Editor's Note: The following contains spoilers for Black Panther: Wakanda Forever.
The Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) just continues to expand, and it's definitely not stopping anytime soon. In the past decade, we have watched our beloved superheroes grace the screen and provide inspiration. It became a community filled with dedicated fans who are always up to discuss different theories with one another. Whether it is something out of left field or something that actually makes sense, what is clear is that the MCU brought many people together, and it will forever leave an impact on media. In the past two years, we have seen huge leaps made by the studio, which provided a new atmosphere and more possibilities in the universe.
Phase 4 of the MCU introduced new formats, characters, and deadlier stakes — adding more uniqueness to the growing community. This phase officially started with the Disney+ release of WandaVision. Closing it out is Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, which is currently out in theaters. Now that Phase 4 is almost coming to an end — and before we officially start Phase 5 with Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania next year — let's take a quick refresher on all the films and shows that aired within this period of time.
WandaVision
WandaVision is the first television show in the MCU and also the first project in Phase 4. Aired January 2021, this series is set after Avengers: Endgame (2019) and follows the lives of Wanda (Elizabeth Olsen) and Vision (Paul Bettany). We see them living a sitcom-inspired suburban life, going through different decades as if they're this ideal, perfect couple. But how is Vision there when he died in Endgame? Well, it turns out that Wanda — who is blinded by grief — took control of the town of Westview and its residents, creating a reality that she would have wanted for her and Vision. In the end, Wanda realizes the amount of pain that the Westview residents are going through, so she frees them from her control. Vision also faces White Vision, and the two have a philosophical and diplomatic discussion. However, the cost of freeing the residents is the lives of Vision and their twins Billy (Julian Hilliard) and Tommy (Jett Klyne).
Moreover, the show introduced us to Agatha Harkness (Kathryn Hahn), an evil witch who infiltrated Westview to figure out how Wanda did all of it. There is also the grown-up version of Monica Rambeau (Teyonah Parris), the daughter of the late Maria Rambeau (Lashana Lynch), who gets powers after going through a force field that surrounds the town. Other characters to note are Jimmy Woo (Randall Park), Dr. Darcy Lewis (Kat Dennings), plus a surprise cameo by Evan Peters as Quicksilver.
The Falcon and the Winter Soldier
Set six months after Endgame, The Falcon and the Winter Soldier is a limited series that follows Bucky Barnes (Sebastian Stan) and Sam Wilson (Anthony Mackie). This action-packed show takes a closer look at how they try to cope after the loss of Steve Rogers (Chris Evans). Bucky deals with the trauma that was brought upon his life as the Winter Soldier. On the other hand, Sam struggles with the legacy of the shield and racism.
Together, they defeat the Flag Smashers — a group of anti-patriots who believe that the Blip was a great time for the world and that it was better during it. They also come head-to-head with John Walker (Wyatt Russell) a U.S. soldier who was eventually recruited by Valentina Allegra de Fontaine (Julia Louis-Dreyfus) and becomes the U.S. Agent. And, to top it all off, it was revealed that Sharon Carter (Emily VanCamp) is the Power Broker.
Loki
Loki is perhaps the biggest MCU show to date, and it is no surprise as to why. The series follows the life of our favorite mischievous god, Loki (Tom Hiddleston), after he stole the Tesseract in Endgame. He gets transported and arrested by the TVA or Time Variance Authority for creating a new timeline that wasn't supposed to happen. He meets Mobius (Owen Wilson), who tells him that in order to not get banished from existence, he could help the team capture a dangerous variant. Why would they ask for Loki's help? Well, it's because the one that they are looking for is yet another variant of Loki named Sylvie (Sophia Di Martino).
When the two Lokis meet, they team up to have an audience with the Time-Keepers. However, it turns out that the real one in charge is a powerful being named He Who Remains (Jonathan Majors). Despite being warned, Sylvie kills him which, in turn, introduces us to a much more dangerous variant named Kang the Conqueror. In the end, Loki realizes that the TVA does not remember him anymore.
Unlike the first two shows, Loki will actually have a Season 2, which is slated for a 2023 release, so there will be much more mischief and thrills left to see.
