The best is still yet to come and with a deep breath, Marvel Studio’s panel at San Diego Comic-Con has unveiled the future of the film franchise for what has been dubbed as Phase 4 of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. There have been rumors in the past on what these post-Endgame films will be and with Spider-Man: Far From Home officially closing MCU’s Phase 3, the stage is now set for the announcement of the next wave of superhero films that will also point us to the direction towards the future of LEGO Marvel sets.
Right off the bat, MCU top brass Kevin Feige took the stage of SDCC’s Hall H to announce a handful of MCU films and TV shows that will define Marvel Studio’s Phase 4. And with the partnership between Disney and LEGO going on a full swing, it is safe to assume that we will also be seeing a lot of new LEGO sets and interesting minifigure characters centered on the LEGO Marvel theme.
First in our list following a chronological order is the origin movie spin-off of Black Widow. This is the solo movie of Natasha Romanoff focusing on her backstory on how she became the Avenger’s top covert secret ops operative. It is not a longshot to consider that LEGO has also something in the works, that may perhaps be a call back to that Budapest mission that she and Hawkeye are fond of remembering. Black Widow is slated to be released on May 1, 2020.
Up next is The Eternals which is a star-studded cast headed by Salma Hayek, Angelina Jolie, and Richard Madden among others. It was also rumored that Keanu Reeves will also appear in the film, though he never made an appearance at the MCU Panel at that time. The Eternals will explore the cosmic side of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, which also shows potential for a new line of exciting minifigures which we will see before the film hit theaters on November 6, 2020.
After the arrival of the Eternals, we will have our first Asian-led MCU film in Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings. We will see the return of the Mandarin – the real, sinister one rather than the proxy that we saw in Iron Man 3 – which will play as the film’s major villain. If you recall back in 2013, LEGO has released a small set, the LEGO Marvel Superheroes Iron Man vs. The Mandarin: Ultimate Showdown (76008) so hopefully, we will see the Ten Ring leader have a minifigure reboot. Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings will arrive in theaters February 12, 2021.
Kevin Feige confirmed that the Sorcerer Supreme will be back following the events of Endgame, and will now delve on the dark side of MCU’s multiverse. Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness is said to be Marvel Studio’s take on the horrific, dark version of the multiverse which was formally introduced in the film franchise in Spider-Man: Far From Home. Though this film is teased to be part of a sort of horror genre of the MCU, I’m sure that Disney will have this toned down a bit and LEGO will offer another Doctor Strange set following 2016’s LEGO Marvel Superheroes Doctor Strange’s Sanctum Sanctorum (76060) and the more recent LEGO Marvel Superheroes Sanctum Sanctorum Showdown (76108). Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness will be conjuring its spells on May 7, 2021.
And the final confirmed film in MCU’s Phase 4 will see the return of the god of thunder himself, a most unlikely love triangle, and another Worthy fitting of Mjolnir’s allegiance. In Thor: Love and Thunder, we will see the rise of Thor’s love interest Jane Foster as the new wielder of the mystical hammer to become the female Thor. It will be interesting to see how LEGO will render Jane Foster in battle-ready, Asgardian armor and what particular scene will it recreate in LEGO form. 2017 saw two LEGO sets inspired by the events in Thor: Ragnarok – The Ultimate Battle for Asgard (76084) and Thor vs Hulk: Arena Clash (76088) – so we hope to see another pair of LEGO Marvel sets before Thor: Love and Thunder arrives in theaters on November 5, 2021.
Finally, SDCC attendees were given a glimpse of more things to come with the announcement of the very first Marvel film reboot. Blade was formally welcomed in the MCU with actor Mahershala Ali playing the role of the lethal Daywalker. Furthermore, Feige also confirmed the arrival of the previously Fox-owned Marvel title, Fantastic Four. It is interesting to see how Disney and LEGO will collaborate on a set focusing on the vampire hunter, though I’m pretty sure that this will be a bit toned down as well given the violent theme of the Wesley Snipes era of previous Blade films. Nevertheless, it is a long time coming for a Blade minifigure and LEGO Marvel fans will surely welcome it. A LEGO set revolving around the team of the Fantastic Four is also long overdue – just imagine a bunch of minifigures of the Human Torch, the Invisible Girl, Mister Fantastic and a big fig version of The Thing all gathered in a set and you have a winner combo for a collectible LEGO set.
Going forward, it was also announced during the SDCC Marvel Panel that Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, Black Panther 2, and Captain Marvel 2 are in the works together with a handful of new TV shows that will air on the Disney+ streaming service – The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, WandaVision, Loki, What If…?, and Hawkeye just to name those that were revealed. Whether or not these shows will also get the LEGO treatment is still speculative at best, but one thing is certain – this year and the couple of years to come will surely be very busy for our LEGO designers, and a heck exciting for LEGO Marvel fans.
So how do you think the next wave of MCU-inspired LEGO Marvel sets will look like? Let’s talk about it in the comments below.
