It’s now five years to the day since Marvel announced its Phase 3 slate - but why did it change so much? Marvel Studios has a reputation for playing the long game. Every film is viewed as setup for the next, with viewers poring over every detail in hopes of picking up on a crucial Easter egg. In large part, that’s the result of 2014’s Phase 3 announcement, with Marvel revealing every film they planned to release between 2016 and 2019 during a private event.

Ironically, Kevin Feige himself appears to believe the Phase 3 announcement backfired. In his view, it encouraged audiences to focus on the destination rather than the next step; he believes that the prospect of Avengers: Infinity War actually drew attention away from Avengers: Age of Ultron. As a result, the modern Marvel has become a lot more secretive, and audiences only know what to expect over the next two years.

The Phase 3 announcement also opens a window into just how flexible Marvel Studios really is. That’s because the company’s plans changed a lot over the years. Here’s the original slate:

  • Captain America: Civil War - May 6, 2016 Doctor Strange - November 4, 2016 Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 - May 5, 2017 Thor: Ragnarok - July 28, 2017 Black Panther - November 3, 2017 Avengers: Infinity War Part I - May 4, 2018 Captain Marvel - July 6, 2018 Inhumans - November 2, 2018 Avengers: Infinity War Part II - May 3, 2019

In the end, several dates were pushed back; Inhumans was dropped, and Spider-Man: Homecoming was added into the mix; and, finally, Avengers: Infinity War was no longer considered a two-parter, with the second film renamed Avengers: Endgame.

Behind the scenes, Marvel was keen to gain access to Spider-Man and integrate a new incarnation of the wall-crawler into the MCU. Sony had initially turned Marvel down, but they reconsidered, and in February 2015 Marvel and Sony announced a landmark deal that meant the MCU’s version of Spider-Man would appear in Captain America: Civil War, and subsequently star in his own MCU movies. Spider-Man: Homecoming was slated for 2017, pushing several release dates around.

Behind the scenes, all wasn’t well at Marvel; conflict was brewing between visionary producer Kevin Feige and his reclusive boss, Ike Perlmutter. Feige and Perlmutter had very different visions of the MCU, with Perlmutter increasingly resenting the expense of the movies and attempting to interfere. What’s more, he believed diverse superhero films were destined to fail; Black Panther and Captain Marvel were only integrated into the Phase 3 slate at all because of Disney CEO Bob Iger’s personal intervention. Matters worsened to the point where Feige considered quitting Hollywood altogether, and again Disney stepped in. Disney forced a corporate restructure at Marvel, placing Feige in charge.

The tension and the in-fighting had a cost, though. Director Joss Whedon had struggled on Avengers: Age of Ultron, and he quit Marvel, taking a break from filmmaking in order to recover. Whedon was expected to helm Avengers: Infinity War Parts I and II, and as a result his high-profile departure left a gap in Marvel’s creative team. In mid-to-late 2015, Marvel began to fill this gap, hiring the Russo brothers as directors for the two Infinity War projects, with Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely brought on board as writers. They soon decided to split these up into separate projects, with Avengers: Infinity War Part II ultimately renamed in order to symbolize this approach. Detailed plans crystallized through 2015, and Marvel realized the narrative importance of the Quantum Realm, with Feige signing off on Ant-Man & the Wasp in October - likely to help develop that theme. This addition meant Captain Marvel was pushed back again, while Inhumans was dropped altogether; there have been constant rumors that Feige was never particularly interested in that franchise to begin with, and that he only originally approved it as a quid pro quo for Perlmutter.

Ironically, Marvel’s Phase 3 announcement serves as a rare glimpse into the inner workings of a major film studio. It allows viewers to look back, recognize the changes, and identify just how corporate events transformed a studio’s plans. As noted, Marvel is a lot more secretive now; the Phase 4 slate may be as big as Phase 3, but it’s releasing twice as fast, meaning only the next two years or so have actually been announced. It will be fascinating to see if any of those plans change too, though.

More: Kevin Feige’s New Marvel Role Explained: What It Means For The MCU

  • Black Widow Release Date: 2021-07-09 The Eternals Release Date: 2021-11-05 Shang Chi Release Date: 2021-09-03 Doctor Strange 2 Release Date: 2022-05-06 Thor: Love and Thunder Release Date: 2022-07-08 Black Panther: Wakanda Forever Release Date: 2022-11-11