We’ve got Captain Marvel dropping in March, a film that is heavily overshadowed by Avengers: Endgame in April 26, but it has received positive early reviews and sets up the final Avengers film nicely.
What happens next though? Because after a decade of the Marvel Cinematic Universe (which kicked off with 2008’s Iron Man), the horizon looks pretty empty for the first time.
We have Spider-Man: Far From Home in July and can reasonably expect a second Black Panther, Doctor Strange, and Captain Marvel. There’s the potential Black Widow prequel too. But with the core lineup of the Avengers complete (and already getting retired!) the studio has a lot of work to do in setting up another cast to carry the MCU onward into “phase four” because we’re reaching into the Marvel heroes that aren’t as mainstream–Eternals anyone? We’re also moving into intergalactic territory with Skrulls and Krees that may be harder to relate to than the more Earth-bound films–imagine a straightfaced Guardians of the Galaxy for example?
It would be nice to see heroes return to standalone films that don’t require them to set up sequels and universes but who knows if Marvel has a stomach for one-offs like that after making all this bank. On the other hand, they do have something in their locker that is a sure method to bring back the hype though: bring the X-Men in to meet Spidey and the gang for the killer crossover.