BLOOD WORK: MARVEL CINEMATIC UNIVERSE: PHASE 4 ANNOUNCED!

I've been a comic book nerd since I was a kid in single digits. Specifically I've been swept up in the Marvel Comics universe since I saw my very first episode of the Bill Bixby/Lou Ferrigno INCREDIBLE HULK television series (in syndication) in the 80's. Every year since, my fandom for Marvel Comics' stories and characters grows larger and my knowledge runs deeper (because I keep reading both new and old stuff as I get it). For better or worse (some days I can't tell which) I am deeply invested in these characters and stories, hence the post you see right here.

When Marvel Studios came along and began presenting super hero films and film franchises in a different way, I was instantly taken by it. The first IRON MAN film was maybe the last movie I saw five times in a movie theater. Like my personal investment in Marvel Comics, I have become similarly invested in what Marvel Studios has done and is continuing to do. When Marvel Studios announced its schedule for Phase 3 WAAAAAY back in October of 2014 I made a post about it expressing my enthusiasm for what was coming. What's even more amazing is that Marvel Studios actually delivered on everything they promised for Phase 3 (with one Inhuman exception). Even if I haven't agreed with everything they've done, what Marvel Studios has accomplished is truly mind-blowing and unprecedented.

Likewise, San Diego Comic Con 2019 has come and gone and with it Marvel Studios officially announced the schedule for PHASE 4! Here it is and here's briefly what I think:

What we're getting are ten projects between 2020 and 2021 across two platforms: five theatrical film releases and five television shows releasing exclusively on the upcoming streaming service, DISNEY +. Remember when Marvel Studios released six films in four years (Phase 1)? Now it's five films in two years. Simply amazing. And, for the first time ever, we're getting television shows that (purportedly) ACTUALLY connect to and will effect the MCU.

Sadly it appears true that every Marvel television show outside of these Disney + shows are not officially canon or connected to the MCU like we were all led to believe. Agents of SHIELD, Daredevil, and everything else are NOT MCU canon. These new shows connecting to the movies are what I thought the old television shows released prior to this were originally supposed to do. The untapped potential I saw when they first announced Agents of SHIELD appears to be the fulfilled with these new television shows.

Alright, let's get into it.

First off we're getting...

Release Date: May 1st 2020

Black Widow, the Marvel female super hero that everybody was asking for a solo movie about, is finally getting her solo film debut. It's long overdue but, in a way, I'm glad Marvel Studios didn't force this film into the previous phase when it was never planned for. They had a plan, and even though fan outcry for Black Widow was intense, Marvel stuck to their plan. But patience has been rewarded (or will be rewarded in May of 2020).

I'm excited for this film for the prospect of seeing some of Black Widow's past finally shown. I like the idea of a grounded espionage film following Black Widow. I'd like to see the scene where she first encounters the Winter Soldier as well as her first meeting with Hawkeye and the long referenced "Budapest" mission. Task Master should make for an interesting villain and it looks like seeds for the Soviet super hero team, the WINTER GUARD, are being planted as well. Marvel actually has a rich history of Russian characters so I hope we'll be receiving more of them here too. I hope the action is intense and brutal and we're given a slightly more mature Marvel film. Because, let's face it, Black Widow's character is quite dark and mature.

Next up:

Release Date: Fall 2020

Marvel's first DISNEY + television series! These Disney + shows remain largely an unknown element at the moment. Yet therein lies great potential. With a theatrical movie, like the previously mention Black Widow, there are certain expected quantities. We know roughly the scope of what we're getting in a Marvel film. But with these television shows it's harder to know what to expect.

Anyway, here's what I know: Falcon and Winter Soldier will be joined by Sharon Carter and Baron Zemo (in his comics accurate purple mask! YES!!!). This will likely be the closest thing we'll get to a Captain America film in this next phase. Like Black Widow, I expect this to revolve around a lot of espionage and secret mission stuff. I hope to see the criminal underworld explored a bit more like what has happened to the remnants of Hydra, A.I.M., and maybe the groundwork for the THUNDERBOLTS laid here. Beyond that, I have no idea what this show will shape up like. But what I'm most excited about here is the return of Baron Zemo! It would be sweet if they brought in GHOST as well, she'd be perfect for espionage stuff.

Next up:

Release Date: November 6th 2020

I've read the Eternals volume by Neil Gaiman and I've read many other stories featuring the Eternals. The Eternal I know the best, and the one I like the most, is Sersi. I feel she's the most developed of the Eternals in the comics and the most fascinating, but... She's not in it? Most of the core characters from the Eternals comics are cast save for Sersi, most notably Angelina Jolie and Salma Hayek (both of whom I'm excited for). Who knows what this movie will be like.

