The poetic ending of Avengers: Endgame and the announcement that Spider-Man: Far From Home will be the final chapter of phase three of the Marvel Cinematic Universe has left fans wondering ‘what next?’ After all, for the first time in more than a decade, we did not get a post-credits scene at the end of an MCU movie. But don’t worry! While the Infinity Saga has come to an end, it certainly isn’t the end of the MCU.
In an official press release, Disney confirmed its upcoming movie release state including major franchises like Star Wars, Avatar and Marvel. This means that we now have release dates for the Marvel Cinematic Universe phase four films all the way to 2022. The dates are as follows:
- May 1, 2020
- November 6, 2020
- February 12, 2021
- May 7, 2021
- November 5, 2021
- February 18, 2022
- May 6, 2022
- July 29, 2022
It’s important to note that in the press release, Disney did not specifically mention which movies exactly will be released on those dates. Disney has announced that there will be more detailed announcements during the D23 convention that’s happening in August, which makes perfect sense.
In the meantime, we can speculate and make educated guesses. We know that Disney is currently actively working on a Black Widow movie (cameras are expected to roll in June), The Eternals (Angelina Jolie has already been cast), Shang-Chi, Doctor Strange 2 and Black Panther 2. We also know that Guardians of the Galaxy Vol 3 will begin production next year. We still have two more slots to fill.
The geeky optimist in me wishes that those slots will be occupied by X-Men and/or Fantastic Four movies. However, Kevin Feige has previously mentioned that he and his creative team had already mapped out the next five years of the MCU before the Disney-Fox acquisition. A more realistic pick would be Captain Marvel 2. Having said that, I also think it’s very possible we see a Deadpool 3 before the end of 2022, especially considering it is the only Marvel comic book character from Fox that will not be rebooted.
So, here’s how the next three years of the Marvel Cinematic Universe could look like:
- May 2020 – Black Widow
- November 2020 – The Eternals
- February 2021 – Black Panther 2
- May 2021 – Doctor Strange 2
- November 2021 – Shang-Chi
- February 2022 – Guardians of the Galaxy Vol 3
- May 2022 – Captain Marvel 2
- July 2022 – Deadpool 3 / X-Force