Black Widow
This standalone film Black Widow premiered last July 2021 and sees the return of Scarlett Johansson in the titular role aka Natasha Romanoff. This is set after the events of Captain America: Civil War (2016), where our beloved spy is seen as a fugitive for not honoring the Sokovia Accords. She is also forced to face her past, which includes reuniting with her sister Yelena (Florence Pugh) and their parents Alexei (David Harbour) and Melina (Rachel Weisz). Together, they defeat Dreykov (Ray Winstone) to finally put a stop to the Red Room operation.
In the post-credit scene, Valentina makes an appearance yet again, talking to Yelena about a particular task that involves killing Clint Barton (Jeremy Renner). This is said to be setting up the Thunderbolts.
What If...?
This unique anthology series takes fans on all the what-ifs that were accumulated in the past few years regarding the MCU. For instance, there's an episode where T'Challa (Chadwick Boseman) becomes Star-Lord instead of Quill and another where most of the Avengers and the world become zombies. This show takes us on a wild ride across multiverses and alternate timelines. It is also a great way for creators to have more creative freedom.
What If...? premieres its second season next year as part of Phase 5, so the fun isn't over just yet.
Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings
Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings is the MCU's first film with an Asian lead and has made an impact on the community. In the film, we're introduced to Shang-Chi (Simu Liu) who, after living away from his family for a long time, comes home in order to confront his past and find more information about the Ten Rings organization, which is led by his dad Wenwu (Tony Leung).
Along the way, Shang-Chi, Katy (Awkwafina), and Xialing (Meng'er Zhang) visit Ta Lo, a mythical village where the Great Protector lives. Wenwu is convinced that his late wife is stuck on the other side of the sealed gate in Ta Lo, so the people in it and the trio try to stop him before it is too late.
In the post-credit scene, we learn that the Ten Rings actually hold more story behind it. This means that we have not seen the last of this powerful yet mysterious weapon.
Eternals
We are introduced to many new faces in the MCU in Phase 4, but Eternals certainly took it up a notch. With an impressive cast list, this film is perhaps one of the most ambitious projects to date. The film features a group of immortals who are sent to protect the Earth from the Deviants. Thinking that they have killed the last remaining Deviant, the group goes their separate ways for hundreds of years. When the Deviants attack again, they all reunite, except for Ajak (Salma Hayek), who was found mysteriously dead.
Along the way, Sersi (Gemma Chan) learns that the real mission of the Eternals is to help in the Emergence, an event meant to summon new Celestials which would destroy Earth and all its inhabitants. In the end, they put a stop to the Emergence. There is also a very unexpected appearance of Harry Styles as Eros.
Hawkeye
Who doesn't love a holiday-centered show? Hawkeye stars Renner who returns as the titular role aka Clint and Hailee Steinfeld as Kate Bishop, a talented 22-year-old archer who teams up with her favorite longtime hero to confront Clint's dangerous past as Ronin. Besides facing the Tracksuit Mafia, led by Maya Lopez (Alaqua Cox), and Kingpin (Vincent D'Onofrio), they also come head to head with a grief-stricken Yelena, who is tasked to kill Clint. This show takes fans on a closer look not just on Clint's life, but also give us a fun-filled adventure.
Spider-Man: No Way Home
Spider-Man: No Way Home is undoubtedly the most-anticipated and biggest project in Phase 4. The ambitious film is set right after the second film, specifically when our favorite neighborhood hero's identity is revealed. We see him seeking help from Doctor Strange (Benedict Cumberbatch) by asking to cast a spell that would make everyone forget that he is Spider-Man. However, this spell ends up creating even more trouble, opening up the multiverse and releasing villains that we are all very familiar with.
Of course, it wouldn't be right without mentioning the return of Tobey Maguire and Andrew Garfield, our other Spider-Men. Together, they defeat the villains such as Electro (Jamie Foxx) and Green Goblin (Willem Dafoe). But to fix the breaking multiverse, Peter tells Strange to continue with the spell. With no one now knowing his superhero identity, he is granted a fresh yet bittersweet start.
Moon Knight
Moon Knight stars Oscar Isaac in the titular role and the three alters, namely Steven Grant, Marc Spector, and Jake Lockley. This six-episode series follows Steven Grant, who learns that he has dissociative identity disorder and shares his body with the other two mentioned alters. He also realizes that Marc is a mercenary and gives up his life to serve Konshu, the Egyptian moon god. This sacrifice turns bad pretty quickly as they now must defeat Arthur Harrow (Ethan Hawke) before he dooms the rest of the world by damnation.
Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness
Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, MCU's first horror film, is set right after the events of No Way Home. Doctor Strange seeks help from Wong (Benedict Wong), Wanda, and a powerful teen named America Chavez (Xochitl Gomez) to fix the multiverse. But it turns out that Wanda wants to capture America and force her to help her to reunite with her family once again.
Besides the chaos and the dangers of Wanda's plan, the film also gave us surprise appearances by Patrick Stewart who plays Professor Charles Xavier, John Krasinski as Reed Richards, Hayley Atwell as Peggy Carter, Lashana Lynch as Captain Marvel, and Anson Mount as Black Bolt. But Wanda, powerful being that she is, practically killed them all with terrifying ease. In the end, Kamar-Taj is slowly being repaired and everyone is going back to their normal routines, except for Strange who develops a third eye thanks to the Darkhold.
Ms. Marvel
Played by Iman Vellani, Kamala Khan aka Ms. Marvel is the MCU's first Muslim superhero. The show sees her wanting to be a superhero like her idol Captain Marvel (Brie Larson). Other than that, she goes through the ups and downs of being a teenager, may it be about boys or growing up. One day, she gets powers upon wearing a special bangle that is being hunted by the Clandestines. Now, she has to navigate her newfound abilities, learn about the true history of the bangle, and defeat those who want to use it for dangerous reasons.
In the finale, it is revealed that Kamala is actually a mutant, which left everybody in shock. Moreover, in the credit scene, she ends up unexpectedly switching places with Captain Marvel. This event will most likely be explained in the upcoming The Marvels.
Thor: Love and Thunder
Taika Waititi is back to direct the fourth Thor film. In Thor: Love and Thunder, we see the God of Thunder Thor (Chris Hemsworth) on a quest to find inner peace after the events of Endgame. But his plan suddenly comes to a halt upon learning about Gorr the God Butcher (Christian Bale) and his mission to kill all gods. Thor seeks the help of King Valkyrie (Tessa Thompson), Korg (Waititi), and Jane Foster (Natalie Portman). Along the way, we see Jane being able to pick up Mjolnir and become the Mighty Thor, despite battling cancer.
Unfortunately, cancer takes Jane's life by the end. But we see Thor adopting Gorr's daughter, taking her on some adventures. Hercules is also introduced in the mid-credits scene and is played by Brett Goldstein.
She-Hulk
She-Hulk follows Jennifer Walters (Tatiana Maslany), a lawyer who later becomes She-Hulk after Bruce's (Mark Ruffalo) blood contaminates her. Because of this, she ends up finding a new job at another law firm as the head of the Superhero Division. Now, Jennifer must learn how to balance her life both as a lawyer and a superhero. In the end, she convinces K.E.V.I.N. to change her story to stray away from the typical superhero endings. It's just a fun legal drama that also breaks the fourth wall multiple times.
Werewolf by Night
Being the first Marvel Studios Special Presentation, Werewolf by Night is an instant hit because of its incredible storytelling, dialogue, and effects. This 53-minute special follows Jack Russell (Gael García Bernal) as he joins a group of monster hunters who are competing for the Bloodstone. All of them are subjected to a competition set in a maze. We learn that Jack is actually there to help the monster escape. But when his cover has been blown, he is locked in by Verussa (Harriet Sansom) and we learn that he is a werewolf.
Black Panther: Wakanda Forever
This film is the latest release from the MCU, and it is filled with emotion, through and through as it is a dedication to the late Chadwick Boseman, our Black Panther. After the death of T'Challa, Wakanda faces danger when the Feathered Serpent God Namor (Tenoch Huerta Mejía) wants them to work together to destroy the surface world. When the people of Wakanda refuse, they now must fight to save their country.
Moreover, we finally get to see Shuri (Letitia Wright) as Black Panther. Riri Williams (Dominique Thorne) aka Ironheart and Valentina also appears in the film. After striking a deal with Namor to stop their war, Shuri finally allows herself to grieve her brother and mother in a bittersweet, quiet scene.