Heroic Hollywood’s Guide To The Future Of The MCU: 2016-2020

Civil War is finally upon us, with the third Captain America film kicking off the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s aka MCU’s Phase 3 on Friday (on its way to a $180+ million opening weekend). Even behind the scenes at Heroic Hollywood, turmoil rages, dividing us writers into Team Cap and Team Iron Man (seriously, check out the links for some great content).

But that’s not why we’re here today! We’re here today to look ahead at Marvel’s slate from the end of this year all the way to 2020 and beyond, previewing the rest of Phase 3. We’ll even get into the current rumors/speculation about the mythical “Phase 4.”

Wondering about Guardians of the Galaxy 3? When Sony wants a Spider-Man: Homecoming sequel? If Inhumans is going to be made? This is the article for you. First up, Marvel’s second film of 2016 Doctor Strange, a passion project of Marvel Studios’ head honcho Kevin Feige and the introduction of magic into the MCU.

  • Doctor Strange (November 4, 2016)
  • Dir. Scott Derrickson (The Exorcism of Emily Rose, The Day the Earth Stood Still, Sinister)
  • Cast: Benedict Cumberbatch, Rachel McAdams, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Tilda Swinton, Mads Mikkelsen, Michael Stuhlbarg, Benedict Wong, Amy Landecker, Scott Adkins

Marvel is smart and they like to pair their huge Avengers-style events with a different solo story, like Guardians of the Galaxy and Ant-Man. Both proved that the Marvel brand is elastic and gave them the leeway to make this trippy film with a director known for his sci-fi and horror films. Combine that background with a trailer full of Inception and The Matrix nods and you have a movie I’m honestly more excited for than I was for Civil War.

The cast is excellent across the board, even if Swinton’s casting caused some consternation. I like how they set up Ejiofor’s Baron Mordo for the sequel (more on that ahead) and I thank the stars Mikkelsen passed on the lame villain role in Thor: The Dark World to become the antagonist here (a rogue sorcerer who gets possessed by Dorammu? Just spitballing). McAdams – whose character remains under wraps – is heavily rumored for an iteration of Night Nurse, perhaps Linda Carter given that Daredevil had to rewrite Rosario Dawson’s Night Nurse-lite character because the showrunner said “the feature side had plans for her down the road.”

Of course, also like those different solo stories, it will be umbrella-ed into the Infinity War build-up, so we can probably expect an Infinity Stone (most likely the Time Stone aka the Eye of Agamotto) to be involved.

For more info and tidbits on every MCU film coming out the next four years, click Next!

2017

  • Guardians of the Galaxy, Vol. 2 (May 5, 2017)
  • Dir. James Gunn (Slither, Super, Guardians of the Galaxy)
  • Cast: Chris Pratt, Zoe Saldana, David Bautista, Karen Gillan, Michael Rooker, Pom Klementieff, Glenn Close, Kurt Russell, Elizabeth Debicki, Chris Sullivan, Tommy Flanagan, Sean Gunn, Sylvester Stallone, voices of Vin Diesel and Bradley Cooper

Marvel jumps from two films a year to three starting in 2017 and it starts with their newest prized possession: the Guardians of the Galaxy. Expectations for the sequel are huge after the enormous, surprise success of the original. James Gunn, as open a filmmaker on social media as you’ll find, has been candid about how happy he is with this sequel, how personal it is and how much freedom he’s had. He’s adamantly said it stands alone as a continuation of the first Guardians and may even jettison the Thanos stuff that stuck out like a sore thumb.

All we know about the currently-filming movie so far is it concerns the mystery of Peter Quill aka Star-Lord’s father, whose identity has been the source of much speculation, from this site as well as others. Matthew McConaughey passed on the role to shoot The Dark Tower but they picked up Kurt Russell, in a career renaissance thanks to his 2015 triple-punch of Furious 7, Bone Tomahawk and The Hateful Eight. My best guess for his character? Starfox, based on two things – his name starts with Star (I can already see Pratt riffing on this) and I want to see Russell play a horndog. The Guardians pick up some new teammates this time around too. Nebula, Yondu and Mantis are rumored to join, with the Ravagers getting a more prominent role (plus Sylvester Stallone!).

