MCU Producer Nate Moore Teases Phase 5 And The Possibility Of Black Panther 3 - Exclusive
Phase 3 of the Marvel Cinematic Universe reached its climax with the grim and grand "Avengers: Infinity War" and "Avengers: Endgame." The pair of films brought major changes to the blockbuster franchise, and Phase 4 which is coming to an end with "Black Panther: Wakanda Forever" and Disney+'s "Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special," has been all about paying homage to the past while looking to the future. The latter objective has meant establishing a plethora of exciting new characters, like "Shang-Chi (Simu Liu) in "Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings," "Black Widow's Yelena Belova (Florence Pugh), and the title character (Iman Vellani) of the Disney+ series "Ms. Marvel," who are all poised to play a big role in the MCU's upcoming Phase 5.
Also sure to play an important role in Marvel's upcoming projects are the many characters from "Wakanda Forever," many of whom are already fan favorites, such as Okoye (Danai Gurira), Shuri (Letitia Wright), and Nakia (Lupita Nyong'o), and others whose introductions in the film are bound to leave fans eager to see more, including Namor (Tenoch Huerta) and Riri Williams (Dominique Thorne).
Given everything Phase 4 sets up, fans may be wondering what they can expect from the franchise next. For answers, Looper talked to "Black Panther: Wakanda Forever" producer and executive at Marvel Studios, Nate Moore, in an exclusive interview. He hinted at what we can expect next from the MCU's Phase 5 and whether "Black Panther 3" might be part of the franchise's future plans.
What to expect as the MCU moves forward
Moore noted in an exclusive interview with Looper that the stories in Phase 4 have focused on picking up the pieces after the devastating events at the end of Phase 3. " ... Phase 4 is very much about loss and renewal. At the end of 'Endgame,' even, you lose Tony Stark, you lose Steve Rogers," Moore explained. "There's a little bit of the feeling of the passing of a baton to a whole new generation, and some of that is because of loss, and some of that is because of renewal."
By introducing so many fascinating new characters while also having previously established characters take on new roles, Moore shared, Phase 4 has laid the groundwork for Phase 5. "[At] the end of ['Wakanda Forever'], hopefully, not only are you introduced to an incredible new world in Talokan and Namor, but we have a new Black Panther that will carry on the mantle in the same way that Kate Bishop can carry on the mantle of Hawkeye, in the same way that Sam Wilson can carry on the mantle of Captain America," Moore observed. "That gets us really excited, and I think you'll see a lot more of these characters moving forward."
"Black Panther 3" hasn't been announced as part of Phase 5, but given the popularity of the world of Wakanda, fans may be curious to know if there are plans for a third movie set in the "Black Panther" universe in future phases of the MCU. While Moore didn't confirm anything about the possibility of a "Black Panther" threequel, he offered a ray of hope.
"We never want to count our chickens before they hatch," Moore said. "For us, it's the drive towards the next month of getting 'Wakanda Forever' out and seeing audiences' responses because that's who we're making these films for. Hopefully, audiences tell us they want to see more of Wakanda, and if that's so, I'm sure we won't disappoint them."
"Black Panther: Wakanda Forever" opens in theaters on November 11.