Marvel Studios gathered press and bystanders alike into the historic El Capitan Theatre to share an announcement with the world. Kevin Feige, the president of Marvel Studios, took the stage to present the trailer for Avengers: Age of Ultron, which he admits we have already seen. (He still blames Hydra.)
Kevin Feige also introduces Joss Whedon, who took time off of working on Avengers: Age of Ultron to attend.
He then points out that there are three films left in Marvel’s “Phase Two,” which will conclude with Avengers: Age of Ultron on May 1, 2015, followed by Ant-Man on July 17, 2015. But “we’re not here to tell you things you already know,” Feige says.
“Let’s talk about Phase 3.”
There are eight films intended in Phase 3.
Captain America: Serpent Society will be released on May 6, 2016.
Doctor Strange will be released on November 4, 2016. Kevin Feige promises parallel dimensions and the supernatural in the upcoming film.
May 5, 2017 is the new release date for Guardians of the Galaxy 2.
Thor: Ragnarok will be released on , and will see the return of Tom Hiddleston of Loki. Kevin Feige promises that the title does in fact mean “the end of all things,” and that Thor: Ragnarok is “a very important movie for us,” and will pick up immediately after the events of Age of Ultron.
Black Panther has now been officially announced for November 3, 2017, and that it will be about how “the isolationist country of Wakanda meets the world.”
Captain Marvel will be released on July 6, 2018, and Kevin Feige makes it clear that “this Captain Marvel’s name is Carol Danvers. […] Her origins are very much earthbound, and her power base and her adventures” are cosmic-based.
Another long-rumored project, The Inhumans, will be released on and feature “dozens of new characters.” It will be the 20th movie in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
Feige then backtracks to talk about May 4, 2018, promising “we have always had a plan,” right from the first scene where Nick Fury recruited Tony Stark at the end of Iron Man 1.
He presents a teaser showing all of the Infinity Stones so far – the Tesseract, the Aether, Loki’s scepter, and the stone from Guardians of the Galaxy – which culminates in an image of Thanos wearing the Infinity Gauntlet.
The Avengers: Infinity War: Part 1 will be released on May 4, 2018, and The Avengers: Infinity War: Part 2 will be released on May 3, 2019.
The event almost culminated in a scene of Iron Man and Captain America chopping wood in Avengers: Age of Ultron, arguing over something “the Maximoff kid” showed them. What does that mean? We’ll find out on May 1, 2015.
But Kevin Feige emerges to correct himself, and say that the title of Captain America 3 won’t be Serpent Society, it will be Captain America: Civil War. Robert Downey Jr. and Chris Evans appear on stage, mock fight, and introduce the new Black Panther… Chadwick Boseman!
Downey asks which side Black Panther is on, to which Boseman says, “As much as I respect you both, Black Panther is kind of his own guy.”
“In all seriousness, I’m blessed to be a part of this Marvel Universe,” Boseman adds. “And I look forward to making magic together.”
William Bibbiani is the editor of CraveOnline’s Film Channel and the host of The B-Movies Podcast and The Blue Movies Podcast. Follow him on Twitter at @WilliamBibbiani.
