Phase 4: Post-Blip Grief & The Multiverse Unleashed
In the chaotic vacuum left after Tony Stark’s death and the return of billions, heroes confront intimate personal trauma. Meanwhile, the destruction of the Sacred Timeline in the TVA and mystical disruptions rip open the barriers between alternate realities.
Grief processing, the emergence of legacy successors, the breakdown of reality barriers, and the first live-action multiversal incursions.
- Wanda Maximoff enchants Westview in grief, unlocking Chaos Magic as the Scarlet Witch (2021).
- Sam Wilson accepts the mantle and shield of Captain America (2021).
- Sylvie slays He Who Remains at the Citadel at the End of Time, liberating infinite timeline branches (2021).
- Peter Parker's identity crisis fractures reality, drawing Tobey Maguire and Andrew Garfield's villains and Spider-Men into Earth-616 (2021).
- Incursions are officially named: Wanda slaughters Earth-838's Illuminati and destroys the Darkhold (2022).
- Namor introduces the mutant underwater empire of Talokan to the world (2022).
Movies in Phase 4 (3)
Spider-Man: No Way Home
Historic cinematic crossover that formally bridges Marvel Studios with Sony's 20-year Spider-Man legacy. Unites three generations of live-action Spider-Men.
Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness
THE KEYSTONE MULTIVERSE FILM. Introduces INCURSIONS (the central mechanism leading to Secret Wars), the Illuminati of Earth-838, Reed Richards, Professor X, and the Darkhold.
Black Panther: Wakanda Forever
Introduces Namor the Sub-Mariner (one of Marvel's first mutants) and the undersea empire of Talokan. Debuts Riri Williams (Ironheart).
Disney+ Series in Phase 4 (4)
WandaVision
The true kickoff of Phase 4 and the Multiverse Saga on Disney+. Explains how Wanda unlocks Chaos Magic to become the mythical Scarlet Witch, studies the Darkhold, and sets up Multiverse of Madness.
Loki (Seasons 1 & 2)
THE MOST IMPORTANT SERIES IN MARVEL TELEVISION HISTORY. Explains the Sacred Timeline, pruning, variants, He Who Remains, Kang's multiversal war, and concludes with Loki physically holding the infinite branches of the multiverse together as the God of Stories.
The Falcon and the Winter Soldier
Documents Sam Wilson's conscious emotional journey to claim the mantle of Captain America, while debuting John Walker (U.S. Agent) and Valentina Allegra de Fontaine.
What If...? (Seasons 1, 2 & 3)
The prime animated canvas of the Multiverse Saga. Introduced Captain Carter (who later appeared in live-action Earth-838) and demonstrated the catastrophic reality-ending power of multiversal crossovers.