Ranking My Excitement for Phase 4 - Movies

This blog contains spoilers for Marvel Disney+ content (including Loki) as well as leaks and rumors about Spider-Man: No Way Home.

Introduction

Hey everyone! I’m back again with another blog, hooray! I know it’s been a little while, but at least we can be thankful that it’s been less time than it was between my last two. I really wanted to do one sooner, but as it often does, life got in the way, and I got very distracted. Anyways, enough dilly-dallying, let me get to what today’s blog is about!

Phase 4 so far has been great. WandaVision was unlike anything we’ve ever seen before, The Falcon & the Winter Soldier was an action-packed and thematically rich return to form, Loki was a great peek into what’s to come, and Black Widow was a triumphant return to the big screen. But this phase is only getting started! There’s so much more they have left to release, both on Disney+ and in theaters.

Because there’s so much that’s still in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, I decided that it would be a fun idea to do a ranking based on my excitement for all of them. At first I wanted to rank both the movies and the TV shows together, but I realized that that would make this list incredibly long and push the movies toward the top, since for me it’s easier to get excited about huge blockbuster movies about established characters rather than smaller-scale projects introducing new characters. So I’ll just be doing movies this time! If I feel like it, I’ll probably rank my excitement for the TV shows (hopefully in time for What If…?).

For simplicity’s sake, I won’t be including anything not listed on the Wikipedia page for Phase 4. I know movies like Blade, Deadpool 3, and a possible fourth Captain America movie are in the works, but as they are not officially announced as part of Phase 4, they won’t be included in this list. Anyways, enough fine print! Let’s talk Marvel!

10. The Eternals

Wow, there are ten movies on this list?? I guess I’m not surprised, but that seems like a ton. Anyways, despite this deceptive placement, I’m honestly really excited for this movie. This is kind of an unfair list, since I’m so excited for everything coming from Marvel in the next few years. Tenth place doesn’t mean I’m not excited, it just means I’m more excited for the other stuff. And excited I am!

The Eternals as a Marvel property are completely new to me. For most new Marvel IPs introduced to the MCU, I usually have some sort of background knowledge, such as when Spider-Man or Black Panther were introduced. However, from what I understand about the comics, the Eternals are a lesser-known group, much like the Guardians of the Galaxy were to general audiences when that movie first came out in 2014. And that turned out great! I’m always excited to learn about new Marvel characters and teams, and that’s no different here.

However, when introducing something new to the MCU, the other side of that is just that it’s a little harder to get super excited about it like I do for something established in my mind, such as Thor or Doctor Strange. Again, that doesn’t mean that I’m not looking forward to it, as Marvel has proven time and time again that they know what they’re doing when they introduce new characters.

The other thing I’m slightly concerned about is the massive cast that they’re featuring in this movie. Of course, a large cast can definitely work (especially with Marvel at the helm), but if they do it poorly, it could result in a very jumbled plot. The same could be said about the massive timescale of the movie, which encomes everything from ancient times to the modern day. But of course, Chloe Zhao is an incredibly talented director, and at the end of the day, my hype for this movie and its massive scope well overshadows the minor things holding it back, and I’m incredibly excited to see it this November.

9. Black Panther: Wakanda Forever

The fact that this film is in this position on my list is really a testament to the strength of the MCU roster. Black Panther was one of the most pleasant surprises of Phase 3 for me (I didn’t know much about him besides what I had seen in Civil War) and it’s absolutely one of the highlights of the MCU (with particular regard to Killmonger, absolutely a top three villain for me)! Ryan Coogler is amazing, and I have no doubt he will produce an incredible movie.

