The Marvel Cinematic Universe will head into entirely new territory after Avengers 4, according to Disney CEO Bob Iger and Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige.

"We're looking for worlds that are completely separate—geographically or in time—from the worlds that we've already visited," Iger told Vanity Fair. The Disney exec pointed out the fact that Marvel Studios has the rights to a whopping 7,000 characters, who can travel to any number of new places.

Feige emphasized that Phase 4 will be a significant departure from the prior films. "22 movies in, and we've got another 20 movies on the docket that are completely different from anything that's come before—intentionally," he said. Expanding to different realms was teased, with Guardians of the Galaxy director James Gunn collaborating to potentially spin off characters from the space-faring series.

The Marvel Studios president also confirmed that Avengers 4, which began filming in August and will open in theaters on May 3, 2019, will deliver a conclusion to everything the MCU has been building to thus far. The film will "bring things you've never seen in superhero films: a finale," he said.

With regard to what will follow, Feige remained tight-lipped, reaffirming that Phase 4 will be significantly different. "There will be two distinct periods. Everything before Avengers 4 and everything after," he said. "I know it will not be in ways people are expecting."

The sequel to Spider-Man: Homecoming, which will be released on July 5, 2019, will serve as the start of Phase 4. Marvel Studios still has several films that will be released before then, including Captain Marvel and Black Panther.