It didn’t take long for Phase Four of the MCU to totally upend the entire franchise. From Chaos Magic and infinite dimensions, to Sacred Timelines and Celestials, the new era of the Marvel Cinematic Universe has added countless more mysteries to a world already full of them. There are so many it can be hard to keep track of them all. So we did it for you. These are the MCU’s biggest questions right now, along with the theories that could explain them.

NOTE: This post includes spoilers for, and related to, Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness.

How Will the World React to Its New Iron Man, Ironheart?
Ironheart Riri Williams holding iron mask
Marvel Comics

Tony Stark is gone, but his technology isn’t. Soon a new hero will take his place. Instead of a new Iron Man, though, we’re getting an Ironheart. Young Riri Williams (played by Dominique Thorne) will pick up the very important mantle from the Avenger who launched the MCU. How will the world react to a young Black girl taking Tony’s place? How will she get his technology in the first place? Will Pepper Potts stand in her way? Or make it possible for Ironheart to take flight? We’ll get many answers to these questions with the character’s very own Disney+ show. Marvel has not yet announced a release date for Ironheart. But Riri Williams a.k.a Ironheart will make her first MCU appearance in Black Panther: Wakanda Forever.

Additional Reading

What Ultimately Happened to Steve Rogers after Avengers: Endgame? Will We See the Ex-Captain America Return to the MCU?

With Chris Evans gone from the MCU, and Steve Rogers a very, very old man, this doesn’t seem like much of a mystery. But Avengers: Endgame and The Falcon and The Winter Soldier didn’t give us definitive answers to one of the biggest MCU questions still unanswered. “Steve’s gone” doesn’t mean much in a comic book multiverse. Especially when his own dimension has developed time travel. Is Steve Rogers living on the Moon? Or is the one-time Captain America dead? Until someone tells us specifically what happened to him we’re going to wonder.

Additional Reading

What’s Next for the New Captain America, Sam Wilson, and His Best Bud Bucky Barnes?
Marvel

In The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, The US government thought it could replace Steve Rogers with an unhinged facsimile. That didn’t work. John Walker, a.k.a. US Agent, didn’t hold the title of Captain America very long. Now Sam Wilson carries flies that iconic shield. He announced himself to the world with a touching speech. But what role will Sam Wilson’s Captain America have going forward? Steve Rogers was a founding member of the Avengers and their leader. Will Sam also take on those responsibilities? And what does Bucky Barnes’ future look like in the MCU now that he’s finally put his Winter Soldier years behind him? What moniker will he even go by now that he’s ready to truly move on with his life?

So far, we know we will see Sam Wilson return to our screens in Captain America 4. But where will Bucky Barnes appear next in the MCU? For now, Bucky Barnes’ future remains a mystery.

Additional Reading

How Many Hulks Can the World Handle?

She-Hulk is coming to the MCU with her own series. Shang-Chi‘s  Abomination is already back. Bruce Banner has reverted to his human body, but he can almost certainly still Hulk out. And Black Widow laid the foundation for General Ross to become his comic counterpart Red Hulk. (If that was the plan it almost certainly changed with the death of William Hurt. It seems unlikely Disney will recast the role. Of course, Sam Elliott also played Ross in another film. He could always show up as a Ross Variant.)

That’s a lot of Hulks in the Marvel Cinematic Universe right now. Normally we’d say the more Hulks the merrier, but just how many giant rage monsters can one world safely contain? With so many around, something will have to break. Or in this case smash.

Additional Reading

Where Will Thor’s MCU Future Take Him, Now That He’s on a New Path?
Marvel

It’s time for Thor to be who he is rather than who he’s supposed to be. At least, that’s what Thor said the last time we saw him, at the end of Avengers: Endgame. But what exactly does that mean? Where will his new journey take him? How long will Thor remain a member of the Asgardians of the Galaxy? How will Jane Foster end up not only back in his life but with his powers and his reconstructed hammer Mjölnir? What exactly does the future hold for the former King of Asgard? How will an original Avenger fit into a very different group? How will Thor end up meeting the gods of Ancient Greece? And what does Gorr the God Butcher have planned for all of them?

The only thing we seem to know for sure about his future is that Sad Thor is gone. We’ll see Thor again in Thor: Love and Thunder, but we’re sure the movie will only bring us new MCU theories to ponder.

