Marvel Phase 4 Trailer Gives Us A Much-Needed Update With A Side Of Hope...Oh, and ETERNALS footage!
It's utterly insane to think that when Black Widow is released in theaters on July 9th, 2021 it will be two years since the last MCU release, which was Spider-Man: Far From Home on July 2, 2019.
Two. HECKIN. Years.
In the broad scheme of life and existence of the (non-Marvel) Universe, that's a drop in the bucket but for a diehard cinephile and movie goer, it's basically been an eternity since we got to see some MCU goodness on the big screen, especially since it was an eleven year barrage of watching classic comic book content get their movie adaptations. I've officially lost count of how many times I've gone back and watched all 22 films in varying order between release date, chronological order and my favorite to least-favorite(aka I've watched Thor: The Dark World exactly once).
BUT, much like The mighty Falcon proclaiming "on your left" and flying through a portal, we have a NICE big drop from Marvel Studios today and to be honest, it's a breath of fresh air.
The Phase 4 Trailer was released to shrieks across the internet that opens with the voice of Generalissimo himself, Stan Lee. Honestly I sill get choked up hearing his voice. His monologue echoes what many of us believe. We are all brothers and sisters, moving ever-forward and upward. Aka...EXCELSIOR.
What the trailer gives us is new footage and confirmed dates for upcoming Marvel Studios releases, perfectly set against the orchestral magic of Marvel Studios' main theme...with audience reactions to the final battle scene in Endgame thrown in, which STILL gives me chills. What I also love about Phase 4's plans is to bring in new(to the movies) characters such as Shang-Chi starring Shimu Liu as the titular character as well as *hopefully* passing on the mantle of Black Panther without re-casting T'Challa. The (cinematic) universe is literally expanding before our eyes and I am HEREEEE for it.
Here's a re-cap, some known and some new announcements:
BLACK WIDOW: JULY 9, 2021
SHANG-CHI: SEPT 3, 2021
SPIDER-MAN: NO WAY HOME: DEC 17, 2021
DOCTOR STRANGE 2: MAR 25, 2022
THOR IV: MAY 6, 2022
BLACK PANTHER: WAKANDA FOREVER: JULY 8, 2022
CAPTAIN MARVEL 2- THE MARVELS: NOV 11, 2022
ANT-MAN 3: FEB 17, 2023
GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY 3: MAY 5, 2023 ....AND THEN THEY TEASE US AGAIN WITH FANTASTIC 4...BUT NO DATE.
So, in addition to a slew of MCU television on Disney+ coming, starting in July of this year we will be getting new Marvel Studios movies every few months for the next couple years. Is this what non-movie nerds are talking about when they say "getting back to normal" again? Because for me, this is it. This is getting back to normal and it's incredibly soothing. Check out the full trailer below, and maybe get ready for some allergies to act up.
Paul Brown is the founder of Kulture Popped and someone who takes movies way too seriously.
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