MCU Producer Discusses the Central Theme of Phase Four
With the long-awaited arrival of Thor: Love and Thunder, Marvel fans have seen a sort of metamorphosis for the ever-expanding Marvel Cinematic Universe; in a recent interview, one MCU producer discussed the central theme of Phase Four and that interesting feeling.
Following the horrors of implications surrounding the COVID-19 Pandemic, there was the underlying feeling that the upcoming phase of the Marvel Cinematic Universe would be about Marvel’s attempt to redefine themselves as they found a way forward.
Scarlett Johansson as Black Widow/Natasha Romanoff and Florence Pugh as Yelena in Marvel Studios’ BLACK WIDOW. Photo by Jay Maidment. ©Marvel Studios 2020. All Rights Reserved.
The massive and overwhelmingly successful Infinity Saga culminated in Avengers: Endgame and a cinematic event that was quite unlike anything that ever came before it; but it also represented the first time in over a decade that the MCU was left without, well, an endgame.
This current phase has placed, front and center, a cinematic universe in flux, with an heir of uncertainty seemingly hovering over every single entry that has continued since that seminal release; with many fans eagerly awaiting the next massive event on the proverbial horizon.
Marvel Studios’ AVENGERS: ENDGAME..Photo: Film Frame..©Marvel Studios 2019
But, perhaps, what is so interesting about the current Phase of the MCU is that the very influx feeling is the intention, as one MCU producer comments on the central theme of Phase Four; one that personifies a universe reacting.
Speaking on Empires Spoiler Special Podcast (reported by The Direct), MCU producer Richie Palmer stated, “Phase Four is all a reaction- and I don’t mean on our part as filmmakers, I mean the characters- its a reaction to the trauma of Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers: Endgame.”
Source: Marvel Studios
Palmer added, “We’re still feeling those effects in these movies years later. It’s also something we spoke to Elizabeth Olsen about every step of the way, that for her, Wanda’s full journey is leading to a moment of accountability. And we think she’s gotten there.”
Palmer concluded, stating, “Whether its Spider-Man or the Scarlet Witch or Black Widow after Civil War, this phase does feel like this about our heroes coming into their own, on their own, figuring out their places in the world, and a lot of them are lonely now because of the losses suffered during those Avengers movies.”
Source: Marvel Studios
Palmer’s words carry immense weight when considering in the vein of what this phase is actually uncovering about our heroes; with Peter Parker becoming Spider-Man in the truest sense, to Wanda’s giving in to villainy, this entire era is about reacting to the implications of the MCU’s decade long story
