When the Mouse House launched Disney Plus in 2019 the excitement was palpable. Finally, a single place to watch all our favorite Disney, Pixar, Star Wars, National Geographic, and Marvel movies.
Marvel slowly got to work rolling out its catalog of Marvel Cinematic Universe films, and Disney Plus quickly became the permanent home for the entire Infinity Saga (save a couple of Spider-Man films and The Incredible Hulk, but that eventually changed in 2023). Avengers: Endgame had just released into the world and the excitement for the Multiverse Saga was at an all-time high.
Barring the hiccup that was the COVID-19 pandemic, the Multiverse Saga’s relationship with Disney Plus started on a relatively normal schedule. However, over time, Marvel’s inconsistency reared its ugly head, and each film started possessing its own sporadic release schedule.
Because they’ve varied so dramatically, I’ve taken the liberty of ranking them in order of how long it took each to debut on Disney Plus because, well, I’m neurotic like that. If you are too, you’re welcome.
Black Widow (0 days)
Theatrical debut: N/A
Disney Plus release: July 9/Oct 6, 2022
Black Widow was not only Scarlett Johansson’s first solo film as Natasha Romanoff, but it was also the first film to kick off the Multiverse Saga and the first to premiere on Disney Plus after the streaming service’s inception. Unfortunately, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Black Widow didn’t get a theatrical release and was available to rent solely on Disney Plus from the outset (it became available to stream for free with a D+ subscription on October 6, 89 days after its theatrical release). This infamously resulted in Johansson filing a lawsuit against Disney for breach of contract, and although both parties eventually settled, Johansson was left feeling “sad and disappointed” (Us too).
Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness (47 days)
Theatrical debut: May 6, 2022
Disney Plus release: June 22, 2022
Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness was the fifth movie in the Multiverse Saga but it came in first as the film that took the least amount of time to debut on Disney Plus. Releasing in theaters on May 6, 2022 and dropping on Disney Plus on June 22, Multiverse of Madness, unfortunately, had us all thinking 47 days was the new precedent for Disney Plus releases, but that, as we know, was very much not the case.
Thor: Love and Thunder (62 days)
Theatrical debut: July 8, 2022
Disney Plus release: Sept. 8, 2022
Thor: Love and Thunder debuted in theaters two months after Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness on July 8, 2022, but unlike Benedict Cumberbatch’s second solo outing, Chris Hemsworth’s fourth film as the God of Thunder took an extra two weeks to release on Disney Plus. Instead of dropping on a Wednesday, as is customary for Disney Plus releases, Thor: Love and Thunder was released on Thursday, Sept. 8, 2022 – in honor of Disney Plus Day.
Eternals (68 days)
Theatrical debut: Nov. 5, 2021
Disney Plus release: Jan. 12, 2022
Chloé Zhao’s MCU directorial debut didn’t exactly go as expected. Eternals became the franchise’s worst-reviewed film of all time, so the 68 days it took to release on Disney Plus weren’t all that excruciating. Premiering in theaters on Nov. 5, 2021, Eternals released on Disney Plus on Jan. 12, 2022 – just a couple of days shy of how long it took Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings.
Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings (70 days)
Theatrical debut: Sept. 3, 2021
Disney Plus release: Nov. 12, 2021
Technically, Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings was the first MCU movie to get the full Disney Plus treatment. After the fallout with Black Widow, Marvel and Disney chose to premiere Shang-Chi in theaters on Sept. 3, 2021, and the film took 10 whole weeks (or two and a half months) to release on Disney Plus on November 12, which also happened to be the streamer’s two-year anniversary. At the time, we thought this was the precedent for Disney Plus releases, but Doctor Strange 2 and Thor 4 threw that philosophy entirely out of whack.
Black Panther: Wakanda Forever (82 days)
Theatrical debut: Nov. 11, 2022
Disney Plus release: Feb. 1, 2023
Here’s where things took a turn for the worst. Black Panther: Wakanda Forever came directly after Thor: Love and Thunder, so the assumption was it would follow in Thor’s footsteps and release on Disney Plus around the 60-day mark. However, the movie left fans thoroughly confused and frustrated when it took nearly three whole months to release on Disney Plus – marking the longest it took a MCU movie to release on streaming up until that point. Marvel didn’t specify why, but many assumed it had everything to do with releasing on the first day of Black History Month, which just so happened to be a Wednesday.
Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania (89 days)
Theatrical debut: Feb 17, 2023
Disney Plus release: May 17, 2023
Black Panther: Wakanda Forever felt like it was an anomaly due to special (and understandable circumstances). Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania, on the other hand, felt like damage control due to the assault allegations against Jonathan Majors that came to light shortly after the movie’s release. At the time, the assumption was that Marvel was buying time until all the drama was swept under the rug. That didn’t happen, of course, but above and beyond that, Quantumania turned out to be a stepping stone for a new — and presumably permanent — precedent for the MCU’s Disney Plus releases.
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 (89 days)
Theatrical debut: May 5, 2023
Disney Plus release: Aug. 2, 2023
Whereas the overall consensus with the Disney Plus releases for Wakanda Forever and Quantumania was frustration, the sentiment with the Disney Plus release for Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 was a sort of acceptance. “Okay, this is the new norm,” we all seemed to be thinking. We didn’t know how lucky we had it with Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness.
The Marvels (TBD – but probably 89 days)
Theatrical debut: Nov. 10, 2023
Disney Plus release: TBD
The Marvels hasn’t even come out yet so it’s far too early to predict when it will release on Disney Plus. But come on, if three movies in a row with 80+ post-theatrical Disney Plus releases doesn’t sound like a pattern then I don’t know what does. Unless Marvel decides to wildly shake things up, The Marvels will probably drop on Disney Plus exactly 89 days after its theatrical release; Wednesday, Feb. 7, 2024, to be exact. If we’re right – you heard it here first.
Spider-Man: No Way Home (TBD)
Theatrical debut: Dec. 17, 2021
Disney Plus release: TBD
The Spider-Man films are an entirely different beast than the rest of the MCU due to Sony’s stronghold on the rights to the web-slinging superhero, so it doesn’t really have a place in the larger conversation about the Multiverse Saga’s Disney Plus releases. Nevertheless, Spider-Man: Homecoming was finally released on Disney Plus on May 12, 2023, six years after its theatrical debut after Sony and Marvel came to a contractual agreement. Exactly when Far From Home and No Way Home will get the D+ treatment is still up in the air.
