As reported by Variety, Disney has shuffled around its release calendar. Specifically, the upcoming Marvel Cinematic Universe movies have all been given new release dates, with the Phase 4 lineup looking much the same, just pushed back slightly. Here is what it looks like now.
- Black Widow – November 6, 2020
- Eternals – February 12, 2021
- Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings – May 7, 2021
- Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness – November 5, 2021
- Thor: Love and Thunder – February 18, 2022
Originally, Black Widow was supposed to be the first Phase 4 movie to arrive in theaters, set for May 1. Unfortunately, due to the worldwide shutdown of most movie theaters brought on by the coronavirus pandemic, Disney and virtually every other studio had to delay most movies that were scheduled to come out as part of the summer movie season. Disney and Marvel Studios, instead, pushed Black Widow to November, occupying the date previously held by Eternals.
Everything else has been bumped back by several months. Shang-Chi had been set for February 2021, but shifted to May, which is when Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness was originally scheduled. The sequel moved into November, where Thor: Love and Thunder had been dated. That has been bumped to 2022. Also of note, Spider-Man 3 is still on deck for July 2021, so we are getting four MCU movies next year.
Also of note, Marvel has at least two projects dated for Phase 5. Black Panther 2 will arrive on May 6, 2022, a date that was previously announced. Captain Marvel 2, on the other hand, locked down a new July 8, 2022 date. Films without dates currently included Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, Ant-Man 3 and Blade. Marvel Studios head Kevin Feige also previously teased reboots of the X-Men and the Fantastic Four within the MCU, but those projects are in the very early stages.
Here is the official synopsis for Black Widow.
“In Marvel Studios’ action-packed spy thriller ‘Black Widow,’ Natasha Romanoff aka Black Widow confronts the darker parts of her ledger when a dangerous conspiracy with ties to her past arises. Pursued by a force that will stop at nothing to bring her down, Natasha must deal with her history as a spy and the broken relationships left in her wake long before she became an Avenger.”
So what do you think? Did Disney make the right moves here? Which of these MCU films are you most excited to see? Join in on the conversation over on Facebook or Twitter!
