The Marvel universe is about to get a whole lot bigger. And, a little more diverse, too. On Tuesday, the superhero factory announced its upcoming slate of movies at an event that rivaled an Apple product launch in both hype and secrecy. Marvel is calling this stretch of films "Phase Three," which officially begins after Avengers: Age of Ultron and Ant-Man hit theaters next summer, and will include all new franchises like Dr. Strange and Inhumans.
As Marvel gets set to ramp up its production from two films a year to three, and its films and characters become even more intertwined, there's a lot to unpack here. Luckily for you, our superpower just happens to be unpacking large Hollywood events. Here's what we learned:
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Marvel is getting even more progressive.
While the studio already features a diverse cast of superheroes in its stable, we've yet to see a standalone film with a female superhero or a superhero of color. That all changed yesterday, when Marvel head Kevin Feige announced Black Panther for November 2017, and Captain Marvel for July 2018. The former will feature Get on Up star Chadwick Boseman as the first major black superhero ever, while the role of Captain Marvel's Carol Danvers has yet to be cast. (Jennifer Lawrence, we see you.)
While the studio already features a diverse cast of superheroes in its stable, we've yet to see a standalone film with a female superhero or a superhero of color. That all changed yesterday, when Marvel head Kevin Feige announced Black Panther for November 2017, and Captain Marvel for July 2018. The former will feature Get on Up star Chadwick Boseman as the first major black superhero ever, while the role of Captain Marvel's Carol Danvers has yet to be cast. (Jennifer Lawrence, we see you.)
The honeymoon phase is over.
Fresh off defeating Loki in the first Avengers, and with their upcoming nemesis Ultron as good as dead, things should be pretty peachy in Avengers land. Not so. Marvel's superhero dream team is about to butt heads; first in Captain America: Civil War, which will pit Captain America against Iron Man, and then in Thor: Ragnarok, a reportedly game-changing movie in the Marvel universe. We'll have to wait until May 2018 to find out how how these films will affect the Marvel mythology as a whole, when Avengers: Infinity War Part 1 hits theaters. Part 2 will be released the following year.
Fresh off defeating Loki in the first Avengers, and with their upcoming nemesis Ultron as good as dead, things should be pretty peachy in Avengers land. Not so. Marvel's superhero dream team is about to butt heads; first in Captain America: Civil War, which will pit Captain America against Iron Man, and then in Thor: Ragnarok, a reportedly game-changing movie in the Marvel universe. We'll have to wait until May 2018 to find out how how these films will affect the Marvel mythology as a whole, when Avengers: Infinity War Part 1 hits theaters. Part 2 will be released the following year.
Guardians of the Galaxy are officially Marvel's cool kids.
Yesterday's loudest ovation occurred when the sequel to this year's biggest movie was announced. Star-Lord and Co. return for more intergalactic shenanigans in May 2017, and might even make an appearance in the third and fourth Avengers films. If Marvel's mission is to make our heads explode, mission accomplished.
Yesterday's loudest ovation occurred when the sequel to this year's biggest movie was announced. Star-Lord and Co. return for more intergalactic shenanigans in May 2017, and might even make an appearance in the third and fourth Avengers films. If Marvel's mission is to make our heads explode, mission accomplished.