A Complete Guide to the ‘Marvel Cinematic Universe’: Phase Three

by Tim Bustin

Unlike Phase one and two, all phase three films are yet unreleased – in most cases there are only hints of what to expect (and besides, knowing too much would spoil the fun). Here’s a look at the new cast of characters we can expect to meet, and the backstories of the potential new Avengers, as we build up to the final Avengers films

Captain America: Civil War (2016)

Characters first introduced:

·         Peter Parker/Spider Man

·         T'Challa / Black Panther

·         Baron Helmut Zemo

·         Unspecified role (to be played by Martin Freeman)

This film should really be called Avengers 3. Every Avenger from Age of Ultron (who isn’t dead, or Thor) appears in this film – which is cool and scary at the same time. After the Avengers cause more public damage and disruption through their activities, a governing body is set up to say when the Avengers should be called in. The Avengers disagree over this, and it is expected that Captain America and Iron Man will be the leaders of the two differing sides.

Being introduced are Black Panther, leader of the African nation of Wakanda (where we get the vibranium for Cap’s shield), and Spiderman, finally being returned properly to Marvel, and a version much truer to the comics (i.e. actually a teenager). Baron Helmut Zemo, in the comics, is a genius Nazi scientist who starts wearing a hood over his head to protect his identity (after his fellow German’s turn against him), and after an accident with Adhesive X (a special chemical he creates that can’t be broken down) this becomes permanently stuck to his body. General Thaddeus "Thunderbolt" Ross (introduced in the Hulk film) will be appearing, and although played by the same actor (William Hurt) the role is meant to be a reimagining rather than a reprisal of the character. Brock Rumlo (a.k.a. the villain ‘Crossbones’) also returns from Captain America: the Winter soldier (Cap 2).

The Winter Soldier is likely to play a large role (carrying on from Cap 2), and it will be interesting to see how this plays out, as if he is simultaneously the world’s most mysterious assassin and the longest P.O.W. in history.

Doctor Strange (2016)

Characters first introduced:

·         Doctor Stephen Vincent Strange (as played by Benedict Cumberbatch – yay!)

Definitely one for the Cumberbitches. After brilliant neuroscientist Dr. Strange loses control of his hands in a car accident, he is trained in the art of magic, and eventually becomes one of the most powerful sorcerers ever known. Or so the comics say. Who knows what the plot of this film will be? It’ll be a nice surprise though.

Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 (2017)

Should again be a lot of fun, and there is talk of potential crossovers with the Avengers. The plot of this film will likely explore Peter Quill’s father (it’s been announced it will not be J'son of Spartax, as in the comics), and will include more of the Guardians that exist in the comics.

Untitled Spider-Man film (2017)

Spider Man, Marvel Spider Man/Does whatever a Marvel Spider Man can/Can he get a film, in the MCU?/Yes finally, he’s getting one too/Look out – here comes the Spider Man/ here comes the Marvel Spider Man!

So 3^rd time lucky on the Spider-Man franchise – 19 year old Tom Holland takes the role this time (making him much more like the comic book Spider Man than Toby Maguire or Andrew Garfield). Spider-Man will fit into the Avengers films later on, including beforehand in Captain America: Civil War.

Thor: Ragnarok (2017)

Thor 3 is set to be dark and epic. Ragnarok refers to the Norse Apocalypse, and Asgard will be threatened by the god to the gods. Kevin Feige, producer of all the MCU films, has gone on record to say this film will be extremely important and affect all future MCU films. With Thanos finally deciding to collect the Infinity Stones himself, is it likely he will also appear at Asgard to try and steal the Tessearct? Who knows.

Avengers – Infinity War, Part 1

Avengers possibly in this film:

·         Iron Man

·         Thor

·         Captain America

·         Hulk

·         Black Widow

·         Hawkeye

·         Scarlet Witch

·         War Machine

·         Falcon

·         The Vision

·         Ant-Man

·         Black Panther

·         Doctor Strange

·         Spider-Man

After an enormous wealth of build-up, this will be the start of the conclusion for the MCU. As its name suggests, the battle will be centred around the 6 Infinity Stones and the main enemy will be the titan Thanos, as he tries to collect the lot and wield them on his Infinity Gauntlet. Thanos’ powers haven’t been seen in the films yet, only that he is referred to as the most powerful being in the galaxy, though in the comics he has a vast array, even mightier than the Vision: superhuman strength (far more than just Cap), telekinesis, teleportation, energy manipulation etc. All this power makes him one of the few beings in the universe capable of controlling and wielding Infinity Stones. He will have to hunt down the four so far introduced (Space Stone on Asgard; Mind with the Vision; Aether with The Collector; Power with Nova Prime) and the other two, bringing him likely to Earth where the Avengers will fight him.

