You’ve probably grown tired of hearing about the strikes by the Writers Guild of America (WGA) and Screen Actors Guild (SAG). Although not the sole cause, these strikes have been detrimental to the entertainment industry, affecting everything from film promotion to content production. Therefore, it’s important to mention their impact on the Marvel Disney+ line-up, causing significant changes in scheduling and distribution.
Marvel’s strategy for Disney+ has been a constant talking point, with Disney Head Honcho, Bob Iger, expressing plans for a while now to cut back on the inundation of Marvel and Star Wars content. It’s about quality over quantity, aiming to meet Wall Street growth objectives without saturated programming.
As such, one expected change comes with series’ release dates. The only live-action series left for Marvel in 2023 is “Loki” season 2, set to premiere in October. The “Hawkeye” spin-off “Echo,” was initially planned for a November 2023 release, but has been pushed back to January 2024. The series will feature Alaqua Cox as the eponymous hero and is expected to deviate from the traditional weekly Disney+ release schedule, making all episodes available at once.
Disney+ viewers will have some consolation in the form of the “What If…?” animated anthology series, scheduled for Christmas Day 2023. Jeffrey Wright lends his voice to the Watcher, exploring alternate storylines for popular Marvel characters.
Looking further ahead, only two live-action series are planned for release each year. “Agatha: Darkhold Diaries,” the “WandaVision” spin-off starring Kathryn Hahn, was initially set for a winter 2023 release, but has been pushed back to early fall 2024.
The first animated series for 2024 is “X-Men ’97,” a tribute to the beloved ’90s series, originally slated for a fall 2023 release.
Several shows have unfortunately been put on hold or removed entirely from the schedule. “Ironheart,” originally set for a fall release, has been indefinitely postponed, while productions of “Daredevil: Born Again” and “Wonder Man” have been halted due to the strikes, pushing their potential release dates to 2025.
The instability also raises doubts about future series that haven’t been greenlit yet. Marvel had previously expressed interest in a series centered on Wakanda, a show based on Nova, and a sequel to “WandaVision” called “VisionQuest.” For now, those concepts hang in the balance.
Here’s the revised Marvel Disney+ line-up:
– “Loki” (Season Two) – October 2023
– “What If…?” (Season Two) – December 25, 2023
– “Echo” – January 2024
– “X-Men: ‘97” – early 2024
– “Agatha: Darkhold Diaries” – early fall 2024
– “Ironheart” – To Be Determined
– “Daredevil: Born Again” – To Be Determined
– “Wonder Man” – To Be Determined
That’s a lot of change to digest, but when it comes to Marvel, we anticipate the result will be nothing short of spectacular!
Here’s a trailer to keep you on your toes until the shows hit your screens:
