Disney is in a tough spot right now. With Phase 3 of the Marvel Cinematic Universe coming to a close and many contracts set to expire, the studio must plan where it goes next. There have been hints we could see a completely new franchise down the road, but with the incredible success of Avengers: Infinity War, it’s hard not to stick with a good thing.
So, with that being said, Disney CEO Bob Iger recently said it’s very possible Avengers 4 won’t be the end of the road for Earth’s Mightiest Heroes.
“We meet on a regular basis with our Marvel team, and we’ve plotted out Marvel movies that will take us well into the next decade,” Iger said. “I’m guessing we will try our hand at what I’ll call a new franchise beyond Avengers, but that doesn’t necessarily mean you won’t see more Avengers down the road. We just haven’t made any announcements about that.”
With a $1.1 billion take at the worldwide box office (and growing), Disney’s not about to say goodbye to a sure bet. Audiences have spent ten years with characters like Captain America, Iron Man, Hulk, and Thor, and it would be very difficult for Disney to transition to a new franchise without keeping the Avengers around.
“Given the popularity of the characters and given the popularity of the franchise, I don’t think people should conclude there will never be another Avengers movie,” Iger said.
That doesn’t mean, however, that the Avengers lineup won’t be different by the time Avengers 5 comes out. Captain Marvel will soon join the fray, while Black Panther and Doctor Strange are only beginning their superhero careers. The likeliest scenario is to see a changing of the guard as the more senior characters get phased out.
In Marvel’s immediate future, we will see Ant-Man and the Wasp (July 6), Captain Marvel (March 8, 2019) and Avengers 4 (May 3, 2019). After that we’ll see a sequel to Spider-Man: Homecoming, followed by nine other Marvel movies, which have yet to be titled. Could one of those be a new Avengers movie?
