Marvel Cinematic Universe: Phase Four

• Core Identity: Phase Four of the Marvel Cinematic Universe serves as the sprawling, experimental epilogue to the Infinity Saga and the foundational prologue to the Multiverse Saga, exploring themes of grief, legacy, and cosmic consequence in a universe forever changed by the Blip.
• Key Takeaways:
• Role in the Universe: Phase Four's primary function is to deconstruct the aftermath of Avengers: Endgame, introducing a new generation of heroes while simultaneously expanding the canvas of the MCU into the infinite possibilities of the multiverse. It marks a deliberate shift from a singular, focused narrative (the Infinity Stones) to multiple, interwoven storylines.
• Primary Impact: Its most significant influence is the introduction of the multiverse as a core, franchise-altering concept, primarily through projects like `Loki`, `Spider-Man: No Way Home`, and `Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness`. It also established a new primary antagonist for the saga: Kang the Conqueror.
• Defining Features: Unlike previous phases, Phase Four is characterized by its dual-platform approach, deeply integrating feature films with high-budget Disney+ streaming series. This allowed for longer-form storytelling, deeper character studies, and the introduction of numerous heroes and concepts that might not have fit into a traditional film slate.

The initial slate for Phase Four was officially unveiled by Marvel Studios President Kevin Feige at San Diego Comic-Con on July 20, 2019. The presentation was a monumental event, outlining an ambitious two-year plan that, for the first time, gave equal weight to both theatrical films and exclusive streaming series on Disney+. The original slate included films like Black Widow, The Eternals, Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings, Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, and Thor: Love and Thunder, alongside series such as The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, WandaVision, Loki, What If…?, and Hawkeye. However, the global COVID-19 pandemic, beginning in early 2020, forced a complete overhaul of this meticulously planned schedule. Black Widow, intended to be the phase's kickoff in May 2020, was delayed by over a year. This unforeseen circumstance reshuffled the entire release calendar, leading to a significant domino effect. The Disney+ series WandaVision, originally slated to debut after The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, was pushed forward to become the official start of Phase Four in January 2021. This accidental reordering had profound narrative implications, as WandaVision's introspective and mysterious tone set a very different stage for the phase than the spy-thriller action of Black Widow would have. Throughout 2020 and 2021, Marvel Studios announced additional projects that would be incorporated into the Phase Four lineup, including Moon Knight, Ms. Marvel, and She-Hulk: Attorney at Law for Disney+, and confirmed the production of films like Spider-Man: No Way Home and a Fantastic Four reboot. The phase ultimately became much larger and more thematically diverse than initially announced, concluding not with Thor: Love and Thunder as many presumed, but with Black Panther: Wakanda Forever as its emotional and epic finale in late 2022. The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special served as a special presentation bookend for the phase.

While sometimes criticized for feeling disconnected compared to the tightly-woven Infinity Saga, Phase Four is unified by several powerful, recurring themes that explore the consequences of Endgame from both a macro and micro perspective.

A central pillar of Phase Four is the exploration of how its surviving heroes cope with the immense loss and trauma of the Infinity War and the Blip.

• Wanda Maximoff's arc in WandaVision is a direct, heartbreaking examination of her grief over Vision's death, leading her to enslave a town as a coping mechanism and ultimately embrace the dark power of the Scarlet Witch.
• Sam Wilson and Bucky Barnes in The Falcon and the Winter Soldier grapple with the legacy of Steve Rogers' shield and what it means for a Black man to take up that mantle in modern America.
• Clint Barton in Hawkeye is haunted by his actions as the violent vigilante Ronin during the Blip, a past he must confront when it threatens a new protégé, Kate Bishop.
• Peter Parker in Spider-Man: No Way Home faces the ultimate loss—the world forgetting his very existence—as a consequence of his attempts to reclaim his life after his identity was exposed.
• The entire premise of Black Panther: Wakanda Forever is a profound meditation on grief, both in-universe for the character of King T'Challa and in the real world for actor Chadwick Boseman, exploring how a nation and a family move forward after an immeasurable loss.

The most significant and far-reaching theme is the introduction and subsequent fracturing of the multiverse. This concept, once a theoretical aside, becomes the central conflict of the new saga.

