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Monday September 30, 2019
Arts & Entertainment
Where is Marvel headed in Phase 4? Jacob Cowans ‘20 Staff Writer
Whether it is Spider-Man swinging
through New York, Thor calling lightning down upon his foes, or Thanos’ snap, Marvel has certainly created some of the most iconic characters and scenes in movie history. Over the course of the past eleven years, Marvel has been able to release 23 films, collectively creating what is now known as the Infinity Saga, split into three distinctive “phases.” While Marvel was unsure how much success their first few movies would have, it quickly became clear that the audience loved their movies. Now, after all these years, their hard work paid off in the form of two of Marvel’s biggest movies to date. Many of the biggest Marvel characters saw an end to their chapter of the story through the huge movies Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers: Endgame. These two movies alone pulled in $2.04 and $2.72 billion respectively at the box office, giving the studio a lot to work with in the future. Now, the studio is on their way to kicking off Phase 4 (Phase 3 officially ending with Spider-Man: Far From Home), but with the absence of the two primary protagonists, Tony Stark (Iron Man) and Steve Rogers (Captain America), after reaching their stories’ end. This leaves fans with the big question: “Where will the MCU be headed next?”
Poor Kevin Hart Jackson Grimmelsman ‘21 Staff Writer
Kevin Hart is one of the funniest come-
dians in the world today. He also is an actor who has starred in many movies including the recent Ride Along, Night School, and Jumanji. Kevin Hart recently turned 40. In January of 2019, he was atop the news because he missed a chance to host the Oscars. According to CNN, “A series of homophobic tweets Hart made between 2009 and 2011 drew public scrutiny late last year. Hart initially declined to apologize, saying he was “not going to continue to go back and tap into the days of old when I’ve moved on and I’m in a completely different space in my life.” In the news a few weeks ago, it was reported that Hart was severely injured in a horrible car accident. Hart was transported to a Los Angeles hospital and spent almost two weeks there before he was officially released five days ago. When the news was spread across the nation, many of his co-stars posted their prayers and determination for Hart to get better soon.
In the short space between Phase 3 and Phase 4, Marvel has taken quite a few losses. One of the biggest tragedies that fans have been outraged about is the disappearance of Spider-Man from the MCU. Marvel and their parent company, Disney, while attempting to improve their co-financing agreement that they previously had with Sony, was unable to come to a compromise. The deal ultimately ended with Sony taking the rights of Spider-Man from Disney, effectively removing him for the foreseeable future. Along with the loss of Tom Holland’s Spider-Man, Kevin Feige and the Russo brothers, who were some of the major producers on the past few movies, are also leaving Marvel. Despite all of this unfortunate news, at least Holland and Feige are proud of their past work and confident in the future of both Spider-Man and Marvel as a whole. “It was never meant to last forever,” Feige said. “We knew there was a finite amount of time that we’d be able to do this, and we told the story we wanted to tell, and I’ll always be thankful for that.” Addressing future plans, Spider-Man actor Tom Holland said, “We’ve made five great movies. It’s been five amazing years… Who knows what the future holds? But all I know is that I’m going to continue playing Spider-man and having the time of my life” Holland added, “The future for Spider-Man will be different, but it will Dwayne Johnson said on Instagram: “Stop messing with my emotions, brother. We have a lot more laughing to do together. Love you man, stay strong.” The Rock and Hart have co-stared together in four movies. Other stars like Bryan Cranston, Nichole Kidman, Terry Crews, and Marlon Wayans posted their deepest thoughts about Hart. These actors have also starred in movies with Hart. Before the crash occurred on the Saturday before Labor Day, Hart posted on his Instagram a picture of him jumping into his pool at his Calabasas home. The caption said, “Being home makes me happy… enjoy your weekend people #LiveLoveLaugh. Later that day he also posted a video of himself behind the wheel of the 1970 Plymouth Barracuda, peeling out on what looked like a local street. That night, Hart crashed the Barracuda by flipping the car off the Malibu highway. According to TMZ, “the eyewitness who called 911 from the accident scene says he saw a security guard pull Kevin from the driver’s side window of the wrecked muscle car. CHP says first responders found Jared pinned in the driver’s seat when they arrived. He and
be equally as awesome and amzing, and we’ll find new ways to make it even cooler.” While Sony has revealed that they have no intentions of reopening the negotiations with Disney any time soon, the two studios still hold tremendous respect for each other, which means there is always the chance for Spider-Man to return in the distant future. Despite all of the news about SpiSpider-man swings his way out of MCU Phase Four after Sony takes back the rights from Disney. der-Man, the near future of the MCU is incredibly exciting. Some of the features per month on Disney+. we know are coming out in the next few In addition to this good news, Disney years include Black Widow, The Eternals, has recently obtained the rights to some Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten major Marvel characters, including the Rings, Doctor Strange in the Multiverse X-Men, the Fantastic Four, and fan-faof Madness, and Thor: Love and Thunder. vorite Deadpool. Who knows how these Some of these movies, just by the title characters will play a role in the future of alone, show that there is a lot more action the MCU? in store for fans of the MCU. Phase 4 is looking like it is going to On top of that, through Disney’s be packed full of amazing features, so new streaming service, fans will receive fans of Marvel won’t have to wait long much more than just movies. Some of the for some brand new, incredible content. shows that will be released in the near If Marvel manages to make something as future include The Falcon and the Winter grand as the Infinity Saga again, this is Soldier, WandaVision, Loki, What If…?, where it will all begin. It may not be long Hawkeye, Ms. Marvel, Moon Knight, and before the MCU is once again smashing She-Hulk. There will certainly be plenty box office records. of content for viewers to enjoy for only $7
Kevin Hart flashes the sign that he’s good despite reports that his is still in pain.
his fiancée, Rebecca, were removed after firefighters sawed off the roof of the car. Jared’s condition is still unclear, but we’re told he suffered similar injuries to Kevin.” According to entertainment tonight “Close friend Tiffany Haddish said, “He’s already walking. He’s good,” However, sources stressed to TMZ that the star is “still in excruciating pain” despite the positive mood he tries to radiate to friends. The sources also stressed that
while he is on his feet he is “walking slowly and gingerly.” Many of Hart’s fans are hoping for a fast recovery for the actor and top comedian. After some controversy in the beginning of 2019, most people still love the actor for all he does on the big screen and on the stage. I hope for a fast recovery for Kevin Hart so we can see him continue with his acting and comedy careers.