According to a new leak, Marvel has opted not to produce sequels to three of its biggest box office disappointments.
Daniel Richtman, a well-known industry insider who goes by the moniker DanielRPK in online circles, posted to Patreon (thanks to That Redacted Guy on X/Twitter for the screenshot) to allege that Marvel has scrapped sequel plans for three underappreciated films. Which film franchises are in question? Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) films that underperformed in theaters include Ant-Man, Captain Marvel, and Eternals.
The apparent announcement that Marvel has put Eternals 2 on indefinite hold has, perhaps surprisingly, sparked the most outrage among MCU fans. Its predecessor, directed by Oscar winner Chloe Zhao and debuted in theaters in 2021, barely grossed $402 million worldwide. With an awful (by Marvel standards) 47% Rotten Tomatoes critics score, Eternals was the Disney subsidiary’s biggest movie flop until Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania, with a little worse 46% Rotten Tomatoes rating, surpassed it as the worst-rated MCU film of all time.
Despite its underwhelming result, several members of the MCU’s global fans believed Eternals 2 would eventually be released. However, with Marvel re-evaluating which movies and Disney Plus shows it wants to make, it appears that Eternals 2, while never formally confirmed, will not be included in Marvel Phase 5 or Marvel Phase 6.
Following Daniel RPK’s leak, fans have rushed to X/Twitter, Reddit, and other social media platforms to vent their disappointment over Eternals 2’s likely cancellation. Many fans are disappointed that they will not be able to see this group of superheroes again, as well as music sensation Harry Styles’ Eros, who was hinted to in one of two Eternals post-credit scenes.
Of course, I shouldn’t have to mention that, but it’s only a rumor for now. Marvel Studios has not commented on the above, and while it is unlikely that it will, there is no evidence that Eternals 2 was covertly in development or has been canceled. I’ve reached out to Disney to check whether there’s any truth to the leak, and, while I don’t expect to receive a response, I’ll update this article if I hear back.
What about Ant-Man 4 and Captain Marvel III?
They’re in the same boat. As previously stated, Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania was panned by reviewers in early 2023, and despite grossing $476 million worldwide, I doubt we’ll see Paul Rudd’s Scott Lang return to the big screen outside of a potential appearance in Avengers 5 and/or Avengers 6.
Brie Larson’s Captain Marvel confronts a similarly bleak future. The Marvels – effectively Captain Marvel 2, albeit with strong ties to WandaVision and Ms Marvel – may have fared better than its predecessors. Despite having a 62% critics rating on Rotten Tomatoes, it grossed only $206 million – five times less than 2019’s billion-dollar-making Captain Marvel. Larson has even hinted that she may not return as Carol Danvers due to the film’s bad response and performance, telling Variety, “Does anyone want me to do it [play Captain Marvel] again?”
Not to repeat myself, but we should approach this fresh leak with caution. Aside from the projects that have been announced, no one knows what Marvel has planned for the future. There is a chance that any or all of the above sequels will be greenlit – and, with Eternals setting up events that could play out in Marvel’s Blade movie reboot, as well as Ant-Man 3 and The Marvels’ ties to the studio’s overarching multiversal narrative, we need resolutions to all three’s lingering story threads.
If said plotlines get addressed in another film or TV show, fair enough – but it would be a tragedy if some of these characters are simply never seen again because Marvel doesn’t consider them as money-spinning entities anymore. If nothing else, they should appear in the next two Avengers flicks before riding off into the sunset.