• Loki established the foundational rules, introducing the Time Variance Authority (TVA), the “Sacred Timeline,” and the concept of Variants. The season finale, where Sylvie kills He Who Remains (a variant of Kang the Conqueror), is the inciting incident that shatters the timeline and unleashes the multiverse.
• The animated series What If…? explored the immediate potential of this fractured reality, showcasing a myriad of alternate universes and heroes.
• Spider-Man: No Way Home brought the consequences of the multiverse to a street level, pulling in characters from previous Sony Spider-Man film franchises in a spectacular and emotional crossover event.
• Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness dove headfirst into the horror and chaos of universe-hopping, introducing concepts like “dreamwalking” and “incursions”—cataclysmic events where two universes collide and destroy one another.

With cornerstone heroes like Tony Stark and Steve Rogers gone, Phase Four places a heavy emphasis on introducing new heroes and passing the torch.

• Yelena Belova (Natasha Romanoff's “sister”) is introduced in Black Widow, positioned as a new, more morally ambiguous Black Widow.
• Shang-Chi is introduced as the MCU's first Asian lead, bringing a unique blend of martial arts and mythological fantasy.
• Kate Bishop becomes Clint Barton's archery protégé, poised to eventually take on the Hawkeye mantle.
• Kamala Khan in Ms. Marvel provides a grounded, fan-centric perspective, representing the in-universe audience who grew up idolizing the Avengers.
• Other key introductions include America Chavez, Moon Knight (Marc Spector/Steven Grant), and She-Hulk (Jennifer Walters).

Phase Four is the largest phase to date, comprising seven films, eight live-action series, one animated series, and two “Special Presentations.”

Synopsis: Following the events of Endgame, Wanda Maximoff, in a state of profound grief, magically creates an idyllic suburban reality based on American sitcoms in the town of Westview, New Jersey, resurrecting a simulacrum of Vision and creating twin sons, Tommy and Billy. The series follows her journey through this fantasy and the investigation by S.W.O.R.D. to understand and contain the “Hex” anomaly.

Key Contributions: This series was a deep character study of Wanda, chronicling her transformation into the immensely powerful and prophesied Scarlet Witch. It introduced a grown-up Monica Rambeau (now empowered), the intelligence agency S.W.O.R.D., and the malevolent witch Agatha Harkness. It also introduced the Darkhold, a corrupting book of dark magic that becomes a key plot device in a later film.

Synopsis: Six months after receiving the shield from Steve Rogers, Sam Wilson struggles with the weight of the legacy, while Bucky Barnes confronts his past as the brainwashed Hydra assassin, the Winter Soldier. They team up to stop the Flag Smashers, a group of super-soldiers who believe life was better during the Blip, all while contending with the government's newly appointed, unstable Captain America, John Walker.

Key Contributions: The series culminated in Sam Wilson officially and publicly accepting the mantle, becoming the MCU's new Captain America. It introduced John Walker, who later becomes U.S. Agent, and the mysterious Contessa Valentina Allegra de Fontaine, who appears to be recruiting a team of anti-heroes (later revealed to be the Thunderbolts). It explored the socio-political implications of a Black man carrying the shield.

Synopsis: An alternate version of Loki, who escaped with the Tesseract in 2012 during the events of Endgame, is apprehended by the Time Variance Authority (TVA), an organization that protects the “Sacred Timeline.” He is forced to help hunt down a dangerous variant of himself, Sylvie, only to uncover a universe-altering conspiracy about the TVA's true purpose and its creator.

Key Contributions: This series is arguably the most important project of Phase Four for the overarching Multiverse Saga. It introduced the core mechanics of the MCU's multiverse, timelines, and variants. Most critically, it introduced He Who Remains, a variant of the time-traveling despot Kang the Conqueror, establishing him as the saga's “big bad.” The finale directly causes the fracturing of the Sacred Timeline, setting the stage for subsequent multiversal chaos.

Synopsis: A prequel set between the events of Captain America: Civil War and Avengers: Infinity War, the film follows Natasha Romanoff as she is forced to confront her dark past. She reunites with her surrogate family of Russian spies—Yelena Belova, Alexei Shostakov (Red Guardian), and Melina Vostokoff—to take down the Red Room and its sinister leader, Dreykov.