  • Spider-Man: Homecoming (July 7, 2017)
  • Dir. Jon Watts (Cop Car)
  • Cast: Tom Holland, Marisa Tomei, Robert Downey, Jr. Zendaya, Tony Revolori, Laura Harrier

Gotta say, I wasn’t a fan of the title when I first heard it but it has grown on me. Beyond it’s meta-hand tip to Spidey’s unexpected return to Marvel proper, I like that it also seems to set the stakes: Peter Parker finding a date for his high school homecoming. It’s a welcome relief from the wearying repetition of world-threatening events. There may be multiple villains as Michael Keaton was in talks to play a secondary one (rumored to be the Vulture) before the two sides fell apart. I have a sneaking suspicion Kraven the Hunter may appear as well. Filming will begin sometime in June/July.

Feige, Watts and the writers have said what makes Spider-Man special is his youth relative to the other Marvel superheroes. While he takes down villains, he’s also trying to do his homework. This is the crux of the MCU approach to Spider-Man and given the ecstatic response to his introduction in Civil War, it (and Tom Holland’s casting) is by far the right one. I also love how Brat Pack member Downey, Jr. is joining the festivities, connecting it directly to the John Hughes films cited as the filmmakers’ inspiration.

  • Thor: Ragnarok (November 3, 2017)
  • Dir. Taika Waititi (What We Do in the Shadows, Hunt for the Wilderpeople)
  • Cast: Chris Hemsworth, Mark Ruffalo, Tom Hiddleston, Tessa Thompson, Anthony Hopkins, Jaimie Alexander, Zachary Levi, Ray Stevenson, Tadanobu Asano, Cate Blanchett

Described as The Winter Soldier of Phase 3 with similar seismic consequences for the MCU, the third Thor proves that Feige has mastered the art of eventizing these solo feature. That means it’s up to Ragnarok to do the heavy-lifting to set up Thanos and the upcoming Infinity War. It also means adding Mark Ruffalo’s beloved take on the Hulk (presumably adapting portions of the Planet Hulk arc). While many are excited for the return of everyone’s favorite Marvel villain Loki after a four year absence, new director Taika Waititi said his goal is to make Thor the most interesting character in the film. The god of thunder is my least favorite Avenger and Waititi seems to agree there’s work to be done on the character to make him more compelling.

Filming is set to begin in July in Australia. The villain in this case is Cate Blanchett, rumored to be Hela, goddess of the dead. Tessa Thompson also joins as Thor’s new love interest Valkyrie since Natalie Portman’s uninteresting physicist Jane Foster is absent from this more cosmic entry in the Thor trilogy. There’s also a rumor of another female role, one I pray is the Enchantress so she can act as Loki’s love interest. I love the idea of Loki getting a Lady Macbeth-esque ally.

2018-2019

  • Black Panther (February 16, 2018)
  • Dir. Ryan Coogler (Fruitvale Station, Creed)
  • Cast: Chadwick Boseman, Andy Serkis, Martin Freeman

As a huge fan of Creed, I was overjoyed to hear director Ryan Coogler would continue his populist trend with Marvel’s first black superhero film. And when I saw Civil War and Chadwick Boseman’s dignified-yet-furious performance as T’Challa, my anticipation shot into the stratosphere (and that mid-credits scene! No spoilers but suffice to say:”Let them try”). Everything points in the right direction and it is my number one Marvel film to look forward to. I hope to see Coogler really worldbuild Wakanda and set most of the action there. While the geopolitical blowback of Civil War will no doubt spur some of the plot, my hope is for a more self-contained story.

