5 Movies For Marvel Phase 3


Ah, Marvel. Remember when most movies associated with its brand were awful? Don’t you remember the freakish likes of Daredevil and Ghost Rider, films that had no respect for their characters whatsoever?

Nicolas Cage sure does.

Even the best ones like Spider-Man and the X-Men eventually fell to ruin with their worse third entries. But lo and behold, a true superhero was approaching, one who would collectively save Marvel’s ass and ensure superhero popularity forever.

Iron Man!

Personally speaking, the original film is still one of my favorites. And while the films that came after weren’t as good, they did lead to The Avengers, which is already regarded as highly as Morgan Freeman.

But now that Phase Two is underway with Iron Man 3, and with new Thor and Captain America movies on the way, we now must wonder what comes after. What will happen after The Avengers 2: Avenge Harder finishes, and the collective mass of the interwebs collapses because of Joss Whedon’s awesomeness?

This is what this list is going to attempt to predict.

Author’s Note: If you’re one of two people who haven’t already seen The Dark Knight Rises (curse you grandma!), then you should probably skip this one, watch it, then come back and read this. That DC movie is spoiled big time in an article about Marvel. Also, Iron Man 3 gets spoiled, FYI.

ANT-MAN

So far, this is the only one that is confirmed for Phase 3. And it’s going to be the first film, too! It’s arriving November 2013, a mere several months away from the next Avengers movie.

Even better, its director is one of the best in recent years, Edgar Wright. You may know him for creating the one-two-three punch of Shaun of the Dead, Hot Fuzz and Scott Pilgrim Vs. The World. Apparently his new film The World’s End is also awesome. So yeah, this one is almost certain to be a fantastic film. Names ranging from Nathan Fillion to Alan Tudyk have been rumored as Ant-Man. The test footage, though only available through crappy cell phone video, looks pretty sweet, too.

 

DOCTOR STRANGE

The Sorcerer Supreme is getting his own movie? Admittedly, I was a little surprised to hear this, but I was the one who was skeptical of the Thor movie. Apparently he’s a big favorite around the Marvel offices. But the further you go into the rumors, the stranger (pun intended) it gets. The oddest potential choice for director is Fede Alvarez, the fella who got to make the Evil Dead remake with no prior experience. The casting choices range from dead on, like Viggo “Aragorn” Mortensen, to a bit eclectic, like Joseph “I’m Totally Not Robin You Guys” Gordon-Levitt. I’m personally more for the former, since Gordon-Levitt is at least a decade too young for the part. But I don’t hate you, JGL! I liked you in 500 Days of Summer! And Looper! And even 10 Things I Hate About You!

 

BLACK PANTHER

This one’s been in the pipeline for years, but now that Marvel’s been established as a brand, it’s not much of a stretch giving T’Challa his own movie. Considering that his home country of Wakanda was already referenced in Iron Man 2 (artificial vibranium, anyone?), it’s obvious that he could very easily fit into the Marvel universe. This one’s not even close to being started, but there’s already a list of names being thrown around. While the most unlikely is Wesley Snipes, since he already portrayed Blade and his legal issues have pretty much killed his career, the other options are pretty interesting. Currently the most likely is Chadwick Boseman, who did a surprisingly good job in the recent Jackie Robinson movie. Even more interesting is Michael Jai White, known for being the gang leader in The Dark Knight‘s infamous “Why so serious?” scene and as blaxploitation hero Black Dynamite in the feature film and cartoon. Djimon Hounsou and Morris Chestnut also want the role. Other than possible casting, no one else has been confirmed for this one.

 

THE INCREDIBLE HULK 2

(or INDESTRUCTIBLE HULK)

Now this is going to pure speculation. The only fact known so far is that Mark Ruffalo is returning. And that’s fantastic news, since he made the Hulk one of the best things about the Avengers. For any of you still remembering the ultra-serious 2003 movie or the excessively silly 2008 one, I now present to you all the incentive you need to support a new solo Hulk movie:

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AVENGERS 3

C’mon, guys, it was either this or Iron Man 4: The Mandarin Returns (And It’s Really Ben Kingsley This Time!). It’s almost inevitable that the next Avengers movie is going to make a gob of money, so it’s only expected that the third film will not only exist, but at least include potentially the characters from the rest of Phase Three. Imagine how many phases Marvel can go through, cycling its Avengers each time when one of them leaves, or potentially replacing them after a while. Imagine how many new heroes and villains could eventually exist. The Marvel Cinematic Universe could potentially rival the comic book one.

Author’s Note: I actually really liked the twist in that movie. May be just me, though. Trust me, I have nothing but love and positive feelings for Shane Black. God bless you, Shane Black.

Meanwhile, DC is left with a Superman without underwear (I’m STILL mad about that one!).