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What would have been a pretty standard theater experience was suddenly interrupted ahead of the trailers, when a group of young men in black slacks and white dress shirts came in and made an unexpected announcement. They told us they would like each of us to participate in a survey concerning Captain America 2: The Winter Soldier. At first, I thought this might be those mysterious Cinema Scores we've referenced so often. But these men made it clear they were from Marvel Studios. With friendly smiles they offered a 2-page survey and a tiny pencil, the kind you get at miniature golf courses. But what did they want to know?
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As you can see, they begin with simple demographic questions, like age, gender, race (at bottom of page 1) and whether or not you brought kids with you. Next came basic marketing questions about what sold me on seeing Captain America 2: The Winter Soldier. (Internet/Online Blogs, obviously!) Then they go more into depth, asking what about Captain America 2: The Winter Soldier's marketing campaign most appealed to me as a moviegoer. And of course, what Captain America merch do I spend my moneys on?
Page 2 was supposed to be answered after we watched the film. These questions focused on how our expectations were met and if we'd recommend the movie to others (and other demographics). From there, Marvel wanted to know what impressed viewers most about Captain America 2: The Winter Soldier and how we'd describe it to our friends. Following that are more questions on merchandizing and marketing for this movie as well as for other Disney properties, Maleficent and Guardians of the Galaxy.
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Most curious of all these questions though is section 29, asking which Marvel movies you'd be interested in seeing. Guardians of the Galaxy, Ant Man, Thor 3 and Captain America are already in the works. But Iron Man 4 is a bit of a surprise as there has been a bunch of back and forth over Downey's future in the franchise. We've previously expounded on why Iron Man 4 would never be, but since then the possibility re-emerged with the Mandarin One-Shot seemingly setting it up. Could this survey mean Iron Man 4 is go? Or is Marvel gaging interest before green lighting another massive production? My guess is the former. After all, Iron Man 3 made $1.2 billion worldwide. If they have Downey on contract again, why not roll the dice one more time?
From a business perspective, this survey makes sense. But is it hedging Marvel in creatively? Shouldn't they be leading the charge on projects they believe in?
What's most shocking to me is an omitted question. Why is there no entry for a Black Widow movie? Sure, there's a couple of questions about whether or not her involvement in Captain America 2: The Winter Soldier spurred audiences to see it. But on a survey targeted specifically at those who went to see a Marvel movie opening day, there's not even the suggestion that a Black Widow movie is in the works. Still, I'm hopeful that Natasha Romanoff will have her day as the lead hero. After all, they gave her a ton of setup in this movie.
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Iron Man 3 co-writer and director Shane Black – and friend of Robert Downey Jr. – has hinted that he believed the actor would come back to do Iron Man 4 and 5 one day.
Another Iron Man movie will be made eventually. And again, it’s a matter of when and with whom. According to an interesting survey handed out by Marvel Studios representatives at certain public screenings of Captain America: The Winter Soldier over the last few days, it could be sooner than we think.We can only guess that Guardians of the Galaxy isn’t on there because it’s releasing this year as well, but it’s interesting to see Iron Man 4 listed among the given followups (and new property Ant-Man) we know are coming. Captain America 3 of course, just had its release date officially confirmed for May 6, 2016, in response to its successful opening weekend and writers Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely, and directors Anthony and Joe Russo, were already signed to return and are breaking its story. Thor 3 doesn’t have a release date yet but it’s a relatively safe bet to release in May 2017 and already has writers in Craig Kyle (Thor: Tales of Asgard) and Christopher Yost (Thor: The Dark World). Or is it? For Phases 1 and 2 of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Thor solo adventures released before the Captain America titles, but we can now confirm that’s no longer the case come Phase 3. Since Thor 3 has yet to lock down a date, it’s possible it doesn’t come until after The Avengers 3, although the delay in confirmation may have to do with the studio finding the right director for the project since Alan Taylor likely won’t return.
A Thor three-quel in 2017 puts into question whether or not Guardians of the Galaxy gets a direct sequel in the next phase. Some rumors claim GOTG is a one-off that could launch spinoffs, so the cosmic-based property adds an interesting spin to the speculation game of what Marvel is going to do next and what they have on that roadmap of films planned until 2028.
What we do know on the Phase 3 front is that each year there are two movies releasing and the first movie of each pair will be a sequel to an established property, with a new IP coming second. That’s why we’re getting Guardians of the Galaxy this year, Ant-Man the following year and in 2017-18 we’re likely getting Doctor Strange (according to Feige’s hinted timeline). As for the unannounced new property (or properties) in between, the common title that continues to surface is The Inhumans, with there being rumors of Black Panther, Ms. Marvel and another Hulk standalone feature as well. I’d love to see Nova in there since that could serve as a quasi-sequel to Guardians of the Galaxy that bridges it to the familiar Earth-based characters, and it gives Marvel room to essentially deliver Cap, Thor and GOTG followups in Phase 3 while still counting one of them as a “new’ property.
And what we know about future Iron Man films is that it comes down to delivering a unique and interesting story for Tony Stark, one that’s worthy of Robert Downey’s full-time involvement. With The Avengers movies, it’s easier for RDJ since there are more action scenes, and therefore less of him required on set thanks to his CGI armor doing all the work. Jeremy Renner barely ever saw him during production of The Avengers, as an example. With each Iron Man appearance, there also comes the need to introduce more armor suits, and it’s difficult to top there being dozens of them in Iron Man 3 and the biggest one of all being introduced in Age of Ultron. Yes, we’re finally going to see the infamous Hulkbuster armor.How do you top that in merchandising the Ironclad Avenger? Maybe send him to space to meet up with the Guardians of the Galaxy just like he did in the modern Marvel NOW! books (see: Iron Man goes to space rumors). That, or Stark can become the director of a new and improved S.H.I.E.L.D. organization, which might fit nicely based on the events of Captain America: The Winter Soldier.
Despite uncertainty from cast members Robert Downey Jr., Gwyneth Paltrow and Don Cheadle, Marvel Studios is definitely thinking about Iron Man 4, but if it’s coming, it won’t be until after The Avengers 3. Will RDJ stick with the character through “Phase 4″ or will Marvel Studios need to recast? Could War Machine be put front and center? What about the other key characters whose contracts run out by The Avengers 3 (Chris Evans & Chris Hemsworth)?
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Until he was 37, Cheyenne had what he considered 'a pristine reputation.'
