Marvel Confirms When MCU Phase 4 Ends

Black Panther: Wakanda Forever will officially be the end of Phase 4 of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Marvel Studios kicked off its post-Infinity Saga storytelling in 2021 after many delays to projects caused by COVID-19, with WandaVision serving as the first entry in Phase 4. The movie side of Marvel’s plans kicked off with Black Widow in May 2021, which became the first year that four MCU movies were released in a single year. 2022 has already seen Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness and Thor: Love and Thunder debut as well.

One of the big questions lingering over the MCU, though, has been when exactly Phase 4 ends and Phase 5 begins. When Kevin Feige and Marvel Studios originally announced new projects at SDCC 2019, it was said that the Phase 4 slate was only two years long. However, Marvel Studios continued to announce new projects with release dates in theaters and on Disney+, which created the belief that the slate had expanded. Movies like Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 and The Marvels releasing in 2023, as well as upcoming films like Fantastic Four were widely assumed to be part of Phase 4 too.

During the Marvel Studios Hall H panel at San Diego Comic-Con 2022, it was officially announced that Black Panther: Wakanda Forever is the final project of MCU Phase 4. The movie is one of two upcoming MCU Phase 4 projects yet to be released, with She-Hulk becoming the final Disney+ Phase 4 show. The confirmation of Phase 4 ending in 2022 also meant revealing that Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania will begin Phase 5 in 2023.

With Black Panther: Wakanda Forever ending Phase 4 in 2022, it means that the first Phase in the Multiverse Saga lasted less than two years. Black Panther 2 will be the seventh and final movie of Phase 4, while it also becomes the 16th MCU Phase 4 project overall. It now gives the anticipated sequel an even bigger importance in the overall Marvel slate. Directed by Ryan Coogler, the movie brings back Shuri, Okoye, M’Baku, Nakia, and others. The Black Panther: Wakanda Forever trailer even showed the first look at Namor and Ironheart’s MCU debuts, which sets up them becoming bigger characters in Phases 5 and 6.

Even though the idea that Phase 4 would be only two years long has been known since 2019, the reaffirmation that Black Panther: Wakanda Forever ends it in 2022 might surprise some. This is likely due to the precedent that each MCU Phase included an Avengers movie near the end. However, Marvel Studios confirmed that Phases 4 and 5 would buck this trend, thanks to the announcement of Avengers 5  and Avengers 6 in Phase 6. Now, even more eyes will be on Black Panther: Wakanda Forever to see how it handles its epic story and brings Phase 4 to a close.