Why Does MCU Phase Three End With ‘Spider-Man: Far From Home’ And Not ‘Avengers: Endgame’?
It’s been said in the past that Phase Three of the MCU would conclude not with the epicAvengers:Endgame, but ratherSpider-Man: Far From Home. If there was any lingering doubt about this claim, Marvel Studios headKevin Feigesealed the deal recently, confirming thatFar From Homewould indeed bring Phase Three to an end. But why? Wouldn’t ending things withEndgamemake more sense? It hasendin its title, after all. Just what determines the end of a “Phase” in the MCU?
During a recent Shanghai fan event forEndgame(viaNewsweek) Kevin Feige commented thatSpider-Man: Far From Homewould be the end of the MCU Phase Three. Some are treating this revelation asbreaking news, but I remember reading this same fact on the Marvel Wikimonths ago, and assumed it was common knowledge at this point. At the same time, I can understand why many would thinkAvengers: Endgame, opening this week, would close out Phase Three, withFar From Homekicking-off Phase Four.Endgameis being touted as the biggest MCU film yet – a movie that will bring the Infinity Saga to a huge conclusion, and likely send several fan favorite characters off into the sunset.
Here’s the thing: the MCU Phases have always felt a bit arbitrary. Phase One concluded with the firstAvengersmovie, and that felt appropriate. All the previous films had been leading up to that moment. Phase Two, however, didn’t conclude withAvengers: Age of Ultron. Instead,Ant-Manended that particular span of films. Ending Phase Three withFar From Homefeels like a repeat of this – having one huge team movie, followed by something a little more low-key…or at least, as low-key as these movies can be. Rather than a climax, it’s a coda.
But when you think back toAnt-Man, does it come across as a movie that fits snugly within Phase Two – or is it more of a holdover? The same question must now be asked aboutFar From Home. Will the newSpider-Manfilm truly bring Phase Three to a conclusion, or is it something of a remnant – a film that just doesn’t fully fit in whatever the mysterious Phase Four holds. PerhapsFar From Homehas plot elements that tie directly intoEndgame. Or perhaps this is all just a way for Marvel to have their cake and eat it too, by making a ton of money before 2019 ends, leaving 2020 open for new, exciting things.
As of now, we don’t know how Phase Four will play out. Marvel is working on or has plans to work onBlack Widow,The Eternals,Shang-Chi,Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3,Black Panther 2and aDoctor Strangesequel. Beyond that, there’s also the matter of the Marvel characters formally owned by Fox, which Disney now has access to. We may be in theEndgamenow, but Marvel shows no signs of stopping anytime soon.
