Since its debut in November 2019, Disney+ has been rising up the ranks in the world of streaming services as the home of everything new for Disney fans, including for both Marvel and Star Wars. This is particularly the case with new original content for the two franchises, in which new episodes have premiered on Friday for most of the past two years.
Star Wars kicked off this trend from the start with The Mandalorian, and Marvel Studios has followed suit in 2021 with Friday releases for WandaVision and The Falcon and the Winter Soldier. However, now that the two juggernauts both have new weekly content for the streaming service, fans have wondered if there will be any conflict when they debut new episodes during the same timeframe.
Well, Disney appears to have remedied that thanks to an announcement from an MCU fan favorite...
A NEW DAY FOR MARVEL DISNEY+
Disney+ officially announced on its Twitter page that Marvel Studios' Loki will now premiere on Wednesdays instead of Fridays. This marks a significant change for Disney+, as all the streamer's major releases thus far, including The Mandalorian, WandaVision, and The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, debuted their episodes on Fridays.
The new release schedule will mean that the show's first episode will now debut on June 9 instead of June 11.
Leading actor Tom Hiddleston sent the following message out to fans in the accompanying video:
"Uh..hi! Hi, hello, it’s me, it’s Tom.
Look, i’m sorry to interrupt, it’s just, I um…I’ve noticed that in these long superhero montages, Loki tends to get…to be left out, even though arguably he can be heroic himself. Cunning, charming, I could go on, but maybe, why don’t I just prove it to you?
Wednesdays are the new Fridays."
The full video with the announcement can be seen below:
Wednesdays are the new Fridays 🗓 Mark your calendars for new episodes of @MarvelStudios' #Loki, streaming Wednesdays starting June 9 on #DisneyPlus. pic.twitter.com/cex73odZEl
The show's head writer Michael Waldron responded to the news with the one-word caption "Nice":
Nice https://t.co/bmrM7KCvOo
Director Kate Waldron shared the Tweet along with the caption "Wednesdays are the new Fridays because what is a week anymore":
Wednesdays are the new Fridays because what is a week anymore. @LokiOfficial now arriving June 9th on @disneyplus 💚💚💚 #loki #LokiSeries pic.twitter.com/lJQcuC79YV
NO DUELS FOR STAR WARS AND MARVEL
While this is certainly a new direction for Marvel Studios, it makes a great deal of sense from a strategic release perspective.
Friday debuts are currently held down by The Bad Batch within the Star Wars universe, which will be the case for nearly four months with 15 more episodes coming on Friday nights. It's clear that Disney wants to make sure that Loki gets the opportunity to shine as the premiere show on its own night, especially considering how wildly popular both franchises are.
This means that the God of Mischief's run will end on July 14 while The Bad Batch continues until August 6.
Something to pay close attention to will be what Marvel decides to do once The Bad Batch ends with three more MCU Disney+ series coming later in the year in What If...?, Ms. Marvel, and Hawkeye. This also keeps away a conflict for Loki and Black Widow, which will be coming on Friday, July 9 as the franchise's first Phase 4 blockbuster movie.
Disney will be keeping a sharp eye on what sort of impact this Wednesday weekly release has on viewing numbers for the MCU's third Disney+ exclusive. Its predecessors have two of the top three most-watched premieres in Disney+ history, and that was without starring a character who's been a fan-favorite for literally a decade.
Loki will now look forward to its Disney+ debut on June 9, 2021.
