This week, Marvel shook the internet by announcing all of their Phase 3 films. What exactly does this mean?
First, Ant-man is officially a part of Phase 2. From what we have heard, Ant-man will largely be a flashback. Meaning the events of the film will take place sometime earlier in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. My guess, is since the synopsis for Age of Ultron states that Tony Stark is resurrecting a past peacekeeping program, that this program will still be somehow tied to Ant-man. Essentially, I expect two origin stories, one for Ant-man and one for Ultron.
From the extended trailer we see the whole group of Avengers at a little party, celebrating something. My guess is a recent victory over Baron Von Strucker, the villain at the end of Winter Soldier and the apparent success of the Ultron program. Of course, Ultron crashes the party revealing his sinister intentions.
This leaked clip from the Marvel Event, hopefully you can still see it, shows the growing friction between Steve Rogers and Tony Stark. This is obviously the beginnings of Civil War, which we will see played out in Captain America 3. Civil War is so far promising new Avengers brought in by Steve Rogers which will bolster the roster for Infinity War pt 1.
What is also interesting about the leaked clip is the reference to Scarlet Witch (Wanda Maximof) showing them all something, such as their worst fears. This causes Thor to go off somewhere to check something. I think that what he saw is the Ragnarok event which is basically the end of Asgard. These head games could also be the cause of Hulk’s battle with Tony after he is shown something that causes him to rage against the world.
The biggest rumors regarding Doctor Strange are those around casting. Benedict Cumberbatch is confirmed to be in the final talks, much like Joaquin Phoenix was before he dropped out. At the event, Kevin Feige told press that Doctor Strange will open up the Marvel Universe in much the same way Guardians of the Galaxy did.
Guardians of the Galaxy 2, we have heard from James Gunn, will focus on Peter Quill’s father which will differ from the comics. My guess is that it will be Adam Warlock who, in the comics, is holder of one of the Infinity Gems and crucial to the defeat of Thanos in the Infinity War. Beyond that not much is known about the film.
For Thor: Ragnarok, Kevin Feige described as it being similar to Winter Soldier in the sense that it will change the Marvel Universe. If this is true, having a force as powerful as the Asgardians disappear from the universe will have huge ramifications for the universe. Especially for Earth when you take into account that Earth is technically a part of Yggdrasil that Thor mapped out in the first Thor film. Thankfully, Loki has been confirmed for Thor: Ragnarok and I am sure he will be instrumental to the fall of Asgard in some way or another.
Black Panther will be played by Chadwick Boseman (42, Get On Up) and is set to appear in Civil War as well as his own title film. I wouldn’t be too surprised if we don’t at least see a cameo from him in Age Of Ultron since it seems Vibranium, Wakanda’s chief export, will be central to the plot. To clarify, Black Panther is the ruler of Wakanda which is an advanced African nation with futuristic technology.
At this point we get Infinity War Pt. 1 which is rumored to have a completely different superhero lineup. I believe that we will see Thanos striking at a vulnerable Earth after the events of Civil War. Similar to how the first Avengers saw a very ragtag group of heroes come together, we will see something similar in this film.
With the announcement of Captain Marvel, which will be the most recent Carol Danver incarnation, we get another hero that has strong links to both Earth and the cosmic side of the Marvel Universe. I think we will see Captain Marvel splitting time on Earth and in space where she will either be gathering heroes or going on a mission to find out more about Thanos.
Inhumans, who are super powered beings who were created by early experimentation on humans by the Kree, are kind of the wild card for me. Largely, the Inhumans will help to bolster the ranks of the Avengers and act as allies against Thanos. Recently, the comics had Thanos destroying their city/spaceship. I think they will be introduced as an alien force that left Earth who had a few members stay behind. That is why you have certain characters such as Quicksilver, Scarlet Witch, and possibly even Skye from the Agents of Shield. This is all just my thoughts and observation so take it for what you will.
And that’s the next 5 years of Marvel Cinematic Universe for you. What do you think?