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stage Three of theMarvel Cinematic Universewas the turgid and most action at law - packed to appointment , but it also need a bit of account to be fully understood . start up in 2016 and climaxing a few years later in 2018 , Phase Three not only featured more movies than any of the MCU ’s other phases , but each film had higher stakes and once again show that Marvel Studios was on the cutting boundary of blockbuster picture palace . Box office numbers skyrocketed for the comic book flick franchise during Phase Three , and the irresistibly positive critical reception was an sanction of the overall timbre of Marvel Studios ' output during that era .
Standalone motion picture likeDoctor Strange(2016 ) andBlack Panther(2018 ) stood as proof that the MCU was not done introducing all-important function of the Marvel Comics Universe . Meanwhile , the sudden appearance of Spider - Man inCaptain America : Civil War(2016 ) meant the grapheme wasn’tstuck in the Disney / Sony right conflict . This anything - go attitude during Phase Three keep the action exciting and fresh for fans while also making each film require viewing since anything and anyone could show up . The first two phases followed the three - act structure that end with a coming , but Phase Three ’s build - up and payoff was the biggest of all .
What Was The Plan For Phase Three?
While the previous phases each told a staring story within the motion picture of that era , Phase Three was singular in that it was basically the completion of everything that the MCU had produced up to that point . First introduced in the post - credits sequence ofThe Avengers(2012),Thanos was recast after that appearanceand became the biggest scourge that the MCU had ever come across . Many of the enfranchisement ’s MacGuffins from previous films were explained to be Infinity Stones , like the Aether and Loki ’s scepter , and that lent an air of importance to even the most forgettable Phase One and Two movies .
The first three phases were then brought together under one banner as the Infinity Saga , and Thanos ' quest for universal mastery gave the entire MCU a gumption of coherency that it did n’t have before . While the whole point of Phase Three was to get toAvengers : Infinity War(2018 ) andAvengers : Endgame(2019 ) , Thanos ' sexual climax was also a fitting end to the trilogy of phases that fans had been delight since 2008 . ThoughPhase Four has fixed Infinity Saga criticisms , nothing Marvel Studios has released since has felt as epic as the final confrontation with Thanos at the end of Phase Three .
Captain America: Civil War (2016)
The third Captain America photographic film was so much more than a standalone account that focus on Marvel ’s classic patriotic hero sandwich , instead , it brought together a large swath of the MCU in an epic crossover voter to launch the third phase angle . The film saw the Avengers go off when a new law require superheroes to register themselves with the government split Iron Man and Captain America into opposing factions . On top of truncating one of Marvel Comics ' most explosive plot line , the film also featured the surprise introductions of Spider - Man and Black Panther , both of whom would get their own plastic film in Phase Three .
Aside from introducing new and important heroes , Civil Waralso developed the characters of Tony Stark and Steve Rogers and laid the foundation for their decisions during the climax of the phase . Though some trust thatThe Avengers were split up too soon , a good sense of fracturing is what colour in most of Phase Three , peculiarly regarding the superhero team . The old two stage each started with a standalone Iron Man film , and thoughCivil Waris part of the Captain America trilogy , it was anything but a disposable continuation story . CivilWar ’s oscilloscope was the complete manner to allow fans hump exactly what to gestate from Phase Three .
Doctor Strange (2016)
AfterAvengers : Age of Ultron(2015 ) come near the end of Phase Two andCaptain America : Civil Warbegan Phase Three , the standalone filmDoctor Strangewas a return to simplistic origin write up . illustrious operating surgeon Dr. Stephen Strange was involved in a car accident that place him on a unearthly pursuit to learn the Mystic Arts from an ancient professional . Doctor Strange ’s tragic historywas distinctive superhero descent fair , and the film itself took place over a class ’s time that caught it up to the MCU ’s timeline . This allowed unusual to be immediately relevant when the end of the moving picture revealed that the Eye of Agamato was an Infinity Stone .
Guardians Of The Galaxy Vol. 2 (2017)
While other films hinted at the cosmic implication of the impending event ofInfinity War , Guardians of the Galaxy Vol . 2(2017 ) was as close to a straight continuation as the MCU ’s Phase Three had to tender . The newly formed squad was almost buck apart when Peter Quill ’s pursuit to learn his ancestry put them in mortal danger from Ego . Vol . 2set affair up for Vol . 3but had little connection with the phase angle ’s overarching plot that was hurtling towards Thanos . The post - credits sequences featured a trace at Adam Warlock , and a silly moment with the Grandmaster who would eventually appear inThor : Ragnarok(2017 ) .
Spider-Man: Homecoming (2017)
Having been conspicuously absent from the MCU thanks to Sony ’s possession of the character , Spider - Man : Homecoming(2017 ) was Peter Parker ’s first true junket under the Marvel Studios banner after give a cameo inCivil War . The film followed Parker as he attempted to balance his superhero ability with the struggles of being a teen . The storywas set shortly after the event ofCivil Warand include appearance from Tony Stark and Captain America . Homecomingdidn’t show Peter getting his powerswhich tolerate the account to move more freely , and though it did n’t advance the Infinity Saga plot , it madeAge of Ultronmore important by mentioning the Sokovia Accords .
