With the release of Avengers 4 (2019), Marvel Studios will have pulled off an amazing feat. First, they will they have completed the third phase of their Avengers movies, which on its own is amazing. More importantly, Marvel Studios will have pulled off a 22-movie-long saga, starting with 2008’s Iron Man. While fans can’t wait to find out how it all ends, they’re also eager to find out what’s next. Marvel has no plans on stopping any time soon, but they’re also keeping their plans a secret (for now). This is likely because they don’t want to spoil the ending of their Thanos story. The result, however, is that all fans can do is speculate on the future. If there’s one thing fans are good at, it’s coming up with theories, ranging from “pretty likely” to “completely insane.”
Marvel Studios has a huge amount of material to pull from. What makes the future so uncertain, however, is that the studio isn’t afraid to take chances. Movies like Guardians of the Galaxy (2014) and Thor: Ragnarok (2017) were huge risks, but they paid off. The studio isn’t afraid to take the weirdest concepts from the comics and bring them to the big screen. Literally, anything can happen in Phase 4. These theories are all long shots, but when it comes to Marvel Studios, that doesn’t make them impossible in any way at all.
25 COMPLETE REBOOT
One of the biggest challenges Marvel faces after Avengers 4 is losing many of their biggest stars. Robert Downey Jr, Chris Evans and most of the original Avengers line-up will either be at the end of their contracts or coming close. While Marvel certainly has other characters to utilize, fans have to come to love Captain America and Iron Man.
Also, with over 20 movies, the continuity is going to getting pretty complicated. It's possible that however Thanos' snap is undone causes the MCU to completely reboot. This will create a new timeline, where Marvel can keep the characters they want and redo the ones that need to be recast.
24 COMBINING WITH THE SPIDER VERSE
While Sony agreed to "rent" out Spider-Man to Marvel, they still have the rights to many other characters. The studio intends to build their own Spider-Verse of connected movies, starting with Venom (2018). As of now, these movies won't be connected to the MCU in any way.
The problem is that fans want to see Spider-Man fight Venom. If Tom Hardy's take on the character is popular enough, then Marvel might be backed into a corner. Also, depending on the state of the MCU post Avengers 4 (2019), they might need a big crossover for Phase 4. A Spider-Man Vs Venom movie could fill that gap, if Marvel and Sony decide to play nice.
23 DARK PHOENIX BRINGS THE X-MEN
In an interesting coincidence, both the current Avengers and X-Men franchises will be coming to an end in 2019. Avengers 4 has been in the works for a decade at this point, but Dark Phoenix is an interesting case. It was never meant to be the last X-Men movie, but it went into production before Disney bought Fox.
Its release date has been pushed back, and is now set to hit theaters after Avengers 4. There are also reports of reshoots, mostly centered around the film's third act. With an entity as powerful as the Phoenix, it's possible that the ending of that film may be used to integrate the X-Men into the MCU.
22 MULTIPLE FILM UNIVERSES
While the MCU has been a great success for Marvel, it's also incredibly restrictive. While Warner Brothers can make a movie about the Joker that's completely unrelated to Suicide Squad 2, Marvel has to make sure all of their films fit together. As the studio starts to branch out, continuity might become more of a burden than a blessing.
This is especially true for franchises like Deadpool. Marvel recently acquired the R-rated series, which is super popular with fans. Avengers 4 could end with the heroes undoing the snap by creating a multiverse, similar to the ones that exist in the comics. This would allow the studio to make whatever movie makes sense at the time.
21 BLADE RETURNS
Back in 1998, Blade kicked off the comic book movie craze. In the years that followed, mutants, dark knights and Avengers all made mountains of money. All of those profits can be traced back to a day walking vampire hunter with a penchant for Kung-fu. While the movie is 20-years-old at this point, Blade still has a decent following.
In fact, Wesley Snipes has shown interest in returning to the role. Sure, Marvel could recast the character, but it would be so much more exciting to bring the Blade everyone knows and loves into the fold. This could be the best way to keep fans excited for the Phase 4 movies.
20 THE SECRET INVASION ALREADY BEGAN
One of the most commonly believed theories about Phase 4 is that it will feature the Secret Invasion (2008) story arc. Basically, in the comics, shape-shifting aliens called the Skrulls secretly infiltrated the Marvel Universe for years, replacing key heroes with alien doppelgangers. With the Skrulls officially being introduced in Captain Marvel (2019), this seems incredibly likely.