Additional Reading

What Will Happen With Star-Lord and Alternate 2015 Gamora?
Marvel

The Gamora that knew and loved Peter Quill is gone. She died on Vormir as Thanos’ sacrifice for the Soul Stone. The Gamora who now exists in the world leapt forward in time from 2015 to the present. She never experienced any of the events that Peter shared with the other Gamora. Will their love transcend across time? Or is that relationship gone like the woman who helped save the galaxy multiple times alongside her fellow Guardians? Before we can find out how their story ends though, Star-Lord has to actually find her. Alternate Gamora disappeared after the Mad Titan’s defeat in Avengers: Endgame. We will just have to wait and see if Star-Lord and this Gamora rekindle a romance, friendship, or any kind of relationship at all.

Additional Reading

How Will The Snap Change Rocket and the Other Guardians?

Rocket was the only core Guardian spared from the Snap. (Nebula also survived.) Just as he feared in Infinity War, he lost a lot. That didn’t stop him from working to help others though. He joined the remaining Avengers to protect Earth. How different will he be now though that his old crew is back? Less reckless and more cautious? How would that kind of Rocket alter the dynamics of the group? And how will the others adjust to a changed Rocket? How will being dusted change them, too? Especially Drax, now that the man ultimately responsible for killing his wife and daughter is gone. What will motivate him going forward?

Meanwhile, how will Nebula get along with Alternate Gamora? What will the group’s time with Thor mean for them longterm? And how will they deal with the coming Adam Warlock? The Guardians are back, but they’re likely to be very different. The galaxy will still need saving all the same though.

Additional Reading

Why Does Monica Rambeau Have a Problem With Carol Danvers?

WandaVision turned Monica Rambeau into a superhero. It also made clear she has major issues with her late mother’s best friend, Carol Danvers. Why? What happened between them? Does Monica feel like Captain Marvel abandoned her best friend? Abandoned Earth? Or does she think Carol Danvers caused her mother’s cancer? Once we know what the problem is between them, we’ll still need to know how that tension might be resolved. As well as what role might newcomer Ms. Marvel herself, Kamala Khan, will play in reuniting the two? She’s not only getting her own series at Disney+, she’ll be in the second Captain Marvel movie, The Marvels.

Additional Reading

Why Is Nick Fury Creating a Space Base for S.W.O.R.D.?

The ultimate spy is currently doing his work out in the open—the open vastness of space. A Spider-Man: Far From Home end-credits scene showed Nick Fury overseeing the construction of a massive space station. It appeared to be part of S.W.O.R.D.’s mission. But after WandaVision the future of the agency is in doubt. Whatever that galactic base is, Nick Fury wouldn’t let Skrulls run around Earth impersonating him if this orbiting behemoth wasn’t of great importance. And Marvel wouldn’t have teased it unless it will be needed eventually. But why exactly will it be necessary and when? And is it possible S.W.O.R.D. and this station will ultimately lead to Sentinels joining the MCU?

Additional Reading:

Who Is Really a Skrull?

Captain Marvel introduced Skrulls to the MCU. In a surprise twist, they ended up being good guys. They helped save the day in that movie and also in Far From Home. They also arrived on the scene in WandaVision‘s finale working for Nick Fury. Skrulls are Earth’s allies. At least the ones we’ve met so far. Will others be less friendly? And have we already met some of them? Just how many characters have been secret Skrulls this whole time? How many imposters will we meet in the future? And what role will they play on the Disney+ series Secret Invasion?

Additional Reading

Where Did White Vision Go on WandaVision?
Marvel

While the Wanda-created Vision of Westview might be living/trapped in a different dimension, Earth still has a version of the sentient robot flying around. After Westview Vision unlocked White Vision’s memories, White Vision took off into the unknown like the Ship of Theseus leaving port in a fog. Where did he go? Who or what is he looking for? When will he return and why? With so many new threats on the horizon, an apathetic Vision might not be much help. But a Vision returning from a journey of self-discovery could be very valuable.

Additional Reading

Who Are WandaVision‘s Mysterious Unseen Figures?

The MCU’s trip to Westview included two characters only mentioned but never seen or identified. The first was FBI Agent Jimmy Wu’s missing witness. The second was Monica Rambeau’s unseen aerospace engineer. Why reference them if they weren’t important? Even the smallest moments or lines of dialogue can have huge ramifications for the future of the franchise. Is Wu’s witness related to the next Ant-Man movie? Was the aerospace engineer the actual start of the Fantastic Four‘s introduction to the MCU? Was it Victor von Doom or Reed Richards? Or will these two mystery figures prove to be nothing more than minor plot points we spent way too much time thinking about?

