For fans hoping Marvel will soon unveil their full Phase 4 MCU movie slate, it looks like they shouldn’t expect an announcement anytime soon. Back in 2014, Marvel stunned fans and upended the traditional Comic-Con model by holding an event squarely focused on their own films. During the panel, they released the titles and dates for a slew of upcoming projects, setting up five years worth of MCU films and laying out the entirety of Phase 3 of their cinematic universe. Since that time, however, a few additions, subtractions, and release date changes altered that initial announcement. As such, it’s unlikely we’ll ever see a similar move from the company.

Of course, it hasn’t all been bad news. While Thor: Ragnarok, Black Panther, and Captain Marvel were all pushed back a bit, they’re now all right around the corner. The adjustments also came due to Peter Parker finally joining the MCU and Spider-Man: Homecoming getting a release date this summer, so it was hardly without merit. We also got Ant-Man & the Wasp added in, thanks to the film’s surprise success and the desire to elevate Evangeline Lily’s character. The only real casualty was the 2019 Inhumans movie, which will instead become a TV series later this year, coming even earlier and still gracing IMAX screens.

Comic Book has word from Kevin Feige, however, that no new movies will be announced anytime soon, meaning Phase 4 is still a mystery. The word came during the company’s recent open house event, wherein journalists were shown Black Panther footage and Captain Marvel concept art. And while Feige didn’t illuminate the exact reason why there won’t be a major Phase 4 Marvel announcement soon, it’s not hard to guess - based on his comments over the past year.

The final bit of information from the original 2014 announcement was that Avengers 4 was formerly titled Avengers: Infinity War - Part 2. A year ago, word arrived that the movie would now be a separate Avengers film with a different story and an unknown title. Now that Avengers 3 & 4 are no longer filming simultaneously, it’s become all the more clear that the separation of the films and lack of a subtitle are all to keep Phase 4 of the MCU a secret.

Last year, Feige revealed that the titles of those Phase 4 films that Marvel has planned out, will provide spoilers for Infinity War. The most obvious reason is likely in terms of character deaths, but the subtitles could even set up a new status quo. Another likelihood is that characters who will be introduced in Infinity War will get their own films; something Marvel isn’t ready to reveal yet.

Luckily, Marvel is well past the point where it needs to drum up excitement, years in advance. Everything the studio has made to date has proven the company is capable of landing a hit as long as its name is attached and the same level of quality is maintained. The only question is whether they’ll be able to hold off on announcing the name of 2019’s Avengers 4 until after next year’s Infinity War has been released.

Source: Comic Book

  • Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 Release Date: 2017-05-05 spider-man homecoming Release Date: 2017-07-07 Thor: Ragnarok Release Date: 2017-11-03 captain marvel Release Date: 2019-03-08 Black Panther Release Date: 2018-02-16 Ant-Man 2 Release Date: 2018-07-06 Avengers: Infinity War Release Date: 2018-04-27 The Avengers 4 Release Date: 2019-04-26