Upcoming Marvel film Black Panther is set to close out Phase 4, and now we know exactly when it happens in the MCU timeline. Well, mostly. Producer Nate Moore has commented on the action movie‘s place in continuity, and states it’s definitely more contemporary than other recent installments.
“This movie clearly happens after Spider-Man: No Way Home and Eternals,” Moore tells CinemaBlend. “I think it probably happens concurrent with Thor: Blood and Thunder, New Asgard does exist in our film for instance, and almost concurrent with Ant-Man 3, which is coming out next year.”
That’s remarkably specific, given he caveats his answer saying that he couldn’t put exact years on anything. The MCU has played looser and looser on dates as time goes on, mostly basing its storytelling on projects happening simultaneously. So, a Marvel series like Hawkeye could happen around the same time as one of the Thor movies, right? We just picked those examples out of the air, please don’t correct us, we know that probably isn’t the case.
Black Panther: Wakanda Forever will produce some wrinkles due to the nature of production. Chadwick Boseman, who played the lead MCU character, tragically passed away before it started filming, forcing director Ryan Coogler and Marvel Studios to find a way to address his absence in the plot.
The trailer for the adventure movie confirms someone else has the Black Panther mantle, and they’re up against another complex threat in Namor. The first Black Panther was a highlight of the franchise, and Wakanda Forever promises to be more of the same.
Have a look at our guide to Marvel’s Phase 5 to see what else is in store.