Could Marvel Studios Delays Hurt the Disney+ Shows?

Friday afternoon, Disney unveiled a heavily altered film release slate. Reeling from the Black Widow delay, the House of Mouse altered nearly the entire Marvel Studios slate, pushing all movies but Black Panther 2 back at least one spot in the release window. With the cinematic world that is that incredibly interconnected Marvel Cinematic Universe, we’ve got to ask — what’s going to happen with all of the shows that were in production for Disney+? Now that Black Widow has been pushed to November, the next property from Marvel Studios property would be the streaming platform’s The Falcon and The Winter Soldier, something that’s supposed to debut in August.

Even after Black Widow was delayed, at least one Hollywood trade reported the prequel wouldn’t have any impact on the storytelling timeline Kevin Feige and his team painstakingly plan out years in advance. But now, the release schedule has changed leaps and bounds. As it stands now, Black Widow is hitting theaters well after The Falcon and The Winter Soldier is supposed to usher in a whole new era for Marvel Studios in the world of streaming video.

Then there’s WandaVision, a show that’s supposed to lead directly into Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness. Previously set for release in Spring 2021, WandaVision is now expected to hit the streaming service in December of this year. After Friday’s reshuffling of release dates, the much-anticipated Doctor Strange sequel now isn’t hitting theaters until next November, meaning WandaVision would likely air its last episode a full 10 to 11 months in advance of the movie’s release.

And we’ve yet to even take into account the production delays these shows have undergone. Even though The Falcon and The Winter Soldier and WandaVision were close to finishing production, they were both suspended before everything could wrap. Loki had just barely started principal photography when it was temporarily halted because of the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.

We’ve yet to hear what will happen with the shows on Disney+ but with each passing day, the chance grows substantially that one, two, or even all three in production will be delayed to a later date. The one thing that benefits Marvel Studios at this point, however, is the success Lucasfilm’s The Mandalorian had with a weekly release model. At least that way, Marvel might be able to squeak out the earliest episodes while continuing post on the back half of the respective seasons.

Do you think any of the Disney+ shows from Marvel Studios will be delayed? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section! If not there, feel free to hit me up on Twitter at @AdamBarnhardt to chat all things MCU!