Phase 5 of the Marvel Cinematic Universe opened last week with the premiere of Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania. The film, which has received negative reviews, was responsible for introducing the villain Kang: The Conqueror on the big screen (he had previously appeared in Loki). Jonathan Major’s character will play a major role in this new series of productions, which has been labeled The Kang Dynasty.
But if the dynasty will be Kang’s, phase 5 of the MCU also promises to give a big spotlight to its heroines. In the past, Marvel left incredible female characters in the background. Black Widow (Scarlett Johansson), the most famous one, only had an individual movie ten years after her first appearance and when she was already dead.
However, that has already been changing, with Captain Marvel’s (Brie Larson) solo film and the rise of the Scarlet Witch (Elizabeth Olsen) in Wandavision and Doctor Strange: Multiverse of Madness. Check out the main projects of Phase 5 that will feature Marvel’s known heroines and new female characters.
Secret Invasion
Yet without a precise release date, this series is expected to come to Disney + in the first semester of 2023. Secret Invasion will develop the topic of the Skull alien infiltration that was briefly explored at the final sequence of Captain Marvel’s movie, when it’s revealed that Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson) was actually a Skrull. It will see the return of Cobie Smulders as Agent Maria Hill, one of the first more prominent female characters of the MCU.
Emilia Clarke and Olivia Colman are also part of the cast. The Game of Thrones’s star will play Abigail Brand, who, in the comic books, is the chief officer of the S.W.O.R.D, an agency that protects the Earth from extraterrestrial threats. The Oscar winner will play Sonya Falsworth, a character that does not exist in the comics, but that is most likely related to James Montgomery Falsworth, a member of Captain America’s Howling Commandos.
Guardians Of the Galaxy Vol.3
Releasing May 4th (may the force be with you!), the final movie of the Guardians trilogy will see how the group of misfits is rebuilding after the Thanos incidents. It will dive more deeply into Rocket Racoon’s past and explain how he became the killing machine that he is.
Zoë Saldaña is coming back to play the 2015 version of Gamora. Karen Gillan and Pom Klementieff will also be reprising their roles as Nebula and Mantis, respectively.
Echo
Maya Lopez, Echo, is Marvel’s first deaf superhero, played by Alaqua Cox, who is also deaf. In the comics, this condition gives her the ability to replicate the moves of anyone she is fighting. Echo made her debut in the MCU in the 2021’s series Hawkeye.
Set to be released in early 2024, “The origin story of Echo revisits Maya Lopez, whose ruthless behavior in New York City catches up with her in her hometown. She must face her past, reconnect with her Native American roots and embrace the meaning of family and community if she ever hopes to move forward”. Charlie Cox’s (he and Alaqua are not related) Daredevil is set to play an important role in the show, as well as Kingpin, who was also featured in Hawkeye.
The Marvels
Captain Marvel’s second movie, The Marvels will have Carol Danvers, Kamala Khan (Iman Velanni), aka Ms. Marvel, and Monica Rambeau (Teyonah Parris) team up. Set to be released on November 9th of 2023, not much is known about the plot other than the three characters will be involved in a cosmic adventure.
It was teased in the last episode of WandaVision, in a scene featuring Monica Rambeau and a Skrull, who points up in the sky, indicating that someone who is living amongst the Skrulls is eager to meet the adult Rambeau.
Ironheart
Expected in the second semester of 2023, Ironheart will go into more detail about super genius kid Riri Williams (Dominique Thorne). The character was introduced to the public in Black Panther: Wakanda Forever as the only person in the world who could make a technological piece for Shuri (Lettia Wright) to fight Namor (Tenoch Huerta).
The Ironheart Comics were created by Brazilian graphic designer Mike Deodato Jr and American writer Brian Michael Bendis. She is described as Tony Stark’s heiress and also wears a suit made of iron. Riri Williams will be part of the Young Avengers project in the Future.
Agatha: Coven Of Chaos
A Wandavision spin-off, this series is expected to be released in December of 2023. It will dive more deeply into Agatha Harkness’s (Kathryn Hahn) origins, as a sorcerer, and explain how she breaks free from the spell Wanda put on her. The Scarlet Witch is set to make an appearance on the show, possibly, teaming up with Agatha. Some of the episodes are going to be directed by Brazilian director, Gandja Monteiro.
Thunderbolts
The film that will bring Marvel’s most famous group of antagonists to the movie theater is coming in 2024. In the post-credit scene of Black Widow, it is shown that La Contessa Valentina Allegra de la Fontaine (Julia Louis-Dreyfus) has already started her recruitment for the team with Yelena Pelova (Florence Pugh), Natasha Romanoff’s charismatic sister.
Besides Yelena, Red Guardian (David Harbour), Taskmaster (Olga Kurylenko), U.S Agent (Wyatt Russell), Ghost (Hannah John-Kamen) and Winter Soldier (Sebastian Stan) will also compose the team.
Good times ahead, hopefully
Phase 4 of the MCU was heavily criticized for producing unoriginal films that had the same predictable development structure and comic relief. In a recent interview with Entertainment Weekly, Kevin Feige, executive producer of Marvel Studios, said that for phase 5, the company intends to do fewer projects per year and ensure that each one of them is different from the other.
For this, resorting to the female universe, in its large scope, is a possible solution. For years, superhero movies have only told stories from the male point of view – specifically white, cisgender, straight men. The success of Wandavision shows that the Marvel audience is interested in knowing how a woman deals with grief, motherhood, fear and anger. After all, if not to explore these human emotions, is it really worth telling superhero stories?
The article above was edited by Fernanda Miki Tsukase
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