The thing I’m most concerned about with this movie is that I just really don’t know what to expect. This is in large part due to the unfortunate ing of the great Chadwick Boseman. Usually, the unexpected is something that I love about the MCU, as they always play with our expectations and make sure to treat us with amazing surprises. However, this specific situation is fundamentally different from “surprising us” like they usually do, as this is not a fun surprise, but rather the difficult situation of deciding how to approach the franchise being shaken to its core and how to pay tribute to the legacy of a great man. Chadwick was irreplaceable in the role of Black Panther, and Marvel made the wise decision to refrain from recasting him. While I 100% agree that this was the right call out of respect for him and his family, this undeniably puts the movie in a very difficult spot.

Not only do they have to find a way to honor and cherish his legacy and the wonderful performance that he gave to us all, but they also have to find a way to continue his legacy and find a way to carry on in a respectful, natural, and narratively satisfying manner. They haven’t given many hints as to what exactly their plan is for this situation, and that’s the only reason this film isn’t higher. As soon as a trailer releases or more news about this film is revealed, I’m sure that this will skyrocket up my list.

One way of going about things that I’ve seen thrown around a lot that I would love to see is Shuri taking the helm of the Black Panther. After all, as it is a mantle and not one singular person, Letitia Wright can put her own spin on the mantle and what it means to be Black Panther. Another possible idea is that they don’t focus on the mantle of Black Panther at all, but rather the world of Wakanda. The title of the film may imply that it’s focusing on Wakanda as a whole, as well as being a touching nod to the phrase associated so closely with the wonderful man that held the mantle before.

I have complete faith in Marvel Studios, so if I decide to revisit this ranking someday, I’m sure this will be higher! I’m super excited to see what Coogler and Marvel Studios can do.

8. Thor: Love and Thunder

Honestly, I don’t have much of a reason to have this so low on my list. I love Chris Hemsworth as Thor, I love the Guardians of the Galaxy, I love Jane Foster (I know that’s surprising to hear in the MCU community, but her character has so much potential) and I’m excited to see her take a more central role in the movie, and I love Taika Waititi as director. This film has an absolute recipe for success, and I’m sure that they’ll create a hilarious and emotional (they’ve said that this movie has a different tone than Ragnarok, which for all its good had a problem with undercutting emotional scenes) masterpiece.

I’m also really interested in the new elements it’s introducing to the MCU. Gorr the God Butcher is an extremely scary and powerful villain, and I’m excited to see him translated to the big screen. The Mighty Thor is a storyline that I feel will also translate very well, as all the pieces are there to make it work. I know that in the comics it involves Jane Foster suffering from cancer while simultaneously fighting for justice as Thor, so perhaps her body is having a delayed effect from hosting the Aether? Just an idea!

I’m being completely honest when I say that there’s nothing holding this movie back for me. I’m excited to see expansion on the Thor mythology, and I’m super excited for this film! I’m just more excited for the other ones.

7. The Marvels

I honestly surprised myself by putting this film higher than Thor: Love and Thunder, as Thor: Ragnarok was one of my favorite films in the MCU, so naturally I’d be excited to see the sequel. However, something is just really making me look forward to this movie.

Brie Larson as Captain Marvel is another example of the stellar casting on display at Marvel Studios, and I’m so excited to see her first solo(-ish) film with her character having had plenty of time to develop her skills (a similar reason to why I’m excited for Doctor Strange, as you’ll see). Monica Rambeau was one of the standout characters in WandaVision, and it’ll be wonderful seeing what her powers really are, as well as just learning more about her character. There seemed to be some tension between her and Carol hinted at in WandaVision, and I’m excited to see that explored.

The real wild card with this movie for me is Kamala Khan. How excited I am to see her in this movie really depends on how her show Ms. Marvel ends up. I don’t know much about the character at all, but I love the concept of a superhero fan (any of us on this Amino could be her!) becoming a superhero. Ms. Marvel is the Disney+ show I’m most looking forward to right now, so my excitement for that is definitely tied to my excitement for this movie.

I also always love more expansion into the cosmic side of the MCU. It’s clear that the future of the MCU is in some way cosmic, and it seems to be a no-brainer that this film will follow that path (Carol is undeniably far too powerful for anything coming from Earth to be a real threat to her).

