Marvel has finally lifted the lid on their upcoming movie schedule, releasing details of every single Phase Three movie until 2020.
But what have we got in store for us over the next few years?
Appearing at a special event at El Capitan Theatre in Los Angeles, Marvel boss Kevin Feige took to the stage to deliver a very important announcement. It was already revealed that something special was on its way after the mysterious event was announced a few days ago… and now we finally know the studio’s plans – to unveil every Marvel movie until 2020.
“Feige wanted to announce this at San Diego Comic-Con 2014,” said Marvel rep Patrick Cavanaugh. “But things hadn’t come together until recently.”
Of course, this unique announcement follows on from DC’s earlier full slate announcement. But what can we expect from Marvel’s new line-up? It looks as though Captain America will face his biggest challenge yet…
Captain America: Civil War – 6 May 2016
It’s official – Civil War is coming the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Often rumoured and highly-anticipated, it’s the film that will change everything. And now Marvel has finally confirmed that Iron man and Captain America will go head-to-head in Captain America: Civil War.
“Civil War is the beginning of Phase Three,” explained Feige. “[Civil War] is very hard, it was very hard, that’s why we didn’t announce it until today.”
Of course, the movie is likely to differ enormously from the original comic books – after all, Marvel Studios doesn’t own the rights to all their characters. And with Sony and 20th Century Fox unlikely to hand back Spider-Man or the X-Men, it looks as though Marvel will have to take some creative liberties…
“This is the Civil War of the cinematic universe,” Marvel reminded us. But will they be able to secure any of the major players for a cameo appearance?
Following the announcement, some exclusive footage was shown from Avengers: Age of Ultron which highlights the growing tension between Iron Man and Captain America. “Cap and Tony are talking about the Maximoff kids while chopping wood,” explained Cavanaugh. “Earth’s Mightiest Heroes… pulled apart like cotton candy.”
But the big question remains – which of Marvel’s superheroes will appear in Captain America: Civil War?
Doctor Strange – 4 November 2016
It’s no surprise that Doctor Strange has finally been confirmed… and after director Scott Derrickson publicly acknowledged his involvement, it’s perhaps the worst-kept secret in Hollywood. Confirming Doctor Strange for a 2016 release, there’s almost no new info on the upcoming movie.
And with rumours still circulating, we’re no closer to finding out who will be playing the good Doctor.
Of course, Benedict Cumberbatch has recently been linked to the role, but it looks as though Marvel Studios isn’t quite ready to confirm the good news. Or perhaps it’s not quite the done deal that we thought.
“If it was confirmed, we would have announced it today,” said Marvel’s Kevin Feige. He soon added that the official casting will be announced “some time before the release of the movie.” But will it be Benedict Cumberbatch? We’ll have to just wait and see…
Guardians of the Galaxy 2 – 5 May 2017
Not exactly one of the most mysterious projects, Guardians of the Galaxy 2 was green lit some time ago… and was said to be in the works even before the first film hit cinemas. But do we know anything else now that it’s been given a release date?
Actually… no.
According to the official live blog, a video message from director James Gunn was then shown to the baying audience. But unfortunately, any other details have been kept firmly under wraps. At least, for now.
“When Mr. Gunn returns from Tokyo, those are questions we’ll go through,” said Feige when asked whether Cosmo will appear in the sequel. But will it explore Peter Quill’s parentage? I can’t help thinking that’s the more important question…
Thor: Ragnarok – 28 July 2017
After a fairly lacklustre second instalment, it looks as though Marvel’s Thor franchise will be getting another sequel… but perhaps this is one to get excited about. Thor: Ragnarok is the official title, and while no further details were given, the name might just give away a lot more than we first thought…
Fans of the comic books will no doubt remember that Civil War introduces a clone of Thor – conveniently called Ragnarok. Created by Tony Stark to help fight his side of the cause, it could well tie the Thor sequel into Captain America: Civil War.
Unfortunately, it looks as though we’ll have to wait some time before we get any further official announcements. After all, a release date of 2017 puts Thor: Ragnarok quite a way away.
