If you’re a Marvel fan, you’ve undoubtedly heard of the concept of “phases.” Each phase represents a set of Marvel movies that are grouped together, usually with an overarching storyline. Phase 1 included films like Iron Man and The Avengers, while Phase 2 saw the release of movies like Captain America: The Winter Soldier and Guardians of the Galaxy.
Now, we find ourselves in Phase 3. But what exactly does that entail? Let’s take a closer look.
What is Phase 3?
Phase 3 began in 2016 with the release of Captain America: Civil War and will conclude with Spider-Man: No Way Home in December 2021. In total, there are ten films in this phase (including Spider-Man), which is more than any previous phase.
Phase 3 Movies:
- Captain America: Civil War
- Doctor Strange
- Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2
- Spider-Man: Homecoming
- Thor: Ragnarok
- Black Panther
- Avengers: Infinity War
- Ant-Man and The Wasp
- Captain Marvel
- Avengers: Endgame
- Spider-Man: No Way Home (upcoming)
As you can see from the list above, Phase 3 includes some of the most popular and successful Marvel movies to date. Let’s take a closer look at each film.
Captain America: Civil War (2016)
Captain America: Civil War centers around a disagreement between Captain America and Iron Man over government intervention in superhero affairs. The film also introduces new characters like Black Panther and Spider-Man.
Doctor Strange (2016)
Doctor Strange follows the story of a brilliant neurosurgeon who becomes a powerful sorcerer after a car accident. The film introduces audiences to the mystical side of the Marvel universe.
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 (2017)
In this sequel to the popular Guardians of the Galaxy, the team must face off against a new threat while also uncovering secrets about Star-Lord’s past.
Spider-Man: Homecoming (2017)
Tom Holland takes on the role of Peter Parker in this reboot of the Spider-Man franchise. The film follows Peter as he navigates high school while also fighting crime as Spider-Man.
Thor: Ragnarok (2017)
In Thor: Ragnarok, Thor must escape from a gladiator arena and prevent his home realm from being destroyed by his evil sister, Hela.
Black Panther (2018)
Black Panther takes place in the fictional African nation of Wakanda and follows T’Challa as he becomes king and must defend his country from outside threats.
Avengers: Infinity War (2018)
The Avengers team up with other heroes like Doctor Strange and the Guardians of the Galaxy to stop Thanos from collecting all six Infinity Stones and wiping out half of all life in the universe.
Ant-Man and The Wasp (2018)
In this sequel to Ant-Man, Scott Lang teams up with Hope van Dyne to rescue her mother from the Quantum Realm while also evading an FBI agent who is trying to arrest him.
Captain Marvel (2019)
Captain Marvel tells the story of Carol Danvers, an Air Force pilot who becomes a superhero after being exposed to alien technology.
Avengers: Endgame (2019)
In the epic conclusion to the Infinity Saga, the surviving Avengers must travel back in time to collect the Infinity Stones and stop Thanos from carrying out his plan.
Spider-Man: No Way Home (2021)
While we don’t know much about this upcoming Spider-Man film, it has been confirmed that it will involve characters from previous Spider-Man franchises, including Alfred Molina’s Doctor Octopus and Jamie Foxx’s Electro.
Conclusion
Phase 3 has been a wild ride for Marvel fans, introducing new characters and storylines while also bringing some of our favorite heroes together for epic team-ups. With Spider-Man: No Way Home serving as the conclusion to this phase, we can’t wait to see what Phase 4 has in store for us.