Moviegoers are still recovering from the events of Avengers: Endgame, which arrived in theaters two weeks ago. The Russo Brothers managed to do the impossible, and included everything and the kitchen sink in the high stakes movie. What resulted was an ambitious blockbuster that had deep cut references to tons of past Marvel installments.
But now that Endgame has hit theaters, there are still a ton of narrative questions that fans are asking. Marvel Studios hasn't revealed its plans for Phase Four, and smart money says we won't hear much until Spider-Man: Far From Home arrives in theaters in July. Now Disney CEO Bob Iger has given some indication of when the plans for the MCU's future will be revealed. Without giving a date, Iger said he's "guessing they will announce later this summer."
This is pretty exciting news, as it means that the public only has a few months left to wait and wonder what might be coming down the pipeline for the behemoth shared universe. And Bob Iger's comments from Disney's Q2 conference call (via Seeking Alpha) however vague, give some idea about when to expect concrete information regarding Phase Four.
The Marvel Cinematic Universe brought serialized storytelling to theaters, and it's a method that various other studios and franchises have attempted in the decade since Iron Man debuted. Part of Marvel's typical strategy is to reveal full Phases of films in advance, allowing moviegoers to known exactly when each blockbuster is expected to arrive in theaters, and usually their titles.
But Phase Four is a total mystery at the time of writing this story, as Marvel Studios hasn't revealed its plans in the post-Endgame world. Ahead of the release of The Russo Brothers' pair of Avengers movies, it was revealed that the MCU's next phase wouldn't be revealed in advance, as the titles had the potential to spoil the events of Infinity War and/or Endgame. But now that the movies arrived and the spoiler ban has been lifted, the fans are going to get antsy about still being kept in the dark.
Related: Marvel's 2020 Movie Schedule Will Be A Little Different Than What We're Used To
This summer makes sense as an appropriate time for Marvel to unveil its plans for Phase Four, as there is still one more blockbuster coming down the pipeline: Spider-Man: Far From Home. While it was originally teased to be the first entry in the new slate of movies, Jon Watts' upcoming sequel is actually the final installment in Phase Three. As such, we shouldn't expect the studio to reveal the next release schedule until after that project arrives.
The MCU is very methodical about when new information is released, with each new blockbuster given its change to take the spotlight. And considering how much of the world was changed throughout the events of Infinity War and Endgame, there's no telling what might come next.
Avengers: Endgame is in theaters now, and Spider-Man: Far From Home will follow suit on July 2nd. In the meantime, check out our 2019 release list to plan your next trip to the movies.
