Deadpool 3
Dir. Shawn Levy Release Date: November 8, 2024
The thirty-sixth film of the franchise, and the introduction of Wade Wilson (Ryan Reynolds) to the MCU.
This will also be the franchise’s first R-rated film, confirmed in November 2020.
In September of 2022, Reynolds broke the news that Hugh Jackman would be reprising his role as Wolverine.
While some fans are concerned about using the character after the events of Logan, many of them are subdued by the fact they’ll see this iconic duo together on screen.
One of the writers of the film, Rhett Reese, states that the focus of the film will primarily introducing Wilson to the wide cast of the MCU.
The story will be centered on how he feels like a fish out of water in this new universe.
Fantastic Four
Dir. Matt Shakman (speculatively) Release Date: February 14, 2025
Oh boy we’re in deep now.
Fantastic Four is slotted to be the thirty-seventh entry of the MCU, and the first time these characters will be together in the MCU.
While they’ve been teased previously, they’re finally able to make their feature debut after Disney purchased 20th Century Fox for $71.3 billion in March of 2019.
Featuring John Krasinski as Reed Richards, Jai Courtney as Ben Grimm, Emily Blunt as Susan Storm, and Zac Efron as Johnny Storm.
Another notable character on the roster is Victor von Doom, portrayed by Cillian Murphy.
It’s understandable Doom’s going to be the antagonist, but it is worth noting that this is the third reboot of Fantastic Four (including the unreleased ’94 version) and every time Doom’s been the primary villain.
I’m sure up until now it’s been licensing issues, but it leaves non-comic readers wondering if they fight anyone else.
But again, Doom must be introduced here, as he’s likely going to be the antagonistic force of the entire phase.
Something else worth noting is that Kevin Feige said that this film is not an origin story, implying they’re relying on the general public’s baseline knowledge of the group.
Which I think is a good thing!
If you enjoyed the previous films (shoutout 2005 version), or if you’ve never seen them, you can likely agree the first hour doesn’t need to be bogged down with heavy exposition.
If it were a story about lesser-known characters then sure, this may not have been the route to go.
But The Fantastic Four have consistently permeated through pop culture since their inception, and even if you don’t know how they got their powers, you already likely know what powers they have.
Avengers: The Kang Dynasty
Dir. Destin Daniel Cretton Release Date: May 2, 2025
Avengers: Secret Wars
Dir. Unlisted Release Date: May 1, 2026
Much isn’t known about these two films yet.
It can’t be said what numbered film they’ll be, as there’s three other untitled movies in production.
Even calling these Avengers films is unconfirmed, as currently it’s just a placeholder until they decide on a name for the current ensemble group.
They will serve as the finale pieces of the phase, much like Infinity War and Endgame were for Phase.
