Marvel Phase Four New Announcement

Justin Peters, Entertainment and Arts Editor|June 3, 2021

On May 3rd, 2021, Marvel dropped a brand new video revealing their movie lineup for Phase Four, slated for a release window starting this year and carrying into 2023. These movies had previously been announced, but some were announced with working titles and no specific release day. That all changed when Marvel released a video titled “Marvel Studios Celebrates The Movies,” revealing new footage, release dates, and some new official titles. Here is the lineup in case you missed it:

Black Widow – The long-awaited (and continuously delayed) prequel about Natasha Romanoff in her quests between the films Captain America: Civil War (2016) and Avengers: Infinity War (2018). The film will finally release on July 9th, 2021 in theatres and on Disney+ with Premier Access.

Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings – This film will tell the story of The Master of Kung-Fu trying to live a normal life in California and ending his father’s tyrannical rule. It will also be the first MCU film to focus on an Asian superhero. The film will be released on September 3rd, 2021.

Eternals – The saga of the Eternals, a race of immortal beings who lived on Earth and shaped its history and civilizations. It will be directed by Chloé Zhao, who just won the Best Picture and Best Director Oscars for her film Nomadland (2020). The film will be released on November 5th, 2021.

Spider-Man: No Way Home – A continuation of Peter Parker’s journey after Spider-Man: Far From Home (2018). The film has been getting a lot of recent hype with it’s rumor that previous Spider-Men, Tobey Maguire and Andrew Garfield, as well as their co-stars from the previous films, will make appearances as major characters and villains in this film. The film will be released on December 17th, 2021.

Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness – A continuation of Stephen Strange’s adventures in sorcery and will tie into the events of WandaVision (2021) and Spider-Man: No Way Home (2021). The film will be released on March 25th, 2022.

Thor: Love and Thunder – A continuation of the adventures of Thor and will feature the Guardians of the Galaxy, the return of Natalie Portman, and will feature Christian Bale as Gorr the God Butcher and Russell Crowe as Zeus. The film will be released on May 6th, 2022.

Black Panther: Wakanda Forever – It is unclear how they will continue the film after the tragic passing of Chadwick Boseman. Still, it will be a sequel that will continue to explore the incomparable world of Wakanda and all the rich and varied characters introduced in the 2018 film. The film will be released on July 8th, 2022.

The Marvels – A sequel to Captain Marvel (2019) and will include a team-up between Carol Danvers, Monica Rambeau (who was reintroduced in WandaVision [2021]), and Kamala Khan (aka Ms. Marvel), who will be introduced in her own Disney+ series later this year. The film will be released on November 11th, 2022.

Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania – A continuation of the adventures of Scott Lang and Hope Pym. The film will be released on February 17th, 2023.

Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 – A long-awaited sequel following the adventures of the Guardians after their appearance in Thor: Love and Thunder (2022) and director of the first two movies, James Gunn, will return to direct. The film will be released on May 5th, 2023. 

Untitled Fantastic Four Reboot – A third reboot about Marvel’s first family. The plot and release date are unknown.

That was all that was revealed in the video. However, before that, Marvel included a message from the late, great Stan Lee, giving an inspiring and motivational message to the fans:

“Marvel has always been and will be a reflection of the world outside your window. That world may change and evolve. But the one thing that will never change is the way we tell our stories of heroism. Those stories have room for everyone, regardless of their race, gender, religion, or color of their skin. The only things we don’t have room for are hatred, intolerance, and bigotry. That man next to you, he’s your brother. That woman over there, she’s your sister. And that kid walking by you, hey, who knows, he may have the proportionate strength of a spider. We’re all part of one big family, the human family. And we all come together in the body of Marvel. And you, you’re part of that family. You’re part of the Marvel Universe that moves ever upward and onward to greater glory. In other words, excelsior!”