Phase Four pans out Students, staff reflect on current and upcoming Marvel releases
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Spider-Man: No Way Home is the next film set to be released in Phase Four. Photo used with permission of the Marvel Fan Database.
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or Marvel fans, 2019 marked the end of an era filled with iconic storylines, loveable characters and hit films. As the Marvel Cinematic Universe enters its fourth phase, the introduction of unfamiliar characters, storylines and production choices have longtime fans wondering “What now?” Marvel splits the release of its films into phases, with the end of a phase typically indicating the natural end of a story arc. Kevin Feige, President and primary producer of the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) franchise, announced the production of Phase Four
Tiger Times
Emma Tomlinson
tomliemm000@hsestudents.org
during a press conference in October 2014, but the release of “WandaVision” in January 2021 truly marked the beginning of the new era. Phase Four has a distinctly unique attribute: television shows. This is the first time that the MCU has seen television incorporated as canon storylines into the franchise. “I think, financially, Disney has evolved into this stuff,” English teacher Ben Beasley said. “It’s a lot safer to do television; you know people are going to be in their homes. I think that the evolution of people staying home versus going to films is a large part of that impact.” There are 16 television shows in the works for Phase Four, with many release dates still to be announced. Currently, Disney+ is streaming five of those shows, including the recent release of “Hawkeye.” The six episode season is set to conclude on Dec. 22, and stars Clint Barton, a familiar but relatively unpopular Avenger. “Marvel has done something very similarly effectively with Falcon and the Winter Soldier series [taking a less popular character and giving them a show], and from what I’ve seen so far, [Hawkeye] is a sort of foil for the newer young Avengers coming up,” Beasley said. Marvel plans to introduce the Young Avengers throughout several shows and films in this phase. The Young Avengers is a team of young superheroes, first introduced in the Marvel comics. Producers plan on the Young Avengers becoming the franchise’s newest superhero team. “In the new phase, I’m excited
to see how the Young Avengers are going to be characterized,” Beasley said. At the end of 2020, contracts of iconic MCU actors such as Robert Downey Jr. and Chris Evans came to an end. This has spurred the introduction of new characters and plots. Beasley says that he has already seen some of the new characters begin the process of replacing iconic characters. “It’s important to not just drop in these old characters just for fanfare,” Beasley said. “New characters need their chance to grow and develop.” One such new character is weaponry-based Kung Fu master Shang-Chi, whose debut origin film was released on Sept. 3. The film grossed $431 million in box-office sales, breaking the previous box-office record for a Labor Day release. The fan response on social media was overwhelmingly positive. “‘Shang-Chi’ is something I think fans of Marvel should watch because it will tie in to past and future movies as everything in the MCU does, but at the same time this movie would be just as good if I had never seen a single other Marvel movie because it doesn’t require knowledge of the MCU to enjoy,” senior Cora Thompson said. “Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings” is just one of many origin films being produced during Phase Four, with the introduction of several new characters. Origin films depict a character’s backstory and chronicle their development as a protagonist. However, Marvel origin stories have not always been a hit with fans. “The
December 2021
