The Phase 4 of the MCU had various moments that completely changed the direction of the franchise. After the Infinity Saga came to an end with Avengers: Endgame but Spider-Man: Far From Home, Phase 4 ushered in a new era for the Marvel Cinematic Universe. The concept of the multiverse, the launch of MCU Disney+ shows, and the introduction of new characters and worlds were just some of the biggest innovations of Phase 4.
These additions proved popular for many and divisive for others. However, they were definite changes of pace from what had gone before. Now this Black Panther: Wakanda Forever end phase 4 and Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania started Phase 5, it is easier to look back and identify the most critical moments from Phase 4.
WandaVision teases actors from other Marvel Franchises
WandaVision was a game-changer for the MCU not only because of its status as Marvel’s first Disney+ series, but also because it played with the format and tone of Marvel Studios. The most amazing, WandaVision introduced Evan Peters as Pietro aka Quicksilver, just a few years after Peters last appeared as the speedster on Fox’s X Men privilege. Although WandaVision revealed that Evan Peters’ character was a regular man named Ralph Bohner, marked the first time a Marvel actor from a different franchise was reintroduced into the MCU—a trend that would continue throughout Phase 4.
The Falcon And The Winter Soldier introduces the first Avengers legacy hero
The Falcon and the Winter Soldier follow WandaVision with a more grounded take on the MCU. The second MCU Disney+ series followed Sam Wilson as Captain America, and his first appearance wearing the suit and shield made him the MCU’s first official legacy hero. Other Phase 4 installments will follow suit and turn other MCU characters into legacy heroes, creating a new generation of Avengers that includes Kate Bishop, Jane Foster, Shuri, and possibly T’Challa’s son Toussaint.
The Falcon And The Winter Soldier begins to assemble a very diverse group of Avengers
The Falcon and the Winter Soldier also created a new team of superheroes, this time less heroic than the Avengers. Julia Louis-Dreyfus’ Valentina Allegra de Fontaine first recruited John Walker and gave him his codename, American Agent, in The Falcon and the Winter Soldier episode 5 (“Truth”), before inviting Yelena Belova to the team Black Widowpost-credits scene. As confirmed by formal lightning bolts line-up, so Val wants to recruit Black Widowof Red Guardian and Taskmaster, as well The Falcon and the Winter SoldierBucky Barnes and Ant-Man and the WaspHis ghost.
Loki officially introduces (and breaks) the Multiverse
The first Phase 4 installations laid the groundwork for the Multiverse Saga, but that was only so far Loki that the multiverse really shifted into high gear. Loki established the concepts of alternate universes, multiple variants, and the Sacred Chronology. It teased a previous Multiversal War, debuted and killed He Who Remains, and set up the arrival of the MCU’s new arch-rival, Jonathan Majors’ Kang the Conqueror. LokiThe final episode featured the collapse of the Sacred Timeline and the killing of He Who Remains by Sylvie, setting off a chain of events that will continue to affect the franchise, at least until Avengers: Secret Wars.
The Phase 4 post-credits scenes introduce various key MCU characters
Phase 4’s post-credits scenes took the Infinity Saga’s trend of introducing new post-credits characters – namely Nick Fury, Thanos, The Collector and the Maximoff Twins – to a whole new level. Eternal onesTwo stages after the concert featured Harry Styles’ Love and Mahershala Ali’s BladeSpider-Man: No Way Home brought Eddie Brock and Tom Hardy’s Venom to the MCU, Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness featured Charlize Theron’s CleaThor: Love and Thunder introduced Brett Goldstein’s Hercules and Black Panther: Wakanda Forever introduced T’Challa’s son, Divine Love Konadu-Sun’s Toussaint. Disney+, Knight of the Moon introduced Marc Spector’s third persona, Jake Lockley.
No Way Home and Multiverse Of Madness bring back beloved characters
Loki revealed the infinite possibilities of the MCU multiverse, but Spider-Man: No Way Home put them in full screen. The final installment in Tom Holland’s first MCU trilogy was a love letter to Spider-Man’s cinematic history as it honored the work of Sam Raimi. Spiderman trilogy and by Marc Webb The Amazing Spider-Man movie theater. It brought not only Tobey Maguire and Andrew Garfield’s Spider-Men, but also Willem Dafoe’s Green Goblin, Alfred Molina’s Doctor Octopus, Thomas Hayden-Church’s Sandman, Rhys Ifans’ Lizard and Jamie Foxx’s Electro .
Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness then gave Fox’s X Men and ABC inhumans a nod to the return of Patrick Stewart’s Professor X and Anson Mount’s Black Bolt. But even without the help of the multiverse, Spider-Man: No Way Home brought Charlie Cox’s Daredevil to the MCU and Hawk Eye he did the same with Vincent D’Onofrio’s Kingpin. Phase 5 is set to continue the trend with the return of Ryan Reynolds’ Deadpool and Hugh Jackman’s Wolverine in the dead pool 3.
Ms. Marvel presents the first official MCU Mutant
While the MCU’s X-Men are unlikely to arrive anytime soon, Phase 4 already laid the groundwork for future mutant stories. Msee Marvel featured the first time word of the MCU “mutation” and the shocking suggestion that Kamala Khan is an MCU mutant instead of an Inhuman. Soon after, Namor called himself a mutant Black Panther: Wakanda Foreverwhich teased the introduction of other mutant characters before the official debut of the X-Men. WandaVisionThe revelation that Scarlet Witch already controlled chaos magic as a child also suggests that Wanda and Pietro Maximoff were mutants all along.
She-Hulk breaks the fourth wall and brings Marvel Studios into the MCU
In She-Hulk: Attorney At Law, Tatiana Maslany’s Jennifer Walters did what no other MCU has done and broke the fourth wall even harder than Ryan Reynolds’ Deadpool. Not only did She-Hulk interact with the audience, she also stepped out of her own show and into Marvel Studios headquarters, spoke with the show’s writers and director, and discussed her series finale with the producer’s fictional counterpart Kevin Feige, the robot KEVIN. While this breaking of the fourth wall was purely comical, it potentially represented an even greater power than LokiIt is He Who Remains or Thor: Love and Thunderof Eternity.
MCU Specials introduce a brand new Marvel format
MCU Phase 4 also brought a new Disney+ format in the form of Specials — short, standalone stories released exclusively on Disney+. The two Special Presentations that have been released so far, Werewolf By Night but The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special, served as seasonal stories, the first being Halloween-themed and the second Christmas-themed. There are still special introductions within the MCU canon and they introduce new characters that will likely become staples in future movies and shows.
Black Panther: Wakanda Forever Honors Chadwick Boseman’s Legacy
Wrapping it up Phase 4 of the MCU with a bang siLack Panther: Wakanda Forever gave Chadwick Boseman and his portrayal of T’Challa a heartwarming farewell. by Ryan Coogler BlackPanthers The sequel introduced several major characters and set up various storylines such as Namor, Talokan, Riri Wiliams and a possible future battle for vibranium, but served first and foremost as a tribute to the impact Chadwick Boseman’s Black Panther had on and off screen. . .
