Everything We Can Expect In Marvel Phase 5

While Phase 4 might be a part of the "Multiverse Saga" that encompasses Phases 4 through 6, there hasn't been much that's actually touched on the multiverse yet in the MCU. Sure, it might have been a core element of films and shows like "Spider-Man: No Way Home," "Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness," and "Loki," but it's rarely been touched on in anything else. Now, however, with Kang the Conqueror (Jonathan Majors) being formally introduced in "Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania" and starting to have a looming presence within the MCU, the Multiverse Saga can really start to live up to its name. 

Although Kang's plans have yet to be revealed, if we're going by the comics, then it's likely that he's building a multiversal army made up of soldiers that basically look like himself. Based on the first "Quantumania" trailer, it seems like Kang is going to task Ant-Man with some kind of mission that could easily work toward that goal. Plus his presence was teased at the end of the first season of "Loki," so it's possible that we'll get more multiverse storylines there as well. Outside of "Quantumania" and "Loki," there are plenty of opportunities for more multiverse moments as multiple Marvel heroines come together, the Guardians continue to explore the Marvel cosmos, and Agatha Harkness (Kathryn Hahn) delves deeper into her dark mysticism. 

"Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania," the first entry in Phase 5, hits theaters this coming February. Its group of size-shifting heroes will not only be joined by Scott Lang's (Paul Rudd) daughter Cassie (Kathryn Newton) — who is now older because of The Snap and will likely become a hero like her father — but will traverse the Quantum Realm to interact with some strange and dangerous new entities. 

As noted earlier, Ant-Man and company will run into Kang at some point, but details about what the rest of "Quantumania" entails have been pretty scarce. It's certainly going to be a big film in terms of both establishing the multiverse and Kang as a prominent MCU villain, but he's not going to be the only nemesis around. As stated in the trailer, Janet Van Dyne (Michelle Pfeiffer) has been harboring some secrets about her time in the Quantum Realm and could be facing some old enemies, which might pave the way for Bill Murray's secret villain role. There are also rumors circulating about MODOK making his MCU debut in "Quantumania" as well, so it seems like Ant-Man and The Wasp's (Evangeline Lilly) latest voyage to the Quantum Realm will not only bring fans into another new world in the MCU, but also bring a bevy of new villains. 

After delivering a fun and funny holiday special, James Gunn and the Guardians of the Galaxy are set to deliver their third and final adventure together on the big screen with the upcoming "Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3." As they continue to go on misadventures to protect the galaxy, they find themselves in a fight to protect one of their own while dealing with new friends and foes. Although there haven't been many details fleshed out for the latest Guardians adventure, the latest teaser trailer actually gave us a lot to chew on. 

With the High Evolutionary (Chukwudi Iwuji) as the film's main villain and Lyla, an anthropomorphic otter friend of Rocket's, clearly seen hugging the talking raccoon in the trailer, it's safe to say that "Vol. 3" will likely focus more on Rocket's origins and see him collide with the High Evolutionary, who created him. The film will also introduce Adam Warlock (Will Poulter), who plays a major role in Marvel lore and will likely be one of the most powerful entities in the MCU. More importantly, this will likely be the last time we see this Guardians team all together. Dave Bautista has publicly said that this is his last "Guardians" film, so there will likely be some kind of send-off for Drax. And with Gamora (Zoe Saldana) now leading the Ravagers, who knows where everyone will land by the end of "Vol. 3." 

"Loki" is the first MCU show on Disney+ to get a second season, and it's set to return in Phase 5 with the titular God of Mischief getting into more multiverse hijinks. The series will pick up after Sylvie's (Sophia Di Martino) hasty decision to kill He Who Remains, forever altering the timelines and sending Loki (Tom Hiddleston) back to a Time Variance Authority where a variant of He Who Remains now rules. Along with Hiddleston and Di Martino, Owen Wilson, Gugu Mbatha-Raw, Wumni Mosaku, and more will be returning from the first season, alongside some new additions, including "Everything Everywhere All at Once" star Ke Huy Quan and Rafael Casal from "Blindspotting."

Not much is known about what Loki's next adventure has in store, but there's plenty to theorize about given the state of how things ended. With the final few episodes seeing Loki interact with more variants of himself, the series should delve deeper into the multiverse. If Season 2 of "Loki" can match the same energy and ambition of the first season, then MCU fans are definitely in for a treat. With Kang's presence being clear already. it'll likely play an important role in building towards some of the big conflicts in Phase 6.

Captain Marvel (Brie Larson) has made a few small appearances throughout Phase 4, but is gearing up for a big cinematic return in the upcoming "The Marvels," which will see her star alongside two rising forces in Monica Rambeau (Teyonah Parris) and Kamala Kahn/Ms. Marvel (Iman Vellani). "The Marvels" is not only going to be a pivotal Phase 5 film because it sees these three heroes coming together for the first time, but also because it'll likely tackle some of the biggest hanging story threads currently in the MCU. 

The last time we saw Monica was when she suddenly gained powers at the end of "WandaVision." Her return will likely see her getting to fully utilize these new abilities in battle, while also maybe becoming known as either Photon or Spectrum like in the comics. As for Ms. Marvel and Carol Danvers/Captain Marvel, the film will likely tackle the reason why they switched places at the end of "Ms. Marvel," and it's going to be pretty amazing to watch Kamala meet her childhood hero. There aren't many plot details to delve into at the moment, and in terms of villains, all we know is that Zawe Ashton from "Velvet Buzzsaw" has been cast as an unknown villain. Surely fans are eagerly awaiting to see this trio of Marvels collide. 

