With Marvel kicking off Phase Six last month with The Fantastic Four: First Steps to the tune of $250+ million so far – not an embarrassing amount but not quite what the studio wanted – they are looking to build momentum in any way they can. Next summer we know will bring Spider-Man: Brand New Day with both Avengers movies – Doomsday and Secret Wars – will follow in December 2026 and 2027, respectively. And after that?
Right now, it seems as if Black Panther 3 will be one of the key priorities for Marvel, with Ryan Coogler set to return as director (and yes, Denzel Washington set to appear). Considering Coogler’s Sinners was a massive hit – even besting Marvel’s own Captain America: Brave New World and Thunderbolts* at the box office this year – that is just the sort of hype that Marvel will want moving forward following the Avengers double header.
And we can’t forget about X-Men, another forthcoming movie entering the Marvel Cinematic Universe. As for what to expect on the cast, Variety reports that the idea is to go for a much younger cast to “keep the cost down”. Otherwise, director Jake Schreier recently stated, “What I can say is, it’s just inherently interesting and complex material… The core idea of what ‘X-Men’ is involves complexity. It’s an incredible opportunity with super interesting characters and [much] internal conflict. These characters are wrestling with their identity and place in the world—that’s inherently interesting and complex material.”
So with those movies ahead of the pack and with a semblance of a plan, where does that leave previously confirmed and expected titles in the Marvel Cinematic Universe? Blade has seen so many delays that a lot of us just figure it’s down for the count, despite word that Mahershala Ali is in fact still attached. And a fourth Deadpool? Far from being a priority, with Variety reporting, “Amid an industrywide pullback on superheroes, the Marvel brain trust is feeling no sense of urgency on the long-gestating “Blade” reboot or even a new “Deadpool” outing.”
What do you think Marvel should be focusing on as Phase Six rolls out? Are you all for getting the X-Men into the MCU or does Blade need to be unsheathed?
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