The latest video released by Marvel Studios is a triumph of emotional communication. The entry opens the movie of the late Stan Lee, a social animal, one of the cartoonists icon of his generation: “I love being with people“, dice, “it’s the most amazing thing in the world. And the world can change and evolve but there is one thing that will never change: we are all part of a big family “. Images of the most disparate protagonists of the Marvel Cinematic Universe follow one another, always in mutual aid, in mutual aid. Looks full of empathy and passion, hugs, necessary support. “We are Groot “, says the anthropomorphic tree voiced by Vin Diesel, giving credit and support to Lee’s words, which continues addressing us all from the past: “That man next to you is your brother. That woman over there is your sister. We are all part of a universe that aims upward and towards greater glory“.
Then, under the voice of Stan Lee, Marvel Studios reminds us that “it is necessary to escape to get lost in a story, to share moments that we will always remember“, and it does so by arriving at the Endgame’s amazing sequence of Avengers Assemble, showing the communion of the experience in the room, amid the cheers of the fans, all together, united side by side and separated only by the armrests of a cinema chair to witness something they will never forget. This is partly the meaning of cinema: we need it now and Kevin Feige’s studio is deeply aware of it, so much so that it chooses a message of closeness and sharing to officially finalize Phase 4 of the MCU, with new titles, logos and release dates.
Screams and Wonders
The video shows what has been anticipated, then what will be, thus underlining the irrepressible and substantial work of the Marvel creative and productive machine, which even if forced to make changes and postponements under the Coronavirus Pandemic, has never stopped. As we know, Cate Shortland’s Black Widow is the only Marvel cinecomic ready to land on Disney + in VIP Access on July 9, 2021, simultaneously with a theatrical release. The video reveals some unedited sequences of the project, now close to release after more than a year of waiting.
And on September 3 it will then be the turn of the intriguing Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings by Destin Daniel Cretton, whose new unpublished scenes almost seem to confirm the possibility of an international and secret martial arts tournament at the center of the plot.
The most substantial news, however, comes from the first official sequences of The Eternals by Chloe Zhao, thanks to which we can give a first look in action to many of the protagonists both in civilian clothes and in stage costumes, da Richard Madden ad Angelina Jolie, and Salma Hayek fino in Kumail Nanjiani.
There seems to be an incredible cinematic care, and on the other hand we could not expect anything different from Zhao, fresh winner of the Academy Award for Best Director for the beautiful Nomadland. The film’s release is scheduled for November 5, 2021, perhaps in Italy a few days earlier.
So far we are still the current year but above all the titles that have almost completed the post-production phase. The last Marvel cinecomic of 2021 still entirely to be post-produced is instead Spider-Man: No Way Home di Jon Watts, among the most anticipated films because it was the first to open and deepen the Multiverse on the big screen after a skimpy streaming introduction on WandaVision (instead we need to understand what Loki will do). The third installment of the franchise with Tom Holland will be released on December 17, 2021, closing the first cinematic year of Phase 4 of the MCU.
They will come later Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness (March 25, 2022) e Thor: Love and Thunder by Taika Waititi, which the director himself defined as probable “best Marvel cinecomic “ (May 6, 2022). From here on, in conclusion, the great and substantial news.
Surprisingly, in the video, Marvel Studios have in fact revealed the title and the official logo of the Black Panther sequel, which we remember will be again written and directed by Ryan Coogler and will be called Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, subtitle chosen certainly to honor the memory of the defunto Chadwick Boseman and give an epic and meaningful cut to the continuation of the story, which is cloaked in the now most famous battle cry of the MCU. The film will be released on July 8, 2022, although currently we do not yet know who will inherit the role of Black Panther after T’Challa, but we suspect that we will have news about it shortly.
November 11, 2022 will then be the turn of The Marvels by Nia DaCosta, nothing more than the official sequel to Captain Marvel with Brie Larson. The title is unexpected but more than sensible and indeed anticipates key roles for Monica Rambeau/Photon (Teyonah Parris) and per Ms. Marvel (Iman Vellani), also reminding you of the debut of the latter next autumn in the Disney + series of the same name.
Finally, the logos and official dates of 2023 of the latest titles: Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania (February 17, 2023) e Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 (May 5, 2023).
The reboot of Jon Watts’ Fantastic 4 is the only one not to have a release date, but following the Marvel schedule, a launch window for November or December 2023 is presumed, even if in these parts we would prefer a nice 4/04/2024, so as to perfectly close Phase 4 of the MCU on the most appropriate date possible.
And yes, you got it right: with 11 films on the schedule, Phase 4 should definitely end with The fantastic Four, leaving for the future and therefore for Phase 5 the announced Blade with Mahershala Ali, whose logo does not even appear in the video because it is intended for the next evolution of the Marvel Studios film project.