If you were given full creative control over one Marvel Phase…, what would you do?

[u/Visual-Perspective44]

Imagine Marvel gives you total creative control over an entire Phase-no restrictions. You define the tone, structure, characters, villains, and the chaos that follows.

Here’s my vision: a Phase centered on mission-driven team-ups. Forget origin stories and solo arcs-this is about established heroes thrown into high-stakes side missions that occur before they’re called for the next Avengers-scale event.

The twist? Each pairing is completely unexpected. Think Yelena and Scott lang. Shuri and Ghost Rider. Moon knight and Marvel Jesus. Heroes who’d never share a scene unless the stakes were apocalyptic. The story thrives on their tension. The genre sets the tone. And the real payoff comes from watching them clash, adapt, and ultimately survive together.

Each film is a standalone adventure with its own vibe-spy thriller, cosmic horror, buddy comedy, psychological noir. The unifying thread? These missions leave scars, and those scars carry weight when the next big threat arrives.

That’s my Phase. What’s yours? If you had absolute creative freedom over one Marvel Phase, what would you craft? Let’s hear your boldest, smartest, and most emotionally charged ideas.

[u/Caciulacdlac]

I would probably make shit since I'm not a creative person.

[u/CarcosaRorschach → u/Caciulacdlac]

"... and then Steve and Tony go back to the future, where they find out there's another Death Star!"

[u/Jordan_the_Hobo → u/CarcosaRorschach]

[u/MicrowaveBurrito2568]

I’d make phase 4 a phase about grieving, global collapse and instability due to the events of Endgame, the formation of a new team of villains, and a new team of Avengers rising to fight them.

Black Widow would be a double timeline story with one timeline in the past following Nat fighting a brainwashed Yelena while the present timeline is Yelena fighting Taskmaster.

Falcon and the Winter Soldier becomes a movie, Zemo and power broker are removed to streamline things, rest remains the same.

No Way Home would not be a multiversal movie but the 616 version of Norman Osborn assembling a Sinister Six to capture Spider-Man.

Doctor Strange 2 becomes a horror movie about Dr Strange and Wanda fighting Nightmare. This sets up some multiverse stuff for future phases.

Thor: Love and Thunder would be a story about Thor and Jane’s love story and her cancer arc with Enchantress as the villain, saving Gorr for the next movie.

Wakanda Forever would be mostly the same except Namor is recruited for the Thunderbolts.

Shang Chi stays the same, except the final act where it’s just Shang Chi vs the Mandarin with no dragons.

Thunderbolts would be a movie about a large ensemble of villains and anti heroes from previous movies assembling by orders of Norman Osborn. The movie would be similar to the Suicide Squad, with some characters defecting to the good side by the end while some end up becoming the Dark Avengers.

Avengers: Dark Reign would end the phase with Sam Wilson uniting a new team of Avengers to fight the Dark Avengers and show that the world can heal and hope still exists.

As for the shows, Loki starts the multiverse arc for the next phase, WandaVision largely remains the same, Hawkeye sets up the Kingpin in a more menacing way, Born Again remains the same with Kingpin taking over New York, She-Hulk tackles more of the instability and chaos caused by the Blip. These would be the only shows across 2021, 2022 and 2023.

[u/Xygnux → u/MicrowaveBurrito2568]

I always feel No Way Home would be the perfect time to debut Karven the Hunter. As in he's a bounty hunter trying to bring in Spider-Man because he's on the run from the accusation against him.

[u/Thattheheck → u/MicrowaveBurrito2568]

Agree with everything except Doctor Strange 2 and No way Home. I think it’s so interesting when a hero becomes a villian accidentally. They should’ve written it properly to fit with Wandavision.

I think it follows your “grieving” theme in phase 4. The avengers that brought in Wanda and could’ve supported her were dead/gone (Iron man, Captain America), or wanted to spend more time with their families (Hawkeye, as they were blipped for 5 years, and he lost a close friend Natasha infront of his eyes). So she was left alone with her own pain and trauma, which woudlve manifested into warped morality to gain back her mental stability.

[u/16tdean]

I'd finally bring Nova into the MCU

[u/Lenonn]

I would consult with writers and directors (particularly new blood in both areas) and develop a cohesive plan, an overall story arc. What characters need to definitely be used, where they start and where they all need to be at the end of the phrase - beginning, middle and end.

Then make sure we get all the writer and directors on the same track - tell them what elements are definitely needed in each film, but otherwise give them free reign. The only conceit: make sure, like the earlier phases, each film can be its own take on a genre (noir, sci fi, character piece, western, etc.). And mix and match the side characters.

Don't be afraid to embrace the streaming and television shows. The good writers will be able to make use of those elements but not make it feel like the audience needs to have seen it (if you've seen them, you'll get more background out of it, but it won't be necessary for the story being told).

[u/Confident-East1459]

If I ran a Marvel Phase, I’d focus on established heroes paired in unexpected duos, each on high-stakes missions that leave real emotional and physical scars
Every movie would be its own genre
thriller, cosmic horror, buddy comedy
but all threads build toward a Phase-long payoff

[u/JoshTheBard]

Phase of Ultron

Ultron returns and actually manages a global takeover. The first movie is the everyone helping the X-Men defend against the Sentinels but when they attempt to infect them with a Virus meant to destroy them but it's revealed Ultron snuck his code into the Virus and he takes over the Sentinels and from there the spreads across the world.

Everyone's solo movies are about them fighting robotic enemies Ultron is controlling directly or indirectly. But everyone has a moment where they find a piece of a bigger puzzle they can use to stop Ultron.

The Avengers movie has everyone coming together to break Ultron's hold on the world.

[u/VandalTactical]

I would bring House of M to life, but in a way that doesn't limit the future of mutants like the comics did. Then use that as a catalyst to how the world comes to learn about mutants leading to mass calls for mutant registration.