5 Movies Marvel Studios Must Release To Launch The MARVEL COSMIC UNIVERSE

It appears as if Phase 4 could transform the Marvel Cinematic Universe into the Marvel Cosmic Universe. Here are five movies we need to see be a huge part of this world as we're taken into outer space...

By JoshWilding - Apr 28, 2017 06:04 AM EST

Filed Under: Vol. 2

With Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 on its way to theaters, comments from director James Gunn and Marvel Studios President Kevin Feige have made it clear that their focus is very much going to be on cosmic adventures moving forward. What that means remains to be seen, but it's possible that the Marvel Cinematic Universe is going to wind up being transformed into the Marvel Cosmic Universe.

The likes of Ant-Man and Doctor Strange will no doubt play a big role in whatever Phase 4 ends up being, but which movies should be a priority for a superhero universe which puts the focus on the cosmos? What you'll find below is a look at five releases we want to see in Phase 4, all of which are set in space and stand the chance of redifining this world and introducing us to some major new players...

5. Annihilation

This is the event that put the cosmic side of the Marvel Universe back on the map and reintroduced the world to the Guardians of the Galaxy, so there's no denying that it has some potential to deliver on the big screen as well. Just like Captain America: Civil War simplified the comic book event it was based on, Annihilation would have to do the same, but there are a lot of great moments and characters from the source material that could be used here to make this a launching platform for any number of new franchises.

Of course, a tale with this title would benefit from starring the villain it's named after. While Annihilus does belong to Fox as part of the Fantastic Four franchise, the fact that Kevin Feige could get Ego the Living Planet for Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 gives me hope that a deal could be made for that alien despot as well, and knowing Marvel, they could really make him a special and pivotal part of this Marvel Cosmic Universe.

Fans have been crying out for the introduction of Richard Rider/Nova for years now, but despite the fact that the Nova Corps were finally added to the Marvel Cinematic Universe in Guardians of the Galaxy, the character remains on the shelf. As of right now, there's no indication that we'll see him in Avengers: Infinity War or its sequel, but Marvel would be foolish not to utilise him come Phase 4.

The war against Thanos could easily lead to the Nova Corps deciding they need a protector from Earth who can battle on their behalf, and this hero taking centre stage in his own solo outing makes perfect sense. There's more than enough story to be told here, while Nova could quite easily show up elsewhere immediately after regardless of whether we're talking about either of the ensemble franchises mentioned above. Nova is someone who should have appeared long before now, but having Phase 4 revolve around him is a smart move.

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3. Adam Warlock

Adam Warlock is a hero we'll more than likely meet in the fourth Avengers movie or in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 based on comments from James Gunn, but the character is definitely one who could take centre stage in his own solo outing. Assuming the Infinity War sequel wraps up in a similar way to the Infinity Gauntlet comic book, we could see Adam in possession of that powerful artefact and the possibilities from there are endless.

This movie could easily deal with him attempting to figure out a way to control the Infinity Stones, while it would arguably be even more exciting to see him form the Infinity Watch in order to stop them from ever being united again. That too would lead to the introduction of new cosmic characters, something which would expand this world in a big way and could make for a fun movie which ties up the loose ends from The Avengers' battle with Thanos and sets the stage for what's next in the Marvel Cosmic Universe.

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2. The Kree/Skrull War

Even if Marvel is about to shift the focus to cosmic adventures, I don't for a second believe that the highly profitable Avengers franchise will come to an end after the Infinity War sequel. This series can also head in a different direction, though, with Earth's Mightiest Heroes once again having to head into outer space in order to protect the Earth. The fall of Thanos could very easily upset the balance of power in outer space, with the Kree and Skrull armies going to war as a result.

Yes, Fox owns the Skrulls, but like I pointed out in the first slide, there's nothing to say Marvel can't get that alien race back in their possession. In a story which takes place throughout the cosmos, this could be a huge event movie which puts the team in very different surroundings and could even be spread over two movies. Like Annihilation, an adaptation of this epic tale may introduce a host of new heroes and villains and completely change what we've come to expect from superhero movies.

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1. Fantastic Four

Am I being naively optimistic here? Regardless, I'm choosing to believe Fox has given up on the Fantastic Four franchise and that Marvel Studios has regained the rights, and if that's the case, they could make these characters a huge part of their Marvel Cosmic Universe! The story could be that the team left Earth before the formation of The Avengers on some sort of outer space mission and that they've essentially spent years looking for a way home.

That alone makes for a compelling story, but if you were to throw Galactus and the Silver Surfer into the mix, we could be in for an epic tale which has major ramifications for this world moving forward, especially if this cosmic tale wraps up with them finally coming home with the eater of worlds on their tail. This has the potential to be a pitch perfect reboot for the Fantastic Four and segregating them from Earth means we see something new, while still getting the human element for moviegoers to root for.

Which of these movies do you think should be a priority for Marvel Studios in Phase 4? As always, be sure to let us know your thoughts in the comments section down below.

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96 Comments

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CaptainElrond - 4/28/2017, 6:50 AM

Ultron vs the guardians would be interesting.

TheLight - 4/28/2017, 6:51 AM

I would love to see the The Kree/Skrull War on the big screen.

