With Phase Four of the Marvel Cinematic Universe now over, you might be wondering exactly what it accomplished. From January 2021 to November 2022, Marvel Studios released 18 projects, an output almost equal to the entire 11-year MCU before it. But, without an Avengers film to wrap everything up in the end, it’s hard to say or quantify what happened. We’re here to lay it all out on the table—and, spoiler alert, it’s probably way more than you remember.
Over the course of seven movies, nine shows, and two specials, Phase Four of the MCU was a lot, to put it mildly. Phase Five begins with the release of next week’s Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania. Before that though, we thought it might be interesting to go project by project and break down what’s left on the table: all of the dangling storylines, broad concepts, and new characters who’ve been added to the already robust 21-film story. All of this comes before even more new characters like Fantastic Four and Deadpool join the mix in the coming years.
Join us now on a trip back over the wild, massive stretch forever known as Phase Four of the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
2 / 21
Start date: January 15, 2021
What it’s about: After losing Vision to Thanos, a grieving Wanda creates an alternate reality where she and Vision live together, only for it to slowly come apart.
Major new characters introduced (but not killed): Agatha Harkness, older Monica Rambeau, Quicksilver/Ralph, Billy and Tommy, White Vision.
Major new concepts introduced: The Scarlet Witch. The idea that Wanda is able to create and control so much. Her ability to... sort of create life? Also, the idea of actual magic in the MCU and the first tease of the eventual X-Men in Quicksilver.
Analysis: Being as it was the first story told in Phase Four, many of WandaVisions’ stories and characters have already continued—most notably in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness—while others, such as Monica, Agatha, and the alternate Vision, have projects of their own on the way. Basically, more than anything else on this list, WandaVision is the show that has seen the most continuation and payoff in its story.
Running Total: In this slot, we’re going to keep a running total of new, major characters now on the table for the future MCU. We disqualify anyone who dies in the story, and if they’re been previously revealed. So, going by the list above, six.
Watch WandaVision here.
3 / 21
Start date: March 19, 2021
What it’s about: After the “death” of Steve Rogers as Captain America, the Falcon and Winter Soldier team up to stop a group of people who think life was better during the Blip. By the end, Sam Wilson takes over the mantle of Captain America.
Major new characters introduced (but not killed): New Captain America, U.S. Agent, Lt. Torres, Valentina Allegra de Fontaine, Isaiah Bradley, Power Broker.
Major new concepts introduced: Jeez, where to begin? Well, the new Captain America, of course; the idea of the Cap super-serum being used in soldiers decades before; Valentina’s nefarious overarching plans; Sharon Carter as some kind of supervillain.
Analysis: Much like WandaVision before it, some of the fallout from this show has already taken its place on the calendar. The fourth Captain America movie, as well as Thunderbolts, will see many of these characters—if not all of these characters—return in some form.
Running Total: We’re not gonna count old characters becoming new personas (like Sam and Sharon), so, conservatively, let’s go with four, bringing the total to 10.
Watch The Falcon and the Winter Soldier here.
4 / 21
Start date: June 9, 2021
What it’s about: An alternate version of Loki who stole the Tesseract in 2012 ends up on an adventure through the multiverse governed by a group called the Time Variance Authority. Alternate Loki meets and befriends multiple versions of himself, including a woman he falls in love with, and ends up unlocking the multiverse in a showdown with Kang.
Major new characters introduced (but not killed): Many Lokis, including the main one and Sylvie. Also Mobius, Renslayer, B-15, Miss Minutes, and Kang.
Major new concepts introduced: That the MCU is a Multiverse. That every character has infinite versions of themselves. That one agency is responsible for controlling all of it. That Loki, despite being killed in the main universe, could come back.
Analysis: Season one of Loki ended with the tease that a second season would be coming, so some of the show’s many dangling threads will be continued soon. Plus, Kang is coming back in Phase Five. So, again, we’re seeing the fruits of this story play out for the most part, at least in the show. As for the larger MCU, time will tell.
Running Total: A hero Loki was already around, and I’m only going to count one other Loki (Sylvie), so we’ll say another six, bringing the total to 16.
