While fans are still reeling from a few high-profile losses in ‘Avengers: Endgame’, here comes news that the days of a few other major heroes may be numbered. According to a report from The Hollywood Reporter, Benedict Cumberbatch and Chadwick Boseman only have one film a piece left in their Marvel Studios contracts. And those films will be ‘Doctor Strange 2’ and ‘Black Panther 2’. But is that it?! Probably not. Robert Downey Jr., Chris Evans, and Chris Hemsworth’s original contracts ended years ago, but they renegotiated to stay on for additional pictures.
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At this point, of those originals, Hemsworth is the one who will most likely return, but his asking price is now higher. He was reportedly paid somewhere in the $15-$20 million range for ‘Infinity War’ and ‘Endgame’. Now it’s highly unlikely that either Cumberbatch or Boseman will collect such hefty paychecks, but considering the Marvel movies generate BILLIONS, expect them to try and squeeze out whatever they can.
Typically, Marvel signs actors for five films. Cumberbatch appeared in ‘Doctor Strange’, ‘Infinity War’, and ‘Endgame’, but made a cameo in ‘Thor: Ragnarok’. Chris Evans’ contract did not count cameos (like ‘Spider-Man; Homecoming’) as part of his film options, but perhaps Cumberbatch’s did. Boseman appeared in ‘Captain America: Civil War’, and ‘Black Panther’, plus the last two ‘Avengers’. So his deal is a little more cut and dry.
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But in this day and age, it’s pretty much impossible to conceive that there won’t be a ‘Doctor Strange 3’ and ‘Black Panther 3’, and with… um, certain gaps in the MCU, they will most likely play a larger role in the other films, including whatever ‘Avengers’ pics are coming down the pike.
But with so many characters slated to cross over to TV shows on Disney+, it’s clear that the Marvel Cinematic Universe is now a completely new place than it was like… two weeks ago. Kevin Feige has hinted that no major announcements about the future of the MCU will be made until after ‘Spider-Man: Far From Home’ opens on July 5.
So until then, we can only speculate and hope. What do you want to see in Marvel Phase 4?
