Ah, the double edged sword of having a plan. Whether you want to admit it or not, Marvel Studios has always been tremendous at having the foresight to put together a gameplan for a long form story that persists over several franchises and years*. However, Kevin Feige will be the first to tell you that plans change. And with that comes a domino effect with repercussions through an entire multiverse.
And so here we are today with the announcement of several shifts to the MCU schedule. Most likely prompted by a number of things — including the uncertainty of Jonathan Majors’ status as Kang, the possible rumors indicating writers being replaced, the ongoing writers’ strike, and the mandate to slow down on projects — the new shift finds several titles rearranging themselves and being pushed out to future years.
In the first bit of good news, and something of a surprise for the MCU, one title actually moved up several months to May 2024. This time next year we’ll all have seen Deadpool 3! The only movie to actually move up and not back, Deadpool 3 is now expected to hit theaters May 3, 2024!
That spot was previously occupied by the Anthony Mackie headliner, Captain America: Brave New World. If you recall, that movie recently unveiled its new subtitle when it teased a behind-the-scenes look at Mackie and co-star Harrison Ford.
Though it’s being pushed, thankfully Sam Wilson’s first big-screen outing as Cap won’t be shifted too far back. The new film will now be hitting theaters July 26, 2024.
This also shifts Marvel Studios’ next big ensemble piece, Thunderbolts! Starring Florence Pugh, Sebastian Stan, David Harbour, Wyatt Russell, Julia Louis Dreyfus, Hannah John-Kamen, and Olga Kurylenko, Thunderbolts was said to be the capper for Phase 5 of the MCU.
Originally slated for July 2024, the film is now shifting to a position which caps off the calendar year, hitting theaters on December 20, 2024.
Originally, Marvel Studios’ long delayed Blade film was also supposed to hit theaters in 2024, but will now shift to 2025. The Mahershala Ali-starrer is going from September 2024 to February 2025, specifically February 14.
Happy Valentines Day, indeed!
At Comic-Con 2022, Feige revealed the first three films of Phase 6. And the first of them was to be Fantastic Four. Marvel’s first family was slated to make a comeback on Valentines Day 2025.
However, now that Blade is taking over that slot, it will push Reed, Sue, Johnny, and Ben over to Marvel Studios’ patented Summer kick-off May date, hitting theaters on May 2, 2025.
And finally, the final two films in the MCU’s “Multiverse Saga” are also seeing a massive shift.
Avengers: The Majors Problem Kang Dynasty was originally slated to hit theaters on May 2, 2025, but with The Fantastic Four slated to take over that spot, the first part in the new Avengers concluding chapters will be pushed a full year to May 1, 2026.
Which leads to the final chapter of the “Multiverse Saga” — Avengers: Secret Wars. The furthest of the releases currently on Marvel Studios’ calendars, Secret Wars will be hitting theaters on May 7, 2027.
We’ll be updating our MCU Tracker with all of the latest and greatest dates, and stay tuned to The Nerds of Color for more MCU news!
*Say what you will about the Multiverse Saga, but the Infinity Saga remains an unparalleled achievement in Hollywood. Sorry naysayers, but you know it’s true whether you wanna admit it or not.
