Marvel Studios Boss Teases Plans After 'Avengers 4'

What the Marvel Cinematic Universe will look like after Avengers 4 is something of a question mark. While Marvel Studios head Kevin Feige has long been clear that the movie will be the conclusion to journey started by 2008's Iron Man, what that will look like has been less so. Now, Feige is revealing a little bit about what's next after Avengers 4.

During the Produce By Conference this weekend, Feige revealed that there's quite a bit in the works including stories for familiar characters, new and unfamiliar characters, and even new versions of some beloved current characters (Via Digital LA).

For fans, these comments have a lot of implications. The reveal that the post-Avengers 4 MCU will see the continuation of the story for some already established characters isn't a huge surprise. Both Spider-Man: Homecoming's sequel and Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 are set to debut after the fourth Avengers movie hits theaters on May 3, 2019. Specifically, when it comes to the third Guardians film, we already know that some of the characters will return -- even if we don't know exactly how yet. Drax actor David Bautista himself even confirmed that he was set to be in Vol. 3. Black Panther also has a sequel in the works that won't debut until after Avengers 4 so even if not every character returns, we do know that some parts of the story will move forward.

As for the idea that current familiar characters will get new incarnations, that's not really a surprise either. Fans have long suspected that the universe would be set for new version of Captain America or Iron Man at the conclusion of Avengers 4. Several of the actors' contracts will be complete with Avengers 4 which means that it's possible that some of the actors may not return, opening the door for new takes on old favorites. Feige has even teased as much himself earlier this year when speaking with the AP.

"There are still things that are key elements to a lot of our characters in their comic incarnations that we haven't even done yet for characters who have had three or four movies," he said. "It is an amazing wealth of creative material to pull from."

That wealth of creative material -- nearly 80 years of comic book history to draw from -- also informs the remark that they're working on introducing new characters that may be complete unknowns except for comic book fans. Given the sheer number of characters in the Marvel Comics universe, we couldn't even begin to speculate just who that could include, but one character many outside of comics will be less familiar with that is already being discussed is Ms. Marvel Kamala Khan. Feige also addressed plans for that character at the conference, explaining that they need to introduce Captain Marvel (played by Brie Larson in the upcoming film of the same name) into the universe first.

"We wanted to get Captain Marvel out there first so that there is something for a young Muslim girl to get inspired by," Feige explained.

Avengers: Infinity War is now playing in theaters. Other upcoming Marvel Cinematic Universe movies include Captain Marvel on March 8, 2019, the fourth Avengers movie on May 3, 2019, the sequel to Spider-Man: Homecoming on July 5th, 2019, and Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 in 2020.

What do you think the future of the MCU will hold? Let us know in the comments!