MCU Phase 4: The Filler Phase (Part 1)

So I was planning on writing something like this quite a long time ago after Endgame. But I wanted to wait and see what the line up would be because it was still changing regardless of some of the major announcements that were made at San Diego Comic-con last year. For example, Jeremy Renner went weird and now I believe Hawkeye is postponed until they can figure out something there. The Doctor Strange movie no longer is being directed by Scott Derickson and instead by Sam Raimi and nobody really knows what that totally means. There were already changes and uncertainty prior to the most recent madness. Also now, with the COVID-19 pandemic there has been massive shifts in the schedule with a lot of it subject to move depending on how/when theatrical releases become a thing again and movies actually start getting made again. And then there's the cluster of Disney plus series.

It is worth mentioning that I am going no holds bar on any spoilers. I know everyone and their mom saw Endgame, but in case you haven't, here's your warning. Go watch Endgame.

But instead of talking about all the properties individually, I want to try and speak a little more broadly about the direction the MCU and how Marvel might continue considering that the world of the MCU is vastly different than when it began. I talked a lot about this in theory in the past, but it's worth talking about now because we have at least a skeleton of what Phase 4 is gonna look like and the promise of what phase 5 could look like, which is probably the phase that everyone is really looking forward to because right now, Phase 4 looks like the filler phase.

The Potential Filler Phase

And that's not to knock any of the films coming out. There are some films coming out even this year that I'm at least interested in checking out out of loyalty to the Marvel brand that has earned its infamy.

But when your first movie out the gate is a Black Widow prequel, it's not exactly sending a huge message that you know the direction of your franchise quite yet.

I think Black Widow looks like it might be fun, but even if it hadn't been delayed by the Coronavirus, I was already kind of thinking that this was going to have a lower box office return because its a movie that seems like one you could skip and not miss much. We know Black Widow is going to get out of it okay because she's still gotta die in Endgame.

And Black Widow isn't the only movie that was kind of questionable this year. The Eternals is still a big question mark because nobody knows what it is still. I think my self at the start of this blog back in 2014 would have been able to spout off what The Eternals are the same way I did with Guardians of the Galaxy, but now I just don't have the time or desire to do that. On the other side, we can point to things like Guardians of the Galaxy as proof that Marvel for sure can do this, but it seems like when Fiege said this year would see the MCU take a little break, he wasn't kidding. I don't know anybody who says their most anticipated film of the year is Black Widow or Eternals. To beat a dead horse, I know its possible that these movies could surprise us, and it might be advantageous for these films to come out after all the COVID-19 stuff is done because we might just be hungry for any kind of movie at that point, but the plan movie forward is very unclear.

And look, I don't blame Kevin Fiege for not having much of a plan post-Endgame. He and Marvel pulled off a miracle by having Endgame be a solid conclusion to a decade long story and then he's asked not only to follow it up, but add new properties like X-men, Fantastic Four, and shape it all with a shaky deal with Sony on incorporating Spider-man.

The best strategic direction that Marvel seems to be heading down is the one involving the multi-verse.

The Multiverse

By far my favorite trailer from the Superbowl was the Disney plus Marvel TV show spot for shows that won't come out for at least another year, especially at this point. The reason I liked this spot was mainly for the reason that it highlighted the new WandaVision TV show that I've heard will be connected to Doctor Strange's Multiverse of Madness which happens to be my most anticipated film of Phase 4, perhaps tied with Thor Love and Thunder, which I'll talk about in a little bit.

But the reason this show is so interesting to me is that is starts the MCU down the road of the multiverse and opens up the playing field for different realities. Realities like the one where Loki escaped from New York after the events of the first Avengers that was clearly set up in Endgame. The multiverse that could help write Tom Holland's Spider-man out of the franchise if Sony decides they want to put a cap on that business relationship. Hell, the multiverse could be utilized in Black Widow and we could keep on going with Black Widow movies if that movie is successful.

Not only is Scarlet Witch a really interesting character excellently played by Elizabeth Olson, but the show allows for Marvel to do spin offs that they can easily write off as being apart of the multiverse and not part of the main cannon.

This is fake btw

Now I've learned to manage expectations of interesting concepts being utilized in the MCU for a couple reasons. First, my theories are usually wrong. I remember being very wrong leading up to Age of Ultron. But I've also learned that as good as Marvel is about doing the balancing act of stories with business contracts, it is still a business and that limits the great lengths they could go if it wasn't about business. I also know that execs are usually cautious about creating too many timelines because they're worried that people might get confused.

So yeah, as much as I would love to see Sam Raimi's Spider-man swing into the Multiverse of Madness, it's not going to happen and we'd know if it was going to.

But there are fun possibilities and one-offs that Marvel can play with while they're trying to figure out the next big through line.

