Natalie Portman as Thor and a Blade reboot: Phase 4 of the Marvel Cinematic Universe explained
- As Avengers Endgame became the highest grossing film ever, Marvel shares details on the next phase of the MCU
- Scarlett Johansson’s Black Widow gets her own movie, while Angelina Jolie joins a star-studded cast for The Eternals
The Marvel Cinematic Universe certainly had a super weekend. Avengers: Endgame finally surpassed Avatar at the box office, making it the top grossing film of all time. As of Sunday, the comic-book film grossed US$2.79 billion to Avatar’s US$2.789 billion.
“A huge congratulations to the Marvel Studios and Walt Disney Studios teams, and thank you to the fans around the world who lifted Avengers: Endgame to these historic heights,” Disney Studios co-chairman and chief creative officer Alan Horn said.
The timing couldn’t have been better. Marvel Studios President Kevin Feige announced the news Saturday from a stage at Comic-Con in San Diego, before detailing the films comprising Phase 4 of the MCU, which includes a female Thor played by Natalie Portman and a Blade reboot helmed by two-time Oscar-winner Mahershala Ali. (Phase 3 ended with Spider-Man: Far from Home .)
Here’s everything we learned about Phase 4 of the Marvel franchise, broken down by movie.
Black Widow (May 1, 2020)
Scarlett Johansson’s Black Widow, a long-time staple of the Avengers films, will finally get a solo film. You’d be forgiven for being confused, given that the character (spoiler alert!) hurled herself off a cliff to certain death in Endgame. The plot of Black Widow actually takes place between the events of Captain America: Civil War and Endgame. It will follow Natasha Romanoff (Johansson) travelling to Budapest, where she meets fellow Red Room trainee Yelena Belova (Florence Pugh) and battles with the Red Guardian (David Harbour). In the comics, Belova eventually inherits the role of Black Widow following Romanoff’s death, so it’s a fair guess that Pugh, fresh from her starring role in Midsommar, will become a familiar face in the MCU.
The Eternals (November 6, 2020)
Casual MCU fans might not be familiar with the Eternals, a group of Greek godlike humanoids created by Jack Kirby in the 1970s. But they’re definitely familiar with the actors set to portray them: Angelina Jolie, Kumail Nanjiani, Salma Hayek, Brian Tyree Henry, Don Lee (aka Ma Dong-seok) and Richard Madden are just a few of the cast members.
Though it might seem strange for Marvel to load up a fairly unknown property with such big names, the strategy has proven successful before. It wasn’t long ago that the Guardians of the Galaxy characters were primarily known to comic-book readers. Now, they’re household names. Can Marvel capture lightning in a bottle twice? We’ll find out next November.
Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings (February 12, 2021)
This will be Marvel’s first Asian-led film. Simu Liu, a Canadian actor best known for Kim’s Convenience, will play Shang-Chi, the “master of kung fu” – another lesser-known character. The film will also feature Tony Leung Chiu-wai and Awkwafina.
Some critics have decried Marvel for having a lack of on-screen diversity, an issue Shang-Chi and the Legend of Ten Rings seems to address.
Doctor Strange and the Multiverse of Madness (May 7, 2021)
One of the few sequels announced so far for Phase 4, Doctor Strange and the Multiverse of Madness might be the first horror leaning film in Marvel’s oeuvre. “We’re gonna make the first scary MCU film,” director Scott Derrickson said.
Joining Benedict Cumberbatch as Doctor Strange is Elizabeth Olsen as the Scarlet Witch. (Although Feige also mentioned sequels to Black Panther and Captain Marvel along with a Fantastic Four film, he said he couldn’t offer further details, and it was unclear if they would be a part of Phase 4.)
Thor: Love and Thunder (November 5, 2021)
Perhaps the most surprising news out of Comic-Con is that Natalie Portman will portray Thor in the fourth entry of the series.
In the comic books, Jane Foster becomes Thor after the original Thor is deemed unworthy of wielding the hammer. It’s unclear if that will happen here; Chris Hemsworth will return as Thor for at least part of the film. All we know for sure is that Portman’s Foster, with the help of Tessa Thompson’s Valkyrie, will somehow earn the title (and Mjolnir). Taika Waititi will return to direct.
