The Marvel Cinematic Universe is one of the biggest movie franchises to ever exist, and it has become something of a template for several other attempts to create wide-reaching film series. Marvel Studios certainly has done a lot right when it comes to developing these movies, but that doesn’t mean they’ve been perfect. There are things worth being critical about. Like, just what is the deal with the MCU’s “phases” anyway? Even James Gunn isn’t sure.
The MCU has been divided up into different “phases” over its nearly two-decade history. They’re designed to break up the story into sections, but it has to be said that the points at which some of these chapters start and stop don’t seem to make much sense. Even James Gunn, who directed three Guardians of the Galaxy movies, tells GQ he never knew what any of it meant, saying…
I never understood what any of the phases were in Marvel. I don’t know what any of it means, like, I have no clue what it means. I have no clue what any of that stuff ever meant.
James Gunn reveals that when the Infinity Stones were first specifically referenced in the first Guardians of the Galaxy movie (in what was considered Phase Two) there was no specific plan at Marvel Studios. So Gunn wrote the segment entirely himself, with no input from marvel on what to say or how to say it. He essentially designed the rest of the Infinity Saga himself.
It’s clear that, as with most things in the MCU, not nearly as much was planned in advance as it might seem. The fact that the phases never made sense to Gunn makes it clear nobody ever bothered to explain it.
Phase 1 of the Marvel Cinematic Universe certainly made some sense, as it consisted of several origin story movies and ended when those characters came together to form the Avengers, but that's arguably the only break that makes sense. Phase Three didn't end when the Infinity Saga came to a close with Avengers: Endgame. It ended a movie later with Spider-Man: Far From Home. The only thing that seems to unify Marvel's Phase 4 is that some people didn't care for it. The rest of the upcoming Marvel movies will constitute Marvel's Phase Six, and will likely end as the Multiverse saga closes up shop but even that isn't entirely clear.
Now that Gunn is himself in charge of building a cinematic universe, we’ll see how he handles this same issue. He’s already called the beginning of the DCU “Chapter 1” titling it Gods & Monsters, though it’s unclear if Gunn’s chapters are parallels to an MCU phase, or their larger “sagas.” Either way, one can at least expect Gunn’s chapters to make sense to him.
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