As we get deeper into Phase 4 of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, the anticipation is building for the next Avengers movie. Sooner or later, we suspect that all of the new heroes we’ve met will join forces to fight a more dangerous than Thanos. But according to Marvel Studios head Kevin Feige, we’ve actually already seen the final Avengers movie.
At the end of Avengers: Endgame, the team had all but disbanded. Iron Man and Black Widow both died, Captain America retired, and Thor left the planet with the Guardians of the Galaxy. But a new team looked to be rising in their wake. Between all the Disney Plus shows and the Phase 4 movies, we’ve met enough new heroes to form a team.
Shang-Chi, Yelena Belova, Kate Bishop, Moon Knight, Ms. Marvel, She-Hulk — at least a few of these newbies are sure to join the team. Meanwhile, Doctor Strange, Scarlet Witch, Falcon, and the Hulk are still hanging around, trying to save the world. But what precisely did Feige mean when he called Endgame “the final Avengers movie?”
Kevin Feige: Endgame was the ‘final Avengers movie’
Earlier this week, a new episode of Marvel Studios: Assembled started streaming on Disney Plus. The episode focuses on the making of Eternals, which hit theaters last November. But the reason it has been making headlines is because of Kevin Feige’s statement. Here is the quote that has everyone questioning the future of the MCU (via ComicBook):
Marvel Studios and the Marvel Cinematic Universe is now past their tenth anniversary and with the release of the final Avengers movie, we’ve finally completed a 22-movie Infinity Saga.
There are many ways to read this.
On one hand, the Avengers as we knew them obviously don’t exist anymore, as noted above. Hulk and Hawkeye are the only original team members left on planet Earth. But that doesn’t necessarily mean that the Avengers brand needs to die.
The Avengers team is never static in the comics, and the MCU could follow the same path. But it sounds like Feige wants to focus on new ideas rather than rebuild the old team. After all, the Avengers isn’t the only superpowered team in Marvel’s catalog. In fact, according to Marvel’s website, there have been more than 300 teams over the years.
The future of the MCU
Whatever Marvel decides to call its next team, it may be a while before we see them. Moon Knight will make its debut on Disney Plus in March, and then Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness is scheduled to hit theaters May 6th. We’ll see Thor: Love and Thunder on July 8th, Black Panther: Wakanda Forever on November 11th, and we expect both Ms. Marvel and She-Hulk to premiere on Disney Plus before the end of the year.
So far, Phase 4 has only hinted at potential team-ups. Valentina Allegra de Fontaine (aka Madame Hydra) is recruiting some of the shadier characters in the MCU, Shang-Chi had a conversation with Hulk and Captain Marvel, and, well, the Eternals are already a team. But whenever the next massive crossover arrives, it seemingly won’t be called Avengers.
