Big things are happening over at Marvel, but you already knew that. What’s more important is that big things will continue to happen for several years to come, according to studio insiders, via Entertainment Weekly. After the phenomenal success of Iron Man 3, which in effect kicks off Phase Two (yes, it’s a bit complicated, but stay with us), the studio is hard at work on the rest of the films leading up to the second installment of The Avengers, namely Captain America: The Winter Soldier, Thor: The Dark World, and Guardians of the Galaxy. That’s all set for 2013 and 2014. With so many grand productions in line, the studio hasn’t gone beyond the early planning stages of Phase Three, but the magic industry words “in talks” have been mentioned. “I’d say 99 percent of our time right now is purely spent on Phase Two,” Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige told EW. “It’s five colossally giant motion pictures that we have to produce. So that’s taking up the time. But within the next year or so we’ll start the advanced planning for post-Avengers 2.”


Appropriately, Thor: The Dark World will be part of Phase Two

Ok, so maybe not even the advance planning stages. Still, it’s good to know that even after Avengers 2, we’ll have something to look forward to. When asked by EW which characters from the Marvel universe might be part of Phase Three, Fiege hinted at titles like Ant-Man, Doctor Strange, Iron Man 4, Black Panther, Daredevil, The Punisher, Blade, Ghost Ride, Hulk, Inhumans, Runaways and Marvel Zombies. Sounds like a script writer’s dream (or maybe a nightmare), as Marvel might be looking to transfer most of their universe onto film, continuity and all, yet the new medium also means that the stories have to be accessible to casual movie-goers. But, if Phase One is any indication, adaptations are something the folks at Marvel have absolutely no problem with.