Marvel: Kevin Feige explains the lack of Phase Four announcements

Kevin Feige explains why Marvel Studios has remained quiet on their slate of movies for Phase Four.

Phase Three of the Marvel Cinematic Universe is moving right along. Following the imminent release of Thor: Ragnarok, there will only be five films left on this slate. Interestingly, Marvel Studios has been mum on their plans for Phase Four, and studio head Kevin Feige has his reasons for this.

In an interview with Uproxx, Feige stated that the studio is concentrating on the remainder of Phase Three which ends in 2019 with the Untitled Avengers Sequel:

"“Well, all I’ll say is the films we are working on now – which take us through to the Avengers Untitled in May of 19 – that’s really all we are focusing on,” says Feige. “And we are focusing on bringing, by that point, an unprecedented, 22-movie, continuous shared fictional narrative to a conclusion in a satisfying way.”"

The producer confirmed that there have been discussions about Phase Four, but reiterated that the goal is to close out the narrative that began with Iron Man:

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"“And where we go beyond that? Of course we will go places beyond that. And, of course, we have ideas of where we go beyond that. But, really, it is all good stories. And as the series finale of Star Trek: The Next Generation said, ‘All good things must come to an end.’ And part of what makes them special, there is a finite quality to the best of fictional stories through history. And we wanted to do that at the end of our first three phases and 22 movies. How we start anew and wherever we go beyond that is a story for another time. This is really about 10 years on, bringing something to a head in a satisfying and unexpected way.”"

In terms of Phase Four announcements, many expected the studio to hold a press conference just as they did for Phase Three. While he did not confirm or deny this would happen again, Feige did explain the purpose of that event:

"“I think it is. I also think that was a particular event to really announce and showcase Phase Three and I guess set up the expectation of doing something like that every few years. But the notion we are sitting here talking and we have, what, six films yet to be released? That’s more than almost any other single production entity in town has on the docket. That should be enough.”"

While it would be nice to get some details on Phase Four, the decision to focus on the current wave of films is understandable.

2019 won’t just mark the end of another phase of MCU productions, but it will also signify the end of an era in this universe. As a result, fans could very well be saying goodbye to a number of MCU mainstays like Iron Man, Captain America and Thor. Simultaneously, we could also see the rise of brand new heroes. Feige has even said in the past that things will definitely change following Avengers 4.

Next: Kevin Feige talks on Marvel Studio's relationship with Fox

Only time will tell how things unfold, but one thing we know for sure is that the Marvel Cinematic Universe will never be the same after 2019.