Anyway, I have absolutely no idea what to expect from this film. I've heard rumors that the film will feature events from the beginning of time (at least the birth of Earth), throughout history, up to the present. That would be cool. I've also heard that we may see some of the Titans (Thanos' people). I would love that and I'd love to see Josh Brolin reprise his role as Thanos in a flashback. And I am stoked to see more of the Celestials (first shown in the first Guardians of the Galaxy movie and the creators of the Eternals in the comics).

Next up:

Release Date: February 12th 2021

I've been a fan of Shang Chi for quite a while now and let me say that this is one of the forthcoming projects from Marvel that I am looking forward to the most! I kinda knew it was coming because the last few months a few production leaks had made their way onto the internet, but still, I am super stoked for this movie! Shang Chi is basically the Bruce Lee of the Marvel Universe. He's the deadliest fighter in the whole Marvel universe next to Iron Fist and Karnak of the Inhumans. All I have to say is this film's action sequences better be far and away the best we've ever seen in the MCU.

The next item of note is the subtitle: And The Legend of the Ten Rings. Again, I had heard a brief mention that the Mandarin (the REAL Mandarin) may resurface sometime somewhere. My mind began thinking that he'd make a good fit in a Shang Chi movie, even going so far as to say that the Mandarin could outright replace Fu Manchu as Shang Chi's father. My thinking has proved fairly on the nose so far. I am stoked that the Mandarin may finally get his proper debut here and I hope he is as amazing as he is in the comics (but not a racist caricature, let's be clear on that.). Now, my outlandish hope (one that I'm not holding my breath for) is that this movie (or a sequel Shang Chi film) will bring FIN FANG FOOM to the big screen! We'll see! I'll say it again, I AM SO STOKED FOR THIS MOVIE!

Next up:

Release Date: Spring 2021

This project is again largely unknown with not much information out right now. It's the second Disney + television show. All they've said is that the show is "WEIRD" with an extra emphasis on the weird. That sounds good to me as it should be weird given her character. They've also said that this show will directly tee up their next movie: DOCTOR STRANGE IN THE MULTIVERSE OF MADNESS. That's probably the biggest revelation right there. This may signal a shift from Scarlet Witch as merely a powered person to exploring the "magic" side of her. There's a 50's Leave It To Beaver esthetic to it as well which may end up going very dark and twisty by the end of it.

In the comics their is a story about Scarlet Witch's secret origin and her connection to the dark elder god, CHTHON (see Avengers #185- #187). That story involved the grimoire The DARKHOLD and Chthon's earthly servent (and former Midnight Sons member) Modred the Mystic. If WandaVision is teeing up Dr. Strange 2 like they say then it stands to reason that the show will feature horror/supernatural elements given that Dr. Strange 2 is a horror film. I'm expecting hallucinations and "created" alternate realities from Wanda's powers. Paul Bettany will be back as Vision but I'm expecting it to be as a hallucination or manifestation of Wanda's powers or through the power of the Darkhold. It would also be cool if this show also saw the long awaited return of Wanda's brother, Quicksilver! All this speculation and possibility has me very excited for WandaVision. Here's hoping my line of thinking is correct (watch, I'm probably WAY off and this show will be nothing like what I've outlined here...).

Next up:

Release Date: May 7th 2021

Doctor Strange 2! YESSSS! This is easily the film I'm most excited for in this phase! All we've been told so far is that WandaVision directly sets this film up, Scarlet Witch herself being a central character in this film. And they've said that this film will be the MCU's first "scary" film albeit still rated PG-13. There's been some very good PG-13 horror films in the last few years so there's hope that this movie could still bring some quality horror. Fingers crossed. Scott Derrickson is back to direct and I have faith he can deliver a strong PG-13 horror movie. Marvel's signature humor will still be present of course so expect to laugh and shiver. Not much else is known beyond that.

Derrickson mentioned wanting to do the villain NIGHTMARE in a Dr. Strange sequel, so there's a possibility of who the villain might be. With Nightmare could also come the various Fear Lords like D'Spayre, Dweller in Darkness, and Satannish. Hell, maybe even Mephisto (though I doubt it given his character was tied up with the Fantastic Four rights).With Scarlet Witch involved there's the possibility of Chthon and Modred the Mystic and the Darkhold. There was also a deleted tweet of Derrickson's featuring Dr. Strange and Namor the Sub-Mariner (DUDE!!!). How cool would it be if this film also served as a staging ground for Namor's debut in the MCU? Then there's the possibility that this film will be the "test site" for a branch of the MCU revolving around Marvel's horror themed characters (Marvel Studios did announce Blade too so it stands to reason that this is the beginning of Marvel's supernatural side). If they do in fact use the Darkhold, through that evil grimoire Marvel could seed all of the horror elements they want, from vampires and werewolves to demons and monsters.

