So with the Marvel panel at San Diego Comic Con coming up quickly, I am anxiously anticipating the official Phase 4 slate. Will they actually divulge it, I don’t know, but my hopes are high. And nothing goes wrong when your hopes are high.
But what I’m speculating for Phase 4 and beyond isn’t what movies need to happen but how it should all unfold.
What we got in Endgame was special because it was the build up of over 10 years of storytelling. 10 YEARS! And part of that was preserving those fan servicing moments until the finale. But now that we have been treated to the finale of the Infinity Saga it is time to switch things up. Here are my 5 top thoughts on how to make that happen.
- Main Character Deaths need to happen more frequently
We can’t wait another 10 years for the stakes to be real (we probably could, but why??). To keep the fans on their toes we have to see that the threat our heroes are facing is truly a threat. And no better way to communicate that then to have more frequent major deaths.
Yes we had Yundo, Quicksilver, Ancient One, Frigga, and a handful of villains. But none of these were main characters that would trigger a big emotional and shocking reaction. You could argue Yundo, who was in two films, but I still think of him as a supporting character.
One character that comes to mind is Thor. Does Chris Hemsworth have another 10 years left in the tank? No better way to say “Hey anything can happen now,” then to have Thor die in a non Avengers/ MCU Tentpole movie.
2. Have the Main Threat more present
Kevin Feige/ Joss Whedon teased Thanos perfectly. As things unfolded we found out that Thanos was the puppet master moving in the shadows. So to switch it up the main threat should be more present throughout the phase. And here is how it should go down.
- More time with the main threat. We only got two main films with Thanos and a handful in which he popped up for a few minutes in. In Phase 4 and beyond the main threat should have more screen time and should take a more active roll. Instead of a “I’ll do it myself” moment, the main threat should already be doing the main action.
- Solo movies should be like spin offs of the main threat instead of main threat being a spin off of solo movies. Specifically seeing the solo movies being missions based on the main threat. Like seeing the Black Panther having to do something solo that would help the team fight the main threat.
3. Keep the Villains Around
Too many villains were killed off in the Infinity Saga. The MCU should keep more around and actually bring them back, like the Vulture.
4. Don’t become over complicated
I’m not going to lie, the multiverse sounds like an awesome idea. But it could be a huge mistake as well. Right now the only complicated piece of the MCU was where were the Infinity Stones and who was working for Thanos.
But having the multiverse will easily crank up the intricacies of the shared universe. Can we easily tell between 616 and another universe? Does the MCU even take place in 616 or is this another universe and how would it interact with the other universes? Not saying that it can’t be done, but I wonder if they can make it simple enough to follow.
5. Disney+ needs to be integrated into the movies
To have me invested in Disney+, or to even subscribe to Disney+, the MCU shows need to be shaped and affect the movies. If the Disney+ shows just happen in a vacuum, where the movies don’t acknowledge them, then they don’t really matter. But I don’t think that will happen. They mentioned that the shows and movies will gel together. So even though its going to happen, I wanted to call it out.
J.E.Rowland 