Warning: This post contains spoilers for Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania!
Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania saw in the MCU's Phase 5 with mixed reviews, but Marvel Studios' slate has everything it needs to revive the franchise again. Released on February 17, 2023, Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania saw Scott Lang and his insect-themed team of heroes journey into the Quantum Realm, meet a strange selection of new characters, and go head-to-head with the Multiverse Saga's major villain, Kang the Conqueror. Despite planting the seeds for MCU stories to come, Quantumania left some critics feeling less hopeful about the future of the franchise, especially after a divisive MCU Phase 4.
Despite receiving largely negative reviews from critics, Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania has been faring much better with audiences, breaking the Ant-Man franchise's opening weekend box-office record. Many have praised Jonathan Majors' and Michelle Pfeiffer's performances as Kang the Conqueror and Janet van Dyne. Even so, the lackluster response to Quantumania has left many worried about the fate of future MCU projects. Phase 5 will see the MCU inching closer toward an epic battle against the Council of Kangs, including some projects that will surely pull Marvel Studios back from their recent missteps.
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 Will Be The Stronger Trilogy Capper
Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania was expected to be the successful ending of the Ant-Man trilogy, although Marvel Studios is already in talks with Peyton Reed about the development of Ant-Man 4. While this plan didn't exactly go to plan, Quantumania isn't the only threequel releasing as part of the MCU's Phase 5, as Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 will bring the Guardians of the Galaxy trilogy to an end. GOTG Vol. 3 is expected to be the final adventure for the Guardians of the Galaxy, as James Gunn will be parting with Marvel Studios following the release of the film to focus on his role at DC Studios.
The Guardians of the Galaxy franchise's popularity came as a shock to Marvel Studios in 2014, as the team is one of Marvel's most obscure groups, but audiences across the world fell in love with them. Recent trailers for Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 have teased that the project will be an emotional farewell to several of the team, with popular opinion suggesting Rocket, Drax, or even Peter Quill could meet their ends. This level of intrigue and intensity will make Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 a much more powerful trilogy capper than Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania.
The Marvels Finally Pays Off Two MCU Phase 4 Shows
Until now, none of the projects released in the MCU's Phase 4 have seen any pay-off in the franchise, even though each one left a dangling thread and several questions left unanswered. Phase 5 will change this significantly, as Loki season 2 will provide more information on the TVA and Kang's variants, and The Marvels will pay off two of Phase 4's projects. WandaVision introduced an adult version of Monica Rambeau to the MCU, who gained powers after traveling through the Scarlet Witch's Hex, and Ms. Marvel saw Kamala Khan realize her ancestry. Both of these new heroes will have a huge part to play in Phase 5.
WandaVision and Ms. Marvel were two of the highest-rated projects of Phase 4, so it will be fantastic to see these stories colliding as the MCU's newest supergroup forms. A new poster for The Marvels shows all three heroes suited-and-booted and ready for action, and the film will be able to hark back to storylines that started in Phase 4 but were perhaps met with criticism at the time. The biggest criticisms of Phase 4 commented on the lack of interconnectivity between projects, so Phase 5 can fix this by bringing together three heroes from three separate franchises into one epic story.
MCU Phase 5 Release Plan Shows Marvel Learned From Its Mistakes
Spanning eleven years, the MCU's Infinity Saga (Phases 1 to 3) produced 23 films, in comparison, Phase 4 released a whopping 17 projects across film and TV in only two years, so it's no wonder that the question of Marvel fatigue has become much more prominent. Originally, the MCU's Phase 5 would have taken a very similar trajectory, but recent changes have meant that more time will be spent on each project, particularly the long-form series developed for Disney+. While this leaves the release dates for several MCU shows unclear, it does mean that some of Phase 4's biggest mistakes can be avoided as the MCU moves into Phase 5.
The fact that Marvel Studios released so much content in Phase 4 meant that some of it lacked in quality compared to previous years. This was perhaps most evident in projects such as She-Hulk: Attorney at Law, Eternals, and Thor: Love & Thunder, which all seemed to lack a bit of the magic of previous MCU projects, whether in storytelling, writing, or visual effects. Since Phase 5 is slowing down, however, with potentially only Secret Invasion and Loki season 2 releasing on Disney+ in 2023, these issues can be avoided as more time can be spent taking care of each individual property, emphasizing quality over quantity.
MCU Phase 5 Will Be More Like Phase 3
While Phase 4 didn't seem to have any clear direction, Phase 5 will slowly start setting the stage for the epic Avengers: The Kang Dynasty and Avengers: Secret Wars at the end of the MCU's Multiverse Saga. Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania already introduced the intimidating and formidable Kang the Conqueror into the MCU, and though his fate was left uncertain, the debut of the Council of Kangs and Victor Timely in the post-credits scenes tease some incredible storylines for the MCU's Phase 5 and beyond. This is perhaps very reminiscent of the MCU's Phase 3, which built up the tension until the climactic Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers: Endgame.
Marvel Studios' Phase 3 projects were practically all met with acclaim, so the fact that Phase 5 looks to be following this pattern too, at least after the release of Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania, means that the MCU should find itself back in everyone's good-books. Projects releasing in Phase 5, including Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, The Marvels, Captain America: New World Order, Thunderbolts, and Blade are expected to deliver some remarkable stories on the big screen. On top of this, Marvel Studios' new release schedule for Disney+ spells good news for the quality of the action in their TV shows, so things are starting to look up.
