Summary
- New Guardians of the Galaxy team revealed with only Groot & Rocket returning, implying changes in team dynamics.
- Star-Lord’s legendary return hinted in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, possibly with new powerful abilities.
- X-Men officially introduced in MCU, setting the stage for potential future crossovers and team-ups in Phase 6.
The reception to the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s Phase 5 may have been somewhat uneven, but the collection of films and TV shows has already set up some incredibly important plotlines. Beginning with Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania, Phase 5 has seen the release of some of Marvel Studios’ biggest box office flops yet. While the portion of the MCU still has two films to release before completing, it has already put into motion several important plot elements with far-reaching implications for the shared movie universe.
Phase 5 includes Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania, The Marvels, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, and Deadpool & Wolverine, not to mention four Disney+ series and counting. As Marvel continues to develop the phase, it’ll be interesting to see how the upcoming Phase 5 filmsCaptain America: Brave New World and Thunderbolts* can continue to build on what has already been set up. Even if Phase 5 hasn’t been as monetarily successful as past phases, it’s been incredibly important to the narrative of the overarching Marvel story.
10 There’s A New Guardians Of The Galaxy Team
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3
The first trilogy of the Marvel Cinematic Universe to truly feel as if it has definitively ended, James Gunn’s Guardians of the Galaxy series saw a bittersweet goodbye in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3. The film walked audiences through the tragic backstory of Rocket Raccoon while addressing the various traumas the team has accumulated over the years, culminating in the defeat of the dastardly High Evolutionary. By the end of the film, the Guardians of the Galaxy has changed forever, with few members of the original team being present.
In a mid-credits scene, the new lineup of Guardians members is revealed, with only Groot and Rocket returning from the original squad. Replacements include Adam Warlock, Kraglin, Cosmo the Space Dog, the rescued child Phyla and Adam’s pet F’saki, Blurp. This new team could interact with the larger Marvel Cinematic Universe in the upcoming crossover films Avengers: Doomsday and Avengers: Secret Wars.
9 Star-Lord’s Legendary Return
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3
Like most other members of the Guardians of the Galaxy, Peter Quill ended his emotional journey in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 feeling like he needed to retire from the titular superhero team. Returning to Earth after years of running from his past, Star-Lord reunites with his surviving human family, seemingly seeking out a simple life as a normal human. However, a foreboding title at the end of the film promises that “The Legendary Star-Lord will return“, advising that Peter Quill’s break from heroism may be very temporary.
An interesting aspect of this caption is the “legendary” prefix, a title that Marvel seems to have been pushing for Star-Lord as of late. In his appearance in the upcoming video game Marvel Rivals, Star-Lord confidently bellows the word when using his ultimate ability, suggesting something of a paradigm shift surrounding Star-Lord in the MCU properties to come. Perhaps the “legendary” title alludes to Peter Quill being able to use powerful abilities from his half-Celestial heritage once more.
8 Loki Has Become The God Of Stories
Loki Season 2
Season 2 of Loki might just be the single strongest entry of Phase 5 from a narrative standpoint, wrapping up the long journey of its titular villain-turned-hero with a devastating finale. Faced with the annihilation of time itself, the series finale of Loki sees the disgraced Asgardian prince become the new living Temporal Loom that holds the MCU’s multiverse together, personally overseeing the development of timelines. In doing so, he dooms himself to an identity of isolation as the new “God of Stories”, sacrificing his well-being for the sake of the multiverse.
Admittedly, this is a brilliant and poignant end to Loki’s adventures in the MCU, and it wouldn’t be a remiss place for Tom Hiddleston to retire the character forever. Many were surprised that Loki didn’t get a small appearance in Deadpool & Wolverine, which heavily featured the TVA, now taken over by Loki and his compatriots. That doesn’t necessarily mean that Loki will never return, however, as Marvel Studios has recently proven that they aren’t above bringing back characters thought to have been mothballed long ago.
7 The X-Men’s Addition To The MCU
The Marvels, Deadpool & Wolverine
One long-awaited plot point that Phase 5 has officially shepherded into the MCU is the introduction of Fox’s X-Men. This idea is first developed in The Marvels, which saw Kelsey Grammer reprise his role as Beast in a post-credits scene, greeting Monica Rambeau in a parallel universe. Deadpool & Wolverine went further with the idea, officially tying the X-Men into the MCU by way of timeline shenanigans and the Void of TVA fame.
Technically, Deadpool & Wolverine has been the first MCU film to officially feature the X-Men, five years after Disney acquired the live-action rights to the characters in 2019. Sadly, no MCU-related projects seem to be on the horizon for the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s released slate of films and TV shows, with only the animated X-Men ’97, which takes place in its own universe, bearing the coveted title. Perhaps the X-Men will feature prominently as supporting characters in future crossover films in Phase 6.
6 The Formation Of The Young Avengers
The Marvels
Custom Image by Nicolas Ayala
For some time now, the Marvel Cineatic Universe has been slowly introducing younger heroes to fill out the ranks of the series’ roster, implying the formation of a Young Avengers team. The Marvels officially pays off this idea by showing Ms. Marvel strive to form a team of her own, recruiting Kate Bishop’s Hawkeye in a scene towards the end of the film. There’s a lot of potential still on the table for the Young Avengers to officially form.