The Standalone Exploratory Phase

Last year, I also wanted to do another rant on franchises in general after Endgame. I think a really interesting phenomena happening, especially in DC is that people are moving away from franchises and instead focusing on individual stories. What a novel idea. The success of Wonder Woman, Aquaman, and Joker when tentpoles like Batman v Superman and Justice League don't do well have given DC the direction of, let's make fun stories first and if we'll think about shared universes later. An approach they should have taken a long time ago, but 2015, 16, and 17 were all about the shared universe, starting to play as well as trying to beat Marvel at their own game when Marvel was lapping them already.

But the strange thing about it is that Marvel now seems to be dipping their toes in DC's new playbook especially with Phase 4. Film-wise, whenever these films actually happen, the docket is pretty light. Yeah, I know that Black Widow, Doctor Strange, and Thor (and Spider-man(?)) are all core Avengers by now, but Thor (and Spider-man) is the only one with other standalone films. It's a nuanced distinction, but Strange and Black Widow are still either new or relatively new to the standalone realm, and the rest is new properties and TV shows.

Quick note: I don't really count TV shows right now. I know that there is a more concise connection with the TV shows than in the past, and I'm definitely going to enjoy them, but while I have a Disney plus subscription, it should not be vital to follow the MCU storyline. It should just be supplementary.

And I like that Marvel is trying out new things like The Eternals. Even the Black Widow and Doctor Strange movies are relatively new territory.

I have no idea who Shang Chi is or what that movie is going to be about but I'll still see it because I trust Marvel still.

I could play contrarian and say that if Black Widow and Shang Chi don't perform, Doctor Strange fumbles, and Spider-man 3 gets delayed that Phase 4 could hurt the momentum going into Phase 5 which are more movies that people are probably expecting and looking forward to. But I've been contrarian with Marvel before and been wrong. I don't think that'll happen. I think care is going to be put into these movies and while they're not my most anticipated films, I'm excited to see where things go.

Okay, couple more thoughts before I wrap up.

Spider-man. 

The sequel to Far From Home is a question mark for me because I think they're going to try and nail the landing and gracefully write Spider-man out of the MCU using the multiverse. I don't know if it'll happen in the third movie but who knows.

They're also talking about re-introducing Daredevil which I hope is played again by Charlie Cox and if it's anything like the previous films, I think it could be a lot of fun.

The problem is, like a lot of Marvel movies (and movies in general) I have no idea how COVID-19 is going to affect filming schedules. Right now Spider-man 3 is slotted for July 2021 but that's assuming that filming can start this year still and wrap up in a year. I also assume they have a story written already, but it's just a film that I wouldn't want Sony and Marvel to rush just for the sake of having 2021 be a catch up year.

Thor: Love and Thunder

Where Doctor Strange has the potential to be the coolest. Thor Love and Thunder is just probably going to be the banger that closes out Phase 4 strong. Even if the worst case scenario I mentioned before occurs (which is unlikely), Thor will still close out Phase 4 with a bang and its still the movie that people are getting excited for.

Taika Waiti is returning and he made it clear with Thor Ragnorak that he knows what he's doing when he's making Thor films. Chris Hemsworth is the most comfortable with the character he's ever been and I don't see him hanging up the hammer and cape any time soon. The casting is also really fun. There are the knowns with Hemsworth and Tessa Thompson coming back. But Christian Bale is in talks to be the villain, probably Beta Ray Bill, and I am all for it.

My one reservation with Thor is actually bringing back Natalie Portman. I'm always on board for a Natalie Portman vehicle and I think the idea of bringing in Lady Thor is an interesting idea, especially if you incorporate it with what I'm guessing will be an established multiverse. But Portman's past with the MCU is not great and she's an actress who seemed to have lost interest in the MCU. But suddenly she has a renewed interest when they probably gave her a huge paycheck. I know Portman is a solid actress and if she believe sin the project she'll give it best, but I just wouldn't want them to sign Portman especially if she's not gonna have a great attitude towards it.

But Thor is the surest bet. Doctor Strange has the chance at being the best film of the Phase, but if its not, Thor has the best shot at being the most fun film of the phase.

This rant has gone on a little bit longer than I initially thought it would and I still have some thoughts. I'll go into a second part when I talk about Phase 5 and the potential properties that Marvel could be geting into as the franchise goes along.

But what do you think of the Phase 4 slate. How do you think COVID-19 may affect this phase, and do you think this is a filler phase like I do? Comment and Discuss below! You can also send me your thoughts on Twitter @MovieSymposium as well as send me your requests for topics I should discuss in the future, or movies to review. If you follow me on Twitter, you can get updates on future movie news and reviews coming out of this blog.

Thanks for reading!