With DC upping the hype for its superhero film slate two weeks ago and the first Age of Ultron trailer leaking a week ahead of its intended release, Marvel revealed its hand to fans, press, and the world yesterday at the El Capitan Theater in LA with its Phase 3 films.
Kevin Feige took to the stage about fifteen minutes after the intended start time (2 PM Eastern/11 AM Pacific), beginning with the end of Phase 2 (Guardians of the Galaxy, Avengers: Age of Ultron, and Ant-Man) and the Ultron trailer before getting into the nitty gritty of the next five years of Marvel releases – better known as Phase 3 of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. He revealed that 2016 would bring Captain America: Serpent Society (which raised some confusion and a little online blowback) and Doctor Strange; 2017 would see the return of the Guardians of the Galaxy (bumped up from late July to early May) and Thor (subtitled Ragnarok) as well as the introduction of Black Panther; and 2018 would bring Captain Marvel (which he confirmed to be Carol Danvers, the current bearer of the title in the comics) and Inhumans. There were two early May dates (2018 and 2019) that were still untitled, so it was time for a little montage trailer that elicited enthusiastic cheers from the assembled crowd.
After the confirmation of the two-part Avengers: Infinity War and a clip from mid-way through Age of Ultron illustrating the growing tension between Tony and Steve, Feige pulled out the ace up his sleeve – Captain America 3 wouldn’t be subtitled Serpent Society, but Civil War instead (as fan theories over the recent Robert Downey Jr.-Marvel rumors surmised). And to sweeten the deal, he brought out Robert Downey Jr., Chris Evans, and Chadwick Boseman as the newly cast Black Panther, who didn’t choose a side between Tony Stark or Steve Rodgers. He’ll appear in costume in Civil War, but that doesn’t totally write off the chance that we’ll see him not in costume in Age of Ultron. The theater was cleared for a press Q&A, during which time Feige answered some noteworthy questions (Doctor Strange hasn’t been cast … yet, and there are no solo Black Widow, Hawkeye, or Hulk films to come any time soon, among other questions raised).
And to cap things off, during last night’s Agents Of S.H.I.E.L.D., instead of airing the first trailer, Marvel aired a clip from the much-discussed party sequence near the beginning of Age of Ultron, which segued into the previously seen trailer.
What does this mean for Marvel? Well, they’ve mapped out the next five years of films to compete with DC – and perhaps to counter DC’s Wonder Woman and Cyborg announcements, they one-upped the competition with Black Panther (which will hit screens a year before Cyborg) and Captain Marvel (who, I would hope, isn’t shoe-horned in to an earlier Phase 3 film – like Wonder Woman is lumped into Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice – the mouthful of a title that’s a painfully obvious lead-in to the 2-part Justice League film). As for other news and confirmations, there was nothing else announced, apart from the return of Chris Hemsworth and Tom Hiddleston for Thor: Ragnarok (obviously), James Gunn helming Guardians 2 (also obviously), and Scott Derrickson helming Doctor Strange.
Marvel’s Phase 3 release dates are as follows: 2016 – Captain America: Civil War (May 6) and Doctor Strange (November 4); 2017 – Guardians of the Galaxy 2 (May 5), Thor: Ragnarok (July 28), and Black Panther (November 3); 2018 – Avengers: Infinity War – Part I (May 4), Captain Marvel (July 8), and Inhumans (November 2); and 2019 – Avengers: Infinity War – Part II (May 3).
Which film(s) are you looking forward to the most? Let us know, and we’ll continue bringing you the latest Marvel news!
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