Anyways, I’m super excited for this movie, and definitely looking forward to see how they balance the focus between these three amazing leads.

6. Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings

I’m being perfectly honest here when I say that the fact that it’s coming so soon is not really impacting my placement of this movie. In fact, my predictions on how I’ll enjoy the Disney+ shows should prove that it might be lower on this list than it should be. When WandaVision came out, I said it looked too weird. After seeing WandaVision, I said that The Falcon & The Winter Soldier looked too normal. Then, I said it’s weird to make a show out of a dead character with Loki. It’s pretty obvious that I was wrong about every single one of those.

This movie looks amazing. Incredible choreography and action, amazing actors, awesome CGI, it’s all there. The fact that they’re bringing back the Ten Rings and the Mandarin (both, interestingly enough, loose ends left over from Iron Man movies) is incredibly exciting to me, and the return of Abomination?? Plus Wong?? Ahhh!!

I do realize that it looks a little bit hypocritical putting The Eternals at the bottom of my list while Shang-Chi is much higher, since I know practically nothing about both IPs. Honestly, it probably is. However, there’s just something about this movie that’s really exciting to me, and I hope that my beliefs are affirmed come September. I don’t have much to say about this movie other than the fact that it looks like a really fun dive into a side of Marvel that we haven’t explored further than references in a couple of Iron Man movies.

5. Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3

It feels like a travesty having a Guardians of the Galaxy movie barely make it into the upper half of the list. Both Guardians of the Galaxy and Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 were fantastic movies in my opinion, and I have no doubt that James Gunn will bring this iteration of the Guardians to a beautiful end.

I imagine that this movie will be a far more emotional movie than the first two, and that’s not to say that the first two weren’t emotional. I differ from a lot of people, as I believe that there is actually a lot of heart in the first two movies in the franchise. Groot’s “We are Groot” scene or Yondu’s funeral both make me tear up every time I see them, and that goes to show that while he has great comedic chops, James Gunn also really knows what he’s doing when it comes to emotion.

The reason that I believe this movie will have more gut-punching moments is because of the fact that Gunn has said it’s going to be the last movie featuring this version of the team. Therefore, there are a lot of loose ends to tie up, and I think at least one Guardian will die. I think Peter will realize that Gamora (or, more specifically the Gamora he loves) is really gone forever after chasing the variant that escaped at the end of Avengers: Endgame, which will definitely hit pretty hard. It’s also likely that Rocket will discover his origins, as that’s been a mystery going on behind the scenes since the initial 2014 release. And yes, I think Drax will die. It would be the perfect conclusion to his character, now that the battle to avenge his family is over, for him to die saving his new family, the Guardians of the Galaxy. But yes, I also think this movie will be hilarious.

I really went full prediction mode there, but I think that goes to show just how excited I am for this movie. This is my favorite cast of Marvel characters ever, even beating out the Avengers, who I love! It’ll be so sad to see them go, but I definitely imagine that there is a future for the Guardians of the Galaxy in some shape or form. Regardless of what happens next, I’m still ridiculously excited for this film.

4. Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania

Even weirder to me than a Guardians film barely making it into my top 5 is an Ant-Man film being ahead of it. I’ve always liked Ant-Man films more than the average MCU viewer, but they’ve never really been more than fun, smaller-scale comedies. However, I feel like this movie is going to be HUGE. This is where the Loki spoilers start, if anyone that hasn’t seen it is still reading!

So, the obvious thing that makes me incredibly excited to see this movie is Jonathan Majors’ Kang the Conquerer. Back in December of 2020, he was announced to be present in the film, which caused speculation to go wild. There had already been slight speculation about this character and his city Chronopolis, which is believed to be in the background of the Quantum Realm in a scene in Ant-Man and the Wasp. Of course, as soon as Loki’s episode dropped on the 14th, this speculation went rampant. He Who Remains very clearly indicated that throughout the foreseeable future of the MCU, we will see many different variants of his character, with the ultimate one being Kang the Conquerer, who will supposedly appear in this film.

