Marvel and DC seemed locked in an eternal struggle to continually one up each other.
First Marvel announced that Robert Downey Jr. had signed on to star alongside Chris Evans in Captain America 3.
DC followed up that announcement with one of its own. DC laid out its entire slate of upcoming movies. Officially announcing for the first time movies for the Suicide Squad, Aquaman, Wonder Woman, the Flash, Cyborg and Green Lantern, along with the revelation that The Justice League would be split into two movies.
Less than two weeks after that announcement, Marvel came over the top and laid out the entire third phase of its cinematic universe. And, as a professed Marvel fanboy, I went absolutely nuts. Here is the slate of movies Marvel unveiled yesterday.
- May 06, 2016: Captain America: Civil War
- November 04, 2016: Doctor Strange
- May 05, 2017: Guardians of the Galaxy 2
- July 28, 2017: Thor: Ragnarok
- November 03, 2017: Black Panther
- May 04, 2018: Avengers: Infinity War, Part 1
- July 06, 2018: Captain Marvel
- November 02, 2018: Inhumans
- May 03, 2019: Avengers: Infinity War, Part 2
Nine movies. Marvel unveiled nine movies at a time when some have said the super hero genre is dying out. Between Marvel and DC’s upcoming releases, I think that super hero movies are going to be around for a long time.
Here are some other tidbits of info from Marvel’s event.
- Chadwick Boseman will be playing the Black Panther. He will make his debut in costume in Captain America: Civil War.
- Captain Marvel will focus on Carol Danvers, who has yet to be cast.
- No official announcement was made on Benedict Cumberbatch securing the role of Doctor Strange.
- There are still no plans for standalone Hulk or Black Widow movies, though the Hulk will be a part of both Avengers: Infinity War
I didn’t think that Marvel would release as much information as it did. I hope Marvel didn’t release the information solely in response to DC. Either way, I’m more excited than I should be for a bunch of movies that so far off. But I really can’t help it.
I love Marvel’s Cinematic Universe. As long as it keeps making quality films, I will keep seeing them multiple times in the theater and purchasing the Blu-rays (or 4K discs in the future).
Here are some of my thoughts about Marvel’s upcoming Phase Three.
- I wonder if the Civil War will be contained to one movie, with all of its repercussions felt throughout all of Phase 3.
- What does the king of Wakanda have to do with the Civil War?
- Asgard might meet its end in Thor: Ragnarok. It would be cool if Asgard ended up floating over Oklahoma, which could lead into Avengers: The Siege.
- With the success of Guardians of the Galaxy, Marvel is going to keep looking towards outer space. Both Inhumans and Captain Marvel should be fairly space-centered.
- I am so excited for Captain Marvel. Next to Jean Grey, Carol Danvers is my favorite female super hero.
- Captain Marvel and Inhumans both come out between Part 1 and Part 2 of Avengers: Infinity War. I wonder if those characters will be introduced in Part 1, fleshed out in their own movies and then become a bigger part of Part 2.
- Thanos is such a big bad that he’s getting two movies. That seems rather fitting.
As I’ve stated many times, I love Marvel’s Cinematic Universe. Even the worst of the bunch are still thoroughly entertaining. Marvel has been working its plan ever since the first Iron Man and it hasn’t let me down yet. I’ve got faith that I’ll still be as excited for Avengers: Infinity War, Part 2 as I am for Avengers: Age of Ultron and as I was for the first Avengers.
What do you think of Marvel’s Phase Three?
Was jumping with excitement when they announced the phase 3:D
I think the Black Panther and the Inhumans will both make fantastic subjects for films. I know nothing about male or female Captains Marvel, but hooray for a female superhero headling a movie. It’s far past time (and I will admit inexcusable that DC hasn’t done so with Wonder Woman).
On the other hand, both companies’ recent film slate announcements strike me as a little silly. When did we start planning our moviegoing through 2019 or even beyond?