Marvel Studios let it be known they were making a little announcement this week. We all speculated over what it could be. More Avengers: Age of Ultron footage? That’s happening on this week’s episode of Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. An official Doctor Strange casting announcement? That was pretty much confirmed the day before. An explanation for all the Marvel Summer 2015 teasers? Not likely since we’re talking Marvel Studios and not Marvel Comics.
Marvel just didn’t make one announcement. They made a bunch (you can check them all out HERE). They revealed details on the next phase, Phase 3, for their Cinematic Universe movie releases. With so many announcements almost at the same time, it was almost too much excitement on top of itself. We gave it some thought, divided the movies up, and shared why we’re excited for each upcoming movie.
Captain America 3: Civil War
Captain America: The Winter Soldier was a phenomenal movie. The idea that the Russos will be back to direct Chris Evans in another film is exactly what we could have hoped for. Of course now that we know the subtitle of the movie, Civil War, it's a whole new game.
In The Winter Soldier, we didn't have a typical "superhero" movie. There were some ideas planted that could easily lead into this one. There was the whole notion of who can you trust? We know the movie version of Civil War won't go into heroes revealing their secret identities since they, for the most part, don't really have them in them. With what went down with S.H.I.E.L.D., there will be the idea of who the heroes will be accountable to? The Security Council was also dissolved. The Avengers is funded by Tony Stark and Captain America is running it.
I love a fun comic book movie full of action and explosions as much as the next person but adding in some intelligence and more of a plot...what more could you ask for? We'll just have to wait for more details as to any other guest appearances we can expect, besides the confirmed Black Panther.
Doctor Strange
Marvel Studios' films have covered a fair amount of genres. Sure, they each have comedy sprinkled in, but Captain America's movies have been a period piece and a political thriller; Thor's have been fantasy meshed with sci-fi; Guardians of the Galaxy has been pure sci-fi; so on and so on. With Doctor Strange, I'm hoping the movie will fully embrace all of the spectacle that comes with magic and the fantasy genre.
Okay, even if they said magic is just science we don't understand, we can still totally pretend it's magic since Doctor Strange will be casting spells and what not. Making audiences fall in love with the Sorcerer Supreme means this is going to be a character-driven experience -- something we know the studio does well with its heroes -- but it also has so much potential to leave us awestruck. When it comes to villains, they aren't really Marvel Studios' greatest strength. But seeing as director Scott Derrickson has a history with horror movies, he has what it takes to make the scenes with Dormammu (assuming he is the villain) loaded with tension and especially memorable. It may not be classified as a horror movie, but with the director's previous work, it's looking like bits of tension and a few scares will work their way into the movie.
Doctor Strange has so much potential. Stephen Strange has a compelling origin story and his world is packed with wonder and gorgeous visuals (although it was stated before this wouldn't be a pure origin movie). In the right hands, this should be a movie that demands to be watched in a theater.
Guardians of the Galaxy 2
Oh. Yeah.
James Gunn's Guardians of the Galaxy is such a wonderful movie. Overflowing with heart, wit, personality and fun, the cosmic team's cinematic debut was a real treat. So, it's only obvious that I'd be thrilled about the sequel, especially since James Gunn is directing again! With the first GotG movie, Gunn proved he can handle a group of new characters without weighing the script down with blatant exposition. Even though we were constantly going to new places and seeing new characters and things, everything flowed naturally and it never failed to entertain or keep us smiling.
Okay, the one noticeable weak point was the handling of the villain, so hopefully they'll improve that the next time around. But everything else was done so well that this one complaint didn't seem like that big of a deal. Guardians of the Galaxy gave its characters depth while also dishing out a bunch of action, comedy, and fun. It wouldn't surprise me if Gunn attempts to go even bigger on each of those with the sequel. I have nothing but faith in Gunn and I believe they'll be able to win us over once again with the sequel.
Oh, and there's also the little fact that Phase Three is adding a ton of cosmic elements to its universe, so this one will probably include more than a few exciting Easter eggs and teasers.
Thor: Ragnarok
The Thor films, thus far, are the weakest of the Marvel films; however, they're still a ton of fun. But for me, I never really got excited about either of those Thor films. Sure, I watched them, but up until now, they weren't MUST SEE films for me. The announcement of Thor: Ragnarok actually got me pretty pumped. Ragnarok, in Norse mythology, is an event which results in the deaths of the gods. In the history of Marvel, Ragnarok has happened a couple of times, once in the late-70s and once during the Disassembled story line.
What does that mean for the Thor franchise though? Is this the end? Will Asgard fall? Just the idea of "Ragnarok" being apart of the new Thor movie is pretty exciting. Heck, I'd even be excited for Ragnarok the character, the Thor-robot who was posing as Thor during Civil War, to make an appearance, but chances of that are pretty slim.
