As Marvel Phase 5 draws to a close with the final episodes of Ironheart on Disney Plus, Marvel fans are reflecting on the most recent era of the MCU: the highs, the lows, and whether there's any point in continuing with the phase structure.
Phase 5 kicked off in February 2023 with Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania and included projects from Guardians of the Galaxy 3 and Thunderbolts* on the big screen to Loki season 2 and Daredevil: Born Again on the small screen.
"Some really high highs and some very low lows," summarized one fan on Reddit.
"Definitively the weakest phase to date but [...] I do think there's a lot of watchable stuff," someone else replied. "Thunderbolts was an amazing movie and my top product from the whole phase. Must watch are Loki, Deadpool and Guardians. What if, Captain America, Daredevil are good as well, and while niche I totally think The Marvels and Agatha deserve a chance."
"I think an issue with the 'phases' is that there is no separation so what is even the point of phases? Phases 1-3 all ended with a big Avengers movie. Phase 4 and 5 just end because Marvel says "okay onto the next phase". It feels very random and not building to anything," someone else wrote.
"It didn't really feel like a 'phase' as much as a bunch of movies and shows that were released around the same time," another agreed.
"Phase Five ending with Thunderbolts feels appropriate to me," argued someone else. "It's another crossover team like the Avengers, so it felt like a good stopping point, with Ironheart sort of acting as the epilogue like Ant-Man in Phase Two. I agree that Phase Four ended just because though."
Marvel Phase 6 kicks off later this month with The Fantastic Four: First Steps. Pedro Pascal, Vanessa Kirby, Joseph Quinn, and Ebon Moss-Bachrach are bringing Marvel's First Family to the MCU for the first time, and they'll be going up against Ralph Ineson's Galactus and Julia Garner's Silver Surfer.
The Fantastic Four: First Steps arrives in theaters on July 25. In the meantime, check out our guide to the other upcoming superhero movies on the way in 2025 and beyond.
