With the release of Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, Phase Four of the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) is completed. Now, this phase had a lot to live up to as it was the phase that directly followed Avengers Endgame, which is known by fans as the most impactful film of the MCU. However, I believe that there were great projects in Phase 4 that I think not only lived up to the hype set up by Avengers: Endgame, but also became some of my favorite Marvel projects overall. In no particular order, here are four of my favorites.
1. Shang Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings
Shang Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings is a film detailing the origin story of Shang Chi, one of the newest MCU superheroes. More specifically, the film focuses on how Shang Chi gets ahold of his powerful rings and explores how his powers are heavily connected to his family’s origins. I honestly love this film for a variety of reasons: all of the martial arts sequences were impressively choreographed, and I thought the movie was funny all in the right places. Most of all I loved how this film took a subject that isn’t talked about– generational trauma– and made it take a villain’s role. This was extremely powerful and made the film one of the strongest origin films for any MCU superhero.
2. Ms. Marvel
Ms. Marvel revolves around sixteen-year-old Kamala Khan, a Pakistani-American girl that LOVES superheroes. However, she never thought that she would end up becoming one, until one fateful AvengerCon proved otherwise. Now, one of the reasons why I loved this show was because it is definitely one of best portrayals of South Asian culture in western media, ever. The show is not afraid of incorporating elements of her Pakistani culture, her Muslim faith, and even historical events like the 1947 Partition in her backstory. Kamala’s journey is also heavily focused on the struggles that come with balancing being both a superhero and just a regular, brown, teenage girl from Jersey City. Overall, I love this show for showing that people with South Asian backgrounds like mine can also be enjoyed by people all over the world.
3. Moon Knight
Moon Knight follows Steven Grant and Marc Spector, two people who share a body yet could not be anymore than different. The storyline is honestly quite nonlinear, and focuses on a lot of things that seem unconnected: tomb raids, interactions with Egyptian gods, and times in psych wards. However, the charm of this show is just how all of these plotlines end up coming together and forming one of the most insanely powerful origin stories for any Marvel superhero ever. I genuinely loved this show for all its great acting performances and for constantly blowing my mind.
4. Black Panther: Wakanda Forever
Black Panther: Wakanda Forever is a story about grief. We follow Shuri, Wakanda’s princess and new protector after the death of King T’Challa, the previous Black Panther. We are also introduced to the kingdom of Talokan, an Mayan underwater kingdom with vibranium ruled by Namor, a king who will do anything to protect his people and its resources. Additionally, we learn about the new threats to Wakanda’s safety: the Americans and their desire for vibranium. Though this movie did have a lot of layers, they were all handled with grace. I also loved how this film was a tribute to Chadwick Boseman: many of Boseman’s most iconic quotes were lines said by characters in the film and even T’challa’s in-universe legacy mirrors Boseman’s. This film was truly a cinematic masterpiece, and I am so fortunate to have been able to see it.
And those are some of my favorite Phase 4 projects. While Phase 4 may not be one of my favorites of the phases, thanks to projects like these four, I am still so excited to see what Marvel does next.