Lots of news coming fast and furious from the Marvel presentation happening this afternoon in Los Angeles. First and foremost, studio honcho Kevin Feige has announced that planned slate to run from now until the next Avengers film… or should we say, films.
Here’s the breakdown –
May 6, 2016 – Captain America: Civil War
November 4, 2016 – Doctor Strange (this is a change from marvel’s previously announced July 8th date )
May 5, 2017 – Guardians Of The Galaxy 2 (this is a change from the previously announced July 28, 2017 date)
July 28, 2017 – Thor: Ragnarok
November 3, 2017 – Black Panther
May 4, 2018 – The Avengers: Infinity War Part 1
July 6, 2018 – Captain Marvel
November 2, 2018 – The Inhumans
May 3, 2019 – Infinity War Part 2
Wow, that’s a lot to digest.
First off, it is nice to see marvel finally committing to a number of characters that have long been in the development at the studio specifically Black Panther, Captain Marvel and the Inhumans. And they’re going to need those characters too if they hope to have a full scale war for the two-part Avengers film. Speaking of which, I guess this settles the rumors that had been swirling about whether the third Avengers tale would be cut into two parts or if it would lead into another, bigger film.
Doctor Strange will serve as the gateway into the parallel dimensions of the marvel Cinematic Universe, though I dare say that the groundwork was already laid in the two Thor films.
Chad Boseman has been cast as the Black Panther, and Feige teased that elements for the film have already been seeded into other films. I’m guessing he’s referring back to the map we saw at the end of Iron Man 2 that may have indicated the African country of Wakanda, where Black Panther hails from. Feige also said that Black Panther would be a big part of Captain America: Civil War, so we’ll see him there first.
Comic Book Film editor William Gatevackes noted to me that it is certainly interesting that Marvel’s Captain Marvel hits screens several months before the previously announced Shazam (who has also gone by the Captain Marvel name) from Warner Brothers. Feige noted that this would be the Carol Danvers version of the character, and the character getting a solo film lends credence to the rumor that she may appear at the end of next summer’s The Avengers: Age Of Ultron.
I’m intrigued by the fact that there are two films sitting in between the two-part Avengers: Infinity War. I dare say that Captain Marvel and The Inhumans might be out of chronological order here. Feige promised that we would find out “sooner than you think” where the Inhumans would fit in the Cinematic Universe.
Feige specifically did not address a number of things, saying that if it wasn’t announced today it was only rumor and speculation. A specific non-topic was the casting of Benedict Cumberbatch as Doctor Strange.
Below is title art that Marvel released today as well as some concept art for Boseman as Black Panther.
