The world’s favorite superheroes are returning to the big screen with the commencement of phase four of the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU). The phase is well underway with the releases of “WandaVision” and “The Falcon and the Winter Soldier” on Disney+, and Marvel fans have much to look forward to over the next two years with a plethora of films and series in the works.

     “[Marvel phase three has set up the MCU for a successful phase four] because it opened up several different plotlines and will make for some really good movies,” senior Olivia Helms said. “The way the plotlines of phase three ended made me sad because of the people we lost like Iron Man and Black Widow, but also excited for the future of the MCU.”

     On May 3, Marvel finally revealed via Instagram the titles of the long-awaited sequels for “Black Panther” and “Captain Marvel,” titled “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever” and “The Marvels” respectively. 2023 Release dates were also announced for “Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania” (Feb.17) and “Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3” (May 5).  

     Since July 2019, films and series have steadily been announced as part of phase four. The original slate for films as announced at 2019 San Diego Comic-Con was just meant to be “Black Widow,” “Eternals,” “Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings,” “Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness,” and “Thor: Love and Thunder.” For series, the original announcement only included “The Falcon and the Winter Soldier,” “WandaVision,” “Loki,” “What If…?,” and “Hawkeye.” 

    At the D23 Expo in August 2019, three more phase four series and a “Black Panther” sequel were announced: “Ms. Marvel,” “She-Hulk,” “Moon Knight,” and “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever.” On February 24, 2021, the title of the final installment of the Spider-Man trilogy was released: “Spider-Man: No Way Home.”

     “I think the series are a way to reveal more information and background to either solidify past plots or set up future phase 4 movies. They’re also a way to involve a new audience (Disney+ members), and a way to draw people to their platform,” senior Jordan Reiter said. “It’s not my favorite because there’s a lot to keep up with in order to stay up to date, but I also think it’s a creative way to allow for more writing and detail. I’m probably more excited for the movies because I’m more attracted to that type of format, and I’m excited to see how the new characters’ plots will connect, but the series will also be interesting and definitely important for understanding the movies.”

     Many theories surround the upcoming films, especially around “Spider-Man: No Way Home” and “Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness.” The plot of “Multiverse of Madness” is based around the aftermath of “WandaVision,” where fans learned of Wanda’s fate as the Scarlet Witch. The film genre is listed as horror, making it the first horror movie in the MCU, and the events will directly follow the storyline of “Spider-Man: No Way Home.” 

     “I thought ‘WandaVision’ was executed really well because it left you hanging after every episode and helped us to understand Wanda better as a character and her powers,” Helms said. “I’m excited to see the new Doctor Strange movie and see Wanda show off more of her powers.”

     With confirmed reprised appearances from J. Jonah Jameson (J.K. Simmons), Doctor Octopus (Alfred Molina), and Electro (Jamie Foxx), fans are theorizing to no end.

     Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, release dates for phase four projects have been adjusted. “WandaVision,” the first project released in phase four on Jan. 15, 2021, was originally meant to debut in December 2020. Initially, the first project of phase four was meant to be “Black Widow” with a May 2020 theatrical release. Marvel has since rescheduled it for a July 2021 release in theaters and on Disney+. 

     “I’m personally sad that the movie has been postponed so much because I’m excited to see it, but I’m also not super upset about it because I don’t know all the details and there are a lot of complications with production and release. It’s slightly weird because Black Widow was written out in phase 3, but I’ll still be watching it,” Reiter said. “I’m looking forward to the Black Widow movie because she’s been one of my favorite characters in the Avengers series since the first phase, and I’ve wanted to see a movie of her own since then.”

      The next installment of Marvel phase four will be “Loki” on Disney+. The series, which premieres on June 9,  follows Loki in an alternate universe opened by the events of “Avengers: Endgame,” when he steals the tesseract and teleports.