"Black Panther" to "Infinity War" and Beyond: What You Need to Know About 2018’s Marvel Movies

Oh, there’s Ant-Man and the Wasp too.

Life as we know it in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) is about to reach its climax with the highly anticipated release of Black Panther and the third instalment of the Avengers franchise, Avengers: Infinity War.

Black Panther’s first up, in Australian cinemas 15 February. And the fandom cannot wait.

Marvel fans were first introduced to the franchise’s first non-Caucasian lead during Captain America: Civil War, when the king of hidden African city Wakanda was assassinated, leaving his son T’Challa (Chadwick Boseman) to lead the nation and protect it as the Black Panther.

Using the ongoing tradition of end credit scenes, viewers were also given a sneak peek into the world of Black Panther, as Bucky Barnes was iced by T’Challa, on behalf of the Cap (Chris Evans), with the scene ending with a view of a tropical oasis. Now, with his very own movie in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Black Panther will highlight the actions taken to protect his ‘El Dorado’ and the dangers of rivalry and power.

It’s safe to say the events of Black Panther will provide a stepping stone to Infinity War, the last film of the MCU’s ‘Phase Three’ (which has also included Captain America: Civil War, Spider-Man: Homecoming and Thor: Ragnarok). How the ‘world’s mightiest heroes’ will come together in this ultimate battle is unknown, especially after the divide of the Avengers after Civil War. But like always, Marvel manage to bring together the team to prevent the end of the world. It hits Aussie cinemas 25 April.

Although fans hoped for a hefty trailer to drop during the 2018 Super Bowl, Marvel released only a short Big-Game Spot clip for the third Avengers film. From it, we can still gather a few plot points of the movie.

• Jarvis becomes human.
• Thor joins the Guardians of the Galaxy (guessing this follows the ending of Ragnarok?).
• Wakanda plays a role in the battle for Earth.

See it for yourselves:

This time Doctor Strange and, of course, the Guardians will be joining the team in the hopes of stopping the apocalyptic infinity stones coming together as one. But with all the excitement, and new additions, Marvel enthusiasts should be wary that some of our all-time faves might be killed off between part one and two of Avengers: Infinity War (the second is due out in 2019). The most likely of the crew is Captain America, as Chris Evans is only contracted with the franchise until the end of Part Two, much to the dismay of many die-hard fans. However, if the WWII superhero does vanish from the screens of the MCU, it will provide Marvel with the chance to introduce more characters who relate to newer audiences, just like Black Panther and the upcoming Captain Marvel.

If two films aren’t enough, don’t forget Marvel has Ant-Man and The Wasp (the sequel to 2015’s Ant-Man), with, technically, its first female title character (Evangeline Lilly’s Wasp). It’s due out before the end of the year.

Brie Larson will then break ground as the hero of 2020’s Captain Marvel. After the success of DC Comic’s Wonder Woman, a new film with a solo female lead will enable Marvel to reach a larger fan base and move the direction of the franchise into the future.

Fans should also keep a look out for any future X-Men or Fantastic Four films. With Disney’s recent purchase of Fox, an X-Men and Avengers crossover could finally happen.

Although, Marvel Studios head Kevin Feige implied “it would be years” before anything would even be in production.

Until then, all we can hope for is an epic build-up to the final battle… and maybe even a dance-off.

Candice Wilson is one of Student Edge’s student contributors. See more student contributions here.

Photo: Marvel