“Ragnarok means ‘The end of all things’,” said Kevin Feige. But will the original Thor survive the events of ‘Age of Ultron’? Will the end of all things kill off Asgard for good?
Most importantly, will we finally get to grips with the end of Thor: The Dark World? And will Loki reveal himself as having seized Odin’s throne. For now, we’ll have to wait and see.
Black Panther – 3 November 2017
A Black Panther film has been rumoured for some time, but Marvel has finally decided to pull back the curtain and unveil their latest hero. Getting his very own solo film in 2017, the title role goes to none other than Chadwick Boseman – the actor first rumoured for the role by the folks at the Latino Review.
The first black superhero to appear in mainstream comic books, it now looks as though he’ll be Marvel’s first black superhero to appear in the MCU in his very own solo movie. But what should we expect from the prince of Wakanda?
Well, it looks as though he’ll also make an appearance in Captain America: Civil War.
“We will see Black Panther in Civil War in costume,” said Feige. But could he appear elsewhere first?
Of course, there have been hints that Black Panther would appear in the MCU for some time… most notably, numerous mentions of Wakanda throughout the previous films. But will he make a cameo in the upcoming Age of Ultron? We’ll have to wait and see… but with rumours of Andy Serkis playing his nemesis Ulysses Klaw, it’s looking increasingly likely.
Captain Marvel – 6 July 2018
After coming under fire for its lack of female superheroes, marvel has finally decided to rectify that by bringing Captain Marvel to the big screen. Of course, Carol Danvers has been rumoured to make a big screen debut for some time… but with a release date in 2018, it’s still a long time before we get our first Marvel female solo movie.
“Captain Marvel has gone by many names,” said Feige. “This character’s name is Carol Danvers… This is the time to bring out Captain Marvel!”
Once again, very few details were given, other than the upcoming release date… but we’ve already seen a number of actresses tipped for the role including the always awesome Katee Sackhoff. But will she eventually land the role?
Although I’d love to see Sackhoff suit up as Captain Marvel, it looks as though we have a long wait before we find out.
The Inhumans – 2 November 2018
It’s one of Marvel’s more obscure properties, but it looks as though Black Bolt, Medusa and the rest of the gang will be heading to the big screen in The Inhumans. Following the recent relaunch of their comic book series, it’s little surprise that Marvel has been gearing towards a big-screen debut.
But who will play The Inhumans?
Once more, there are no new details apart from the release date… but the Inhumans movie has been rumoured for some time. Bringing yet-another super group to the big screen, this is the fourth Marvel group to appear on screen, if you include the upcoming Defenders series.
But will Marvel turn this obscure comic book into a successful film franchise? That remains to be seen…
Avengers: Infinity War – 4 May 2018 & 3 May 2019
It’s the movie that the Marvel Cinematic Universe has been building towards – Avengers: Infinity War introduces the final battle against Marvel’s big bad, Thanos. Of course, we’ve seen the mad Titan on screen a number of times – most notably in Guardians of the Galaxy. But now it’s time to pull out the big guns.
“The notion that we’ve always had a plan,” said Feige. “The beginning of a culmination of everything that has come before.”
Marvel then showed a brief montage of the previous films – films that will eventually tie together through the always-powerful Infinity Gems. Finishing up with an image of Thanos’ Infinity Gauntlet.
Let’s be honest – it’s a cool final stand-off, but not exactly unexpected. Everything has been leading up to this, and it looks as though we’ve finally got the movie we’ve all been waiting for… even if it has been split into two parts.
Of course, little else is known about the film, but it’s assumed that Infinity War will tie together the Marvel Cinematic Universe for an all-out battle against Thanos. But will Josh Brolin reprise his role? For now, we’ll have to wait and see.
It’s an impressive line-up for Marvel over the next few years. But which Avengers will make it to the final battle against Thanos? For now, that remains unclear… and with a number of big changes heading their way, it’s unclear which Avengers will remain standing.
But one thing’s for certain – there’s plenty for us to discuss in the years to come.
What do you think of Marvel’s impressive Phase Three plans? Which films are you most looking forward to? Let us know in the comments below…