It's still a bit less than three years away, but it's something to really look forward to as Thor's stories tend to be on a bit more of epic porportions.
Black Panther
Black Panther is the movie we deserve and the movie we need. This sorely underrated character has the potential to become one of the Marvel Cinematic Universe's coolest and most badass heroes. Focusing on Wakanda means we'll get to explore a whole new location as well. Finally, the misconceptions about Black Panther can be swatted away as viewers see he's from one of the most advanced nations on Earth and he's not just some good fighter in a neat looking costume. He has a brilliant mind, phenomenal fighting abilities, and his weaponry means he can hold his own with just about anyone he comes in contact with. Whether it's Iron Man or an enraged Hulk, T'Challa has what it takes to create some of the studio's best action sequences.
Another reason this is one of my most anticipated Marvel movies is because it'll follow-up the events in Captain America: Civil War. Yes, that's a year before this movie, but T'Challa will make his debut in that one. How will this impact his solo film? Who will he be allies with? Who will he be enemies with? Cap 3 will have the difficult task of introducing the character (Kevin Feige stated Black Panther has a big role), and Black Panther then has the opportunity to add so much more depth to both the character and his fascinating world. Black Panther is finally happening and I fully expect it to be worth the wait. Now let's just hope Marvel gives the character another series well before the movie comes out.
Captain Marvel
Who besides me let out a little *squee* when hearing this news? Carol Danvers is a great character. She's gone through many phases as Ms. Marvel, Binary, Warbird, back to Ms. Marvel, and then Captain Marvel. I think we can all agree that it's about time we see a female-lead Marvel movie. Marvel Comics have a large number of female driven comics. So why not see some equal opportunity in the Cinematic Universe as well?
Many have been asking for a Black Widow solo movie but Kevin Feige has stated she's a crucial part to the Avengers movies and removing her from that ensemble would change what they have planned. More importantly, if there's anyone else that could carry their own movie, it's Carol Danvers. She's a character that has come up over and over again in our conversations.
What really intrigues me is which side of the Cinematic Universe this will fall? Will her origins be tied to the Avengers or will it lean towards the cosmic side to go along with Guardians of the Galaxy and the upcoming Infinity War? That's just another reason why all these announcements are exciting.
Inhumans
This is a movie I'm really curious about. What are they going to do with the Inhumans? The Inhumans have often been tightly associated with the Fantastic Four. We know that cannot be the case in the Cinematic Universe. At the presentation, Feige stated that seeds will be popping up "before you know it." Those watching Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. have been speculating that Skye could be an Inhuman or part Inhuman. Could that be what Feige was referring to?
When you sit back and think of the possibilities, seeing Black Bolt, Medusa, Lockjaw, Gorgon, Karnak, and others on the big screen, it's pretty cool. Throw in a hidden city of Attilan. But really, we all especially want to see Lockjaw, right? Along with the new characters being created by Charles Soule and Ryan Stegman in INHUMAN, there's a whole bunch of characters that could be used on the big screen. Especially if the Terrigen Mists are unleashed upon citizens.
Avengers: Infinity War Part 1 and Avengers: Infinity War Part 2
I love a good epic film, especially when it's split up into numerous parts. I love the Lord of the Rings, but not so much the Hobbit, films. They leave you with real cliffhangers that make you anxious to see wrapped up; however, you have to wait a good year or so to figure out how it all wraps up. That's exactly how I felt when Avengers: Infinity War was announced as a two part film, with part one coming out in May 2018 and part two coming out May 2019.
What's going to happen in this film has already been set up in Guardians of the Galaxy. The Infinity Gems exist and so does Thanos (check THIS out while you can). You can guess what happens next, right? Heck, Thanos was even teased in the first Avengers film, so of course he's going to meet Earth's Mightiest Heroes. There's going to be a race for those Infinity Gems, and from a few teasers we've seen floating around the net, Thanos is going to get what he wants. This is based of off one of Marvel's most epic story lines and one of the few cosmic story lines that really stands out.
This is what fans really want. The best part about this is that it's split into two different films, a year apart from each other. This is going to be pretty epic and hopefully, a film worthy of that story. As for where it sits in the grand scheme of things, in between both parts one and two of these films sits Captain Marvel and Inhumans. The big question is if the films will impact the greater Avengers story line or if these new franchises will take place separately from the event. One thing is for certain though, it's the end of Phase Three.
Phase Four?
We can only imagine what comes next. With part two of Infinity War, so we can probably expect some huge changes in the Marvel Cinematic universe after all is said and done. It sure is a great time to be a comic fan, huh?
What movies are you most excited for? Which do you think has the most potential to become your next favorite Marvel Studios film?