MCU Phase 4: 15 Essential Rumours & Theories You Need To Know

Get ready for a whole new generation of heroes.

by Ewan Paterson
Marvel Studios

Avengers: Endgame may herald the end of the MCU's third phase, but it's also important to remember that it will usher in the start of a new one too.

Beginning with Spider-Man: Far From Home, Disney's premier superhero franchise will embark on a "distinctly different" era of comic book adaptations, with The Elementals, Shang-Chi and several other characters set to arrive just at the same time old staples like Iron Man and Captain America depart.

It's a period of immense change for Marvel, and with Endgame likely to conclude Thanos' arc for good (built up for a good 20 films, lest we forget), Marvel's heroes will find themselves with new threats to take on, new allies to recruit and even new franchises to absorb, with Disney's takeover of Fox opening the door for the likes of the Fantastic Four and X-Men - plus all their associated characters - to join the series too.

It's exciting and daunting in equal measure, but if you thought that the sheer array of rumours for Avengers: Endgame was bonkers, then you should take a look at what the internet's discussing in the build up to Phase 4. Theories regarding recurring bad guys, surprise cameos and brand-new additions abound everywhere, and though some are more legitimate than others, all are worth discussing in one way or another.

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Content Producer/Presenter

WhatCulture's very own resident movie guy, Ewan has been working in the content creation biz for over 10 years now, having started as a freelance contributor to WhatCulture Gaming all the way back in 2015. After graduating with a First-Class Honours in History from Northumbria University in 2017 (where he won a prize for a totally killer dissertation on the Watergate years), Ewan took on the role of Comics Editor at WhatCulture and quickly developed WhatCulture Comics into one of the biggest superhero-focused channels on YouTube. He followed this with a brief hiatus at Screen Rant in 2021, where he worked across the Gaming and Film sections as a writer and editor, before returning to WhatCulture as a Senior Content Producer / Presenter in 2023. He started his own podcast, We Love Dad Movies, in 2022, and has contributed several written pieces to the Eisner-nominated comics website Shelfdust as well. In his current role, Ewan incorporates his love of cinema, comic books, and history into written pieces and video essays for WhatCulture's Film & TV channel, as well as WhatCulture Gaming and WhatCulture Horror, with a particular focus on nineties-era Dad Movies, old school Westerns, and Golden Age Hollywood Noir. John Carpenter is his fave, and he thinks Batman Beyond should never have been cancelled. If that's your vibe, you'll probably like his stuff.