As said before, Phase 4 touched on Marvel's horror-themed heroes, like Moon Knight (Oscar Isaac) and Werewolf by Night (Gael Garcia Bernal), and Phase 5 will now formally introduce Blade into the MCU. So is it possible that we'll start to see this horror corner of the MCU start to collide? It's not totally out of the realm of possibility, since these characters do match each other's tone well and could easily form their own section of MCU lore. 

At the moment, the MCU's horror side has more or less been its own offshoot — compared to other things happening in the franchise — and it's not clear where exactly certain characters could fit into the MCU's future. Since the end of "Moon Knight," the biggest question has been whether we would see the titular hero again, only for Isaac to promise that Moon Knight's time in the MCU is far from over. We haven't seen any hints since, and the placement of "Werewolf By Night" in the MCU is definitely a big mystery since it doesn't feel like anyone is going to fight werewolves any time soon. Blade's introduction could offer a tentpole for all of Marvel's horror-themed heroes and villains to work around, and perhaps even lead to the long-awaited introductions of characters like Ghost Rider and Mephisto as well.

After multiple appearances throughout the MCU in "Spider-Man: No Way Home," "She-Hulk," and the upcoming series "Echo," Charlie Cox's Daredevil is finally ready to lead his own series again with the upcoming series "Daredevil: Born Again." The series will not only see Matthew Murdock (Charlie Cox) return to his role as protector of Hell's Kitchen, but also the return of Vincent D'Onofrio's Kingpin as his main opponent. With Daredevil already interacting with so many MCU characters and the series' hefty 18-episode order, there's a lot of potential for crossovers and cameos. 

With the series being a reboot of "Daredevil" rather than a continuation of the Netflix series, it's tough to say if many or any of the characters from that series will return or be recast, but it does open the door for characters that Daredevil has interacted with to appear. Characters like She-Hulk (Tatiana Maslany), Echo, and even Spider-Man could easily make an appearance. Murdock appearing in "No Way Home" shows that the MCU isn't afraid to pair these two together, and Spider-Man fighting the Kingpin alongside Daredevil could be the perfect way to have Spidey finally interact with his well-known foe. Regardless if that happens or not, "Born Again" is easily one of Phase 5's most highly anticipated events and will bring a fan favorite back to life.

Sam Wilson (Anthony Mackie) will finally soar as the new Captain America in the upcoming "Captain America: New World Order," after he donned a new suit and shield in "The Falcon and the Winter Soldier." The film will see Sam continue to traverse the world as Captain America and face off against a new threat in the form of The Leader. Other familiar faces from "The Falcon and the Winter Soldier" will also return, including Danny Ramirez as Joaquin Torres and Carl Lumbly as Isaiah Bradley. 

The film will also be the first time that fans see Harrison Ford step into the role of Thaddeus "Thunderbolt" Ross after William Hurt's sudden passing earlier this year, while introducing another new young heroine in Sabra (Shira Haas), a super-powered mutant from Israel. "The Cloverfield Paradox" director Julius Onah will be behind the camera for "Captain America: New World Order," which will likely feature some of the conspiracy thriller feel of "Captain America: The Winter Soldier." Fans of "The Falcon and the Winter Soldier" will definitely be looking forward to this one, which could be a promising start to Sam's tenure as Captain America in the MCU. 

To say that there's a lot going on in the MCU would be an understatement. From new heroes cropping up left and right to some fan favorites taking on new roles in a post-"Endgame" landscape, the many different story directions haven't made for a fully cohesive feel. Perhaps that's been the point, as there have been rumors (via The Direct) about the MCU splitting into different branches and storylines to focus on different themes and threats. It certainly feels that way at the moment, given all the different tones, potential story routes, and combinations we're seeing. 

With Blade's introduction in Phase 5, there's certainly potential for the more supernatural horror-themed characters to converge around him. Street-level warriors like Daredevil and earthbound teams like the Thunderbolts could end up fighting enemies closer to home, while cosmic heroes like Captain Marvel and the Guardians will face larger threats. Phase 5 might be part of the Multiverse Saga, but there are certainly different routes forming and big seeds being planted for future storylines within the larger framework, all of which should start to become a little clearer. 

Phase 4 introduced plenty of new heroes and storylines, but also left some lingering questions about when we'll see specific characters again and if a certain "m" word being thrown around will have bigger implications going forward. Two main entities of interest are Shang-Chi and the Eternals, since they had big introductions but have uncertain futures in the MCU. With Shang-Chi's ending hinting that we will see the Ten Rings again, they're likely to show up somewhere soon. As for Shang-Chi himself, a second solo film is in development and it's likely he'll make an appearance outside of his own movies as well, just to feel more ingrained in the MCU. 

The same can be basically said for the Eternals, who last we saw are currently split, with one group trapped by Arishem The Judge and another in search for other Eternals. With more cosmic storylines in Phase 5, it's possible that they could show up for a hot second somewhere just to check in. The bigger question is whether Phase 5 will directly tackle all the talk of mutants that's been going on throughout Phase 4. We currently know that both Ms. Marvel and Namor (Tenoch Huerta Mejia) are the first major mutants introduced in the MCU. With the X-Men likely to appear after the Multiverse Saga, we're almost certainly going to hear more about them sooner rather than later.