Marvel's Phases 5 & 6 are coming

And my feelings about the projects...vary wildly.

Some of the biggest news out of San Diego Comic-Con involved Marvel Studios unveiling a lot of their plans for phases five and six of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. At this point, I am an MCU completist. I will watch everything. I love some of their movies and shows a lot more than I enjoy others, and that has been the case since very early on. But Kevin Feige has earned my trust. His execution of The Infinity Saga was beyond impressive to me, tying together that many storylines and characters in such a satisfying way. So…yeah. Call me an MCU fanboy. It’s basically true. I’m watching all of it. So let’s talk about my expectations and hopes for upcoming projects. I’ll give my enthusiasm for each a school-type letter grade. Bear in mind that these are really just guesses at this point. They are not a prediction of quality, but they represent how excited I am for the title in question.

THE END OF PHASE FOUR

She-Hulk: Attorney at Law. This one looks fun. The tone is certainly different, but that’s okay, especially with the ever-expanding roster of streaming shows on Disney+. Tatiana Maslany is a fantastic actress, and I think she’ll kill it here. B+

Black Panther: Wakanda Forever. I want to be excited about this, but I’m just not. Losing Chadwick Boseman was devastating, and I’m not really sure how this sequel is supposed to function with its lead character…dying off-screen, probably? It’s a horrible storytelling corner to be painted into. I understand the decision not to recast the role, but for ongoing script purposes, that might have been the more prudent way to go. But the trailer is just…sad. And underwhelming. I hope I’m way off. C-