Marvel Comics Editor-in-Chief C.B. Cebulski and Executive Editor Nick Lowe recently revealed that the publisher tries to stay "10 years ahead" of the storylines adapted for the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
The pair discussed the self-imposed decade-long narrative buffer during a New York Comic Con 2022 panel attended by CBR. Asked whether Marvel Comics faces pressure from Marvel Studios and Disney to make the continuity of the comics align with that of the MCU, Cebulski responded that the publisher's goal is to tell stories set 10 years beyond those seen on the big and small screens. Lowe added that this approach allows the comics to develop narratives that other media (including the MCU) can later draw on. "We always look at Marvel as a body and Marvel Comics as the heart pumping blood to everywhere else," he said.
Cebulski and Lowe's comments track with Marvel Studios' line-up of film and TV projects for the MCU Phases Five and Six, many of which are seemingly inspired by comics storylines at least a decade old. Notable examples of this include Avengers: Kang Dynasty, Avengers: Secret Wars, Thunderbolts, Secret Invasion, and Daredevil: Born Again. The final film in Phase Four, Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, also fits the bill, with several key elements of the hotly-anticipated sequel's plot apparently culled from the 2012 crossover event AvX.
Marvel Studios Lays Out the Future of the MCU
Marvel Studios may look to Marvel Comics for narrative cues, however, it isn't quite as ambitious as the publisher when it comes to its storytelling timescales. Release dates for the MCU Phases Five and Six reveal that Marvel Studios has only mapped out a further two years' worth of movies and TV shows, culminating with the release of Avengers: Secret Wars on Nov. 7, 2025. That said, the studio no doubt has plenty of other unannounced projects currently in the works and penciled in for release past this point.
Either way, MCU veteran Mark Ruffalo recently assured fans that Avengers: Secret Wars will pay off plot points introduced in Phases Four, Five and Six in a big way. The star, who plays Bruce Banner/The Hulk, even suggested that the upcoming blockbuster could give 2019's Avengers: Endgame a run for its money. "Well, it’s gonna be hard to top Endgame, but if I know [Marvel Studios President] Kevin [Feige] and if I know Marvel, it’s gonna be pretty amazing," he said. "It’ll be a big bang, we’ll go out with a big bang."
Source: CBR