Marvel Phase 3 Breakdown: Part 1

Marvel thrilled many fans with their announcement of nine new films to kick off Phase 3 of their cinematic universe, and I am here to give you the details on what to expect. Also, below each film title is the official title card released at the panel last week.

Captain America: Civil War: May 6, 2016

The adaptation of the Marvel Civil War storyline has rumored for a long time and now it is official. The Marvel Civil War story is based on a comic run between July 2006 and January 2007, where the government, namely SHIELD, attempts to register all superhumans within the United States after several incidents involving superpowered individuals killed hundreds of people. Some heroes, like Tony Stark, Hank Pym (Ant-Man), and Reed Richards (Mr. Fantastic), sided with the government registration of heroes, referred to as "Capes" by the public. However, Captain America, being a proponent of freedom, sided with the Anti-Registration forces, along with heroes like Luke Cage, Winter Soldier, Doctor Strange, and Nick Fury sided with Cap's Anti-Registration force. 

Starting the Civil War in the Captain America film is an intriguing idea, and considering that this year's Winter Soldier film played a large part in the overall MCU (Marvel-Cinematic-Universe), starting the Civil War in Cap's film makes sense. Assumably, in the aftermath of Age of Ultron, Tony will use his private security force to enforce a government Superhuman Registration Act, since SHIELD's power and size is greatly diminished. In the comics, Maria Hill actually betrays Fury and becomes Director of SHIELD. With Coulson the new Director of SHIELD, my guess is that Hill will be leading Stark's Registration force, since she already works for him. Essentially, Tony, and his cohorts, will be the antagonist of the film, which should create a unique, and hopefully compelling, dynamic for the film. 

The Russo Brothers are set to direct the film, and considering their near flawless work on The Winter Soldier, there is little doubt that the film will deliver. Of Phase 3, Captain America: Civil War is easily the one that I am most excited about.

Doctor Strange: November 4, 2016

If you read last week's post, which you can find here, Benedict Cumberbatch will likely be playing Doctor Strange in the upcoming film. Doctor Strange is a bit of a wildcard for Marvel. While even the Asgardian magic has been explained by science to some degree, Doctor Strange is deeply rooted in the world of magic and fantasy, which is going to be a large departure for Marvel compared to their previous efforts. Scott Derrickson is set to director, and with his horror film background, maybe Marvel wants Doctor Strange to be more of a dark horror film to some degree with strong fantasy/magic elements. In terms of effective drama, Doctor Strange has one of the more compelling and interesting origin stories, although I do not plan to spoil that for those that familiar with his origin story. 

Also note that even though I tried to be as accurate as possible in regards to the comic, but, of course, there is no guarantee of 100% accuracy.  

What films are you most excited about? Please comment below and be sure to check back tomorrow for my review of Back to the Future and on Friday for the continuation of my Marvel Phase 3 breakdown.

P.S. Sorry if my comment replies have been late recently. The nerve pain in my arm is becoming a problem again.

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