Key Contributions: While a look into the past, the film's main purpose was to serve as a send-off for Natasha Romanoff and to introduce her successor, Yelena Belova, who would go on to play a significant role in the Hawkeye series. It also introduced the formidable villain Taskmaster. The post-credits scene directly sets up Yelena's conflict with Clint Barton.

Synopsis: An animated anthology series narrated by Uatu the Watcher, exploring pivotal moments from the MCU's history and showing how they could have unfolded differently in alternate timelines created by the events of Loki. Episodes included “What If… Captain Carter Were The First Avenger?” and “What If… Zombies?!”.

Key Contributions: This series was a playground for the new multiversal rules, showcasing the infinite possibilities. It introduced key characters who would later appear in live-action, such as Captain Carter and a heroic variant of Thanos. The finale saw the Watcher break his oath and assemble the “Guardians of the Multiverse” to fight an Infinity Stone-powered Ultron, demonstrating the scale of multiversal threats.

Synopsis: Shang-Chi, a skilled martial artist living a quiet life in San Francisco, is drawn back into the world he fled when his father, Wenwu, the ancient and powerful leader of the Ten Rings organization, seeks to use the mythical Ten Rings to open a portal to a dark dimension.

Key Contributions: The film introduced Shang-Chi and his family, providing a fresh perspective rooted in wuxia and Chinese mythology. It completely retconned the “Mandarin” from Iron Man 3, revealing Wenwu as the genuine, centuries-old wielder of the powerful mystical artifacts. The post-credits scene integrated Shang-Chi into the wider MCU, with Wong, Bruce Banner, and Carol Danvers investigating the rings' mysterious origin, hinting at a cosmic beacon.

Synopsis: The Eternals, a race of immortal, super-powered beings created by the cosmic Celestials, have lived secretly on Earth for 7,000 years. Following the return of humanity in the Blip, their ancient enemies, the Deviants, resurface, forcing the scattered Eternals to reunite and confront the true, horrifying purpose of their mission on Earth.

Key Contributions: This film dramatically expanded the cosmic lore of the MCU. It introduced the Celestials as the literal creators of galaxies and the architects of life, revealing that Earth was an incubator for a new Celestial, Tiamut, whose “Emergence” would destroy the planet. It ended with the rogue Eternals stopping the birth but having to answer to the enraged Celestial, Arishem. The post-credits scene introduced Eros/Starfox (brother of Thanos) and Pip the Troll, and teased the introduction of Blade through a voice-only cameo.

Synopsis: Set during Christmas in New York City, a world-weary Clint Barton's holiday plans are derailed when a young archer, Kate Bishop, stumbles upon his old Ronin suit, attracting the attention of his old enemies. Clint is forced to team up with his number one fan to clean up the mess and get home to his family in time for Christmas.

Key Contributions: The series formally introduced Kate Bishop as Hawkeye's protégé and likely successor. It brought Vincent D'Onofrio's Kingpin from the Netflix Daredevil series more formally into the MCU canon, establishing him as the leader of the Tracksuit Mafia. It also followed up on Black Widow's post-credits scene, featuring a climactic and emotional confrontation between Clint and Yelena Belova. The series also introduced Maya Lopez (Echo), who would get her own spin-off series.

Synopsis: Following the public revelation of his identity as Spider-Man by Mysterio, Peter Parker's life is thrown into chaos. Desperate, he asks Doctor Strange to cast a spell to make the world forget, but the spell goes awry, tearing open the multiverse and pulling in villains from other universes who know Peter Parker is Spider-Man—including Green Goblin, Doctor Octopus, and Electro.

Key Contributions: A massive cultural and box-office event, this film fully realized the promise of the multiverse by bringing back Tobey Maguire and Andrew Garfield as their respective versions of Spider-Man. It provided emotional closure for their characters while serving as a devastating turning point for the MCU's Peter Parker, who ultimately chooses to have everyone, including his best friends, forget him entirely to protect them. This resets his character to a more classic, street-level, and isolated version of Spider-Man.