Alright... coming back to reality... I am well aware of all of the hopes I'm placing upon this movie (much of which I placed upon the 1st Doctor Strange film too). It probably won't be any of this, and I'm preparing myself for it to be something totally different from what I'm expecting. But this sounds like the perfect opportunity to delve into Marvel horror!

Next up:

Release Date: Spring 2021

The third Disney + show... or the second? Dates for Loki and WandaVision both say Spring 2021 so I have no idea which is coming first. All that's known about this show is that it is following the mischief caused by "alternate timeline" Loki who escaped with the Tesseract in Avengers: Endgame. What this means, who knows? Loki is in another alternate timeline so he may be able to only mess up that timeline. Or maybe he finds a way to the "prime timeline" and, in a sense, is resurrected in the MCU. And maybe this show tees up the next THOR film, which would make sense. Anyway, the great Tom Hiddleston is back as Loki and I love everything this character does.

Aside from the above, I've no idea what this show will entail or shape up like. The prospect of seeing more Thor characters is exciting though. There are so many great characters from the Thor comics I'd love to see show up like Ulik, Mangog, Enchantress, Fafnir, and more. I sincerely hope this series showcases more Thor characters rather than Loki messing with human characters and such. This will be interesting to say the least.

Next up:

Release Date: Summer 2021

The fourth Disney + show. This will be an anthology series of sorts, kinda like the TWILIGHT ZONE. It will be animated (the MCU's first cartoon series) and the character of Uatu ~ The Watcher will be the host. It will showcase various alternate timelines where characters and events from the previous 23 films went in different directions from the movies we've seen. It will feature many characters previously established in the past 23 films and the actors who portrayed them in the films will reprise their roles as the voices. This all sounds very neat but I'm not so sure about it. And besides, didn't portions of Avengers: Endgame kinda explore alternate timelines already? Or is this show exploring the alternate timelines created as a result of the Avengers messing up these timelines in Endgame?

I love the nod to this classic Marvel comic series. As a kid I always thought the WHAT IF...? comics were cool, but I never bought many because I knew they didn't really contribute to the continuing saga. They're just fun little excursions that carried no extra weight or importance beyond the time it took to read them. What was weirder still was the What If...? issues that future writers basically stole later on and became canon, such as "What If Ghost Rider Was a Woman?" and "What If Wolverine Was an Agent of SHIELD?" and "What If Punisher Wore the Venom Symbiote?" and more and more. In a way the What If...? stories were basically robbing writers of other ideas for the future (well, not totally as some writer did outright steal these What If ideas back), but you get what I mean, right? Why do these inconsequential What If stories when they could be used for future in-continuity stories? I guess we'll see...

Next up:

Release Date: Fall 2021

This is the fifth and final Disney + television show for Phase 4. Jeremy Renner is back as Hawkeye and it will purportedly showcase more of Hawkeye's time as Ronin (in between Infinity War and Endgame) as well as his life after Endgame. And it is confirmed that he will be training his protege, Kate Bishop. Beyond that there isn't much more to tell.

I love that Jeremy Renner is coming back for this (although it would be nice if he received a solo movie as I think he deserves it). It makes sense that they'd bring in a replacement Hawkeye too as Jeremy Renner I believe is mostly done with the Marvel movies. So, if the Black Widow movie tees up the next actor to play a Black Widow successor, this tv show essentially does the same thing. I've heard from many people that the Hawkeye comic book by Matt Fraction and David Aja is wonderful (although I haven't read it myself) so if they're basing the show off of that then they should make a lot of fans happy.

Next up:

Release Date: November 5th 2021

The last feature film of Phase 4. Taika Waititi (the director of Thor: Ragnarok) is back. If you recall I wasn't that keen on what they did in Thor: Ragnarok. I like Taika Waititi's films, especially Hunt For the Wilderpeople, but I'm not quite sold on his Marvel work yet. Anyway, I'm preparing myself for a similar sojourn to Ragnarok i.e. a loose adaptation of characters and source material. They've said that Valkyrie will be in it and looking for a female lover. And Jane Foster is returning and will be wielding Mjolnir and becoming... Lady Thor? Jane Foster Thor? The Mighty Thor? Valkyrie 2.0? Err... whatever confusing moniker she goes by in the comics.