I don’t imagine that this all-powerful variant will be defeated in Quantumania, as I expect a fight like that to take place in an Avengers film, or some other sort of team-up. I predict that Ant-Man and the Wasp will either face a weaker version of Kang, or that they will defeat some sort of henchman to Kang, similar to how Thanos sent Loki in The Avengers, and Ronan in Guardians of the Galaxy.

It’s also undeniable that this film will be hilarious. The writing of the first two Ant-Man films have definitely been the funniest to me out of any Marvel movie, and Paul Rudd is the funniest lead in the MCU. I’m very excited to see how the relationship between Scott and Hope has developed, as well as seeing how Scott missing much of Cassie’s childhood during the Blip has affected their family. Oh, and the name Quantumania rocks.

3. Fantastic Four

Marvel’s first family. Reed Richards, Sue Storm, Johnny Storm, and Ben Grimm are some of the most famous characters in comic book history, as well as the team most directly responsible for the beginning of Marvel’s comic book continuity. Therefore, it makes sense that there have been attempts at making a movie about them. Multiple movies, in fact. What doesn’t make sense to me is that it’s never been done right.

While Marvel Studios is obviously the most capable studio at adapting comic book characters, other studios have definitely succeeded when dealing with IPs this massive. Sony’s original Raimi trilogy of Spider-Man movies was hugely successful and still alive in the hearts of many, and Fox’s X-Men films, while having had their ups and downs, definitely had some movies that people loved. However, they’ve just never done the Fantastic Four right. And I’d bet anything that Marvel can.

Unlike other things that have never had a presence in the MCU before, such as the Eternals, I know about the Fantastic Four and their extensive history in the comics. Just in Lee’s and Kirby’s original run, they introduced so much: Doctor Doom, Galactus, Silver Surfer, the Watchers, Black Bolt and the Inhumans, the Skrulls, and even Black Panther! There’s so much content and so many stories to fall back on to create a quality film, and I’m with Marvel all the way.

As I said earlier, I’m so excited to explore more of the cosmic side of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. We’ve gotten things like Guardians of the Galaxy, Thor, and Captain Marvel, and they’ve all been great. However, the Fantastic Four practically go hand in hand with the word cosmic. They’re rocket scientists! They fight aliens! However, I predict that their origins will have something to do with the Quantum Realm. Perhaps they were trapped in the Quantum Realm since the 60s, and their time in there was enough to give them the strange powers that they have. This would be a natural way to introduce them, and it would also naturally introduce the Fantastic Four to Kang the Conquerer, who I predict will affect their story in one way or another, as he is another character that ties quite directly to the team (Kang, or Nathaniel Richards, is believed to be a descendant of Reed Richards and Sue Storm from the 31st century). Perhaps as the pharaoh Rama-Tut?

We’ll just have to wait and see, but I’m so excited to see what they do. Yay for the Fantastic Four!!

2. Spider-Man: No Way Home

It was practically a given that this movie would be this high up, what with all the speculation, rumors, and leaks that have followed this movie through production. I’ll be discussing these at length, so if you want to go in to this movie clean in December (if that’s even possible at this point), make sure not to read past this point!

So, Spider-Man: No Way Home is absolutely going to be a multiverse-focused story. Both Alfred Molina and Jamie Foxx are confirmed to be part of the cast of this movie, and Molina essentially confirmed that the story of his character will pick up from where it left off in Raimi’s Spider-Man 2. This means that it won’t be a fake-out like Evan Peters was in WandaVision, but rather a full-fledged multiversal story. Foxx will also likely be playing the version of Electro that he played in The Amazing Spider-Man 2, and all these rumors and casting confirmations have caused speculation about two more possible cast : Tobey Maguire and Andrew Garfield.

