My Way-Too-Early Phase Three Predictions

by Jim Scroggs
September 1, 2016

We all know that the machine that is Marvel Studios is starting pre-production on Infinity War and the untitled Avengers 4 film in Atlanta but the other movies that are in between are just as important as the giant team up that we will see in 2018 and 2019. As I get ready to watch Civil War when it appears in my iTunes account, it means I’ll be starting my own Marvel movie marathon so I can prepare for the next installment in November with Doctor Strange. What does the rest of Phase 3 hold for us? These are my theories on what could show up on the big screen.

5. The remaining Infinity Stones will be seen in Doctor Strange & Thor: Ragnarok

This should be the simplest theory of Phase 3, in my opinion. We have 2 movies that not only will have cosmic settings but an entire new portion of the Marvel Universe with Doctor Strange. Personally, I don’t see a stone appearing in Spider-Man: Homecoming or Black Panther and yes, I know that Guardians of the Galaxy: Volume 2 will be in theaters next May but if you trust what James Gunn says and I do, there won’t be a stone in the Guardians sequel. There are even rumors that some scenes in Thor: Ragnarok will take place in New York so if you add that, the mysticism and the New York connection that we’ll see in Doctor Strange, it seems like a pretty likely scenario that there will be a stone in the next two November releases for Marvel Studios.

4.  Miles Morales has already been cast in Spider-Man: Homecoming

When the internet lost it’s mind over the reported casting news that Zendaya was playing fan favorite Mary Jane Watson, I’ll admit that I was surprised but not opposed to it. What surprised me is that they would cast such a high profile character in a film that was thought to not have a love interest for Peter.  That idea is seemingly out the window so I started racking my brain. What other surprise castings could we have? I fully believe that Abraham Attah will be Miles Morales and that could set up a Death of Spider-Man storyline that was seen in the Ultimate line of comics. It would be a pretty bold move to kill a character like Peter that Marvel just got it’s hand on but they know the importance of Miles as well and that could be a nice way to hand off the mantle of Spider-Man.

3.  Black Panther and Captain Marvel will be among the best movies in Phase 3

You can argue that Ryan Coogler should have been nominated for an Oscar for Creed and maybe even for his work on Fruitvale Station but he’s got plenty of talent around him with Michael B. Jordan, Chadwick Boseman, Lupita N’Yongo and Danai Gurra to make an amazing Black Panther film. Along with Joe Robert Cole, who wrote 2 episodes of The People vs O.J Simpson, I can’t imagine the story of T’Challa and the world of Wakanda in better hands. Captain Marvel already had me sold when Nicole Pearlman, who co-wrote Guardians of the Galaxy and Meg LeFauve, who was nominated multiple times across the award show circuit for Best Screenplay with “Inside Out”, were named co-screenwriters and then they add Oscar winning actress Brie Larsen to play Carol Danvers. The wait for both of these films will be worth it when we finally see two of the most influential Marvel characters finally get their due and show that superhero films can be amazing works of art.

2. Vision is going to be killed by Scarlet Witch

When I realized that Wanda was the most powerful character in Civil War, I was a little embarrassed because I didn’t see it sooner. The way she manhandled or android handled Vision in the Avengers base proves that she is force that cannot be messed with and will hold that title until we meet Carol Danvers as Captain Marvel. The way I see this happening is that at some point Thanos would only need the Mind Stone to complete the Gauntlet. Thanos could manipulate her to believe that he could bring back her brother from the dead. All she would have to do is rip the Mind Stone out of Vision’s head and in turn, Thanos would use the Soul Stone to bring Quicksilver back to life. It could be a really emotional scene between the 2 characters who have a long history in the comics and to be honest, the fight could be pretty intense as well.

1. We will see the entire MCU come together in one of the last two Avengers films

This is my full on fanboy hail mary play. The tagline for the last few years has been “It’s all connected” and while there has been to some extent, that’s not really the case. Yes, the TV and Netflix series have made references to the Magic Hammer, The Avengers and even an episode of Jessica Jones when “The Big Green Guy” was mentioned but that’s pretty much the end of the crossover because of the schedules between the TV shows and the movies. Can you imagine a scenario like this: Tony walks up with Rhodey, who does have a prosthesis to help him walk, into a hellish scene in New York as Thanos has arrived. Some dialogue is exchanged but then we see Steve Rogers walk up with Bucky on either side of Tony and Rhodey. Music starts to swell and here comes Hawkeye, Scarlet Witch, Vision(who has been revived somehow) and Falcon. Joining them next is Black Widow, Ant-Man, Wasp and Black Panther as they all fall in line. Cut to an aerial shot of Spider-Man swinging in as he brings in Daredevil, Jessica Jones, Luke Cage, Iron Fist and The Punisher. Next is a big surprise as a Quinjet flies into the scene. The Inhumans and Agents of Shield like Quake, Melinda May, Mack, Ghost Rider and a few others from the ABC show join the fight. Cut to a shot from inside the Milano as Peter Quill, Drax, Gamora, Rocket, Groot, Yandu and Nebula making their presence known to surprise everyone and someone obviously mentions that there’s a talking raccoon that is heavily armed.  The sound of Thunder rolls across the sky where we see Lady Sif and the Warriors Three come from the sky and who follows them? Doctor Strange, Loki, Thor and Hulk land behind them all ready for the fight we’ve waiting over 10 years to see. Obviously, I’m not a screenwriter but if you love these movies then you've obviously thought about this.

Will all of these happen? Probably not but it’s fun to think about. Who knows, maybe we will get one of the Defenders or an Agent of Shield to appear in the films but until then, we can only wish that maybe, just maybe Marvel really means it when they say “It’s all connected”