The Marvel Cinematic Universe’s Phase 4 will officially end with Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, though some viewers might wonder why it will end there. The remainder of the MCU’s Phase 4, along with the upcoming Phase 5 and the start of Phase 6, were revealed in Marvel’s panel at San Diego Comic-Con along with the Black Panther: Wakanda Forever trailer. The panel further explained that Black Panther 2 will close the book on Phase 4, with Phase 5 beginning with Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania.

After making his MCU debut in Captain America: Civil War, Chadwick Boseman’s T’Challa starred in 2018’s Black Panther, which brought the fictional nation of Wakanda to life. Although Boseman reprised his role in Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers: Endgame, he tragically passed away, preventing him from appearing in Black Panther 2. Without Boseman’s phenomenal portrayal of T’Challa, Wakanda Forever will give the first film’s supporting cast starring roles as Wakanda goes to war with Atlantis.

As revealed in 2022’s San Diego Comic-Con, Phase 4 of the MCU, which began with WandaVision, will end with Black Panther 2. Unlike previous MCU phases, Phase 4 didn’t culminate in a crossover film but instead focused on the aftermath of the Infinity Saga and set up its successor, with Phases 4 through 6 now known as the Multiverse Saga. Wakanda Forever is a fitting end for Phase 4, as it will not only continue to explore Wakanda but also introduce Atlantis and its ruler, Namor the Sub-Mariner, who is Marvel’s first superhero, having debuted along with the Marvel Comics universe itself in 1939.

Ant-Man 3 Will Launch MCU Phase 5


Before Marvel’s Comic-Con panel, it was assumed that Ant-Man 3 was also part of Phase 4, paying off the Kang the Conqueror origin story shown in Loki season 1. Although Kang will be the antagonist of Ant-Man 3, the upcoming film will kick off Phase 5, perhaps indicating that Kang won’t be the ultimate villain of the Multiverse Saga. Considering its title, the Multiverse Saga may have a multitude of villains who qualify as the successor to Thanos, differentiating it from the Infinity Saga.

The MCU Phase 4 may not have culminated in an Avengers crossover film, but it does include some of the MCU franchise’s most crowd-pleasing concepts. In addition to introducing an alternate-universe version of a Fantastic Four member and confirming the existence of mutants in the MCU, Phase 4 brought together all three cinematic versions of Spider-Man in Spider-Man: No Way Home, making up for a lack of Avengers installments. Black Panther: Wakanda Forever will end Phase 4 on a fitting note by introducing Marvel’s first comic superhero to the MCU.