This afternoon, Marvel held a mystery event that everyone was invited to and knew about, thus making the meaning of a secret event kind of meaningless. But at any rate, the studio unveiled a bunch of new info about their upcoming projects, so hold on to your comics, because we’re gonna do this bullet style:
-Let’s start with new projects: Namely "Captain Marvel," the studio’s first female lead movie which is set for a July 6, 2018 release date.“This Captain Marvel’s name is Carol Danvers," Kevin Feige said. "This film has been in the works almost as long as Doctor Strange or Guardians of the Galaxy before it came out, and one of the key things was figuring out what we wanted to do with it. Her adventures are very earthbound, but her powers are based in the cosmic realm.”
-"Black Panther" (with "42" star Chadwick Boseman in the role) arrives on November 3, 2017. “Black Panther and all of Wakanda" (a fictional African country from which B.P. hails) "is one of the most interesting characters in Marvel history," Feige remarked . "Something I already showed you today contains an Easter egg that leads directly into ‘Black Panther.’ He’s a bit of a prince, he may even become a bit of a king, but it’s all about how this isolationist country meets the world. Maybe it goes well, maybe it doesn’t.”
– A new super hero team,"Inhumans," hits on November 2, 2018. “November 3, 2018 will introduce dozens of characters into the Marvel Cinematic Universe," Feige promised. "We really do believe the Inhumans can be a franchise or a series of franchise unto themselves. They have dozens of powers and an amazing social structure. With our 20th movie in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, we wanted to continue to refine what that universe is about." To clarify, the Inhumans are the royal family ruling over a race of super-humans living in a hidden city in the Himalayas (or occasionally the moon).
-And they haven’t forgotten about sequels: "Guardians Of The Galaxy 2" hits on May 5, 2017
-"Thor: Ragnarok" on July 28, 2017. "This is a very important movie for us in Phase 3," Feige said about the third "Thor" movie. "We plan on taking Thor to another level. It picks up where we leave Thor in ‘Avengers: Age of Ultron’ and impacts everything that comes after."
-"Avengers: Infinity War" Part 1 on May 4, 2018 with Part 2 coming May 3, 2019. "We’ve always had a plan since Nick Fury broke into Tony Stark’s house and told him he’s part of a bigger universe," Feige recalled. "’Avengers: Infinity War Part 1′ is the beginning of the culmination of everything that has come before."
– And oh yeah, "Captain America 3" is now called "Captain America: Civil War" and it arrives on May 6, 2016. Chris Evans will once again reprise his role as Captain America, joined by Robert Downey, Jr. as Iron Man and Chadwick Boseman, who will make his big screen debut as the Black Panther in the film.
-"Doctor Strange," with Benedict Cumberbatch now in the title role, has moved to November 4, 2016. "It takes a while to work on these movies before they’re ready to come to you in theaters," Feige explained. "Doctor Stephen Strange, [a] brilliant neurosurgeon, a bit of an arrogant fellow who gets in a car accident and ruins what he thinks are the tools of his trade: his hands. In the Marvel Cinematic Universe version of the supernatural, that involves everything from quantum mechanics to string theory. The idea of this film is to open up a whole new corner of the cinematic universe. We want to enter, through Strange, the world of parallel dimensions."
-According to Kevin Feige, the director for "Captain Marvel" will be chosen first, before the actress playing the lead role is cast. Black Panther will be seen in costume in "Captain America: Civil War" and will be a "big part" of the film.
-Feige says Reginald Hudlin ("House Party," "Boomerang"; producer on "Django Unchained") is among the directors he’s meeting for "Black Panther."
-Want a Hulk solo film? For now, he’ll just be in the ‘Avengers’ flicks with Feige only offering a "we’ll see" about a standalone venture.
-How about "Runaways"? Says Feige: “Runaways is still an awesome script that is sitting in our script vault… We’d love to do something with Runaways someday.”
-How about those "Spider-Man" joining Marvel rumors? "Anything that wasn’t specifically and obviously revealed today is either not true at all, or still rumor until it’s worked out," Feige said.
-Stats: the first two Marvel phases had six films each. Phase 3? Nine.
Thoughts? Is Marvel like totes better than DC now with these new movies? Hit the comments section and let us know. Logos and concept art below.
May 6, 2016: Captain America: Civil War
November 4, 2016: Doctor Strange
May 5, 2017: Guardians of the Galaxy 2
July 28, 2017: Thor: Ragnarok
November 2, 2017: Black Panther
May 4, 2018: Avengers: Infinity War – Part I
July 6, 2018: Captain Marvel
November 3, 2018: Inhumans
May 3, 2019: Avengers: Infinity War – Part II