Synopsis: Steven Grant, a mild-mannered British museum gift shop employee, discovers he has dissociative identity disorder and shares a body with Marc Spector, a ruthless American mercenary. Marc is the avatar for the Egyptian moon god Khonshu, and they are drawn into a deadly mystery involving the cult leader Arthur Harrow, who serves the goddess Ammit.

Key Contributions: This series was a largely self-contained supernatural thriller that introduced a new corner of the MCU's mythology centered on Egyptian gods. It was lauded for Oscar Isaac's dual performance and its mature tone. The post-credits scene revealed a third, more violent alter, Jake Lockley, still in service to Khonshu, leaving the character's future open-ended.

Synopsis: Doctor Strange must protect America Chavez, a teenager with the unique ability to punch holes between universes, from a corrupted and relentless Scarlet Witch. Wanda, now fully in possession of the Darkhold, hunts America across the multiverse, intending to steal her power to be reunited with her children in another reality.

Key Contributions: This film showcased the dark side of the multiverse, featuring horror elements under the direction of Sam Raimi. It cemented Wanda's heel turn into a major antagonist, paying off her arc from WandaVision. It introduced America Chavez and the concept of incursions. A major fan-service moment included the introduction of the Illuminati of Earth-838 (featuring Professor X, Captain Carter, Black Bolt, and Reed Richards), who were then brutally slaughtered by Wanda, demonstrating her immense power.

Synopsis: Kamala Khan, a Pakistani-American teenager and Avengers fangirl from Jersey City, discovers a mystical bangle that unlocks her latent superpowers. She navigates her new life as a superhero while dealing with high school, family expectations, and a conflict involving interdimensional beings known as the Clandestines.

Key Contributions: The series introduced Kamala Khan, a fan-favorite character, with a vibrant and youthful tone. Critically, it retconned her powers' origin from the comics' Inhuman Terrigenesis to being unlocked by the bangle, and the finale revealed her to be a mutant, the first overt use of the term in the mainline MCU (Earth-616) in relation to a protagonist. The post-credits scene directly sets up her role in the film The Marvels, showing her mysteriously swapping places with Carol Danvers.

Synopsis: Thor, on a journey of self-discovery, is pulled back into action when a galactic killer known as Gorr the God Butcher begins a crusade to eliminate all gods. To combat the threat, Thor teams up with King Valkyrie, Korg, and his ex-girlfriend Jane Foster, who, to his surprise, is now wielding a reforged Mjolnir as the Mighty Thor.

Key Contributions: The film brought back Natalie Portman's Jane Foster and adapted her acclaimed Mighty Thor storyline from the comics, including her battle with cancer. It introduced the villain Gorr and the concept of Eternity, a cosmic entity that can grant any wish. The post-credits scene introduced Hercules, sent by a vengeful Zeus to hunt Thor, setting up a future conflict.

Synopsis: Jennifer Walters, a brilliant but single lawyer, has her life upended when an accidental cross-contamination with her cousin Bruce Banner's blood transforms her into the She-Hulk. The series follows her as she tries to balance her career as the head of a superhuman law division, her chaotic dating life, and her new identity as a superhero in a fourth-wall-breaking legal comedy.

Key Contributions: This series was a meta-commentary on the MCU itself, with She-Hulk frequently breaking the fourth wall to talk to the audience and, in the finale, directly to “K.E.V.I.N.,” a fictional AI representing Marvel Studios. It featured cameos from Wong, Abomination, and most notably, Daredevil (Matt Murdock), fully integrating him into the MCU post-Netflix. It also teased a storyline involving a mysterious “HulkKing” and the potential for a World War Hulk adaptation.

Synopsis: In the wake of King T'Challa's death, the nation of Wakanda is in mourning and vulnerable. Queen Ramonda, Shuri, M'Baku, Okoye, and the Dora Milaje must fight to protect their nation from intervening world powers and a new threat emerging from the hidden undersea nation of Talokan, led by its powerful king, Namor.

Key Contributions: Serving as the emotional finale for Phase Four, the film was a tribute to Chadwick Boseman while pushing the story forward. It saw Shuri grapple with her grief and anger to ultimately become the new Black Panther. It introduced the entire civilization of Talokan and its king, Namor, a major Marvel Comics character and one of the first mutants. It also introduced Riri Williams (Ironheart), a genius inventor who builds her own suit of armor. The mid-credits scene revealed that T'Challa had a son, Toussaint, being raised in secret by Nakia.