Right now, Coogler is collaborating with his writing partner on a script originally written by Jon Robert Cole. Filming is set to begin in January 2017. Right now, only Boseman is the only cast confirmed but with the set ups of both Ulysses Klaue (Andy Serkis) in Age of Ultron and Everett Ross (Martin Freeman) in Civil War – both prominent in the Black Panther comics – I think it’s safe to say Marvel has plans for reappearances.

  • Avengers: Infinity War – Part 1 & 2 (May 4, 2018 & May 3, 2019)
  • Dir. Anthony & Joe Russo (Captain America: The Winter Soldier & Civil War)
  • Cast: Josh Brolin, the entire MCU

The intended climax of over 20 films aka the entire MCU, so there’s no pressure for Feige and his creative team here, right? The brothers Russo recently said they would avoid the fading YA ritual of splitting final chapters i.e. frontloading the character drama so the second chapter can be two hours of climax. Instead, the wise storytellers that they are said they would be two complete films with beginnings, middles and ends. Personally, I’d like to see them keep Infinity War as the title of Part 2 while Part 1 could be Infinity Gauntlet. It maintains symmetry while communicating this is not one film cut in two.

The first draft of the scripts are being written by Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely and a year-long shoot is scheduled to start in November. Given the fluidity between the two installments, it’s not yet clear who will show up in one or both of the films but if you have a favorite big-screen Marvel hero (sorry, Marvel TV fans), it’s a decent bet whomever he/she is will be incorporated into this grand finale. But make no mistake; this is the Thanos show and it’s up to the filmmakers and Josh Brolin to breathe life into the overarching supervillain whose brief previous appearances have built not so much dread as perplexity. Translation: Marvel, please have Death be a character.

  • Ant-Man and the Wasp (July 6, 2018)
  • Dir. Peyton Reed (Bring It On, Down with Love, The Break-Up, Yes Man, Ant-Man)
  • Cast: Paul Rudd, Evangeline Lilly, Michael Douglas, Bobby Cannavale, Judy Greer, Abby Ryder Fortson, Michael Pena

I was happy to hear of this sequel to Ant-Man not only because it’s a sequel to Ant-Man but because of the addition of Wasp. As a longtime Lost fan, I’ve long been an Evangeline Lilly fan but I thought her and Scott’s “romance” in the first film was the weakest element, so the idea they’ll develop her as a character intrigues me. When the mid-credits scene teased her arrival along with the clues from the subatomic realm about the missing original Wasp aka Hank’s wife and Hope’s mother Janet van Dyne, I thought it was one of the most organic sequel hooks Marvel had used yet. Sure enough, the sequel entered Phase 3, with Reed, the leads and I’m gonna go out on a limb and say the entire supporting cast returning.

Andrew Barrer and Gabriel Ferrari will work with Paul Rudd on the script based on a story from him and Adam McKay. Filming will probably take place early-to-mid 2017. The big question is who do they cast as Janet? It’s the rare superhero role for an older actress. Susan Sarandon? Helen Mirren? Michelle Pfieffer?

2019

  • Captain Marvel (March 8, 2019)
  • Dir. TBA (rumor: Emily Carmichael)
  • Cast: TBA (rumor: Emily Blunt)

The last confirmed Marvel flick is its first female superhero movie Captain Marvel. I’m unfamiliar with the character but I love her name and her outer space setting. It funnily enough sounds to me like Green Lantern especially if they go with the idea that she inherits the role from an older character like Mar-Vell. Marvel are experts at taking what didn’t work in other films and doing them effortlessly in theirs, so the comparison actually gets me excited they’re going to do the space cop thing and do it right.

This is the project Marvel is putting together at the moment and in Civil War press Feige said announcements were forthcoming this summer. The latest rumor, originating from TheWrap‘s Jeff Sneider, pegged a longtime frontrunner with a director of the same name as the creative team, that frontrunner almost assuredly Emily Blunt who has been rumored for years. Some Internet sleuthing revealed that indie director Emily Carmichael’s Twitter account was recently followed by Captain Marvel screenwriter Nicole Perlman and her Instagram indicated meetings at Disney. Right now, it’s all speculation, but right or wrong, it probably won’t be for long.

