The Mandarin or…

The first three phases were made under the sign of Thanos – the uber-villain who would confront both the old and the new superheroes in epic battle. Basically, the first MCU phases are a trilogy in themselves, with everything leading toward this final confrontation.

However, it is less likely that Marvel and Feige will throw themselves into a similar endeavor as soon as possible. Instead, I believe that Phase IV will see the rise and fall of a single major villain. And I do hope that this villain will be the Mandarin – as previously mentioned, Marvel needs to make Iron Man 4.

However, there is another possibility, as well. The latest rumors concerning the MCU say that the next few movies will see the rise of another tech empire, one led by Norman Osborn, one that will lead into a Dark Reign adaptation of some sort. Which also sounds fine to me.

But I did see Osborn before. And I didn’t see the Mandarin.

This being said…