Almost 11 years later, after 22 movies all leading up to one prodigious story and earning more than $20 billion worldwide, the Marvel Cinematic Universe is going to grow larger.
For many years fans had only dreamed of the X-Men joining the ever-growing universe but in March of 2019, dreams would soon feel like reality. By the end of March, the Disney-Fox deal concluded and the rights for the Fantastic Four and X-Men returned to their rightful home with Disney, and by extension, Marvel.
Phase 4 will see a new chapter of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. The presumably last movie in the third phase is Spider-Man: Far From Home, coming to theaters on July 5, 2019. As of right now, it is unclear exactly which movie/movies come next but here is what we know regarding the involvement of the X-Men.
Kevin Feige had recently been asked by io9 about bringing the X-Men into the blockbuster universe. The Marvel Studios president said the following:
“It’ll be a while. It’s all just beginning and the five-year plan that we’ve been working on, we were working on before any of that (referring to the Disney-Fox deal) was set. So really it’s much more, for us, less about specifics of when and where (the X-Men will appear) right now and are just the comfort factor and how nice it is that they’re home. That they’re all back. But will be a very long time.”
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Phase 4 looks to include movies like Doctor Strange 2, Black Widow, and The Eternals, along with many others. It would seem that Feige is keeping quiet about the future of Phase 4 simply because it may be too connected to the events of Avengers: Endgame. It’s only fair that it would take time to implement the X-Men and perhaps even the Fantastic Four. These are two large teams that would reshape and impact the entire MCU so it’s not a surprise that they’re not yet being introduced.
Feige went on to say that he believes that the new movies going forward will be just as, if not more successful than what we’ve already seen:
“The slate that we’re building over the next five years is not apples to apples. It is two very distinct things and I hope they’ll feel very distinct. But there is a similar mentality going into it, which is ‘How can we continue to tell stories with some of the characters that audiences already know and love in a unique way, in a different way, in a surprising way, of which we have a lot of plans and ideas and work already going into it? How can we introduce new characters that even hardcore fans, comic fans, have barely known or barely heard of.’ That’s really exciting too.”
It would appear that the future of the Marvel Cinematic Universe is in better hands than ever. Feige’ excitement for the future gets us even more excited. It’s important to note that just because the X-Men aren’t going to be around for now, it doesn’t mean there won’t be references, Easter-eggs and eventual cameos.
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Directed by Joe and Anthony Russo, Avengers: Endgame reportedly stars Robert Downey Jr., Chris Hemsworth, Mark Ruffalo, Chris Evans, Scarlett Johansson, Benedict Cumberbatch, Don Cheadle, Tom Holland, Chadwick Boseman, Paul Bettany, Elizabeth Olsen, Anthony Mackie, Sebastian Stan, Frank Grillo, Letitia Wright, Dave Bautista, Zoe Saldana, Josh Brolin, Chris Pratt, Jeremy Renner, Evangeline Lilly, Jon Favreau, Paul Rudd, and Brie Larson. Check out the synopsis below:
“A culmination of 22 interconnected films the fourth installment of the Avengers saga will draw audiences to witness the turning point of this epic journey. Our beloved heroes will truly understand how fragile this reality is and the sacrifices that must be made to uphold it.”
Avengers: Infinity War is now on Digital and Blu-ray, while Avengers: Endgame hits theaters on April 26th, 2019.
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