Now, we leave the shore of all certainties and enter the realm of complete speculation. Here’s what we can reasonably expect from Phase 4 of the MCU.

  • Phase 4

With Doctor Strange introducing alternate realities and time travel as convenient ways to cheat character death and/or replace departing actors and given the implications of Avengers: Infinity War, will we see a massive reshaping of the MCU in Phase 4? Before it seemed likely that main players such as Downey, Jr. and Evans would leave after their multi-film contracts expire. But the latter seems quite happy to continue and the former just signed onto Spider-Man: Homecoming and floated the possibility of Iron Man 4. There’s a couple films that are pretty much guaranteed to happen, though and they are . . .

  • Spider-Man: Homecoming sequel (Summer 2019)

Marvel never expected to actually get Spider-Man back, so when they did, the entirety of Phase 3 changed. One consequence of this sharing deal is this possible sequel assuming the Inhumans‘ slot as the third Marvel film of 2019 and another is that Sony is releasing the films. They’re the ones who were desperate enough to turn to Marvel to rejuvenate the character because they lack stable franchises, of which Spidey is pretty much their only one. So their desire for as many films in as short a time as possible (The first Amazing Spider-Man hit theaters in July 2012, the sequel May 2014. That’s insane turnaround) is different than Marvel’s more careful, long-term approach.

2020

  • Guardians of the Galaxy, Vol. 3 (May 8, 2020)

The untitled May 8, 2020 Marvel film is almost certainly planned as Guardians 3. It fits the release pattern and could potentially act as the official Phase 4 kickoff similar to Civil War for Phase 3. The cast is all signed though writer/director James Gunn is not. I believe Marvel will backup truckloads of cash to keep him so the question is really whether he burns out before then or not. I ultimately think he’ll finish the trilogy though.

  • Doctor Strange 2 (July 10, 2020)

Marvel seems to only makes hits nowadays and I see no reason why Doctor Strange won’t be awesome yet. It might even be middling like Ant-Man kinda was but even there was the distinct Marvel charm that pervades all their films. A sequel is all but assured. This one would arrive almost four years after the original, but it would kind of have to, given the projects in-between. I look forward to this one because they’re setting up Chiwetel Ejiofor’s Baron Mordo as Strange’s friend-turned-nemesis, a very juicy story that deserves the multiple films they’re spreading it over.

  • TBA Marvel Superhero (November 7, 2020)

I don’t think Marvel wants to go all sequels, all year so here is a potential slot for a new franchise to lost. Could it be Inhumans? Nah, that film is D-E-A-D. That film was leftover from when Marvel CEO Ike Perlmutter controlled Marvel Studios with his “creative committee” and reports say Feige is not interested in making it (UPDATE 5/13: Feige has gone on the record as saying they’d like to make Inhumans in Phase 4. Original text follows). In lieu of that film, the sky is the limit. Could we finally get the Black Widow solo flick the company recently “committed” to? Might even be Iron Man 4, which would almost certainly be Downey, Jr.’s swan song if Infinity War ain’t it. But Marvel is reading the tea leaves – the world needs a Big Bertha movie. Marvel, this is your date. Make it happen.

  • Ant-Man 3 (2021?)

I mention this film because a) it’s going to happen and b) I wonder if it gets put in 2020 or kicks of 2021. Marvel is an aggressive, innovative company. I feel like if they were going to bump up their films from three a year to four, after the Phase 1-3 climax would seem appropriate.

See above.

Thoughts and comments on the MCU’s future? Share them below and thank you for reading!

Sam Flynn

Sam Flynn

Sam is a writer and journalist whose passion for pop culture burns with the fire of a thousand suns and at least three LED lamps.