We have an idea of what's coming in Phase 4 of the MCU, but Phase 5 is a blank slate. Curious about what's in store for the MCU? Read these rumors.
It’s now been more than a month since Avengers: Infinity War was released in theaters. Now that the shock has worn off and the initial heated debates about its implications have died down, we can start looking ahead to what might come next for the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
However, we don’t want to look ahead at Phase 4, we want to really look ahead to Phase 5.
We already know some of what Marvel has greenlit for Phase 4: we’ve got sequels for Spider-Man: Homecoming, Black Panther, and Doctor Strange in the pipeline, as well as a last Guardians of the Galaxy movie to finish out the trilogy.
Phase 5, on the other hand, is more of a question mark. How is Marvel going to move forward, keep things fresh, and draw audiences to theaters after what by then will be nearly fifteen years of superhero films?
They’re definitely going to have their work cut out for them, and since nothing has been announced yet, rumors are flying about what Phase 5 of the Marvel empire will look like.
Fans have been sharing what they want to see in this phase for months, but it’s going to be a long time before we get any major hints from Marvel.
Until then, we’ll just discuss all the best rumors and educated guesses. Spoilers ahead for...everything.
Here are the 10 Rumors We Hope Are True About MCU Phase 5 (And 10 We Hope Aren’t).
20 HOPE IS TRUE: DEBUT OF THE X-MEN
This is probably the biggest rumor that’s come up about Phase 5 of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Although before the characters were owned by different studios -- with the Avengers at Disney and the X-Men at Fox -- that barrier was knocked down by Disney’s $66 billion deal to buy Fox.
Once that deal is complete, one studio will have the rights to all of the characters. Could we see the X-Men join the brightly colored MCU?
As soon as the Disney deal was announced, fans started clamoring for the characters to be added to the MCU somehow.
As long as the character introductions are handled with the same type of care that has been shown so far over the course of the MCU, this could actually work.
Phase 5 is currently far enough in the future that Marvel and Disney have plenty of time to strategize and figure out how to best incorporate these characters. Maybe a Secret Wars movie to close out Phase 5, in a film that might even rival Infinity War?
Seeing characters like Deadpool and the X-Men in the MCU could be a breath of fresh air and a great way to reboot Phase 5 without some of the iconic characters we’ve come to know and love over the last decade of movies.
19 HOPE ISN’T: REMOVING SPIDER-MAN
By the time that Phase 5 rolls around, we will have seen Spider-Man in two of his own stand-alone movies as well as Captain America: Civil War, Avengers: Infinity War, and (we’re assuming) the still untitled Infinity War sequel.
At that point in the MCU, it wouldn’t be surprising if Marvel execs decided to go in a different direction and leave the founding members of the cinematic superhero team behind.
We’ll talk about that more below, but if Marvel is removing characters, we hope that Spider-Man isn’t one of them.
His character hasn’t been around since the MCU’s inception in 2008, so he wouldn’t feel overused by Phase 5 if his storylines are managed well.
Plus, with Tom Holland, we finally have a portrayal of Spidey that feels accurate to the comics. Holland is young enough, has fantastic energy, and really seems to understand the character. It would be a shame to have to let that go when we’re still enjoying the character and his story.
Sony gave Tobey Maguire three movies and Andrew Garfield two, so let’s hope that Tom Holland’s Spider-Man is given a trilogy like some of the other MCU heroes. Fingers crossed there’s at least one Spidey movie in Phase 5.
18 HOPE IS TRUE: INTRODUCING DOCTOR DOOM
Another possibility from the Disney/Fox merger is bringing the characters from Fantastic Four into the MCU. They’re nicknamed “Marvel’s First Family” for a reason -- they were the most recognizable characters before Marvel Studios started pumping out movies in 2008.
Not only would this be a great opportunity to finally see those characters represented well on screen, it would also represent a chance to introduce a great villain -- Doctor Doom.
If there’s one major flaw with the MCU as a whole, it’s that it tends to have an issue with its villains. They’re either forgettable and one-dimensional (Ronan) or rehabilitated to the point where we forgot they were a villain in the first place (ahem, Loki).
Killmonger and Thanos are notable exceptions, but they’re recent additions to the MCU canon. One easy way to fix this would be to add one of the greatest comic book villains of all time.
Doctor Doom is best known for being the archenemy of the Fantastic Four, but there’s already a comic book precedent set for him coming into contact with characters like Spider-Man and Black Panther.
Introducing this character would be exciting and could even give us an overarching antagonist for Phase 5.
17 HOPE ISN’T: KEEPING THE SAME CHARACTERS
While there are lots of calls for new characters to be introduced, there are also rumors swirling around that Marvel might end up keeping the same core cast of heroes -- just not in the way we might expect.
Instead of keeping around actors like Robert Downey, Jr. and Chris Evans, who are clearly hoping to be able to move on from the MCU and expand their bodies of work, new people would step in to play the roles.
Rather than re-casting the roles, which would not go well, other characters could step up -- like Bucky taking on the role of Captain America in the event of Steve Rogers’ passing.
This wouldn’t be completely unheard of since there’s a precedent set for situations like this in the comics. It’s part of how storylines can stay relevant and fresh while still (kind of) keeping the characters that audiences love.
For the MCU, though, it would be an incredible waste of an opportunity. The current cast of heroes is great, but there are endless opportunities for new characters and storylines that are already within the Marvel canon.
Just sticking to the heroes we already know and love would be limiting.
With how much power Marvel has, they have the power to introduce new characters without worrying too much about their bottom line.