I don't care for Lady Thor nor Valkyrie looking for a mate. Thor as a romcom? Meh. It'll be fun for sure but I don't know about staying power for me. I'm more excited to hear who the villain will be (Enchantress maybe? It'd would make sense if the film is focused on "love" and relationships). Also, Thor was last seen as a member of the Guardians of the Galaxy. Are the guardians going to be playing a role in this movie? What about Beta Ray Bill or Lady Sif? Is Thor finally going to acknowledge the death of his BEST FRIENDS in the Warriors Three? Sadly, with the current state of the Thor franchise, I have more questions coming out of this announcement and the details they're giving me answer none of those question and do nothing to get me excited about this film. Like I said, it'll be fun. We'll laugh. We'll feel good for about two hours. Which is, I guess, all we can really ask for... right?

So that's it! That's the entire PHASE 4 schedule! I am mostly excited about everything here and hopefully the things I'm not too keen on will surprise me when they finally come out.

But the announcements didn't stop there. BLACK PANTHER 2 and CAPTAIN MARVEL 2 are currently in development and once James Gunn is done with Suicide Squad 2 he'll be going straight to work on GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY VOL. 3. And yes, Marvel does have the Fantastic Four and the X-Men back but nothing is underway with them yet. Hopefully Marvel will take their time and organically work both franchises into the MCU properly and it won't be a mess. Because, seriously, Marvel Studios has proven that they don't need to rely on the X-Men or Fantastic Four to succeed. They can succeed with even the most obscure characters as long as the content is quality. That being said, I still want to see wonderful new X-Men and Fantastic Four films along with the adjacent characters i.e. Silver Surfer and so on.

And then in the final announcement, actor Mahershala Ali was introduced as the MCU's next big character...

Okay, the logo sucks. But regardless... BLADE!!!!!! YES!!!!!!!!!!!! Finally!! Mahershala Ali is a great choice too! Not only is he a great actor but he looks the part too. All he's gotta do is bulk up a bit and he'll be perfect! This also means that vampires are coming to the MCU. And vampires suck (no pun intended) if there's no blood on screen and so far Marvel shows very little, if any, blood on screen. Does this mean that Blade will usher forth a new mature R-Rated umbrella of Marvel films?

Oh, I hope so! I certainly don't want a watered down bloodless vampire flick that makes me say, "The Blade films from 25 years ago were WAY better!" The opening sequence of the original Blade film, just rewatch that for a second, is outrageous and amazing and still shocking today. That's the tone established from the beginning. Man, Marvel Studios has big shoes to fill. And it all makes sense with the direction they're taking Doctor Strange in now. They're clearly bridging the MCU we know with a new area and frontier for the MCU movies, that of horror and supernatural elements.

What I've wanted for years now seems to be finally seeded, that of individual corners of the MCU going off in their own directions, independent yet connected to each other. If Doctor Strange 2 is a success and Blade takes the horror and dark content one step further (into bloody and R-Rated terrain) we may see an R-Rated GHOST RIDER film down the line, BROTHER VOODOO, WEREWOLF BY NIGHT, and who knows what! Seriously, if there was a line of MCU films all horror and all R-Rated I'd be in heaven!

Anyway, there was no announcement of when the new Blade will appear or if he'll appear in another film before getting his solo film. It won't be in Phase 4 but it could be in Phase 5. And if not, then I'd be shocked if it wasn't in Phase 6 (good lord, just think about Phase 6 and what that may look like?). So, at the earliest, we may see Blade in 2022.

NO AVENGERS 5?

Worthy of note is that there was no Avengers movie announced for Phase 4 nor even a crossover film of any kind. I don't think it's a bad thing. It's kinda refreshing actually. I can see them keeping the Avengers franchise dead for a while, letting the embers smolder a bit, before announcing a new Avengers film later down the road and cash in big time on the nostalgia accrued over said time. Personally I'd rather see other franchise team movies come about before the Avengers are resurrected again. Give me the Infinity Watch, the Defenders (the REAL Defenders, I mean), and the Midnight Sons. Yeah yeah, I'm probably the only one who wants these but still...

And that's it! Let's hope these films are successful and, most importantly, that I like them! May of 2020 can't get here soon enough!

For all of my thoughts on the MCU and all things Marvel, check out the posts below!

THE MARVEL CINEMATIC UNIVERSE (MCU)

The Best and Worst list of Phase 1