Thor: Ragnarok (2017)
Offering a massive departure from the tone of the old Thor filmThe Dark Worldfrom 2013,Thor : Ragnaroktook a decidedly comedic tone and allowed director Taika Waititi to have fun with the material . adjust on an alien world , Thor was forced to fight in gladiatorial duel against The Hulk while his sister threatened Asgard . Despite being a comic tale , Ragnarokintroduced the thought that MCU case could happen concurrently , and it explicate Thor ’s absence during the events ofCivil War . PerhapsRagnarok ’s greatest MCU legacywas how it deal the character , and Thor finally add up into his own as a part of the enfranchisement .
Ragnarokwas packed to the brim with authoritative particular concerning the overarching plot of Phase Three , and the Book of Revelation that the Infinity Gauntlet in Odin ’s possession was a fake add together more free weight to Thanos ' loom threat . what is more , despite being a silly film , Odin ’s death had a unplumbed wallop on Thor as a character , the contingent of which were pay off in more detail inThor : Love and Thunder(2022 ) . Also , the brief appearance of Thanos ' ship marked the dependable arrival of the Mad Titan into the MCU and served its determination as a teaser for the orgasm that was chop-chop approaching .
Black Panther (2018)
In many ways , Black Pantherchanged the MCUfor the unspoiled , so it was deserving the two - year wait between T’Challa ’s cameo inCivil Warand the release of his standalone film . Set just days afterCivil War , the film followed T’Challa as his perspective as sovereign of Wakanda was challenged by Killmonger . Largely disjoined from the brewing dispute of the rest of Phase Three , Black Pantherwas a major effect for the MCU on its own and garner an abundance of Academy Award attention for the studio that it had never enjoyed before . The cinema ’s post - credits sequence indicate the return of Bucky Barnes and began his reintroduction into the MCU .
Avengers: Infinity War (2018)
Unlike previous phases which featured one - film climaxes , Phase Three ’s big ending was patently going to take more , andInfinity Warwould break recordsat the box function . The film chronicled the Avengers as they team up up with the Guardians of the Galaxy to assay to stop Thanos from garner all the Infinity Stones . leave fans on a dour note , the disintegration of half of all biography in the macrocosm was a payoff to Thanos ' arc that push things to epic new proportions . Also , a post - credits successiveness suggest atCaptain Marvel(2019 ) further drummed up interest for the last few releases of Phase Three .
Ant-Man And The Wasp (2018)
With the stakes build higher and higher thanks to Thanos , Ant - Man and the Wasp(2018 ) was released afterInfinity Warand was the first true trial of the Phase Three ’s " result befall at the same time " timeline idea . The film come to Scott Lang as he is recruit to help rescue Janet van Dyne who was trap in the Quantum Realm . Absent fromInfinity War , the would - be Avenger ’s side - quest certainly felt like a Diamond State - escalation . However , the film did serve the purpose of plant Ant - Man and Wasp in their own spot in the timeline , and the post - credits episode established that the couplet was wiped out during Thanos ' snap .
Captain Marvel (2019)
IfAnt - Man and the Waspwas a de - escalation fromInfinity War , Captain Marvelserved the dual design of introducing the character , and it helped to excuse upshot that occurred long before Phase One . Set in 1995 during the warfare between the Kree and Skrull , the film watch over Carol Danvers as she inherited immense power from a blast of Tesseract get-up-and-go . The MCU cut Captain Marvel mistakesfrom the comics and streamlined the graphic symbol ’s debut to be more accessible . Also , the film explicate the origins of the Avengers go-ahead name , as well as coiffe up how Nick Fury became dim in one eye .
Avengers: Endgame (2019)
The MCU forced fans to wait a full year after the shocking terminate ofInfinity War , butAvengers : Endgamewas more than anyone could have hoped for . Thanos ' duck soup pass over out one-half of the universe in the previous film , and the Avengers reassemble in a last - ditch effort to undertake to reverse the ravaging . Though the Avengers were successful in reviving those that were lost , the worked up wrong that was done during the snap keep to have an impact well into Phase Four and beyond . Interestingly , Endgamedid not feature a post - credits sequence , which was a way to have fans know that a large chapter in the MCU had close .
Spider-Man: Far From Home (2019)
The final film of Phase Three , Spider - Man : Far From Home(2019 ) , was a denouement for the Infinity Saga and shew fans that the MCU could live on on after such an earth - shatter conclusion . The film saw Spider - Man take on Mysterio while grapple with the aroused consequences of the Snap . The film featured a mid - course credit successiveness that reintroduced Spider - Man ’s paper bane J. Jonah Jamison , and Phase Three of theMarvel Cinematic Universeended with a twist that revealed Nick Fury to have been a Skrull in camouflage . Though Phase Three ’s monumental scope presented a challenge for Marvel in subsequent phases , it was still the highlight of the dealership thus far .
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