Other fan favourites, such as Loki, will be slotted into the film.

Black Panther (2018)

We will first meet T'Challa, or Black Panther, Ruler of the African nation of Wakanda (where vibranium metal comes from), in the upcoming Captain America: Civil War film. He wears a suit of vibranium, and is superhuman, though also has acute senses.

In the comics, his father is killed by arms dealer Ulysses Klaw, who made a small appearance in Avengers: Age of Ultron (the title of Black Panther is passed down to each new ruler of Wakanda). Also in the comics Black Panther is also a member of the Illuminati, a group of super heroes from each type (non-powers, mutants, inhumans etc.) who try to rule the world properly and with combining their unique perspectives. Iron Man and Doctor Strange also members (along with Black Bolt, potentially to be introduced later in Inhumans) – though there’s no news of this being in the films currently.

Captain Marvel (2018)

Characters first introduced:

·         Carol Danvers/Captain Marvel (or Ms Marvel)

Originally intended to be introduced in Avengers: Age of Ultron, it was decided the MCU’s only leading female superhero needed her own standalone film first being fully integrated into the MCU. In the comics, after an encounter with aliens called the Kree, Ms Marvel gains certain superpowers, such as superhuman strength and flight, a complete resistance to toxins, a limited 6^th sense, and energy absorption and emission (much like Kevin Bacon’s character in X-Men: First Class, if you happen to have seen that). She was a big step in the idea of gender equality back in the time of her original publication, and it will interesting to see where this character goes. The actress who will be playing Captain Marvel is currently unknown.

Avengers: Infinity War, Part 2 (2019)

Avengers possibly in this film:

·         Iron Man

·         Thor

·         Captain America

·         Hulk

·         Black Widow

·         Hawkeye

·         Scarlet Witch

·         War Machine

·         Falcon

·         The Vision

·         Ant-Man

·         Black Panther

·         Doctor Strange

·         Spider-Man

·         Ms Marvel

·         The Guardians of the Galaxy

Thanos wielding the Infinity Gauntlet

Finally at the end (well, sort of). This film, make no mistake, will be enormous. Just look at that character list! There is fear that the MCU could collapse under the weight of its own awesomeness (always begging the question ‘Just how many times can you save the universe?’) but so far so very good. The plot is of course unknown, but it will be the final battle between Thanos and the Avengers, where the Avengers will have  to stop him from collecting all 6 Infinity Stones, otherwise he will become omnipotent and truly unstoppable. The remaining two Infinity Stones are Time and Soul. The Time Stone gives the user complete control over the past, present, and future, as well as the ability to age or de-age beings, and trap beings or even entire universes in never ending time loops. The Soul Stone can steal any soul, living or dead, as well as the ability to steal powers from others, and serve as a linkway to a sort of MCU heaven. Remember, only beings of extreme power can wield the stones without being destroyed by them (such as Thanos, the Vision, of the Guardians all working together).

Inhumans (2019)

the 2nd series of Agents of S.h.i.e.l.d.
first introduced inhumans into the MCU

Inhumans are very much like mutants, in that they are humans who have been experimented on (by the Kree – the same aliens that experimented on Captain Marvel), all with varying powers and abilities. They were first introduced into the MCU in the second series of Agents of S.h.i.e.l.d.

  

Well, I hope that covers enough of the MCU to answer most of your questions and keep you all happy for now. As you can see, the MCU is well planned and epic, and although not every film is a masterpiece, the rich history and world it creates makes the many great films in it every so much greater, and very much enjoyable. This is proof that if you put the work in you can create something amazing, and in the end the films are really just one more small piece, along with the decades of comics, T.V. shows, non-MCU films etc. that make up the full history of Marvel.

If you have any more questions, please feel free to comment, and I’ll try my best to give answers.