At this point in our lives, the Marvel Cinematic Universe is something that is well known to all of us. With the release of Avengers: Endgame almost 3 years ago now, the MCU is still very much alive and thriving. Phase 4 is well underway with still a lot more to come. Here are some of the highlights of phase 4 so far and other projects we can expect to see soon.
Existing Project Review
- Black Widow
Black Widow was such a great ending to Nat’s story but at the same time, I do wish Marvel would’ve released it sooner. With it being set right after Civil War, it would’ve been nice to give Nat a little more background before going into Endgame. The entire movie to me seemed kind of pointless because at the end of the day we already knew Nat’s outcome. I will admit, however, the introduction of Yelena was absolutely amazing.
- Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings
I loved this movie. It wasn’t the typical Marvel movie where we already know the main character. It’s a new story and gave me a sense of refreshment. I’m really excited to see what they do with Shang-Chi in the future and within Phase 4.
- Eternals
I’m not going to lie, I still haven’t seen Eternals. I did hear it was good though and gave the audience a better sense of why Thanos might have done what he did.
- Spider-Man: No Way Home
This was the BEST movie/project that Marvel has produced so far in my opinion. The action, plot and TWISTS were absolutely AMAZING ;). I don’t want to say too much just to avoid spoilers for anyone who hasn’t seen it yet, but when I say, I’ve seen this movie three times and could easily sit down right now to see it again, I mean it.
- WandaVision
I loved this show so much. At first, I didn’t get into it because it seemed too cheesy for me but it definitely gave me a new sense of love and respect for Wanda. Her sacrifice and overall character development over the course of nine episodes was spectacular. Scarlet Witch is one of my new favorite characters in the MCU purely because she is an antihero.
- The Falcon and The Winter Soldier
I think I’m the only person in this world that I know who didn’t like this show. I thought that everything that happened between episodes one through five could’ve easily been in just a couple of episodes. I feel like this show was very forgettable considering the only plot points I remember from this show is that Sam finally became Captain America and that Sharron Carter is evil.
- Loki
Taking a full 180 from TFATWS, I feel like I’m the only person in the world who DID like this show. I’ve always loved Loki though from the beginning so when I found out he was getting his own show I was ecstatic. I loved the plot points and the soundtrack and just the overall sense of mischief within the show. Am I a fan of two Loki’s being in love? Not exactly, but it’s not the worst thing that could’ve happened.
- What if…?
I thought What If was a really interesting idea. I liked how each episode was different yet still connected. I could see The Watcher, Loki and Dr. Strange, all coming together in a later project because a lot of what occurred in this series could easily be brought into the live-action MCU.
- Hawkeye
I thought Hawkeye had a lot of potential to be the best show in Phase 4 so far. It wasn’t the worst but at the same time, I definitely think it could’ve been better. Hawkeye himself is so overlooked in the MCU and I felt like this show could redeem his character a little bit, but he ended up overlooked even in his own show! I did like the introduction to Kate Bishop and King Pin but I feel like, around episodes three and four, the show lost a lot of its traction.
Preview of Whats to Come
With all of these giving us a strong starting point to Phase 4, here are more anticipated and known projects coming up in phase 4.
- Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness (2022)
This movie is supposed to be set right after Spider-Man: No Way Home. Dr. Strange goes to see, infamous Avenger, Wanda Maximoff about what she knows about the multiverse.
- Thor: Love and Thunder (2022)
Although I haven’t seen a lot about this movie, I’m really excited about it. It’s set to release July 8th of this year so hopefully, we’ll get some more sneak peeks soon.
- Moon Knight (2022)
I’m personally really excited for this series for two reasons: It’s coming out in March of this year, and it’s completely comic accurate. The entire plot of this show is taken directly from comics and I’m just really excited that Marvel is starting to become more comic book accurate.
- Agatha: House of Harkness (TBA)
- Spider-Man: Freshman Year (TBA)
For both the Agatha series and the Spider-Man series, not a lot is known. My guess is that we’re going to get some first looks of these shows later this year and I’m expecting them to premiere either late 2022 or early 2023.
There are many more projects that I know Marvel has up their sleeve so grab your popcorn and get ready.