MCU Phase 4: 10 Biggest Mysteries (So Far)
With lingering plot threads like these, the future of the MCU is looking bright.
Phase 4 of the Marvel Cinematic Universe is well underway, with three shows and two films having already been released. Some of those releases have satisfied more than others, and they are sure to spark a healthy mixture of excitement and spirited conversation.
Some of them have also left us with lingering questions. Has the TVA been reset, or did Loki just get flung into parallel version of it? Who is Jimmy Wu's mysterious witness? Where did Renslayer run off to? What happened between Carol and Monica? There are other questions, though, that may have bigger, broader, deeper implications for the future of the MCU. Here, we look at some of those questions.
Mysteries though they may be, they're all sure to be paid off in forthcoming MCU projects, like Armor Wars, Spider-Man: No Way Home, Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, and so forth.
This list won't cover films and shows that have yet to be released, though. We won't know what mysteries they hold until they hit theaters or streaming.
SPOILERS for WandaVision, The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, Loki, Black Widow, Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings, and Venom: Let There Be Carnage lie ahead.
10. What Is Val's Endgame?
The first time we met Val, she unceremoniously inserted herself into a conversation between a despondent John Walker and his wife, Olivia, after his court hearing and the subsequent stripping of his rank and VA benefits. Like a vulture, she circled her prey and swooped in when he was at his absolute most vulnerable. She courts John Walker, telling him that taking the serum made him "very, very valuable to certain people." By the end of the show, she equipped Walker with his own black suit, christening him the U.S. Agent.
We saw her again in the post-credits scene of Black Widow (where she was originally supposed to appear first), where - just as she did with Walker - she recruited a grieving Yelena Belova. Here, she recruited Belova to kill Hawkeye, blaming him for Natasha's death.
So... like... what's the deal? Who does she represent? Is she involved with HYDRA, as she was in the comics? Or is she representing someone like Thunderbolt Ross, setting out to recruit the MCU version of the Thunderbolts or the Dark Avengers now that Tony and Steve are both out of the picture? The latter seems likely, but only time will tell.