In a continuation of its recent pattern of delays and schedule changes, the MCU removed another 2023 show from its slate for the year.
In the summer of 2022, Marvel's Phase 5 slate had a whopping seven Disney+ shows set for 2023 — Secret Invasion, the second season of What If...?, Echo, Loki Season 2, Ironheart, Agatha: Coven of Chaos (now renamed to Agatha: Darkhold Diaries), and the first season of X-Men '97.
By September, fans have only actually seen one of those projects, Secret Invasion, and between reported internal changes at Marvel and the ongoing Hollywood strikes, the rest of the year has not looked very promising.
Slated Phase 5 Marvel Show Removed
Sharing in the delays of all upcoming 2023 Marvel projects aside from Loki Season 2 and What If...? Season 2, Ironheart is no longer slated for a 2023 release within the studios' Phase 5 lineup, according to The Hollywood Reporter (THR).
THR explained that while the series "finished shooting," its "completion is affected by the strikes."
This delay is not necessarily surprising for fans, given Ironheart was excluded from the spring announcements of when to expect Loki's second season and all of Echo in 2023. The latter of those two has since been pushed to January 2024, according to THR and other reports.
THR reported that Ironheart "is now off the schedule," despite it having originally been set to "drop ... this fall."
When Could Ironheart Actually Release?
THR was not able to give a clear answer about Ironheart's new release window, as well as those of other projects such as Daredevil: Born Again and Wonder Man, writing, "It is unclear where on the calendar the three series will end up."
Given Echo's reported shift to January, not only are it and the three remaining shows from the 2023 slate moving too, but so must all of the releases originally set for 2024.
With the second seasons of Loki and What If...? still releasing in 2023, that means 2024 would either need to see delays into 2025, or manage to fit in all of the following Phase 5 shows:
- Echo (reportedly set for "January 2024")
- X-Men '97 (reportedly set for "early 2024")
- Agatha: Darkhold Diaries (reportedly set for "fall 2024")
- Ironheart (no currently known release window)
- Daredevil: Born Again (no currently known release window)
- Wonder Man (no currently known release window)
With strikes causing delays in all areas of production, and the original 2023/2024 release slate already being ambitious to begin with, it is likely that these shows will continue to be spread out over the coming months.
Ironheart currently has no set release window, with the next Marvel Disney+ series being Loki's second season, which premiers in October.
Gillian Blum has been a writer at The Direct since 2022, reporting primarily from New York City. Though she covers news from across the entertainment industry, Gillian has a particular focus on Marvel and DC, including comics, movies, and television shows. She also commonly reports on Percy Jackson, Invincible, and other similar franchises.
