Don't be expecting this Marvel show on Disney Plus anytime soon; fans perplexed

Marvel Studios is continuing to make some major adjustments after 2023 proved to be a lackluster year for Hollywood's heavyweight franchise. The Marvel Cinematic Universe experienced some losses when two of its three theatrical releases underperformed and it achieved a rare critical disaster in Disney Plus series Secret Invasion, which was widely criticized. Disney's Bob Iger and Kevin Feige have now placed more of a focus on quality over quantity going forward, and that has allowed the franchise to find the beginnings of a footing once again.

With less content coming out on a yearly basis, that has resulted in a number of unanticipated delays for some upcoming projects. Agatha All Along is the perfect example of that, as it was initially intended for release last year before it was moved to fall this year. But it has a release date, and that's a good thing. The same can't be said for a different show, and that's a bit frustrating for fans who were ready for it years ago.

Ironheart delayed to 2025

During Disney's Upfronts events, it was confirmed that upcoming Marvel Television series Ironheart would premiere on Disney Plus in 2025. This is generally good news as it confirms that the show is still happening, but it is a bit disappointing for fans who had been waiting for it for some time now. It's also a bit eyebrow-raising considering that it filmed in 2022. Reshoots did take place this year, but its 2025 release date is still much further away than we were all initially expecting.

The series stars Dominique Thorne, who reprises her role as Riri Williams (a.k.a. Ironheart) from Black Panther: Wakanda Forever. She played a significant role in that movie, living up to her comic book counterpart's reputation as a young woman capable of designing a suit of armor that could rival Tony Stark's iconic Iron Man suit.

That movie was released in movie theaters in 2022 and Ironheart was expected to come after that in 2023. When that didn't happen, we all assumed that it be released in 2024 instead, but with it having been taken off the calendar indefinitely, fears about its future began to materialize. The fact that it has now been put back on the calendar is great news, but the 2025 release is still a little shocking.

It won't be early 2025 either, as Daredevil: Born Again will stream on the service in March of next year, which means that the earliest we should expect Ironheart is next summer.

A sign of Marvel's strategy shift

Now that we know Ironheart underwent reshoots earlier this year, that explains why it wasn't released in 2023. What it doesn't explain is why it won't be released at some point throughout the year instead of being held until at least a year from now. The answer to that conundrum lies in the change to Marvel's new "less-is-more" release strategy.

Disney CEO Bob Iger recently revealed that Marvel Studios will release no more than two or three movies and two or three Disney Plus shows per year (at the very most). That not only gives them time to focus on one title at a time, it ensures that the MCU isn't oversaturated with too many titles in the one calendar year. And that's already clear this year, because (reshoots aside) Ironheart's delay can simply be explained by the fact that Marvel has already released MCU series Echo, animated series X-Men '97 and has Agatha All Along coming out in September. The three shows for this year have been decided.

It's definitely a shift that fans are still getting used to. While it will no doubt benefit the MCU as a whole long-term, it's certainly a different look for the franchise that released five Disney Plus shows in 2021 (along with three movies). But less is more indeed, and with rumors of some classic MCU shows getting unexpected renewals, Marvel Television could continue to produce some wonderful shows; they'll just be a bit more spread out than before.

There's also the fact that Ironheart is back on the release calendar to celebrate. When Marvel took it off its schedule, fans grew quite concerned for it, as that was an unusual practice for a show that had already been filmed. The fact that the studio actually addressed it during Upfronts has put all of those concerns to bed. Finally, Ironheart is back on the horizon... even if it is very far off in it.