There are concerns among Marvel fans about Phase 5 because they were not happy with Phase 4. A Marvel Studios exec spoke about the upcoming phase and shared the exciting things that fans should look forward to.
Marvel Studios Exec Speaks About Phase 5 After Phase 4 Received Criticisms From Fans
Marvel Studios Director of Visual Development Andy Park assured fans that awesome projects are on the way for Phase 5. He proudly talked about Paul Rudd's Ant-Man 3 and Thunderbolt. According to him, the iconic characters are fleshed out and delivered the right way, and "the picture gets bigger and bigger."
"That's what the Marvel Studios Visual Development department is all about. We exist to help flesh out these characters that initially come from the amazing creators in the Marvel comic books world — from Jack Kirby, Stan Lee, Steve Ditko, and all the decades afterward. It just gets wider and wider, the picture gets bigger and bigger, even after Endgame," he said about their department and what they are doing to do better in the next phase.
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He also understands that fans may be wondering what else to see and where MCU is heading. He assured fans that moving forward, they will be seeing a "pocket of the universe" through Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania and Thunderbolts.
"It's the exact same model as the Marvel Comics … It's been many, many decades of just building upon characters and worlds, but it's all in the same universe," he explained.
Park also praised the people behind MCU, especially studio president Kevin Feige and the team. According to him, they trust his vision and where he sees the franchise going. He admitted there were times when they questioned some decisions, but things still worked out. He assured fans that Feige knew what he was doing.
According to The Direct, Phase 5 will reinvigorate the Marvel universe as it will be offering some impressive new projects. Overall, Park still sees enormous potential for the franchise despite the mixed opinions for Phase 4.
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Marvel Cinematic Universe Phase 4 Criticized
Phase 4 of the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) heaped criticisms from fans as they were not satisfied with a lot of things in the franchise. Marvel Studios already dropped six of the seven films for phase 4 — Black Widow, Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings, Eternals, Spider: No Way Home, Doctor Strange in the Multiverse and Thor: Love and Thunder. Black Panther: Wakanda Forever is coming up next month.
However, several fans were not impressed with what they saw in Phase 4. MCU fans felt that Phase 4 is similar to Phase 1 and Phase 2, which are "pretty mediocre."
Fans were most happy with Phase 3, in which they felt the films were "extremely high standards and... high levels of connectivity and build-up were present," Screen Rant reported.
MCU Movies in Phase 3 included Avengers: Endgame, Spider-Man: Far From Home, Captain Marvel, Avengers: Infinity War, Black Panther, Ant-Man and the Wasp, Thor: Ragnarok and Spider-Man: Homecoming.
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Redditor Jertimmer claims the lack of a "grand plan" in the franchise. Another user, PapaChewbacca, felt that no one is memorable in Phase 4. He preferred Phase 1 because it "wasted no time in connecting the stories" compared to the "clusterf--k of 'excitement' that Phase 4 is."
Meanwhile, PapaChewbacca called the villains in Phase 4 "absolutely terrible." However, Screen Rant noted that the villains in Phase 4 are "the most powerful and menacing in the franchise."
While many were unhappy, MCU solid fans are hopeful that things will be better in Phase 5. Some even defended Marvel Studios, saying those who complained were either new fans who just watched the films in Phase 3 or were biased.
Redditor KostisPat257 said Phase 4 "does feel aimless and disconnected. On purpose." However, the user said, "It doesn't need to connect right now. It's setting the stage."
Phase 5 of the MCU starts with Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania, which premieres on Feb. 17, 2023.
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