A crazier theory, however, is that the invasion began years ago, and some of the current heroes are already Skrulls. In fact, it's possible there are some heroes that have been aliens all along. Maybe we never met the real Scott Lang? Maybe the Skrulls were just waiting until after Thanos had been dealt with to strike.
19 THE X-MEN WON'T BE COMING ON BOARD
The X-Men is a massive film franchise that still brings in tons of money. When Disney bought Fox, fans assumed that this meant that the mutants were finally coming to the MCU. When the deal is finalized, it's been confirmed that Kevin Feige will oversee the mutants. So, everything's all set, right?
Well, the Deadpool franchise is still very popular, and Dark Phoenix (2019) could be a hit. Despite fans wishes, it might make sense to keep the franchises apart. These properties don't easily fit into the MCU, so Disney may not want to give up future profits just so Wolverine can team up with Captain America.
18 R-RATED FILMS
A more likely scenario is that the Marvel finds a way to adapt the X-Men films into the MCU. For the most part, this should be easy, and probably just requires a reboot. Deadpool, on the other hand, is a bit of a problem though. Also, with the recent success of Logan (2017), it's clear that there's an audience for R-rated properties.
So far, the MCU has maintained a family-friendly image. That might have to change in Phase 4 and onward. It's clear there's a desire for more mature comic book stories, and as the MCU gets closer to turning 18-years-old, it might be time for the film series to grow up.
17 SECRET WARS
While DC Comics has their crises, Marvel has Secret Wars. The first Secret Wars was released in 1984 and featured most of Marvel's heroes and villains transported to a faraway planet to fight by a mysterious being known as the Beyonder. Of course, that pales in comparison to the most recent Secret Wars (2015), which saw the Marvel Universe actually get destroyed (and then eventually recreated).
These are two of Marvel's biggest stories, and it's hard to believe that Marvel Studios hasn't considered either one of them for the big screen. Also, Marvel has a history of subverting fan expectations, so while everyone is looking for a secret invasion, maybe they should look for a secret war.
16 MARVEL ZOMBIES
It's not surprising that Marvel Zombies (2005) was a hit. What is surprising is that Marvel actually released the gory story. Taking place in an alternate reality, it shows what would happen if super-powered heroes and villains were infected with a zombie virus. It turns out, that would be a bad thing.
The series spawned many sequels and spin-offs, and is one of the more popular Marvel alternate realities. With zombies still being incredibly huge in pop culture, it makes sense to bring them to the big screen. Of course, there's no way to tell this story without having an R rating, but if Disney can include Deadpool in the MCU, then they can work out some zombies.
15 CAP-WOLF
So, this is a big stretch, but maybe Captain America will become a werewolf after Avengers 4 (2019). It's happened in the comics, so it wouldn't be completely random. Also, in terms of future Avengers movies, it makes sense in a "so strange it could work" kind of way.
This wouldn't just be limited to Captain America. Maybe Tony Stark will become a teenager, and Hulk will become a gray-skinned mafia hitman. This could be an interesting way for Marvel to keep using characters after the actors playing them depart. Seriously, is a werewolf superhero any weirder than a talking tree or gun-toting raccoon?
14 HOWARD THE DUCK
The first theatrical, non-serial film based on a Marvel Comics property was Howard the Duck (1986). Despite being a Lucasfilm production, this movie failed to connect with audiences and has gone down in history as one of the worst films of all time. That's why it was so funny when Howard made a surprise appearance after the credits in Guardians of the Galaxy (2014). It seemed like Marvel was poking fun at one of their most embarrassing moments.
Howard reappeared in the sequel, however, cementing his place in the MCU. Since then, Marvel has seen a lot of success with strange and silly concepts. Marvel loves to prove that they can pull off impossible feats, and making a film about the duck would certainly qualify.
13 FULLY SEPARATING FROM 'AGENTS OF SHIELD'
Marvel characters aren't just dominating movie theaters, they're also conquering TV. Traditional shows like Agents of SHIELD (2013) and Netflix series like "Jessica Jones" (2015) have expanded the film universe beyond just the Avengers franchise. The only problem is that the movies and TV shows don't really interact in any significant way.
