Last Thursday saw Marvel announce their upcoming slate of films, otherwise known as Phase Three.

In short, it was pretty amazing. Marvel have slated a whopping NINE films, kicking off with Captain America: Civil War in May 6th, 2016.

That'll be followed by the first outing of Doctor Strange on November 4th of the same year. Although the title role STILL hasn't been cast, Scott Derrickson - director of The Exorcism of Emily Rose and Insidious - has been tapped to direct.

Up next is - wait for it - GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY 2. That's right. Chris Pratt, Bradley Cooper, Dave Bautista, Zoe Saldana and (spoilers) Vin Diesel have all signed on to reappear as everybody's favourite intergalactic band of scoundrels with director James Gunn returning. Unfortunately, you'll have to wait until May 5th, 2017.

The third Thor film, titled Ragnarok, will see Thor and the destruction of Asgard. That's right. Asgard gets wasted. Awesome. That's happening July 28th, 2017.

Next is the long-awaited Black Panther movie, which will see relative unknown Chadwick Boseman star as the first African-American superhero. No director has been attached yet, however Boyz 'N The Hood's John Singleton has been rumoured. Black Panther will, however, make his first appearance in the Marvel Cineverse in Captain America: Civil War.

Marvel continues its progressive streak with Captain Marvel in 2018, one of the most well-known female superheroes in the Marvel canon.

Avengers 3, entitled Infinity War, will be split into two films - one in May 2018 and another in May 2019. What's happening there, you ask? The end of the Avengers as we know it. Yes, really.

Initial thoughts? At some point, we're going to have sit down and take a breath. Marvel knows that Warner Bros. / DC are stepping up their productions and are aiming to compete directly with the Marvel Cineverse.

What will make or break Phase 3 is the newer additions, namely Black Panther, Captain Marvel and Doctor Strange. We don't know about you, but it's more than a bit telling that Doctor Strange STILL hasn't been cast yet. Could it be that Marvel is holding out for the right person? Or that people have passed on the property?

Not only that, Scott Derrickson is a horror film and doesn't exactly have the best action chops. True, the character of Doctor Strange is a much more darker, sinister character than any other Marvel entry - but will that fit into what they've created?

In short, it's going to be an exciting few years. With the core Avengers - namely Robert Downey Jr., Scarlett Johannson, Samuel L. Jackson and more - completing their deals with the studio, it'll be interesting to see if they continue on or are rebooted.