Nowadays, it doesn’t take much for Marvel fans to panic about the franchise’s future. The Marvel Cinematic Universe has seen better days, to say the least, with Phases One through Three being considered by many the best Marvel had to offer. Now, things are looking even bleaker, as we enter Phase Five with Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania‘s failure to impress film critics. The cherry on top of Marvel fans’ doom cake was the news of The Marvels‘ delay hitting the internet, which is naturally increasing concern for other upcoming projects.
This is not the first time The Marvels‘ premiere date has suffered adjustments. The movie was initially scheduled for this February, however, the COVID-19 pandemic threw a wrench in that plan. Just when fans thought they were safe with their calendars marked for July 28, the movie’s release was once again pushed back, this time for Nov. 10. Amid a wave of disappointed reactions to this development, some fans consider that this might actually be a good thing for the MCU.
The concept of Marvel fatigue has been largely covered online, and while some remain skeptical, a big percentage of fans seem to be experiencing this phenomenon. Getting constant content thrown at you can be draining to some, especially given how intertwined MCU’s movies and TV shows are. Viewers need to be on top of everything to be able to enjoy each new installment to the fullest. The Marvels being delayed until later in the year will give fans a bit more time to breathe after Quantumania and the upcoming Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, which is scheduled for May 5. Releasing The Marvels merely two months after the Guardians threequel would not be the smartest of decisions, especially for box-office sales.
Continuing to look on the bright side, this pushback will provide Marvel enthusiasts with something to look forward to at the end of the year, as was the case in 2021, with Spider-Man: No Way Home, and in 2022, with Black Panther: Wakanda Forever. Not only is this always a nice treat, but it also allows the Phase Five movies will be better spaced out.
Fans would do well to remember that after The Marvels comes Captain America: New World Order, which will premiere on May 3, 2024 (if everything goes according to plan). Were the Captain Marvel sequel to premiere this summer, there would be too wide of a gap between the two movies — an almost 10-month-long one, to be exact.
All in all, while delays in film releases may be cause for concern and uneasiness among eager audiences, this was an extremely good call on Marvel’s part. We just have to withstand the wait.
