So, according to a number of nerd news sites (and now this one included), it would seem as though Marvel is set to announce their lineup of films for the next couple of years hot off the heels of Iron Man’s incredible $104 million opening weekend take.

All of the pertinent information is in an article on Yahoo Finance:

Marvel today updated its feature film slate strategy and plans for the next three years, locking in key release windows for its character franchises. In order to focus its attention on maximizing the success of an Iron Man sequel and the launch of Thor in the summer of 2010 and because Marvel believes that the summer is the optimal time to launch a new property, the Company will not release a self produced film in 2009. Marvel plans to launch its 2010 film slate with the release of the sequel, Iron Man 2, on April 30, 2010, followed by the launch of Thor on June 4, 2010. Additionally, Marvel is planting its feature film stakes for summer 2011 with an Avengers-themed summer – a two-picture project which will debut on May 6, 2011 with The First Avenger: Captain America (working title), followed by The Avengers in July 2011.

So. There it is. Clang! Boom! Steam!, Dr. Cyborg and I had been talking and we’d all discussed how great it would be if the Captain America movie was set completely in World War II and ended with him being encased in ice, as a cliffhanger. And then the Avengers movie would open with Nick Fury and the rest of S.H.I.E.L.D. thawing him out. With the two month break that Marvel is placing between those two movies, it would make a hell of a lot of sense.

And hopefully, they’ll keep their track record going of giving nerds exactly what they want (like the post-credits scene to Iron Man.)