The delays caused by the writers' and actors' strike seem to be a blessing in misfortune for the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU), which is at a low point.
Summary:
With the end of the strike and the Hollywood reboot, the release dates of films such as "Deadpool 3" were adjusted accordingly. Recently, MCUs have been criticized for their content, but the decision to release only "Deadpool 3" in 2024 may be a blessing in disguise. Appropriate intervals, away from overly dense content releases, may be just the kind of realignment and starting point that MCUs need in order to replan their subsequent film layouts. After several months of strikes, with the end of the SAG-Aftra strike, Hollywood film production is once again in full swing. During this time, Hollywood fell into a brief stagnation. But now that's all in the past, and many film and TV series production resumed earlier in November. Among them, movies and TV series, including the Marvel Cinematic Universe, are also about to restart. Marvel Studios is certainly pleased with their project reboot. But the strike had a significant impact on the planning of the fifth phase of the MCU, with Hollywood's nearly half-year shutdown delaying many MCU projects.
According to the latest schedule of Marvel Studios, "Deadpool 3" will be released on July 26, 2024. The film replaces the original schedule for Captain America 4, which has now been postponed to February 14, 2025. In addition, the release date of "Thunder Force" has also been postponed to July 25, 2025. In the end, there will be only one MCU movie, Deadpool 3, in 2024. While people may be concerned about the scarcity of Marvel movies next year, the strike may be an unexpected turnaround for MCUs.
Slow down the content torrent
The 2024 schedule will significantly slow down the studio's ongoing content overload, which is a positive shift for MCUs. After the end of Infinity, Marvel Studios has increased its content offering not only through movies, but also through TV series. So far, during the multiverse saga, the MCU has expanded with 10 films, 10 TV series, and two specials. It's a bit of an overabundance for fans to have so much content in four years. You know, Marvel Studios only released 23 movies in the 11 years of Infinity Saga.
Due to the proliferation of MCU content, fans can barely keep up with many new projects. In the last two years alone, Marvel Studios has released eight films in theaters. While some movies like "Spider-Man: Homecoming" and "Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3" have performed well at the box office, projects such as "Ant-Man and Wasp: Quantumania" and the recently released "Captain Marvel 2" have had a mediocre performance.
2024 also provides a great opportunity for fans to look back at the many movies they missed to catch up on the events of the MCU multiverse.
Strengthen the focus on TV dramas
In addition to the movies, 2024 will also be a great opportunity for fans to revisit the MCU Disney+ program. Starting with "Wanda and Vision", Marvel Studios has invested more in the field of small screens, launching several projects such as "Loki", "Moon Knight", and "Ms. Marvel". These titles introduce a new generation of heroes who all have to fight against Kang the Conqueror in the multiverse saga. As a result, these TV series have also become important content.
The MCU's TV drama plans for 2024 are just as strong. The year will kick off with Echo, a revenge-filled TV series and Marvel Studios' first TV-MA TV series. This was followed by Agatha: The Dark Diaries, a spin-off of Wanda and Vision that featured Agatha Harkness, played by Kathryn Hahn. If all goes well, fans can also expect to see the return of Matt Murdoch from Daredevil: Reborn in late 2024. In addition to the live-action series, there is also new animated content such as X-Men 97 and Spider-Man: Freshman.
With theatrical content scarce, fans will turn to Disney+** for these shows. Marvel Studios sees 2024 as an opportunity to make Disney+ a streaming hub for MCUs, taking advantage of the lack of theatrical content to promote TV series. With the addition of new viewers, MCU TV will get a huge boost. However, whether these shows attract sustained attention depends on their quality.
Give hope for the future
2024 could be the quietest year in the history of DCU and MCU films. During the year, Marvel Studios only had one movie released in theaters. Similarly, DC will only have one live-action movie next year, namely Joker: Double starring Joaquin Phoenix. The year will be a respite for fans as the series transitions from the DC Extended Universe to the DC Universe dominated by James Gunn, which will begin with Superman: Legacy in 2025.
The scarcity of superhero movies may alleviate the negative emotions surrounding the genre. Superhero movies have underperformed at the box office over the past few months, leading many to believe that audiences may be suffering from superhero movie fatigue. This fatigue can be caused by too much superhero content that viewers need to digest. Due to the lack of new movies, the idea of superhero fatigue should dissipate somewhat.
Ultimately, 2024 could be a dull year for superhero movies. At the same time, 2025 will also be the year that many are looking forward to, as it will be when a series of highly anticipated blockbusters such as Superman: Legacy, The New Batman 2, Blade and Fantastic Four will be released. Overall, while 2024 may be a lackluster year for MCUs, the future of the series looks more promising than ever.