While the TV shows at least make references to the major events of the movies, the films never really acknowledge their small screen counterparts. More importantly, characters from TV have yet to make the jump to the big screen. It's there's some sort of divide, and Marvel Studios may use Phase 4 to cut the shows free into a completely separate continuity.
12 INHUMANS REBOOT
Marvel first announced their full slate of Phase 2 and 3 movies, a movie about the Inhumans was scheduled to be released before Infinity War (2018). After some shuffling around, Inhumans disappeared from the film schedule and was announced as a TV show. After being introduced on Agents of SHIELD (2013), the new show premiered in 2017.
It was not a success. Fans and critics called out the series' writing and poor special effects, and it never seemed to find an audience. A rare miss for Marvel, and it's rumored that Feige still wants to do it as a theatrical film. Since the series had poor ratings, it would be easy enough to just reboot the franchise entirely as a movie.
11 MARVEL 2099
There's been a lot of talk about alternate realities, and it definitely seems like time travel will play a role in Avengers 4 (2019). So, it would be crazy for Marvel Studios to ignore the comic universe's most popular alternate reality, the world of 2099.
Technically a potential future, the line of comics featured a high tech world run by mega-corporations. It was populated by high tech versions of classic characters like Spider-Man, Dr. Doom and Ghost Rider. The concept remains popular among comic fans, and would definitely make a visually interesting movie. Marvel Studios only has 70 years to capitalize on this franchise before it's no longer futuristic, so they'd better get moving.
10 NONE OF THE ORIGINAL AVENGERS WILL BE LEFT
It may be crazy to imagine, but after Avengers 4 (2019), none of the original team may be left. Many of the actors have run out their contracts, while a few will have one or two appearances left. Marvel's seen success with crossovers like Hulk in Thor: Ragnarok (2017), so it's a mystery who will even be available to appear in Avengers 5.
Marvel's made it clear they intend on bringing new heroes to the forefront, which means they may drop the original line up completely. Black Panther was insanely successful, and Captain Marvel appears to be on the same track. Add in Ant-Man, the Wasp and Doctor Strange, and that seems like a pretty strong team.
9 MULTIPLE BLACK PANTHERS
The success of Black Panther was undeniable. It wasn't just a hit movie, the film became a cultural moment. Marvel knows what works, and they've clearly decided to bet on Wakanda. Even though the studio has yet to announce their film slate past Avengers 4 (2019), everyone expects Black Panther to have a huge presence in Phase 4. Well, there could be more Black Panther than most people are expecting.
In the comics, T'Challa's sister, Shuri, also takes on the mantle of the Black Panther. Shuri has already appeared in the MCU, and is likely going to play a large role in the Infinity War finale. Why only have one Black Panther?
8 RESURRECTIONS
One of the hardest parts about building a massive franchise like the MCU is knowing what characters fans will connect with. This is especially hard with villains, who don't survive their first appearances. Killmonger is a perfect example of this. Marvel has plenty of dead characters that audiences would love to see again.
Well, in comics, nobody stays dead, so why are the movies not following that rule? Whatever the solution to Thanos' snap ends up being will likely serve as the perfect opportunity to bring back some characters from the grave. It's finally time for agent Sitwell to get his revenge!
7 ASGARD ON EARTH
Thor's had a rough couple of movies. First, his mom passed, then his dad, and then Asgard was destroyed. Finally, the surviving Asgardians were caught by Thanos, who took out half of them. He might be the king, but his kingdom needs some help, big time.
While this might seem like the perfect time to end Asgard's story in the MCU, the franchise has never been more popular. Marvel Studios can pull from the comics, where Asgard was briefly relocated to Earth. Considering how few Asgardians are seemingly left at this point, this probably wouldn't be too big of a deal.
6 SUPERIOR SPIDER-MAN
Tom Holland's take on Peter Parker breathed new life into the wall-crawler's film career. Spider-Man actually has a pretty complicated status in the MCU, however. Sony still owns the film rights to the character, who is only being loaned to Disney. Sony, meanwhile, is launching their own Spider-Verse of films, suggesting they may want Peter Parker back at some point.
A temporary compromise could be for Marvel to adapt the Superior Spider-Man storyline, where Doc Ock switched brains with the hero. This way, Marvel could have the villainous Spider-Man for a while, while Sony introduces their own heroic version. It's a longshot, but crazier things have happened.