Avengers: Endgame might’ve wrapped up the Infinity Saga, but it didn’t close out Phase 3 of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. That responsibility falls to Spider-Man: Far From Home. In Far From Home, Peter Parker attempts to take some much-needed time off by going on a globe-trotting vacation with his closest friends. Naturally, trouble follows.
Spider-Man: Far From Home is poised to wrap up some of Endgame‘s dangling plot threads while also hinting at what’s in store for both Spider-Man and Marvel’s ultra-mysterious Phase 4. As such, we have some serious questions that we’re hoping the film will answer as we all prepare to make the jump to Marvel’s next cinematic stage.
(Spoilers for Avengers: Endgame follow.)
How are regular people dealing with Thanos’ invasion, the Snap, and its aftermath?
The Avengers don’t spend much time with normal people. Tony Stark’s buddies are all super-scientists and superheroes. Captain America pals around with super-spies. Thor hangs with literal gods. Peter Parker, though? He’s still in high school, and his friends are just regular students — half of whom Thanos snapped out of existence before they were revived by the Avengers five years after everyone else had moved on.
That has to be disconcerting, but Infinity War and Endgame were too busy with the fate of the universe to explore the effects on everyday people. Maybe Spider-Man: Far From Home can explore at least some of that trauma. Spider-Man has always been the most grounded of the MCU’s theatrical heroes, making his next solo adventure an excellent spot to slow down and survey the psychological damage. A trip through Europe seems like the perfect backdrop for some old-fashioned teenage soul-searching as well.
What’s up with the Avengers?
Captain America and Hawkeye are retired. Iron Man and Black Widow are dead. The Hulk is seriously injured after wielding the Infinity Gauntlet, and Thor is off in space. That puts all six founding Avengers out of commission. In Avengers: Endgame, we saw that B-listers like War Machine, Black Panther’s Okoye, Rocket Raccoon, and Nebula did a decent job filling in for the heavy hitters, but now that everything’s back to normal, they have their own issues to deal with.
So, who’s watching over Earth? Captain Marvel has power to spare, but she has an entire galaxy to look after. Sam Wilson is poised to become the next Captain America, but it’ll probably take a while — and a TV miniseries — before he’s ready to pick up the shield. Heck, we don’t even know if the MCU currently has an Avengers team, much less who’s on it. We’d love to find out, though. With powerful characters like the Eternals on the way, Earth’s protector squad is in serious question.
Is the multiverse really in play?
In Spider-Man: Far From Home‘s second trailer, Nick Fury and Jake Gyllenhaal’s Mysterio revealed that there’s an entire multiverse out there for Marvel to explore. If you’ve been paying attention, that should sound familiar. The multiverse played a major role in Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse, last year’s Oscar-winning animated feature. If it becomes part of the MCU itself, that opens up all kinds of storytelling opportunities.
Miles Morales, Spider-Gwen, and Spider-Man Noir would be official MCU characters, for instance. Twisted versions of Tony Stark and Steve Rogers could stop by for cameos. The movies could visit worlds like Earth-2149, where all your favorite superheroes are zombies. On TV, Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. is already playing with alternate universes. Bringing the multiverse to the movies could be a logical next step, though it could also seriously muddle the thematic waters. There’s also a catch: In the comics, Mysterio is a special effects artist and high-tech con man. Illusions are his M.O., and this whole multiverse thing could be a ruse. We’ll have to wait and see.
Will Spider-Man characters start playing a bigger role in the MCU?
Spider-Man: Homecoming and Spider-Man: Far From Home are filled with references to the larger Marvel Cinematic Universe, but the crossover doesn’t go both ways. Outside of Spidey and Aunt May, Spider-Man’s supporting cast hasn’t had any impact on the MCU at all. That could change. Spider-Man’s villains and supporting characters are some of Marvel Comics’ best, and Far From Home would be a great place to start integrating them with the rest of the MCU.
Some rumors suggest that Spider-Man’s arch nemesis, Norman Osborne, might be the big bad for Marvel’s Phase 4 (in the comics, Osborne founded S.H.I.E.L.D.’s replacement and led his own evil Avengers team). Bringing in Osborne is a good start, but we want more. Symbiotes fighting against (or alongside) the Guardians of the Galaxy. Otto Octavius butting lab coats with Bruce Banner and Hank Pym. J. Jonah Jameson ranting about the Avengers — heck, J. K. Simmons says he’s down for it. C’mon, Marvel, make it happen!
What’s next?
Marvel’s official release schedule has a new MCU movie slated for May 1, 2020. That’s less than a year from now, and we still don’t know what that movie is, who’s starring, or if it has even started filming. In fact, other than the release date, we don’t know a single thing about it. Even by Marvel standards, that’s awfully mysterious.
We can make some guesses, of course. We know that more Guardians of the Galaxy, Doctor Strange, and Black Panther are on the way. Captain Marvel made a billion dollars, so a sequel seems likely. The Eternals and Shang-Chi are in preproduction, as is a Black Widow spinoff. But how does it all fit together? There must be a reason why Marvel is waiting until after Spider-Man: Far From Home‘s debut to share more about Phase 4. After this much secrecy, Far From Home better have one heck of a reveal. Anything else is going to feel like a letdown.
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