Disney eyeing up Marvel franchise 'beyond Avengers'

Bob Iger confirmed Marvel has 'plotted out movies that will take us well into the next decade'

(Chuck Zlotnick/Marvel Studios)

With Avengers: Infinity having already broken multiple box-office records, attention has turned towards the future of the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

There are currently five future movies lined up, three of which Marvel has publicly announced (Ant Man and The Wasp, Captain Marvel, Avengers 4), while the other two they remain tight-lipped on (Spider-Man: Homecoming 2, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3).

Almost everyone with a brain expects Marvel to continue pumping out blockbusters – Kevin Feige has said they have plans for almost another decade – but what shape, and which superheroes, those movies will take remains unknown.

Speaking to The Hollywood Reporter, Disney CEO Bob Iger confirmed they are working on future Marvel ventures, adding that they are now looking at a “new franchise beyond Avengers” alongside further Avengers movies.

“We meet on a regular basis with our Marvel team, and we’ve plotted out Marvel movies that will take us well into the next decade,” he said.

“I’m guessing we will try our hand at what I’ll call a new franchise beyond Avengers, but that does not necessarily mean you won’t see more Avengers down the road. We just haven’t made any announcements about that.”

He added: “Given the popularity of the characters and given the popularity of the franchise, I don’t think people should conclude there will never be another Avengers movie.”

What that means exactly for Marvel movies remains unknown. However, the comics have a long history of superhero teams – The Illuminati, New Avengers, etc – that could form the basis for a future franchise. Plus, with the potential Fox deal potentially going through early next year, perhaps they could bring the X-Men and Fantastic Four on board.

For now, though, all we know is that Avengers 4 is coming next May. Here are some of the movie’s potential titles.