"Avengers 4" will serve as a finale in the current Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU), but the studio is far from being finished yet in producing superhero films. In fact, there are more movies in the pipeline than expected. Although it remains to be seen where the MCU will go after the fourth "Avengers" installment, one place they can start is through expanding its cosmic side featuring new superheroes who have yet to get their own spotlight.
Entering their 10th year since it started the business of movie making, Marvel Studios had a talk with Vanity Fair about the future of its cinematic universe. President Kevin Feige was not specific about where it is headed in the long run, but he compared its pace to what they have taken in the last decade.
"22 movies in, and we've got another 20 movies on the docket that are completely different from anything that's come before -- intentionally."
According to the publication, he and Disney chairman Bob Iger hinted they are collaborating with "Guardians of the Galaxy" director James Gunn to expand the cosmic franchise likely by including spin-offs for several characters.
Richard Rider is one of the primary candidates. Per Comic Book, fans have since been clamoring for the character to grace the "Guardians" series since the intergalactic police force called the Nova Corps appeared in the first film. Rider, for those who do not know him, is basically Marvel's Green Lantern.
Adam Warlock may pop up in a future film as well, having been teased in the Vol. 2's post-credit scene. Other possible choices include Quasar, Noh-Varr, Phyla-Vell, Captain Universe, Moondragon, Darkhawk, the Eternals, and countless other alien races.
For now, fans can only speculate. Marvel still has a couple more films before the "Avengers 4" hits the big screen on May 3, 2019. First on the list is "Black Panther," which premieres Feb. 16 next year, to be followed by "Avengers 3: Infinity War" on May 4 and "Ant-Man and the Wasp" on July 6. "Captain Marvel" will serve as the current MCU's penultimate film, debuting on March 8, 2019.
