. The villain Kingpin also returns to this show, and hopefully, he won't be as weak as he was in "Hawkeye."

The next challenge is the reboot of "Blade," which is introduced to supplement the dark side of the MCU. The family-friendly style of the MCU has been criticized by fans and has made Marvel eager for change. While Marvel doesn't need to be as profound or dark as DC, they do need to keep up with the times. However, judging from "Doctor Strange 2," Marvel seems to have lost their touch with scaring audiences. We hope the new "Blade" can bring a fresh perspective to the MCU. However, it may take some time for MCU audiences to adapt since Blade's fighting style in the Avengers may not fit the bill, as we see in the comics.

And then there's the Ironheart TV series. As mentioned earlier, Marvel has yet to figure out how to position this new generation of female heroes. Interestingly, Marvel has stated clearly at comic con that this will be an original series, and the plot may differ significantly from the comics. As Black Panther 2 is coming up, street snaps of the Ironheart armor appeared recently. Many people criticized the armor as being very low-quality, but in fact, the armor in the movie is much more advanced than in the comics, given what we can see from the street snaps. Ironheart is also one of Marvel's most powerful brains, after all, with just a few broken air conditioners and car parts, she created an advanced suit of armor that is not inferior to Mark 40. Such a superhero story feels more in line with the essence of superhero themes, and it may be very interesting.

The next Marvel series to air is “Agatha: The Witch of Chaos.” This series at least makes one thing clear: Wanda did not actually die at the end of Doctor Strange 2. In the comics, after Wanda's fake death, she lost her memory and powers, and hid in Latveria with Doctor Doom. Wanda even had a romantic history with Doctor Doom, and almost became the queen of Latveria. This marriage was stopped by the Avengers. It is difficult to say whether Doom really had feelings for Wanda, because he made a robot that looks as beautiful as her. Some people also noticed that sometimes, when no one was paying attention, Doom would stare at the robot Wanda in a trance...

After a series of live-action dramas, the MCU started to dabble in animation again. Three animated series-What If...? Season 2, X-Men '97, and Spider-Man: Freshman Year-are airing one after another. These animations will develop more stories in the multiverse and allow Marvel to explore more possibilities. After that, it's Captain America 4: New World Order. It's certain that the new Captain America, Falcon, won't stick around, and Marvel has made two preparations just like in the comics. After much effort, they convinced Chris Evans to return to play Old Captain America, leaving a clue to restart the classic Captain America. After that, it's Daredevil's official return.

It is currently unknown whether Daredevil: Reborn is about Daredevil's return alone or the entire Defenders lineup. Marvel also announced that this is an original series, which means they can develop the story however they want. Starting with this series, Marvel's intention to darken its stories becomes even more apparent. The fifth-phase finale, Thunderbolts, is fully comparable in scale to The Suicide Squad from the neighboring studio. However, Marvel did not hire a veteran director, but instead signed on the young Hollywood director Jack Schaeffer early on, making it clear that they are cultivating their new creative talent.

Marvel's Phase 6

Marvel Phase 6 has only revealed five films and TV series so far, but only three of them have confirmed release dates. The new Fantastic Four will be the first film to kick off Phase 6, and it's a huge deal for MCU as it brings back Marvel's first superhero team. However, even the film's outline has not been finalized yet. The end of Phase 6 will be the new Avengers movie, which has already been confirmed to have two parts and will be released in the summer and winter of 2025.

The tentative title for Avengers 5, "Kang Dynasty," suggests that Kang the Conqueror will officially begin invading the main MCU universe, leading to the formation of a new Avengers team. However, Marvel has revealed that this team won't be the classic Avengers, but instead a new West Coast Avengers team led by two generations of Hawkeyes. This rumor is consistent with the main storyline of the "Young Avengers" comic book. The West Coast Avengers are a very diverse team, consisting of ordinary people, mutants, superhumans, aliens, and other heroes from the Marvel universe. The predecessor of the West Coast Avengers in the comics was the Young Avengers. This film will be the culmination of Phases 5 and 6.

Avengers 6: Secret Wars, on the other hand, will bring back the classic Avengers team. The title itself is significant as Secret Wars was the biggest event in the comics and completely rebooted the Marvel universe four times. However, the scale of this film is still unknown, and it's unclear whether the MCU will be completely rebooted. Marvel has left a lot of room for Phase 6, with only Eternals 2, Moon Knight Season 2, and War Machine, which will feature the new Wolverine, confirmed. Although it's unclear what War Machine will be about, rumors are circulating that an actor from "The Big Bang Theory," Giacomo Gianniotti, will be the new Professor X. Other Phase 6 films and TV series will likely be determined based on the feedback from Phase 5.

Overall, Marvel's plan for Phases 5 and 6 is becoming clearer. The studio will try to gradually bring back other superhero teams into the MCU framework, moving away from a focus on technology. This is because powerful villains like Kang and Doctor Doom, who possess almost all the skills, cannot be defeated with just one approach. If this approach fails, Marvel may have to reboot the MCU. However, if things go smoothly, Marvel will undoubtedly find ways to bring back classic heroes, which will mean a lot for the MCU.

Despite the current trend of negativity surrounding the MCU, it seems that Marvel is striving to leave multiple options open for themselves. The fact remains that the MCU is still a cash cow and a vital part of the film industry. Marvel will not voluntarily end the era they have worked so hard to establish. They will undoubtedly strive to ensure a second wave of success, but this will not be achieved through effort alone. Fans' desires are constantly changing, and Marvel must adapt to meet their expectations. It is no wonder that many people are uncertain about the future of Marvel's revival.

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