Previewing Phase 5 of the MCU

With the conclusion of Phase 4, the first phase of the Multiverse Saga, we have a decent idea of where the MCU is going. We know that Kang the Conqueror is the next big villain and we know we're going to see him immediately. As of right now, we know we're getting six films and seven series with several returning heroes, including a few long-awaited returns at the end of 2024. I have opinions on these shows, so I want to look at what we know about these next few adventures and talk about how excited I am for each one. 

Films

Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania (February 17, 2023)

We are mere days away from Ant-Man returning for his third stand-alone film as we kick off the next chapter of the MCU. Paul Rudd has often infused a great amount of humor into his film but this feels like his biggest fight to date as he is set to face off with Kang. Michael Douglas, Evangeline Lilly, and Michelle Pfeiffer will all return as Hank Pym, Hope van Dyne, and Janet van Dyne, respectively. The big changes are the elevated role of Cassie Lang and the recasting of the role, now played by Kathryn Newton. It's an interesting change but it does provide a little bit more star power to the film. As the film suggests, we'll be venturing back into the Quantum Realm as they encounter Kang, played by Jonathan Majors. I'm stoked to see Majors in this role, especially after the performance he put in during the final episode of Loki. We'll also see Bill Murray enter the MCU and Casey Stoll return as M.O.D.O.K. after playing Yellowjacket in the first Ant-Man film. I've already purchased my ticket and am excited to see this one. I'm expecting a good balance of humor and action with a scene-stealing performance from Majors. Excitement Level- 8/10

Guardians of the Galaxy, Vol. 3 (May 5, 2023)

This is likely the end of the Guardians of the Galaxy as we know them. With Dave Bautista already stating this would be his final time portraying Drax, the future of the team is uncertain. The future doesn't make me look past what should be an excellent film. The story seems to focus on Rocket's past and it will cause the team to go on another huge adventure. Along with the returning Guardians, including the version of Gamora we saw during Endgame, the Sovereign, and Cosmo the Spacedog, we're also being introduced to Adam Warlock, played by Will Poulter. Warlock plays a major part in the fight against Thanos in some of the comics, so to see him in this capacity is something to look forward to. The first two volumes are some of the MCU's best work, thanks largely to the direction of James Gunn. These are some of the most thought-out characters in the MCU and there are likely to be a lot of character arcs coming full circle with this possibly being their last time together. This also means there's a good chance that someone is going to die because I just have that feeling. It's the same feeling I had during Endgame. Only time will tell if my hunch is correct. Excitement Level- 8.5/10

The Marvels (July 28, 2023)

Ms. Marvel was one of my favorite shows during Phase 4. Now, we're getting the team-up that was teased after the final episodes of both the aforementioned show starring Iman Vellani and WandaVision with Teyonah Parris returning as Monica Rambeau. The two newcomers paired with Brie Larson coming back for more as Captain Marvel should make for a very interesting team. Not much has been released about the film yet other than it'll the three stars coming together to take on Zawe Ashton, who has been cast as the villain. While all of the heroes are returning, as well as Samuel L. Jackson, I think I'm more excited for the return of Kamala Khan's family. They are one of my favorite parts of the show because of how supportive they are of their daughter. I'm interested to see how much of a role they play in this film. I'm all in for this one and am ready for July to roll around already. Excitement Level- 9/10

Captain America: New World Order (May 3, 2024)

The story of Sam Wilson continues as he gets his first solo film since taking over the mantle of Captain America. After a successful outing in The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, Anthony Mackie returns to pick up where the series left off. I would imagine we'll see Sebastian Stan return also, though I couldn't find anything to confirm that. Emily Van Camp also isn't listed on the cast list but given the ending of the show, I anticipate she'll play a large part in the film. Harrison Ford will make his MCU debut as Thaddeus Ross, taking over the role after the passing of William Hurt. Time Blake Nelson will also reprise his role as Samuel Sterns from The Incredible Hulk. We'll also be introduced to Sabra, an Israeli mutant, played by Shira Haas. There isn't much that has been released about the plot of the film. My guess is Sharon Carter will be revealed to be a twist villain as she leads some group to try and take over the government now that she's been pardoned. The presence of Sabra also leads me to believe Israel will be involved somehow. I've always loved the style of Captain America films, so I'm expecting nothing less from this one. Excitement Level- 9/10

Thunderbolts (July 26, 2024)

The current synopsis for the film reads "A group of supervillains is recruited to go on missions for the government". This reads to me like Marvel's version of Suicide Squad. I'm hoping for something closer to the second Suicide Squad than the first. Given the lineup of characters set to return, I have much higher hopes. The original lineup for the group includes the Winter Soldier (Sebastian Stan), John Walker (Wyatt Russell), Yelena Belova (Florence Pugh), Red Guardian (David Harbour), Taskmaster (Olga Kurylenko), Ghost (Hannah John-Kamen), and Valentina Allegra de Fontaine (Julia Louis-Dreyfus). There are conflicting reports that Ghost might not be in it, so there could be later changes. With this being a new team with major attitudes, there's sure to be conflicting ideas and dissension among the ranks. There isn't much info available since filming hasn't begun, so we'll see what we learn soon. Excitement Level- 7.5/10

Blade (September 6, 2024)

