Danielle Solzman
Marvel Studios released a short video this morning that did two things: welcoming fans back to theaters and previewing Marvel Phase 4.
After a Stan Lee narration sets the tone, Marvel shows clips from Black Widow, Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings, and Eternals. The clip from Eternals marked our first look at the film directed by recent Oscar winner Chloé Zhao. Following these clips, the studio went on to show dates and titles for the rest of Phase 4. We also got new titles for both the Black Panther and Captain Marvel 2 sequels.
The Phase 4 films are currently as follows:
- Black Widow (July 9, 2021)
- Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings (September 3, 2021)
- Eternals (November 5, 2021)
- Spider-Man: No Way Home (December 17, 2021)
- Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness (March 25, 2022)
- Thor: Love and Thunder (May 6, 2022)
- Black Panther: Wakanda Forever (July 8, 2022)
- The Marvels (November 11, 2022)
- Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania (February 17, 2023)
- Guardians of the Galaxy: Vol. 3 (May 5, 2023)
There wasn’t a date but as the video closes, it’s almost as if they teased the Fantastic 4 logo. Unless my eyes mistook me and it was an A for Avengers. As far as Phase 4 goes, this is the first update since July 2019 during Comic Con. Blade does not appear during the video so I’m wondering if that’s because there isn’t a date or because the pandemic pushed development and production into Phase 5. Marvel previously kicked off Phase 4 of the MCU on Disney+ with a pair of limited series, WandaVision and The Falcon and Winter Solider. Loki will become the third series when it premieres in June. Maybe it’s because of the pandemic and not getting the three films in 2020 but Marvel is releasing FOUR FILMS each in 2021 and 2022.
Seeing these films on the big screen is why it’s so important that everyone get vaccinated. If you don’t get vaccinated, we run the chance of states and cities not being able to fully reopen the economy. There’s no better feeling than getting to see these movies in a movie theater filled to capacity. All that I ask is that if you’re feeling sick, please stay home. There may be a few practices that stay in place long after the pandemic ends but that ought to be one of them but I digress. It isn’t only movies that we want to start returning to but comic cons, too!
See you at the movies!
