Marvel Studios has delayed three more movies – Black Widow, Eternals, and Shang-Chi – but didn’t touch the rest of Phase 4.
Marvel Studios has changed the Phase 4 slate for the Marvel Cinematic Universe again – and it may impact the movies coming out later down the line. After the end of the Infinity Saga, 2020 was scheduled to be the start of a new era for the MCU. Marvel Studios spent the majority of last year announcing upcoming movies – and the first slate of Disney+ TV shows – and getting fans excited to see what will come next. Unfortunately, the coronavirus pandemic has repeatedly forced delays to Phase 4 of the MCU.
With theaters and productions shutting down in March, Marvel waited as long as they could before announcing sweeping changes to Phase 4. When it finally came time to unveil the new slate, Black Widow became the sole 2020 theatrical release. There have been several other delays that have come since then, leaving the MCU calendar a bit scattered. The release date shuffling left 2021 with two brand new franchises and Spider-Man 3 as the lone sequel, while 2022 was filled with four highly-anticipated sequels and no new properties. In some instances, even the placements of these films was questionable, as 2022’s four MCU movies are all slated to come out within five months.
Although many hoped that the release date delays were done, there was a growing feeling that this wouldn’t be the case. Theaters currently can’t support major blockbusters with limited capacity and not all major markets being open. There was even some speculation that Black Widow could skip theaters altogether and follow in Mulan‘s footsteps and become available on Disney+ through Premier Access. However, Disney and Marvel Studios have now made their decision official, as they’ve delayed three MCU movies – but will more follow?
(2)