Comics2filmjunk - 4/28/2017, 6:56 AM

I have a feeling we will meet Warlock in "Avengers 4".
Annihilation or something set in the Negative zone would be so epic I might die at the end of the movie, with a huge nerd on.
Doesn't Marvel co own the rights to the Skrulls?

TheMadman - 4/28/2017, 8:01 AM

@Comics2filmjunk - Marvel owns the Chitauri, which is the Ultimate Universe version of the Skrulls.

Chewtoy - 4/28/2017, 8:42 AM

@Comics2filmjunk - Kevin Fiege said that if Warlock is introduced anywhere, it'll be in a Guardians film... so that's post Avengers 4.

CorndogBurglar - 4/28/2017, 10:25 AM

@TheMadman - That isn't true at all. Feige confirmed years ago that they can use the Skrulls. They just can't use named Skrull characters, like Super Skrull.

TheMadman - 4/28/2017, 10:34 AM

@CorndogBurglar - I mean... It is true, because they were in the Avengers. I commented below and said they can't use super Skrulls, but I believe they can use Skrulls.

CorndogBurglar - 4/28/2017, 10:37 AM

@Comics2filmjunk - Yes they do. They can use Skrulls they just can't use named Skrull characters like Super Skrull or Paibok.

Marvel would need to get full control over the F4 characters if they want to do Annihilation. Too many characters are out of their reach. Galactus. Super Skrull. Paibok. Silver Surfer. Annihilus. The list goes on and on. About the only people they CAN use are Star Lord, Nova, Thanos, and Gamora.

CorndogBurglar - 4/28/2017, 10:38 AM

@TheMadman - Well your comment led anyone to believe that you were saying they can only use the Chitauri, not the Skrulls. Thats whynI daid it isn't true. They can very obviously use the Chitauri.

LadyKiller1745 - 4/28/2017, 6:58 AM

Gunn said that some of the Skrulls belongs to Fox but not the race itself, so yeah, we could be getting a Kree/Skrull war in the MCU! But a Kree Invasion could be awesome as well.

TheMadman - 4/28/2017, 8:02 AM

@LadyKiller1745 - I believe they own the Super Skrulls established in the books. Like if Marvel created a new one specifically for the movie, then it'd be okay. I'm not 100% on that, but I'm pretty sure that's the case.

StormXmen123 - 4/28/2017, 7:06 AM

Why would Fox give up the rights for F4?

They are hardly in the finacial crisis like Sony was.

The MCU and Fox superhero films are in competeion. Why would Fox hand over the F4 rights (include Doom, Galactus and Silver Surfer) that would only stregnthen the MCU.

I aslo don't beleieve they sold them exchange for the X-men Tv rights. The fact that marvel is marketing shows like region, suggests to me they are getting a share of the money made from these shows.

Why would the MCU not announced it yet? They announce films years in adavnce. Even with Spiderman, they didnt wait for a big convention to reveal he was in the MCU.

DoubleD - 4/28/2017, 7:07 AM

Fantastic Four VS Annihilation

BIGBMH - 4/28/2017, 7:08 AM

I definitely hope to see Annihilation influenced the overall feel for the conflict in Infinity War.

Moving into Phase 4, I hope they don't lean too heavily into the cosmic because it could get boring if most of the films are focused on that side of things. There are still so many great Earth-bound arcs to tell, especially once they bring Norman Osborne onto the scene as one of the new big bads.

I'm hoping that Guardians 2 and Infinity War will further develop the intergalactic community giving us a better sense of various civilizations and the power dynamics between them. I'm keeping an open mind about Ego, but I'm a little disappointed we won't get to see J'son and the Spartax. I haven't read a ton of stuff with them, but I feel like they'd be a cool civilization to add to the landscape. I'm also hoping to see the Kree developed. Gunn legitimately ruined Ronan, and as the primary representation of the Kree for the MCU, they just seem to be a generic, simplistic, warlike species.

Also, Fox needs to just go ahead and give Marvel the Skrulls because they're clearly not going to do anything with them.

blackandyellow - 4/28/2017, 7:09 AM

I liked GOTG. Top 5 MCU movie for me. But the rest of this cosmic shit doesn't interest me except for the Skrulls.

DoubleD - 4/28/2017, 7:11 AM

Fantastic Four VS Annihilation

with the Silver Surfer being re-introduced to help defeat Annihilation like they did with Spiderman Home Coming

Luigi - 4/28/2017, 7:14 AM

Love the MCU but the fact we still haven't seen Adam Warlock is baffling.

DoubleD - 4/28/2017, 7:14 AM

AND at Rotten Tomatoes Guardians of the Galaxy 2

87%

Average Rating: 7.2/10

Reviews Counted: 94

Fresh: 82

Rotten: 12

batz11 - 4/28/2017, 7:19 AM

Don't think we need a Next every time, click on article, click off article for me...

lulslee - 4/28/2017, 7:20 AM

Fox doesn't own Skrulls, just Super Skrull.

No one wants another fantastic four movie, even if it's by Marvel Studios. They have been ruined by fox beyond repair.

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5 Movies Marvel Studios Must Release To Launch The MARVEL COSMIC UNIVERSE

It appears as if Phase 4 could transform the Marvel Cinematic Universe into the Marvel Cosmic Universe. Here are five movies we need to see be a huge part of this world as we're taken into outer space...

5. Annihilation

4. Nova

3. Adam Warlock

2. The Kree/Skrull War

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