When Nick Fury approached Tony Stark in the Iron Man post-credits scene to talk about the Avengers Initiative, the heart and soul of the MCU was born. Fury’s plan to bring together the group of heroes the MCU now calls the Avengers was a clear example of where the franchise was heading, even though Iron Man was released way back in 2008.
Although early days, Marvel’s Phase 1 had a very clear end goal in sight, which was to tell the stories of characters like Tony Stark, Steve Rogers, and Thor Odinson, then unite them with Natasha Romanoff, Clint Barton and Bruce Banner to create the ultimate superhero team. Although the earlier movies were fairly disconnected, with each hero reserved to their individual solo projects, Fury’s announcement about the Avengers Initiative let fans know exactly where all the heroes would eventually wind up.
The Avengers films served as the high points of Phases 1-3, and every new movie or character was introduced to keep building upon the original goal Fury had presented early on in Phase 1. Characters were learning how to become heroes so that they could properly defend the world from threats, and if they’re lucky, one day be a part of the infamous Avengers team.
Avengers was the climax of Phase 1; Age of Ultron was a tense moment for the heroes in Phase 2; Infinity War raised the stakes for both the characters and the franchise more than ever before in Phase 3. Finally, all heroes introduced after an Avengers movie in their respective phases finally got to join the big leagues, when Endgame shattered records and became the biggest Marvel movie of all time.
All in all, it was clear in Phases 1-3 that Marvel heroes would one day be teaming up together for the ultimate showdown, constantly calling back to Fury’s Avengers Initiative. Even Captain Marvel, which took place long before Fury confronted Tony with the idea, had ties to the Avengers, as the end of the film showed Fury getting his inspiration for the Avengers Initiative through Carol Danvers and the adventure they shared together.
Now currently in Phase 4, with half the Avengers having died and the rest disbanded, there’s no longer a cut and dry answer as to what the heroes are working towards. Phase 4 features characters all over the universe, from Thor and the Guardians in space to Sam and Bucky learning how to navigate life in America without Steve Rogers. Characters are now even extending beyond the reach of life as they knew it, with Loki, Doctor Strange and Wanda Maximoff all traveling through realities the other heroes haven’t even seen yet.
Phase 4’s projects have been good, but there is an overwhelming disconnect between stories. Yes, there are Easter eggs and small references that seemingly tie each respective film or Disney Plus show to other projects, like Shang-Chi and Ms. Marvel, but the characters are mostly isolated in their own bubbles of the universe. Having the heroes go on separate paths isn’t necessarily a bad thing, so long as there’s a final goal in sight. The reason Avengers: Endgame worked so well was because it was years in the making, and MCU made it very clear to fans that the franchise was working towards creating the biggest Marvel event of all time, throughout the entirety of Phases 1-3.
Nick Fury’s conversation with Tony in Phase 1, post-credits scenes featuring Thanos, and random team-ups along the way were all stepping stones that paved the path to the heroes’ epic battle against the Mad Titan. Even when the characters were disconnected from each other, it was clear where they were going to end up. The hype created over ten years made it clear that Marvel Studios had a plan in mind, and had some sort of idea what was going to happen when the Infinity Saga finally drew to a close in 2019.
Phase 4 lacks the direction of Phases 1-3, although there’s plenty of speculation going on from fans. Some believe that Phase 4 is going to set the stage for a Young Avengers film, while others feel as if the upcoming Thunderbolts movie will have a bigger impact on the Marvel Universe moving forward. All of this, however, is just speculation, with no real objective in sight. Without establishing a bigger, overarching storyline for the characters to work towards, the MCU might be biting off more than it can chew. If they continue to keep all the heroes separate, Marvel could lose the sense of unity that was present for Phases 1-3. There’s also a strong likelihood that more plot holes and inconsistencies will appear, as Marvel Studies tries to juggle dozens of different storylines.
Marvel could still succeed, even if they aren’t planning to revamp the Avengers or create a movie as massive as Endgame. There does need to be an end goal in sight, though, for the franchise to keep flowing and moving forward in a positive direction. Hopefully, the remaining Phase 4 projects will offer some more insight as to where the MCU is headed.