Only Two Marvel Series Are Reportedly Sure Bets to Debut on Disney+ This Year

Marvel fans looking forward to a slew of new shows for Disney+ this year are in for some bad news. It was only a few months ago that Marvel Studios President Kevin Feige announced six new series would debut on Disney+ in 2023 – Secret Invasion, What If... ? Season 2, Echo, Loki Season 2, Ironheart, and Agatha: Coven of Chaos. However, we're two months into 2023 and there hasn't been word on when the first of those five series will premiere. After the latest Disney earnings call, CEO Bob Iger revealed how the company will be taking a closer look at curating content that's on the expensive side. This means only Secret Invasion and Loki are likely to be released this year. 

The report comes from The Hollywood Reporter, which claims the slowdown of content for Marvel Studios will result in only Secret Invasion and Loki's second season being locks for 2023. This is even with the knowledge that Echo, a spinoff of Hawkeye, and Ironheart, which spins out of Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, have both wrapped production months ago. Marvel Studios' new strategy appears to be to spread its content out, which is good news for the overworked visual effects departments. The year will still see the releases of Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 and The Marvels.

Kevin Feige Comments on Marvel Studios Output

When Marvel Studios' "Phase 4" kicked off in 2021 with four movies and five TV shows, it was the most amount of storytelling released into the MCU in a two year span...ever. During those two years, there was barely a gap to breathe in as fans were watching new shows week to week and frequently getting a new movie arriving almost immediately after its conclusion. That sheer amount of shows and movies to keep up with will be getting toned down as the MCU adjusts its future plans, with Marvel's Kevin Feige confirming it personally. Speaking with EW about the volume of their projects, the Marvel leader revealed:

"I do think one of the powerful aspects of being at Marvel Studios is having these films and shows hit the zeitgeist. It is harder to hit the zeitgeist when there's so much product out there – and so much 'content,' as they say, which is a word that I hate. [Laughs] But we want Marvel Studios and the MCU projects to really stand out and stand above. So, people will see that as we get further into Phase 5 and 6. The pace at which we're putting out the Disney+ shows will change so they can each get a chance to shine."

When asked to clarify if changing the "pace" of these shows meant making fewer shows a year or just spacing them out between releases, Feige replied, "Both, I think."

What do you think about Marvel's new release strategy for 2023? Let us know your thoughts in the comments.