The timeline of the Marvel Cinematic Universe has changed again.
Marvel Studios has rescheduled several of its Disney+ shows as the company continues to feel the impact of the ongoing WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes. The affected shows, in chronological order of release, are:
Season 2 of “What If…?,” the MCU’s first animated series, will now open in December over the holiday season. The show was originally set to debut in early 2023, but has been delayed for unspecified reasons.
“Echo” —a spin-off of 2021’s “Hawkeye” starring Alaqua Cox as Marvel’s first Native American and first deaf superhero —has moved from Nov. 29 to January 2024. The show is still set to release all episodes at once, the first binge release for a Marvel Cinematic Universe series on Disney+.
“X-Men ’97,” an update of the popular animated “X-Men” series from the 1990s, has moved from a fall 2023 release to early 2024.
And finally, the “WandaVision” spin-off “Agatha” —starring Kathryn Hahn as disgraced witch Agatha Harkness — is now pegged to debut in the fall of 2024, likely around the Halloween season. The show, which completed filming before the SAG-AFTRA strike, was originally announced with the title “Agatha: House of Harkness”; then in July 2022, Marvel studio chief referred to the show as “Agatha: Coven of Chaos.” But now the show’s title seems to be “Agatha: Darkhold Diaries” — though a source with knowledge of the show says that the changing titles are less a sign of indecision on Marvel’s part and more a suggestion that Agatha is up to her old skulduggery.
Marvel’s next Disney+ title is still Season 2 of “Loki,” set to debut Oct. 6, with Tom Hiddleston reprising his role as the titular god of mischief, as he becomes further entangled within Marvel’s burgeoning multiverse.
The labor strikes are a major factor in Marvel’s decision; several shows, including “Daredevil: Born Again” and “Wonder Man,”hadn’t completed production before the strikes, delaying their expected releases. “Ironheart,” a spin-off of 2022’s “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever,” has wrapped principal photography, but the strike has also affected the show’s ability to be completed. Marvel will find a new release for it once the dust settles from the strikes.
The current schedule shifts also come in the wake of Disney CEO Bob Iger saying in June that Marvel’s drastically increased output —including eight shows for Disney+ in 2021 and 2022 — had “diluted focus and attention” for the studio, signaling that the company would be slowing its pipeline and releasing fewer titles per year.
The Hollywood Reporter first reported the news of the release changes.
