The main highlight of the scheduling shakeup announced by the Mouse House is Avengers: Secret Wars, which will mark the end of Phase Six. Here’s the full list of all the films that were delayed and their new dates:
Chevalier: April 27, 2023 A Haunting in Venice: September 15, 2023 Blade: September 6, 2024 (from November 3, 2023) Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes: May 24, 2024 Untitled Deadpool Movie: November 8, 2024 (from September 6, 2024) Fantastic Four: February 14, 2024 (from November 8, 2024) Untitled Marvel Movie: November 7, 2025 (from February 14, 2025) Avengers: Secret Wars: May 1, 2026 (from November 7, 2025) Untitled Marvel Movie: Completely removed from the schedule (from May 1, 2026)
The delay is quite drastic, to say the least. But, perhaps this is the impact that a huge project like Blade has on the rest of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Deadpool 3, in particular, had to make the biggest adjustment. Instead of premiering two years from now, Ryan Reynolds and Hugh Jackman will have to delay their MCU debuts to one year later as Blade will now take its place. This assumes that Marvel Studios can find a new director and resume production as soon as possible. We’re still curious why Marvel decided to include Avengers: Secret Wars though. Most likely, Kevin Feige is just playing it safe. Having said that, it’s no use worrying about the finer details of the future of the MCU when we’re still in Phase 4 while the rest of Phase 5 remains largely unaffected. The next MCU movie, Wakanda Forever, will close the chapter on Phase 4 and introduce the mutants into the fold with the arrival of Namor. The Black Panther sequel will premiere on November 11.