Phase 4 of the Marvel Cinematic Universe is fast approaching its end. At San Diego Comic-Con last month, Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige confirmed it Black Panther: Wakanda Forever It will be the last theatrical movie in this part of the MCU during Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special TV series shows will be closed when it was announced that the fifth phase will start in 2023 Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania. As Phase 4 concludes, many are looking back at the stories that made up this chapter of the overall story and unlike Phases 1, 2 and 3 which seemed to have a more coherent and straightforward approach and overall theme, Phase 4, on the surface, seems a bit more all around . It’s certainly the most diverse phase of content in the MCU, seeing the introduction of the Disney+ TV series, but the post Avengers: Endgame MCU was a bit of a mix in other respects too, with new characters and new worlds emerging. But even with such a diverse landscape of things, there is one aspect of Phase 4 that has been fairly consistent: Phase 4 is the phase that explores trauma, loss, and grief, and how these things affect not just individual characters, but the universe (and the multiverse) As a whole.
The idea that Phase 4 of the MCU is all about shock exploration isn’t exactly surprising. Sagittarius comes after two consecutive traumatic events with Avengers: Infinity War And the Avengers: Endgame which saw half the population disappear from existence in one moment and then turned back in another moment, albeit five years later. There’s a lot of trauma to unload, and even Doctor Strange on Multiverse of Madness, producer Richie Palmer noted that Phase 4 is completely shaping up with that, previously saying Spoiler Empire Special Podcast That stage 4 is highly reactive.
“Phase four is all reaction – and I don’t mean by us as directors, I mean the characters… It’s a shock reaction Avengers: Infinity War And the game over“We can still feel these effects in these films years later,” he said.
But while this is entirely true, a closer examination of much of the actual Phase 4 content reveals much more stories than just a reaction to world-changing events. Black WidowFor example, it was set by infinity war And the game overbut still deals with the effects of the trauma – and healing – on Natasha Romanoff leading up to Infinity War and ultimately her sacrifice in game over. Spider-Man: There’s no way home is less reaction to infinity war And the game over And more than a reaction to a different kind of shock – specifically, what happened when Peter’s identity was revealed. One could go so far as to say that both WandaVision And the Doctor Strange in a multiverse of madness They themselves are not complete reactions to infinity war And the game overeither in that they are strongly centered around a much larger pattern of trauma, grief and loss that Wanda Maksimov has experienced, a pattern that began long before infinity war.
When you separate these aspects from things, what emerges is a less moving arc than one main story, and instead the significant characters that take viewers into the humanity of those who make up those stories. By telling a combination of these stories, Stage 4 functions in a sense as an anthology of trauma and loss with diverse outcomes on how people deal with and cope with it. Loki confronts his problems and begins to emerge as a true hero. The path of Wanda Maximov goes in a noticeably different direction. Thor finds himself popping up with a new goal and loads of new heroes starting to appear as well. And as a bonus, this worked in terms of timing with the real world, too. With the coronavirus pandemic, we have all been going through life-changing experiences and facing our own grief and trauma. Phase 4 Let’s process our losses with our heroes. It’s an approach that doesn’t necessarily line up with the rich continuity of story that Marvel fans have come to expect from the MCU, though the stories undoubtedly relate to one another, but the kind of pause to explore more individual tales serves as the basis for the next big swing — which could be even more intense. and complicated by the arrival of Kang Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania.
And that, ultimately, is the goal of Phase IV of the MCU. It’s an exploration of her characters’ experiences and a pause to dig into the characters’ most intimate and complex stories as a way to pave the way for the next big world event. Stories really only work when the audience is invested in the characters. By taking Phase 4 to truly understand some of these players, Marvel has prepared for Phase 5 and Phase 6 that might tear our hearts apart and get us excited at the same time beyond anything we’ve seen from the Infinity Saga. We may still need a lot of tissue and even a little treatment, but we’ll be ready.
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