Marvel Studios dropped a three minute and 11 second trailer celebrating the Marvel Cinematic Universe in theaters. It was a moving tribute to the previous 23 movies that ended with previews of the cinematic universe’s Phase Four. Till now, there are more questions and breakdowns to look into.
Celebrating the Movies
Marvel highlighted the best scenes from the MCU with a voice over from the late Stan Lee. His speech was moving as in coincided with emotional scenes with several characters. However, there has since been controversy around the speech utilized.
On the streaming podcast, Double Toasted, host Korey Goodwin pointed out that that speech was lifted from 2017. At that time, Lee’s speech was referring to that year’s deadly rally in Charlottesville, Virginia. That message was meant to rally against racism and not about enjoying the Marvel movies with a couple of strangers. Though Disney may not have had ill intentions, they knew how to market the idea of returning to the theaters.
The end of the speech leads into an audiences’ reaction to a scene from Avengers: Endgame, where every hero returns. It showed the audience cheering, standing up, raising their arms in excitement for the big battle of the movie. That moment, had everyone who watched the Endgame in theaters, be reminded of the joy movie theaters can bring.
The Big Reveals
After the amazing highlights from MCU, they saved the final minute to reveal new footage of their upcoming films.
Black Widow
The first to be shown is the long awaited, Black Widow. The footage had some new action scenes with several looks at the dynamics of Natasha Romanoff and her previous family. It ends with the title card with July 9 being the new official release date. The action kept coming with slightly new footage of the Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings.
Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings
Most of the footage shown were similar to what Marvel dropped mid-April. But there was an added scene with Aquafina’s character drifting an expensive car. They then extend the fight scene from the teaser trailer between Shang-Chi and the Ten Rings soldiers on a bus. It also flashes the title card with September 3 as the official release date. And it then gets better.
The Eternals
Marvel finally gave their first look at The Eternals. The first Eternal shown was Salma Hayak’s character, Ajak. She looks to have a steady life in the countryside. It then shows the other costume members at a beach for what looks to be a peace treaty between them. There’s then a better look at them all in a forest that looks to be occupied by worshipers. It suddenly shows the highlighted shot of Angelina Jolie’s Thena wielding her golden sword. Another group shot follows to include speedster member, Makkari (Lauren Ridloff), in front of an ancient temple. It ends with Gemma Chan’s Sersi saying that The Eternals changed everything. That change will come into fruition when the film comes out on November 5.
More Announcements
Flashes of title cards closed out the presentation. It first flashed the Spider-man: No Way Home logo with the release set for December 17. The Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness logo was next with a March 25, 2022 release. Both films are set to be tie ins from the recently wrapped up WandaVision.
Thor: Love and Thunder will follow on May 6, 2022. Jane Foster (Natalie Portman) will wield Mjolnir while Gore the God Butcher (Christian Bale) goes on a God murdering spree. The film will also see the debut of Russel Crowe as Zeus, for some reason.
Wakanda Forever
More mind-blowing announcements kept coming with the reveal of the official Black Panther sequel. Black Panther: Wakanda Forever. From the title, it looks like the sequel will be centering around the legacy of the Black Panther. It’s fitting as it was previously reported that direct Ryan Coogler isn’t looking to recast the role of T’Challa. It could tie to the previously announced Wakanda series as both TV show and film are helmed by Coogler. The film is set for July 8, 2022.
Marvelous
Next to be announced was The Marvels, a.k.a. Captain Marvel 2. The title doesn’t just refer to Carol Danvers (Brie Larson) in the title role, but two other characters. The first being Monica Rambeau (Teyonah Parris) who was last seen in WandaVision obtaining her genetically enhanced abilities. Rambeau has gone by Captain Marvel prior to Danvers in the comics. So, it makes sense that the title reflects that. The second would be a new character, Kamala Khan (Iman Vellani), who’s taken up Danvers’s previous moniker, Ms. Marvel. She’ll be making her debut late this year, then join Rambeau and Danvers in the sequel on November 11, 2022.
So Jack Kirby
Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania was announced next with Paul Rudd and Evangeline Lilly returning as the title characters. The film will also introduce an anticipated villain in Kang the Conqueror (Jonathan Majors). The film is set for a February 17, 2023 release.
Another third installment to follow is Guardians of the Galaxy: Vol 3. This is said to close the book on some stories, one being Rocket Racoon’s (Bradley Cooper) origin. There’ll also be the possible and anticipated reveal of Adam Warlock, the character teased at the end of Vol. 2. The film is set for a May 5, 2023, soundtrack included.
The last to be revealed was the logo for the upcoming MCU version of the Fantastic Four. With only the logo without a release date, speculations are emerging believing that Marvel have their leads. Before anyone jumps up to say, “John Krasinski and Emily Blunt are Mr. Fantastic and the Invisible Woman!,” stop there. Last week, Blunt did comment on the rumors saying that it’s just “fan casting.” Even if she isn’t confirmed to be the Invisible Woman, Tom Holland’s Spider-Man director, Jon Watts, is confirmed to direct.
Where Were They
Missing from the lineup was Mahershala Ali’s Blade and the recently announced Captain America 4 with Anthony Mackie. It was recently reported that filming for Blade will delay to next year. On the other hand, Captain America 4 is currently in the works with showrunner, Malcolm Spellman, helming it.
Other set ups like The Young Avengers, The Thunderbolts, and the X-Men are still having their seeds planted throughout the future of the MCU. They may not be completely seen in their full forms, but keep in mind that these take time. How many years did it take for Wanda Maximoff to be called Scarlett Witch? Like Captain America said in Spider-Man: Homecoming, “Patience.”