Watch Loki here.
5 / 21
Release date: July 9, 2021
What it’s about: Set after the events of Captain America: Civil War, but before the Avengers movie where Black Widow dies, it follows Widow and her family on a mission to get to the bottom of a plot where other assassins like her are being mind controlled.
Major new characters introduced (but not killed): Yelena, Red Guardian, Taskmaster.
Major new concepts introduced: Because this story is sandwiched between other MCU movies, some of its larger concepts—like an army of Black Widows being mind-controlled—have been taken care of by the end. But, they happened.
Analysis: Yelena returned almost instantly in Hawkeye and several of the other characters, like Red Guardian and Taskmaster, will come back in Thunderbolts. So we’re seeing these seeds bearing fruit as well, especially in how some of the choices here reshaped Widow’s role and mindset in Avengers: Infinity War and Endgame.
Running Total: Three new characters here makes 19 total.
Watch Black Widow here.
6 / 21
Start date: August 11, 2021
What it’s about: An animated series telling alternate versions of stories we’ve seen in the MCU with mostly pre-established characters.
Major new characters introduced (but not killed): Literally too many to count, but mainly, the Watcher.
Major new concepts introduced: Jumping off from the ideas in Loki, this multiverse set show confirms that seemingly every character has multiple versions of themselves—and, all across the multiverse, major battles are happening at all times.
Analysis: If taken on a story-by-story basis, there are truly too many consequences to the events of What If on the MCU to count. Infinite even. But a second season is on the way so we’ll see if it continues to add upon previous stories, or only tell new stories.
Running Total: Again, there are infinite new characters, but since there is one big, overarching character in every episode, we’re going to just count him, bringing the total to 20.
Watch What If here.
7 / 21
Release date: September 3, 2021
What it’s about: A young man whose family has controlled powerful, mystical rings for centuries takes control of them to stop an alternate dimension of evil from coming into our world.
Major new characters introduced (but not killed): Basically everyone because this is a full new hero introduction, but mainly Shang-Chi, Katy, Xialing, and Ying Nan.
Major new concepts introduced: The concept and legend of the Ten Rings themselves as well as the crime organization, the land, and people of Ta Lo.
Analysis: End credits scenes here establish a new leader of the Ten Rings and ask some interesting questions about the origin of the Rings themselves, none of which has been followed up on to date, nor is there any logical place to do so. Yet. Simu Liu, who plays Shang-Chi, has suggested he’ll be back for the 5th Avengers but that’s some time away.
Running Total: Four big ones (who survive) bringing the total to 24.
Watch Shang-Chi here.
8 / 21
Release date: November 5, 2021
What it’s about: Immortal beings are sent to Earth to protect it from a group of monsters called the Deviants, but all is not as it seems and the heroes must decide whether (or not) to save (or destroy) Earth itself.
Major new characters introduced (but not killed): Again, basically all of them. Sersi, Kingo, Sprite, Phastos, Makkari, Druig, Thena, Arishem, Dane Whitman, Eros, Pip the Troll.
Major new concepts introduced: Where to start? That Eternals exist at all, not just on Earth, but everywhere. That there are greater beings called Celestials with some level of control over existence. There are events called Emergences that destroy planets. Oh, and that one of the Celestials is now permanently an island somewhere in the ocean. I’m sure we’re missing some beyond that.
Analysis: Eternals has, by far, the biggest overarching implications not just on the MCU on Earth, but the greater galaxy around it. We’re talking immortal superhuman beings all over the galaxy. And yet, despite a few small references in other shows, there is no clue where, or if, these stories or characters will return.
Running Total: We’re going to add 11 survivors upping the total to 35.
Watch Eternals here.
9 / 21
Start date: November 24, 2021
What it’s about: Hoping to enjoy a nice holiday with his family, Clint Barton is forced to deal with his actions during the Blip when his old Ronin costume reemerges. Along the way, he teams up with Kate Bishop who becomes the new Hawkeye
Major new characters introduced (but not killed): Kate Bishop, Jack Duquesne, Maya Lopez/Echo, Kingpin.
< Source: Gizmodo