Marvel Studios offered a disappointing update for the MCU's upcoming sequel, The Marvels, while also starting the movie's promotional tour.
Captain Marvel 2 looks to take the spotlight as the final MCU movie of 2023, giving Brie Larson her long-awaited solo sequel after a couple of important cameos on the big screen and on Disney+ in Phase 4. But while Carol Danvers' story is already building up anticipation, the MCU as a whole is facing some concerns with the upcoming release schedule and a new round of delays.
A number of Phase 5 Disney+ shows were recently reported to be facing delays into 2024 as Marvel Studios looks to ensure that they arrive with the best level of quality possible. But even with those pushbacks, it's been months since any of the MCU's Phase 5 or Phase 6 movies dealt with similar delay issues.
Captain Marvel 2 Faces Another Delay
Marvel Studios and Disney announced that The Marvels will be delayed yet again, now releasing in theaters on November 10.
The sequel was originally set to release in theaters on February 17 before switching dates with Ant-Man and The Wasp: Quantumania, delaying its release until July 28.
At the same time, the studio shared the movie's first official poster, kickstarting Captain Marvel 2's promotional tour.
The poster features Brie Larson's Carol Danvers flying in the middle of the image in her full costume with Iman Vellani's Ms. Marvel on the ground and Teyonah Parris' Monica Rambeau flying above them both. The poster also includes the tagline "Higher. Further. Faster. Together," bringing the same feel as the original Captain Marvel after that movie used the tagline "Higher. Further. Faster."
Will This Delay Help Captain Marvel 2 Succeed?
The word "delay" is never something that fans of any franchise want to hear, especially considering how much content the MCU has pushed out over the last two years. But there are a couple of key factors that could be behind this decision, which only pushes Captain Marvel 2's release by about four months.
At the top of the list for fans is the concerns that have built regarding the general quality of MCU content, which has already kicked up again with the release of Ant-Man and The Wasp: Quantumania. This delay will give Marvel Studios a chance to hone in and make sure every last detail for Captain Marvel 2 is up to speed, particularly with two of the MCU's most exciting newcomers hitting the big screen in Ms. Marvel and Monica Rambeau.
Then there's the fact that this year as a whole boasts more huge movies across the Hollywood landscape than any year has seen in a while, with this summer being especially packed.
Within a three-week span from late June to late July, releases will be in place for Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny (June 30), Mission: Impossible - Dead Reckoning - Part 1 (July 14), Barbie (July 21), and Oppenheimer (July 21). Captain Marvel 2 would have had to go against all four of those movies at varying stages, with this new date only putting it in close proximity with Dune: Part 2 (November 3) and giving it a better chance to have its own time in the spotlight.
Lastly, even though Marvel will now go without a mid-summer release for the first time since 2016 (excluding 2020 due to COVID-19), it will help spread things out more evenly for the MCU in the long run.
This delay now put Captain Marvel 2 only six months ahead of Captain America: New World Order (May 3, 2024), shortening what would have been a nine-month delay in theatrical content.
That gap in content would have been the biggest since the start of Phase 4, even with at least one Disney+ show likely to premiere in the time between those movies. Now, while it will be a long wait for fans after Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 on May 5, it will give fans more time to decompress between all three movies while not having to wait too long for the next release.
Even though this delay will certainly be disappointing for Marvel fans as the Multiverse Saga expands into its second Phase, hopefully, it will be all for the better when all is said and done later this year. And with the movie's first poster now becoming public and highlighting Captain Marvel 2's exciting trio of heroines, there Marvel at least gives fans a little something new to use to build anticipation further.
The Marvels will now release in theaters on November 10.