Other contenders for the team include Hulk’s half-alien son Skaar, America Chavez of Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness fame, Wolverine’s “daughter” Laura, and Riri Williams’ Ironheart, introduced in Black Panther: Wakanda Forever. There exists even more potential for the Young Avengers in the MCU’s cast, setting up the formation of a whole new exciting team in Phase 6. Perhaps the young heroes will officially debut in one of the two upcoming Avengers crossover films.
5 Cassie Lang Officially Becomes Stinger
Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania
Speaking of candidates for the Young Avengers, Cassie Lang’s official debut as a costumed hero was implicated early on in Phase 5. Scott Lang’s daughter was one of the many MCU characters aged up by Thanos’ snap, making her five years older than her last appearance in Ant-Man and the Wasp. In her teen years, Cassie seems eager to join her father in heroism as a crime fighter in her own right, utilizing Pym particle technology in Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania.
While Cassie isn’t given a hero name, her familiarity with the rare tech could make her a boon for the Young Avengers. In the comics, Cassie does take on a hero life of her own, first going by the name Stature before evolving to become Stinger. Either way, Cassie stands a high chance at being officially inducted into the MCU’s list of heroes in Marvel Studios movies yet to come.
4 Kingpin’s Complete Takeover Of New York City
Echo
Echo may have been one of the most seldom seen releases in the MCU’s fifth phase, but the series contained some surprisingly important developments in the series’ street-level affairs. Above all else was the return of the MCU’s Kingpin, who seemed to have been killed at the end of Hawkeye. Not only has the criminal mastermind managed to resurface, but he may soon be growing more powerful than ever before.
Kingpin ends his encounter with Echo emotionally devastated, being forced to internally examine his own traumas. In the wake of his reflection, he notices that New York City is currently undergoing a mayoral election with no clear frontrunner. This clearly implies that Kingpin will soon be stepping up as the mayor of New York City in the MCU, giving him an official position of power that may rear its head in the fourth Tom Holland Spider-Man movie.
3 The Return Of The Netflix Defenders
Echo
Kingpin’s decision to run for mayor, shockingly, isn’t even the biggest plot development to come out of his encounter with Echo. During his forced vision quest, Kingpin has visions of his childhood and origins, lining up with what was depicted in Netflix’s Daredevil series, implying that the Netflix continuity has officially carried over into the MCU. While Charlie Cox’s Daredevil and Vincent D’Onofrio’s Kingpin had both already returned in the franchise, it wasn’t until this moment that the MCU confirmed the events of the Netflix shows to be canon.
By extension, this would mean that street-level heroes from the Netflix series like Luke Cage, Jessica Jones, Iron Fist and The Punisher are all now canon in the MCU’s New York City. Though it’s been many years since they’ve assembled, this development could foreshadow the return of the Netflix Defenders to the MCU. While nothing has been confirmed as of yet, Phase 6 may still have room to explore this concept.
2 The Introduction Of Super-Skrull
Secret Invasion
Secret Invasion saw the return of the Skrulls in full force. First introduced in Captain Marvel, the shape-shifting alien race are refugees fleeing a losing war with the tyrannical Kree Empire. In Secret Invasion, it’s confirmed that not only have Skrulls infiltrated the Earth’s governments, but they’ve developed a machine that can take their shape-shifting to the next level. Secret Invasion introduced G’iah and Gravik, two “Super-Skrulls” with the ability to copy the powers of Marvel heroes whose DNA they’ve been able to harvest.
While both of these characters might be “Super-Skrulls”, neither are the Super-Skrull from the comics, an individual member of the species named Kl’rt. Kl’rt is famous for copying the powers of all four members of The Fantastic Four, becoming one of the team’s most fearsome villains. The introduction of power-copying Skrulls could set up Kl’rt’s appearance in the upcoming Fantastic Four: First Steps, or perhaps a later Fantastic Four movie further down the line.
1 The Skrull And Kree Finally Negotiate Peace
Secret Invasion
The introduction of the Super-Skrulls is far from the only world-changing development for the MCU to occur in Secret Invasion. For untold milennia, the Skrulls and Kree have been enemies in Marvel’s cosmology, warring for centuries with the Skrulls typically on the backfoot. However, Secret Invasion ends with Nick Fury convincing his Skrull wife, Varra, to come with him to a peace summit in space to negotiate a treaty with the Kree, possibly marking the historic end to their bitter feud.
It seems unlikely that the unyielding Kree would peacefully come to terms with their ancient enemies, but if there’s anyone who could broker such an agreement, it’s Nick Fury. The universe-spanning implications of this summit could drastically change the political landscape of the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s galaxy at large, particularly as far as Captain Marvel is concerned, whose former alliance with the Kree Empire could raise objections. Either way, this development might be referred to in the next spacefaring installment of the MCU.
Upcoming MCU Movies
- Captain America: Brave New World
Release Date February 14, 2025
- Thunderbolts*
Release Date May 2, 2025
- The Fantastic Four (2025)
Release Date July 25, 2025
- Blade (2025)
Release Date November 7, 2025
- Avengers: Doomsday
Release Date May 1, 2026
- Avengers: Secret Wars
Release Date May 7, 2027