Entertainment

MCU Wrap Up: Where Are We Headed Next?

Amy Child

Warning: Spoilers Ahead!

Four new films were added to the MCU last year, raising the tally of the multiversal, multi-award-winning collection to a mind-blowing twenty-seven. This number could potentially be even greater, if you include Tobey Maguire’s and Andrew Garfield’s Spidermans in the mix (and after the events of Spiderman: No Way Home, many of us feel inclined to.) With so many films existing, it’s easy to get muddled, so Amy runs through the latest additions, and discusses what may come next. 

So where do we currently stand with the MCU? Phase Four is underway, and three of last year’s films are easy to place. Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings, Eternals, and Spiderman: No Way Home follow neatly on from where we left off after Spiderman: Far From Home in 2019. Black Widow is a little trickier, as it falls between the earlier events of Captain America: Civil War and Avengers: Infinity War.

the future of the franchise is shrouded in mystery

But that’s not all. Marvel has also released a number of shows on Disney Plus this year, giving us more from the likes of Loki, Wanda and Hawkeye. At times, it can feel a little hard to keep up, and the future of the franchise is shrouded in mystery.

But one thing’s for certain: Marvel is not afraid to dream big. If the start of Phase Four indicates anything, it’s that the studio is set to expand their universe into a multiverse, with greater threats, more characters, and more intergalactic possibilities than ever before. Only Doctor Strange could say for certain what these possibilities are, but examining what we’ve already seen, we can begin to guess what the next stage of the journey could hold.

For a start, it seems as though new Avengers could be assembling. Spiderman, Shang-Chi, Scarlet Witch and (hopefully) Yelena Belova could be playing key roles in the legendary superhero crew. If you stuck around for the after-credits of Spiderman: No Way Home, the trailer for Doctor Strange: Multiverse of Madness shows Strange going up against someone who looks to be none other than Supreme Strange, an evil alternative of the hero seen in the animated show What If…?

let’s confront the elephant in the room. Or rather, the spider

The after-credits of Eternals were similarly intriguing, suggesting that we may get to see Dane Whitman as the comic-book hero the Black Knight. Plot threads were also introduced in Loki regarding the TVA, Shang-Chi regarding Xialing’s control of the Ten Rings, and of course Falcon and the Winter Soldier, where we see Sam take on the mantle of Captain America.

But let’s confront the elephant in the room. Or rather, the spider. Spiderman: No Way Home exceeded expectations, transporting a number of beloved, existing characters into the MCU. Tom Holland is set to take on another three films as the title character, and whilst we don’t yet know what these will include, it’s safe to assume that the small piece of Venom left behind in the after-credits will somehow find its way into the story.

Spiderman: No Way Home concept artist Thomas du Crest has already shared their take on what Holland could look like in a black suit if he were to bond with the Venom symbiote. It has also been rumoured that Andrew Garfield could return to complete his Amazing Spider-Man trilogy, and that Tom Hardy’s Venom as well as new character Morbius exist in the same universe as Garfield’s Spiderman.

Needless to say, all will soon become clear, as 2022 promises the release of Doctor Strange: Multiverse of Madness, Thor: Love and Thunder and Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, as well as many more shows and a sequel to the animated movie Spiderman: Into the Spider-Verse. These films are sure to be massive, and we can’t wait to see what the MCU has in store for us.

Amy Child


Featured Image courtesy of Erik Mclean via Unsplash. Image license found here. No changes were made to this image.

In-article image 1 courtesy of @marvelstudios via @instagram.com. No changes were made to this image.

In-article image 2 courtesy of @spidermanmovie via @instagram.com. No changes were made to this image.

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