Additional Reading

Who Will Take Up the Mantle of Black Panther in Wakanda Forever?

It feels empty speculating about the fictional future of Wakanda. The unimaginable loss of Chadwick Boseman is the only thing that really matters. But a second Black Panther film is coming, and someone will take T’Challa’s place as his nation’s leader. How will they be chosen? How will they live up to his legacy while shaping their own? We don’t envy the character or the actor tasked with doing so. The memory of their late ruler will always weigh heavily on Wakanda, the same way Chadwick Boseman’s always will over the MCU.

Additional Reading

What Other Secrets Does the Quantum Realm Hold?

Loki‘s He Who Remains (played by Jonathan Majors) lived in the Citadel beyond time. That nebulous region looked a lot like the Quantum Realm. Meanwhile, the third Ant-Man movie is titled Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania. And none other than Majors himself will star as its main villain, Kang the Conqueror. He’s one of He Who Remains’ most dangerous Variants. (And the most likely winner of the Multiversal War that Sylvie launched in Loki‘s season one finale.) What other secrets does this small dimension with big implications hold beyond what we already know? The answers could have huge ramifications for every single aspect of the MCU.

Additional Reading

Who Controls the TVA Now?

He Who Remains is dead. Sylvie killed him and started a new Multiversal War in the process. But He Who Remains did not win this time around like he expected. One of his Variants emerged victorious. And that winner’s very public visage now adorns the TVA in this new iteration of the Sacred Timeline. Which Variant is it though? Kang the Conqueror? Immortus? Or another version of the character? What does all of this mean for Owen Wilson’s Mobius? Loki and Sylvie? And where is Judge Renslayer going and why? The new ruler of the TVA will loom large over every world, every event, every person, and every timeline in the MCU going forward. And maybe also going backwards.

Additional Reading

How Will the Fantastic Four, Deadpool, Inhumans and the X-Men Join the MCU’s Earth-616?
Marvel Studios

Once Disney bought Fox Entertainment it no longer became a question of “if” Marvel Comics’ other famous super characters will join the MCU. It became a matter of “when.” Now the Illuminati of Earth-838 formally made the Fantastic Four, X-Men, and (a non-TV show version of) the Inhumans a part of the franchise. But the question still remains how any of them will join the MCU’s main world of Earth-616. The Scarlet Witch’s mutant-creating Hex? The new Sacred Timeline? Portals between parallel worlds? Will that be how we get Deadpool alongside Earth’s mightiest heroes? Or will we find out lots of these Variants have versions of themselves that have secretly been living in the MCU’s main universe this whole time?

Additional Reading

What’s the MCU’s Next Big Crossover Event?

For all of the many movies and shows Disney has on its schedule, nary a single Avengers or even Civil War style film is on it. For a franchise that made crossover events with all of its heroes a huge part of its first three phases, it’s not clear if Phase 4 will have any of them. But when Earth’s mightiest heroes do inevitably come together again, what terrible threat will unite them? What other famous villains await? And what will they all be fighting over? Did Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness and the introduction of universe-destroying incursions officially put the wheels in motion for Secret Wars?

Additional Reading

What Will Become of the Ten Rings Under Xialing?
Marvel

Tony Leung Chiu-wai’s Xu-Wenwu was one of the MCU’s best villains, but his thousand-year reign is over. He sacrificed himself to save his son and all of Earth. But while he’s gone, his Ten Rings organization remains under the leadership of his formidable daughter Xialing. What does she have planned for the group that still has influence around the globe? And were former Black Widows, seen working for Xialing’s underground fight club earlier in the film, the ones training in the courtyard at the end? How powerful will she and her Ten Rings be with that force of deadly women under her rule?

Additional Reading

Who or What Is Shang-Chi’s Rings Sending a Beacon To?

Those ancient rings have many secrets left to unveil, like exactly where they came from and why they’re so powerful. But the post-credits scene where Wong, Captain Marvel, and (a human-again) Bruce Banner couldn’t identify their origins also revealed the rings are sending out a beacon. To whom, where, and why? Is it calling for help? If so, to help with what and against which enemy? The ageless Eternals? The Avengers? Or a coming threat they will face?

Additional Reading

What Will the Remaining Eternals Do Now?

