If Avengers: Infinity War is a nine and Avengers: Endgame is a 10, Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige tells io9 that Deadpool & Wolverine is an eight in terms of how impactful it will be on the future of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. That means there’s a very good chance whatever happens in theaters next week will carry over to Avengers 5 and 6, which are coming in 2026 and 2027.
But not everything that’s happened in the MCU in recent years will play a role. On the occasion of Deadpool & Wolverine, io9 asked Feige about the many, many characters that debuted in Phase 4. Can fans expect to see them in the upcoming Avengers movies or is there a chance we may not see some of them ever again?
“I rarely speak in absolutes like that, right?” Feige said. “The notion of never ever seeing somebody again, we’ve got Tim Blake Nelson in a movie coming up next year, right? So I never talk in absolutes like that. But the truth is, you know, we’re going to tell a story in these Avengers movies, and there won’t be room for 100,000 characters in it. So choices will have to be made, that’s for sure. But that doesn’t mean you won’t ever see anybody ever again.”
Phase 4 famously introduced a ton of new characters, from projects including Eternals and Shang Chi, to Moon Knight, She-Hulk, Ms. Marvel, and many more. It sounds like some of them will be playing a part in the Avengers movies, but not all of them.
We’ll have more from Feige soon—and that hint of more news was a reference to San Diego Comic-Con next week, when Feige will reveal more about the future of Marvel. Deadpool & Wolverine opens July 26.
Want more io9 news? Check out when to expect the latest Marvel, Star Wars, and Star Trek releases, what’s next for the DC Universe on film and TV, and everything you need to know about the future of Doctor Who.
