Life continues for the Marvel Cinematic Universe after Avengers: Endgame, and the upcoming Phase 4 has a five-year plan so far. The upcoming Avengers: Endgame will not only be the culmination of a narrative that has been building up for over a decade, but it will also mark the end of the MCU’s Phase 3.

The film that will kickstart Phase 4 is Spider-Man: Far From Home, to be released this summer. After that, the future remains slightly uncertain. Although there are a couple of films in pre-production, none of them have release dates yet; but we can rest assured as Marvel Studios does have everything planned for Phase 4, and they know how long they will cover in terms of years.

Speaking to io9, Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige revealed that they have been working on a five-year plan for Phase 4. With the recent Disney/Fox acquisition, many fans are wondering if characters like the X-Men will make their debut in the MCU. It was this question that prompted Feige to share what they’ve been planning for the near future. Sadly for those who are hoping to see the X-Men in Phase 4, that will most likely not happen - or at least not in the already planned five years. Although Feige didn’t share any details on the titles we will see in this upcoming Phase, he did speak about the overall mentality they have. He said:

The studio is currently working on a Black Widow solo film and is also preparing the cinematic debut of The Eternals and Shang-Chi. There will also be sequels to films that debuted in Phase 3, such as Doctor Strange and Black Panther. And, of course, there’s also Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, which will reportedly begin shooting in February 2021, so it could still fit into the five-year plan.

“The slate that we’re building over the next five years [is] not apples to apples. It is two very distinct things and I hope they’ll feel very distinct. But there is a similar mentality going into it, which is ‘How can we continue to tell stories with some of the characters that audiences already know and love in a unique way, in a different way, in surprising way, of which we have a lot of plans and ideas and work already going into it?’ [Then] ‘How can we introduce new characters that even hardcore fans, comic fans, have barely known or barely heard of.’ That’s really exciting too.”

Like with most things in the film industry, everything is subject to change, and the plans for Phase 4 can extend beyond five years, or even include those newly acquired characters at some point. The MCU is approaching a turning point, but it’s exciting to know that the upcoming phase will continue to explore the stories of some of the heroes fans already know, while also bringing other characters that may not be widely known, like Shang-Chi. Even more exciting will be to see how these new characters (as well as those that haven’t even been announced yet) will blend with the heroes of previous phases.

More: Marvel’s Shang-Chi Reportedly Filming in Australia

Source: io9

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