Now that the Eternals know the truth behind their creation, what role will they play in the coming MCU events? Some are still on Earth. Will they join the Avengers in protecting Earth? Meanwhile, others are traveling the cosmos to find their fellow Eternals brethren. What success will they have? Will they find friends or enemies? And how much will Thanos’ brother Eros factor into their future?

Additional Reading

Who Will Join Blade and Dane Whitman in Fighting Supernatural Forces?

The Avengers are great at handling the “ big three” of androids, aliens, and wizards. But Mahershala Ali’s Blade is the hero you’ll want when it comes to vampires and other supernatural forces. He has yet to appear on screen in the MCU, but we did hear him at the end of Eternals. He showed up right before Kit Harington’s Dane Whitman was about to pick up his family’s ancestral sword and become the Black Knight. Who else will join them on their quest? And where will these previously unseen monsters come from?

Additional Reading

What Will Happen after Arishem the Celestial Judges Earth?

The Eternals killed a Celestial to save one world and its people. Will Arishem deem that a justified sacrifice? Or will the Eternals’ memories of Earth put the planet in mortal peril yet again? No matter his ruling, there are sure to be deadly consequences for messing with such powerful forces. What will they be and what will it take to answer them?

Additional Reading

Who is Working With Sharon Carter, the Power Broker?

Peggy Carter’s niece, former loyal S.H.I.E.L.D. agent Sharon, did well for herself after the US branded her a traitor for helping Steve Rogers and Sam Wilson in Civil War. She went to Madripoor, an underworld haven, and became the Power Broker. Just because her homeland absolved her of any wrongdoing doesn’t mean she’s giving up her title as a criminal bigwig though. But while we now know her secret identity and intentions, we don’t know who she called at the end of the show. Who is Sharon Carter working with and what do both of them ultimately want?

Those ancient rings have many secrets left to unveil, like exactly where they came from and why they’re so powerful. But the post-credits scene where Wong, Captain Marvel, and (a human-again) Bruce Banner couldn’t identify their origins also revealed the rings are sending out a beacon. To whom, where, and why? Is it calling for help? If so, to help with what and against which enemy? The ageless Eternals? The Avengers? Or a coming threat they will face?

Additional Reading

What Other Super Groups Could Join the MCU?

The MCU has laid the foundation to create its own version of the Young Avengers. Iron Heart, Kate Bishop, Kamala Khan, Tommy and Billy, Cassie Lang, and more MCU characters whose comic book counterparts joined the upstart group could form a formidable team of youngsters on screen. Meanwhile, Julia Louis-Dreyfus’ Valentina Allegra de Fontaine is recruiting members for what might very well be the MCU’s Dark Avengers. Contessa already landed John Walker as US Agent. She had (still has?) Florence Pugh’s Yelena on the payroll. Who else will she sign to her team of deadly “heroes?” Also, will Baron Zemo get involved in the super group game by forming the Thunderbolts? And exactly what is Wong doing with his growing assortment of heroes and villains?

Additional Reading

What is Contessa’s Connection to Kingpin?
Marvel

Kingpin wanted Hawkeye dead and had Contessa hire Yelena to kill him. Clint managed to convince the black widow he didn’t kill Natasha and survived. But we still don’t know the nature of Contessa and Kingpin’s business relationship. Is she an independent contractor hired by powerful people to handle their problems? Was she actually his superior? Or did she work for him? There’s little we know about two immensely powerful new figures in the MCU. (Including whether or not Vincent D’Onofrio is actually playing the same version of the character from Netflix’s Daredevil or a Variant within the MCU.)

Additional Reading

Is Kingpin Actually Dead?
Marvel

Characters “die” in the MCU all the time only to show up later. Bucky Barnes, Vision, and countless others have returned to the franchise after being declared/thought/presented as dead. If Marvel wanted us to think that Vincent D’Onofrio’s Kingpin, who had just joined the MCU proper, definitively died at the hands of Maya, they would have shown it. Instead the Hawkeye finale panned away and gave us a flash. Not exactly a clear answer. Especially for a super-powered character like Wilson Fisk, who earlier in the episode brushed aside an arrow in the chest. It’s not obvious whether or not Marvel even knows the answer right now. But at the very least the franchise gave itself plenty of ways to explain an eventual return for the character. Could he have another showdown with Matt Murdoch? Or reappear in Maya’s own spinoff show, Echo?