We got our first "look" at Blade during the end-credit scene of Eternals as Mahershala Ali made a voice appearance while talking to Dane Whitman, though we never actually see him. This is our re-introduction to the vampire hunter after Wesley Snipes portrayed Blade in a trilogy during the late 90s and early 2000s. As a vampire-immune human, Blade is impervious to vampire bites. We know the bare minimum about this one. Outside of Ali in the title role and the Ebony Blade playing a part in the plot, I'm not sure what else to expect. Maybe we'll see Kit Harrington reprise his role as Whitman. Maybe we'll get a cameo from Snipes. Maybe none of that happens. We don't know quite what to expect yet. Excitement Level- 7/10

TV Series

What If...? Season 2

While I didn't love the first season, it doesn't mean I'm not still looking forward to the second season. For the second nine-episode run, we already know we're getting a story about Steve Rogers being a villain in the Hydrastomper and the story about Gamora that we were supposed to get in the first season. I think we'll see some of the same characters from the first season get additional episodes or possibly some of the new heroes that have been introduced during Phase 4 will get their own episodes. This is a tougher show to get details on because it's a new episode each week. With season one being the trial run, I'm expecting more from this show during these next nine episodes. Excitement Level- 6/10

Secret Invasion

The MCU has adapted many pre-existing Marvel storylines into their shows and movies but this is going to be something special. Secret Invasion will follow an invasion of Skrulls on Earth with Samuel L. Jackson returning in a starring role as Nick Fury. The story is said to come after Far From Home and a follow-up to Captain Marvel, both of which feature Talos, a Skrull played by Ben Mendelsohn. In the second Spider-Man film, it's revealed that Talos and his wife, Soren, were pretending to be Fury and Maria Hill, giving us an idea of what they're capable of. I'm most excited for Emilia Clarke making her MCU debut as Abigail Brand. I'm a big fan of Clarke, so seeing her join one of my favorite universes is fun for me. Jackson is one of the strongest performers in the entire MCU and seeing him back in this role is going to be a blast. Excitement Level- 7.5/10

Loki Season 2

Another show getting a second season, it's never a bad thing to have Loki on the screen. Even though he's dead in the MCU (for now), I can appreciate that they still have plenty for Tom Hiddleston to do with this character. With the first season ending with the introduction of Kang the Conqueror and his many variants, the second season is said to pick up where they left off as Loki and Sylvie, mostly Sylvie, destroyed the timeline and must now face the consequences. All of the regulars from Season 1 look like they're returning, including Owen Wilson, Gugu Mbatha-Raw, and Sophia Di Martino. I'm especially interested to see what Ravonna Renslayer is up to after she exited through a door in the finale. I also hope we get to see Jonathan Majors as one of the Kang variants, maybe even as Kang himself. The first season was one of the best of Phase 4, so the expectations are high for the second time around. Excitement Level- 9/10

Ironheart

After her introduction as a genius in Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, Riri Williams returns for her own series with Dominique Thorne reprising her role from the Black Panther sequel. Not much is known about the plot but it seems like the villain is going to be Parker Robbins, or The Hood, played by Anthony Ramos. This brings about a lot of interesting possibilities since The Hood is known to have an expansive crime syndicate in the comics. This could lead to some interesting cameos if the MCU decides to go in that direction. The series is set to take place after the events of Wakanda Forever, so it could see Williams returning to normal life after helping to save Wakanda. I'm not sure what to expect from this or what the tone of the series will be. Just like many other projects during Phase 4, I'm hoping this leads to the eventual creation of the Young Avengers. Excitement Level- 8.10

Echo

Maya Lopez, played by Alaqua Cox, was one of my favorite new additions during Phase 4. She is such an interesting character with a tragic backstory. Echo is set to return home to Oklahoma and get in touch with her Native American roots after leading the Tracksuit Mafia. To my knowledge, I don't think we've seen much of a focus on Native Americans in the MCU, so this is a new challenge for them. Along with the return of Lopez, we also know we'll be getting more Kingpin and Daredevil in the series with Vincent D'Onofrio and Charlie Cox returning. Even after Maya shot him in the finale of Hawkeye, we never did see a body, so it's no surprise that Kingpin survived. I'm intrigued by how Daredevil will fit into the series and how big of a role it will be. This continues the trend of spin-offs from other shows but this one is a series I'm particularly excited for. Excitement Level- 9/10

Agatha: Coven of Chaos

Another spin-off for a character from Phase 4, Agatha Harkness steps into the spotlight as the main character after playing the villain in WandaVision. I'm not sure what direction the series will go in. I wouldn't be surprised if this is a prequel set before Wanda Maximoff entraps everyone in Westview. It could also explore Agatha escaping the "prison" Wanda placed her in by forcing her to revert to her Agnes persona. Aubrey Plaza has been cast as the villain of the series, which is interesting since Agatha is clearly a villain in her own right. Kathyrn Hahn is always fun in whatever role she's cast in, so I know she'll take whatever she's given and run with it. Excitement Level- 6.5/10

Daredevil: Born Again 

The only show announced for 2024 is also the MCU's longest to date. After a three-season run on Netflix, Daredevil is finally getting his own show within the MCU with Charlie Cox returning as the star. It's been made very clear that this isn't the fourth season of the previously canceled show. Vincent D'Onofrio is also set to return as Kingpin and the show's main antagonist. The season is set to run for 18 episodes, twice as long as any other show in the MCU. With a show that long, I'd expect them to release two episodes each week, unless they plan on releasing an episode per week for over four months. Not much has been announced surrounding the story but something to watch closely is how many of the other characters from other canceled Marvel Netflix shows return. Could we get a reunion of the Defenders? Maybe. Excitement Level- 9/10