Disney+’s WandaVision opens Phase 4, and potentially sets up several more movies and shows in the MCU. Originally, Black Widow was expected to be the project that started Phase 4, but the coronavirus pandemic has reshuffled Marvel’s release schedule. Marvel had to move both of its 2020 movies, Black Widow and Eternals, to 2021. For this reason, WandaVision will be the first new MCU content audiences have seen since Spider-Man: Far From Home in 2019.
Phase 4 will begin a new era for the Marvel Cinematic Universe, as for the first time Marvel movies and TV shows will be deeply interconnected. Marvel will also be bringing to life on the big and small screen an impressively long list of new heroes and villains. Several key characters, such as Moon Knight, Ms. Marvel, Black Knight, Kang the Conqueror, She-Hulk, Kate Bishop, and Ironheart, will be making their MCU debuts in Phase 4. Some will be appearing new movies while others will show up in Marvel’s Disney+ lineup. In addition to these characters getting the spotlight, Marvel will be putting focus on many of its existing heroes as well, including Falcon, Winter Soldier, War Machine, and more.
Among them are Elizabeth Olsen’s Scarlet Witch and Paul Bettany’s Vision, who will both be returning for a 10-episode adventure in WandaVision. Despite the fact that Vision died at the hands of Thanos, both he and Wanda will be seen living together in a suburban community. Nothing has been confirmed as of yet, but the strange events that play out in the series could end up being relevant to more than just the lives of Scarlet Witch and the Vision. It could be that WandaVision will set the stage for a number of Phase 4 movies and TV shows.
One movie that is known to be linked with WandaVision is Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness. What Wanda goes through in the Disney+ show is sure to be the bridge between her Avengers: Endgame and Doctor Strange 2 roles. When she was last seen in the MCU, she was still reeling from the loss of Vision, but she’ll have been through a lot more by the time Doctor Strange 2 kicks off and teams her up with Benedict Cumberbatch’s Sorcerer Supreme. It’s believed that she’ll be mentored by Strange, who could help her get a grasp on the powers she’ll develop in the show.
It appears that the mental breakdown Scarlet Witch will experience in WandaVision will be rooted in her reality-warping abilities from Marvel Comics. In all the movies she’s been in thus far, she hasn’t demonstrated this capability, but it’s already been said that WandaVision will build on Scarlet Witch’s power set. It’s also quite possible that the plots of the show and Doctor Strange 2 are intertwined, as it could be that Wanda’s powers will set off the “Madness” in the multiverse that Strange will have to fix. Alternatively, the problems in the show could instead b an early sign of the “Madness”.
It’s no longer a secret that Doctor Strange 2 and Spider-Man 3 are connected. Stephen Strange will be in both movies, plus Spider-Man 3 will reportedly feature numerous characters from past Spider-Man franchises. That’s because the movie’s story will involve the multiverse. Somehow, the MCU’s Peter Parker (Tom Holland) will be interacting with characters from different timelines. The link between this film and Doctor Strange 2 is also something that Marvel Studios head Kevin Feige has talked about. So given their connection and the multiverse being central to Spider-Man 3, it feels like there’s a good chance WandaVision could be related to it in some way. After all, the third Spider-Man film will precede Doctor Strange 2. If something goes wrong in the multiverse in WandaVision, Spider-Man 3 may be the first movie that will have to deal with the repercussions of that.
In a Spider-Man: Far From Home post-credits scene, Marvel unveiled SWORD, a peacekeeping organization from Marvel Comics whose main goal is to combat extraterrestrial threats. Two of the characters working with them are Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson) and the Skrull, Talos (Ben Mendelsohn). The scene was so brief that no information was really shared about who this group was, what Nick Fury was doing with them, or how they were created. Their name wasn’t mentioned either, but fans were able to infer from the comics that it was indeed SWORD that the movie was teasing.
Disney’s announcement that Fury and Talos will be back for another new show, Secret Invasion, has finally provided an explanation for Marvel’s SWORD plans. It looks like the organization will be tasked with preventing the Skrulls’ invasion of Earth in Phase 4. Ahead of that fight, Marvel will get an opportunity to properly introduce SWORD and explain their existence in WandaVision. Set photos and footage from the show have made it clear that they’ll have a presence in the series.
Darcy Lewis (Kat Dennings), who hasn’t been around since Thor: The Dark World, will return to the MCU via WandaVision. At least right now, there’s no expectation that she will have a role in Thor: Love and Thunder, but her character could tie in to the franchise’s fourth installment in a different way. Darcy may not be coming back for Thor 4, but her best friend – Natalie Portman’s Jane Foster – is. Somehow, the character will follow in the footsteps of the comic book version of Jane and transform into the Mighty Thor. In the comics, this happened after she developed cancer. If there’s a plan for Thor 4 to move in the same direction, WandaVision could go ahead and set this in motion by having Darcy talk about what Jane has been up to. If Jane really is dealing with a serious medical situation, that could be addressed.
An important character in MCU Phase 4 is Monica Rambeau, who was introduced as a child in Captain Marvel. In the comic books, she was the first female hero to use that mantle, and a major member of the Avengers. It’s been confirmed that she will appear in at least two Phase 4 properties, WandaVision and Captain Marvel 2. Prior to what may be a team-up between her Carol Danvers (Brie Larson) in the Captain Marvel sequel, WandaVision will be the show that debuts the adult version of Monica, played by Teyonah Parris. Before she shows up on the big screen, it will fall on WandaVision to reveal what happened to her after Captain Marvel and how she became associated with SWORD. It may be also be this series that gives Monica her comic book counterpart’s electromagnetic powers.
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January 14, 2021 at 08:23AM