Phase Four dramatically expanded the roster of heroes, villains, and cosmic ideas within the MCU.

• Shang-Chi: The Master of Kung Fu and wielder of the Ten Rings.
• Yelena Belova: Natasha Romanoff's highly skilled “sister,” operating as a new Black Widow.
• Sam Wilson as Captain America: The official successor to Steve Rogers' mantle.
• Kate Bishop: A master archer and Clint Barton's protégé, co-holder of the Hawkeye title.
• The Eternals: A team of ten immortal superbeings, including Sersi, Ikaris, Kingo, and Thena.
• Moon Knight (Marc Spector / Steven Grant): The avatar of the Egyptian moon god Khonshu.
• America Chavez: A teenager with the power to travel the multiverse.
• Ms. Marvel (Kamala Khan): A teenage superhero with light-based powers and the MCU's first confirmed hero with the mutant gene.
• She-Hulk (Jennifer Walters): A lawyer who can transform into a powerful green superhuman.
• Jane Foster as The Mighty Thor: Wielder of Mjolnir while fighting cancer.
• Ironheart (Riri Williams): A teenage genius who builds an advanced suit of armor.
• Shuri as the Black Panther: The princess of Wakanda who takes on the mantle after her brother's death.

• He Who Remains: A variant of Kang who created the TVA to prevent a multiversal war against his other, more dangerous selves. His death unleashes the multiverse and sets up Kang as the saga's primary threat.
• The Scarlet Witch: Corrupted by the Darkhold, Wanda Maximoff becomes a nigh-unstoppable multiversal threat in her quest to find her children.
• Gorr the God Butcher: Wielder of the Necrosword, he seeks to kill all gods in the universe as revenge for their indifference.
• Namor: The powerful and long-lived mutant king of the undersea nation of Talokan, who declares war on the surface world to protect his people.
• Wenwu (The Mandarin): The true leader of the Ten Rings organization and Shang-Chi's father.
• Kingpin: The brutal crime lord of New York, revealed to have survived the events of Netflix's Daredevil.
• Contessa Valentina Allegra de Fontaine: A shadowy figure recruiting a team of anti-heroes and morally gray characters, including U.S. Agent and Yelena Belova.

While diverse, Phase Four laid the groundwork for several major future storylines that define the Multiverse Saga.

The most dominant thread is the birth of the Multiverse Saga. Loki was the opening shot, establishing the rules and the main villain. Spider-Man: No Way Home showed the emotional, character-driven potential of multiversal stories. Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness explored the cosmic horror and high stakes, introducing the concept of incursions, which will likely be a central mechanic leading to a potential Secret Wars event. The looming threat of Kang the Conqueror and his variants now hangs over the entire MCU.

A key question posed throughout Phase Four is: Who are the Avengers now? The original team is gone or scattered. The phase carefully introduced a host of new, younger heroes who could form the basis of a Young Avengers team, including Kate Bishop, Kamala Khan, America Chavez, and potentially the children of Wanda (Billy and Tommy) and Ant-Man (Cassie Lang, from Phase 3). Simultaneously, Valentina is clearly building a Thunderbolts team, a government-sponsored group of anti-heroes that could serve as a dark mirror to the Avengers. The official Avengers team remains unformed, creating a power vacuum in the MCU.

The MCU expanded dramatically beyond terrestrial and sci-fi threats. Eternals introduced the Celestials, beings who create and destroy galaxies, fundamentally changing the scale of the universe's power structure. Thor: Love and Thunder explored the pantheons of gods and cosmic entities like Eternity. On the other end of the spectrum, Moon Knight, Werewolf by Night, and elements of Multiverse of Madness opened the door to a supernatural horror corner of the MCU, involving gods, monsters, and dark magic, with characters like Blade on the horizon.

• the_infinity_saga
• phase_five
• multiverse
• kang_the_conqueror
• the_avengers
• disney_plus

^{1) 2) 3) 4) 5) 6) 7)}