Phase 4 of the Marvel Cinematic Universe is in full swing with Thor: Love and Thunder, where the God of Thunder is on a quest for inner peace after the events of the Infinity Saga. In this new phase, much like Thor, other characters are also facing the consequences, as fans too bid farewell to many franchise mainstays while being introduced to new ones. During a recent chat with Empire’s Spoiler Special podcast, Richie Palmer, production and development head of Marvel Studios revealed that the ongoing phase is indeed a “reaction” to past events.
As opposed to the previous three phases, Marvel Studios have split its content across movies and Disney+ series in the new phase, focusing more on the narratives of individual characters, delving into their psyche to reveal how they choose to respond to events of the last two Avengers movies. Palmer explained, "Phase Four is all a reaction – and I don't mean on our part as filmmakers, I mean the characters...It's a reaction to the trauma of Avengers: Infinity War and Endgame. We're still feeling those effects in these movies years later."
Phase 4 kickstarted with WandaVision, and while the series was an ode to American sitcoms, it was most helpful in establishing the tone of Phase 4. Wanda's story continued with Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, where after dealing with Vision’s death in WandaVision, now she was dealing with the loss of her children, Billy and Tommy. "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 said, further adding:
She's aware now, 'Oh, I'm supposed to be this god. I've always known this kinda, under the surface, but it's now been told to me. Now, my way of dealing with my loss and trauma is just going full-in to what I am, which is the Scarlet Witch, so I'm going to be that.' Of course, in our movie, she's like, 'I don't want to be that, I want to go be with my kids. So leave me alone, but I'm just letting you know that I am the Scarlet Witch, so don't mess with me.'
While Wanda momentarily turned evil grieving her loss, Phase Four also showed us Peter Parker, who in order to cope with his sorrow of losing Tony Stark and later Aunt May, is willing to sacrifice his own identity for the greater good. Palmer explained, “'What happens when you lose everything?' You know, some people handle it differently than others. Peter Parker dove into the persona of Spider-Man at the end of No Way Home, he's completely let the Spider-Man persona take over as a response to his loss and his trauma. For Peter, of course, being Spider-Man means going and being the biggest hero of all time."
Similarly, during The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, we saw Sam and Bucky slowly finding their foot in a world without Steve Rogers and continuing the legacy of his shield. Hawkeye finally brought us the moment where we can collectively grieve the loss of Natasha with Clint and Yelena, and as the phase progresses we are sure to see more consequences of the past events.