What Is Peter Parker’s MCU Future After No Way Home?
Sony Pictures

Peter Parker saved the day again! This time thanks to assists from Peter Parker and Peter Parker. But now no one in the MCU world remembers Tom Holland’s Peter Parker. Spider-Man has complete and total anonymity, just not the way he wanted. He also has a low-tech suit, a shabby apartment, and zero friends and family. So what does Spider-Man’s future look like in the Marvel Cinematic Universe? Can he still be an Avenger? Will anyone ever remember him? More importantly, does he even have a future in the MCU, at all? Or is Tom Holland’s time with Disney over completely? Could he also be done with Sony too? If so, does that mean Ned won’t become a sorcerer?

Additional Reading

What Does a Symbiote in the MCU Mean for Both the Venom and Spider-Man Films?
Sony Pictures

After a shocking end-credits scene in Let There Be Carnage, Venom and Eddie Brock only appeared briefly in the MCU, during a No Way Home mid-credits scene. They learned a lot about this parallel world during their short stay, but it’s the little piece of Venom they left behind in it that could have big ramifications for the MCU. A symbiote is now a part of this world. And as Venom himself knows, they aren’t always friendly. Especially those that grow from pieces of him, like Carnage. Does this mean we could see Tom Hardy’s Eddie in the MCU again? Or one of his Variants? Is this also a sign Disney and Sony can continue working together to keep Spider-Man a part of the MCU?

Additional Reading

Who Could Host the MCU’s Venom?
Sony Pictures

A symbiote can’t just run amok in the MCU on its own. It needs a host. If this world has its own Eddie Brock Variant, whether played by Tom Hardy or someone else, it could be him again. (What’s Topher Grace up to these days?) If not, that symbiote piece will need to find a different host. Who could it be? Which characters might prove compatible with it? Depending on the home it finds, this symbiote could be an ally or an enemy to Earth’s mightiest heroes.

Additional Reading

What if What If…? Ends Up Being an Even Bigger Deal?

Disney+ gave fans a glimpse at events and heroes that could have been in the MCU with the animated What If…? The show’s series of hypotheticals were supposed to serve as an entertaining, low-stakes way to enjoy the franchise. But What If…? has already proven to be more than that. It introduced Captain Carter to the franchise before her live-action debut in Multiverse of Madness. The series also showed how Stephen Strange could destroy his entire universe by abusing dark magic. That concept was a major element of Doctor Strannge 2.

What other revelations and alternate realities from the animated show might prove important to the future of the franchise? With the multiverse about to blow wide open, everything that happened on the series might end up being far more significant to the events in the MCU than we first realized.

Additional Reading

What Awaits Doctor Strange after Multiverse of Madness?
Marvel Studios

Stephen Strange now knows he will never be with Christine Palmer. He also has a third eye in his forehead, possibly from using evil magic of the Darkhold. And he has a multiverse-jumping nexus friend in America Chavez to train as a fellow sorcerer. That’s a lot for anyone to deal with. How will the master of the mystic arts, who saw how easily he could go down the wrong path, deal with all of these changes? And what awaits him now that he’s off to stop an incursion alongside Charlize Theron’s Clea? Will the Living Tribunal have anything to say about their actions?

Additional Reading

Did the Scarlet Witch Really Die in Doctor Strange 2?
Marvel Studios

The Scarlet Witch brought Mount Wundagore down on herself, destroying every copy of the Darkhold in every universe. Did she actually die in the collapse, though? Was that enough to kill someone as powerful as Wanda Maximoff? Even if it did, is she really gone from the MCU? That seems unlikely. So what awaits her in the franchise? Is she in the Hell Dimension? Are her actual children still out in another universe looking for her? Is Westview Vision? Or is everyone better off if the Scarlet Witch never comes back?

Additional Reading

Does Moon Knight Have a Future in the MCU?
Marvel Studios

There’s no guarantee we’ll ever see Oscar Isaac as Moon Knight again. The actor didn’t sign a longterm contract with Marvel Studios. But if he does return he’ll be back as Marc Spector, Steven Grant, and Jake Lockley. The latter joined the franchise during Moon Knight‘s credits, when he became the new Avatar for Khonshu. What will this secret third identity do when fully in control of the Ancient Egyptian god’s powers? Will his other two personalities be able to stop him? Or will that be the job of the MCU’s other new superhero, his wife Layla’s Scarlet Scarab? Either way, will she be a part of the franchise going forward even if Moon Knight isn’t?

Originally published November 15, 2021.

Featured Image: Marvel