Marvel Admits There Are Too Many Shows, Changes Plans
Marvel is not planning on only releasing Secret Invasion and Loki Season 2 in 2024, cutting back on its series.
It’s no secret at this point that Disney is looking to cut costs wherever it can. In addition to the company’s plan to reorganize into three divisions, including entertainment, ESPN, and parks and experiences, Disney recently cut 7,000 jobs from its workforce. Now, according to The Hollywood Reporter, the entertainment giant is looking to scale back its streaming content to not only save money but to focus on quality over quantity, particularly with its Marvel series.
The company initially announced it intended to release five Disney+ series this year, but Loki Season 2 and the hotly anticipated Secret Invasion starring Samuel L. Jackson are now reportedly the only two shows confirmed for 2023. Earlier this week, Marvel head Kevin Feige told Entertainment Weekly that they’re slowing down the rate at which Disney+ shows are released in order to give each of them “a chance to shine.” When asked whether the change in pace would mean spacing them out or releasing fewer series, he said, “Both, I think.”
Agatha: Coven of Chaos, Ironheart, and the Hawkeye spinoff Echo were initially scheduled to debut sometime this year on Disney+ According to The Hollywood Reporter, however, all three Marvel shows will likely be delayed until at least 2024. With that said, we may be waiting much longer than originally expected for shows in development, such as Nova.
The move by Marvel to spread out the release of its Disney+ shows isn’t all that surprising. Although the measure will certainly help to cut costs, it will also allow the company to deliver higher-quality content. Following a phenomenal Phase 3, the MCU struggled to wow fans with Phase 4, which recently concluded with Black Panther: Wakanda Forever.
One thing the folks at Marvel are known for is listening to their loyal fanbase. Kevin Feige has stated on several occasions that the company was less focused on telling an overarching story with Phase 4 and more on experimenting with different characters and genres. With that said, he has reassured fans that the next phase of the MCU will help to connect things to the bigger picture, which is the Multiverse.
Phase 5 of the MCU was initially set to be comprised of six films and seven total Disney+ series, making up 13 projects altogether. Now, with the company scaling back its streaming shows, the number of projects released during the next phase is expected to be around eight. Since most of the films and series in the Marvel Cinematic Universe are connected, it will be interesting to see if the delay of shows like Echo and Ironheart will affect the storylines in other titles.
We won’t have to wait long to find out, as Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania is now playing in theaters, and it kicks off Phase 5 of the MCU. The threequel finds Scott Lang and Hope Van Dyne, along with Hank Pym and Janet Van Dyne exploring the Quantum Realm, where they encounter the MCU’s next big bad villain, Kang the Conqueror. Directed by Peyton Reed, the film stars Paul Rudd, Evangeline Lilly, Jonathan Majors, Kathryn Newton, Michael Douglas, Michelle Pfeiffer, Bill Murray, and Mike Wood.