While Tom Holland is my favorite Peter Parker/Spider-Man actor, it’s undeniable that both Maguire and Garfield were cast for a reason in their respective adaptations of the character. They both bring charm and charisma to the character in distinct ways, and seeing them interact with Holland’s version of Spider-Man would be a dream come true for so many fans. Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse was one of the most critically acclaimed superhero films of all time, and this is a live-action, MCU version of that.

I’ve even seen crazier rumors such as Charlie Cox returning as Daredevil which would be really interesting to see, as I’ve been watching the Daredevil series recently and I’ve really loved his take on the character. And of course, Doctor Strange is confirmed to be in this movie. That’s the final ingredient to make this an absolutely crazy ride, and I’m looking forward to every second of it.

With so much being crammed into this movie (, there’s also the dilemma with his identity being revealed that he has to contend with), there’s a very high possibility that it will end up jumbled, messy, confusing, and hard to watch. I don’t think it’ll be that bad, but there’s always the possibility that it might. Regardless of what does or might happen, that does not change the fact that I’m eagerly awaiting this movie more than any other movie this phase. Well, any movie except for one…

1. Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness

For me, it couldn’t be any other movie. I mean, just look at that title!! The multiverse of madness? If that doesn’t tell us that we’re in for a wild ride, I don’t know what does.

The thing I’m most excited for in this film is obviously the multiversal story. Thanks to the initial introduction to the multiverse in Loki and the inevitable continuation in Spider-Man: No Way Home, I believe that this is where the multiverse is going to get fleshed out the most. Doctor Strange is an extremely mystical character, and I believe that if anyone can deal with a problem of such a large scope, it’s him.

I am also very excited to see Doctor Strange in his full potential (or at least closer to it). Similar to how I was describing Captain Marvel earlier, Doctor Strange’s first outing in cinemas was very much a story of him getting accustomed to his powers, so it’ll be interesting to see how he will be challenged when he’ll be so much more powerful than we’ve ever seen him before. I fully expect him to go up against a truly powerful magical being, such as Nightmare or Shuma Gorath. He may even go up against the Scarlet Witch, as she’s confirmed to be in this movie. It’s yet to be determined whether or not she will be a protagonist or an antagonist, but it can be assured that either way I’m excited to see her return.

Another thing that excites me is the direction that this film is going and its director Sam Raimi. Sam Raimi brought one of the most beloved superhero franchises to life with his Spider-Man trilogy that I keep referring back to, so seeing him come back into the ring to do another superhero movie is extremely exciting. Likewise, seeing them go for a horror feel is extremely interesting. I’ve never been much of a fan of horror films (I get scared waaaay too easily), but one of my favorite aspects of the MCU is their ability to combine completely different genres and styles of filmmaking into one coherent universe, and that absolutely applies here. It’ll also have to comply with PG-13 guidelines, so I expect it to contain atmospheric and psychological horror elements rather than being a full-on, jumpscare-packed horror film.

Whatever they do, I’m more than excited to see it, and I’m sure that it’ll be a movie that will stick in Marvel fans’ minds for years to come.

Conclusion

And that’s it! That’s the list! Even though there’s so much Marvel content coming out in this phase, the waiting between shows and movies still feels like it takes forever. Oh well, not much we can do about it!

It’s also important to , once again, that I’m excited for all of them! I considered giving each movie an excitement score in this ranking, but I dropped the idea when I realized that it was entirely useless, as literally all of them are a 10/10 for me. It’s a good time to be a Marvel fan, and I’m so excited to see what’s waiting for us in these movies.

Thank you so much for reading my blog! I plan to have another one out very shortly, hopefully within the next couple of days, as I’ve started a massive journey, and I’m hoping to keep anyone who’s interested updated as I go along. I know that’s vague and pretty useless information, but just wait! All will be explained before long! Hope you have a fantastic rest of your day or night, I’ll see you in the next blog! :heart: