Much of what happens after Avengers: Infinity War in 2018-19 and during (and after) Marvel's three unannounced 2020 movies, depends on the next big "events" the Marvel Cinematic Universe will build towards and what characters are needed to deliver upon that. Will Marvel Studios double-down on its cosmic properties and build spinoffs out of Guardians of the Galaxy sequels? Will there be even more Avengers-like team movies? Will new solo character movies get sequels or be folded into larger crossover projects? Is there any chance Marvel and Fox work together to co-produce an expansion of the MCU including the Fantastic Four and Silver Surfer? Will future Spider-Man movies and spinoffs made in partnership with made with Sony Pictures count as Marvel Studios productions?

The sheer amount of unknowns at this stage, months out from the beginning of Phase 3, opens the door to many different options going into Phase 4 of the Marvel Cinematic Universe even if the studio has a rough plan all way up to 2028. As we know from the announcements this year, these plans change frequently, so with that in mind, we've gathered 25 film ideas that Marvel could explore in Phase 4 even if they don't seem plausible at this moment in time. Enjoy!

Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3

A third GOTG film is perhaps the most obvious title to be featured in Phase 4 given the success of the first, the buzz leading up to its followup, and the contracts already in place for its cast. The cosmic side of the Marvel Cinematic Universe is the top growth opportunity for the studio and we suspect there will be several spinoffs on the way on top of Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3.

The Guardians of the Galaxy are essentially the cosmic Avengers and one day we'll see them meet-up with Marvel's Earthbound heroes, opening up possibilities for familiar faces to  Star-Lord (Chris Pratt) for space-based adventures just as they do in the comics. Thanos is just one cosmic threat and we can promise you many more are out there.

Ant-Man/Wasp 3

Marvel Studios already announced a sequel to Ant-Man and squeezed it into Phase 3 with a 2018 release date. More importantly, it marks the first feature film from the studio to name a superheroine in its title. With Ant-Man and the Wasp establishing two key of the original comic book Avengers and there still being another version of Ant-Man from the comics (Eric O'Grady) yet to be introduced, we expect the Ant-Man storyline to continue into and beyond Phase 4.

Marvel can even use sequels to go back in time to tell stories of the original Ant-Man and Wasp and tie it into the origins of S.H.I.E.L.D. and the happenings on TV with ABC's Agent Carter. And one day, Scott Lang's daughter Cassie can become a hero too, perhaps even helping lead a Young Avengers team, just as she does in the source material. The Ant-Man and Wasp lineage is a long and varied one, and they will no doubt be a long-term staple in The Avengers going forward.

Doctor Strange 2

Guardians of the Galaxy is just the beginning of the cosmic side of the Marvel Cinematic Universe and next fall, Doctor Strange will be that for magic and mystical side. As one of the most exciting, important, and unique stories coming during Phase 3, Doctor Strange will open doors to all sorts of new realities and villains that the MCU will benefit from going forward.

Not only will Doctor Strange (Benedict Cumberbatch) become a key member of the New Avengers in the future, but he'll bring with him a wide array of stories that allow Marvel to explore all sorts of team-up possibilities, ranging from the original Defenders (coming to Netflix) to the Illuminati and other supernatural-based properties More on that later.

#SorcererSupreme

Spider-Man 2

Marvel Studios and Sony Pictures, who have partnered to merge the Spider-Man universe into the Marvel Cinematic Universe, have yet to give an official title to their Spider-Man solo movie reboot coming in 2017 from director Jon Watts. Spectacular Spider-Man (or whatever it ends up being called) is the beginning of something massive for the MCU and will absolutely lead to endless sequels and spinoffs to come.

It is unclear at this point whether additional Spider-Man movies will fall under the Marvel Studios slate of films or remain entirely at Sony, set within the same continuity, but when it comes to timelines, you can expect with certainty to see more movies based around Tom Holland's Peter Parker. You'll also see spinoffs include Venom and Sinister Six and potentially even team-ups just like in the animated series (Nova!). More on those later...

Venom

Venom was shoehorned into Sam Raimi's Spider-Man 3 as a way to sell more merchandise and to take advantage of plans for a spinoff for the alien symbiote. For years Sony Pictures had a script ready for Venom but The Amazing Spider-Man reboot put an end to that. And then when a new Venom spinoff was announced to debut sometime after The Amazing Spider-Man 2, this second version of the franchise was also canned.

Now for the third attempt, Sony and Marvel are working together on Spider-Man and it makes more sense now than ever to get to work on adapting this iconic villain (and antihero) the right way. Venom has many ties to other Marvel Comics stories and brands including Thunderbolts and more recently, the modern Guardians of the Galaxy comics. Venom will be a big part of Marvel's long-term future.

Sinister Six

Producer, writer and director Drew Goddard (Daredevil, The Cabin in the Woods) was ready to go on continuing the story of Sony's The Amazing Spider-Man 2 with his take on the Sinister Six, and even even dropped out of showrunning Marvel TV's Daredevil series on Netflix to do so, only to see the franchise vanish. But there's still hope.

Goddard may not be working on the Spider-Man reboot even though he seemed like a shoe-in for the director's chair at one point, but he's confident there will be a time and place for Sinister Six, a story featuring six different Spider-Man villains working together. With Spider-Man ing the MCU so to are his greatest villains, some of Marvel's best overall, and we wouldn't be surprised to see Sony and Marvel work together to make the MCU's first villain-focused feature.

Warlock and the Infinity Watch

Depending on what Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 does and whether or not it introduces Adam Warlock as a new member of the team (it will intro at least one new Guardian), the Infinity Watch might be a logical followup for Phase 4. In the books, Adam Warlock is the key to battling Thanos and taking over the Infinity Stones after defeating him during the Infinity War.

The Infinity Watch are formed to guard the Infinity Stones, with each member keeping one for safekeeping. After Avengers: Infinity War in 2018-19, something will need to happen with those powerful artifacts and it's either adapt this story, adapt a version of the modern Illuminati (more on this later) who also safeguarded the Infinity Stones at one point, or make them conveniently vanish. These MacGuffins however, have been the building blocks and through-line for the entire Marvel Cinematic Universe so we don't expect them to go away.

Thunderbolts

DC Entertainment has their villain team Suicide Squad coming to theaters next year and Sony Pictures previously had planned a Sinister Six movie. For Marvel, their answer to this would be the Thunderbolts which they can now finally adapt faithfully based on the more modern version of this team since they can use key Spider-Man antagonist Norman Osborn.

Such a story could build off of ideas from the source material including Osborn taking over S.H.I.E.L.D. (still defunct and only existing on ABC's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. TV Show as a small organization) and creating his own version of it (called HAMMER). Osborn even greats his his own Dark Avengers team. Later, as part of the Marvel NOW! comics relaunch from 2012-15, the Thunderbolts began again looking like the image above. And we can see that happening in the movies.

Red Hulk could be introduced in Captain America: Civil War if some extreme fan theories regarding the return of General "Thunderbolt" Ross (William Hurt) come true, and of course, Elektra (Elodie Yung) and Punisher (Jon Bernthal) are both coming our way in Daredevil season 2 in early 2016. With Spider-Man also now in the MCU so to will Venom eventually be, meaning we already have most of the modern Thunderbolts team. And since William Hurt is returning from The Incredible Hulk, it's always possible Tim Blake Nelson's Samuel Sterns - who at the end of that film became the villain known as The Leader - returns to as another member of the modern Thunderbolts.

The only holdup with the modern team is Deadpool who's held at Fox and getting his own film in 2016.

Black Panther 2

The legacy of Black Panther allows films based on the character (actually a ceremonial title for the leader of Wakanda) to be set in the present or past, but warrior prince T'Challa (Chadwick Boseman) is going to be one of the most important of the Marvel Cinematic Universe beginning next year in Captain America: Civil War.

With ties not only to the Avengers of which he'll be a part of for the foreseeable future, Black Panther is also a member of the Illuminati (more on that later). When it comes to major crossover events in Marvel Comics, T'Challa and the advanced, secretive African nation of Wakanda are a big part of it. Black Panther brings with him more of that Doctor Strange-esque mysticism, some of the most advanced tech on Earth, and of course, the rare and nearly indestructible metal Captain America's shield is made from: vibranium.

If Namor ever comes to the MCU, Black Panther sequels could tie-in to that as well...

Avengers 5

The fifth Avengers movie won't be numbered and we don't even know if it'll be one movie or spread into two or more parts like Phase 3's Avengers: Infinity War, but we do know that Avengers 5 is inevitable and that there will be many more. It's even possible that we see multiple Avengers teams with their own films during Phase 4.

Either way, Avengers is the flagship headlining brand within the Marvel Cinematic Universe and it will continue to grow and rotate new characters in as the franchise moves and evolves into Phase 4. It will be the center piece of any major Phase 4 event(s).