Marvel Has Changed the 'Guardians of the Galaxy' Franchise and MCU Timeline

Marvel Studios has changed the Guardians of the Galaxy franchise, ultimately altering the MCU timeline.

Once The Walt Disney Company’s behemoth of certified winning content, Kevin Feige’s Marvel Cinematic Universe is deteriorating. Ever since Marvel Phase Four began, succeeding titles like Avengers: Endgame (2019) and Spider-Man: Far From Home (2019), the MCU has seemingly been on a downward spiral.

Bumped up by hits like Spider-Man: No Way Home (2021), Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness (2022), and Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 (2023), the MCU has not been the consistent blockbuster outlet as it once was. Sure, there has always been a varied performance across its titles, but the overall perception of the superhero franchise has never been more fragile.

Just this year, Marvel Studios received both its worst-rated movie and television series. Many expected Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania (2023) to start Phase Five with a bang, but it left a sour taste in fans’ mouths thanks to its messy script and muddy visual effects. Then, Secret Invasion — touted as an intricate spy-thriller — left audiences underwhelmed, even with the star talent of Samuel L. Jackson headlining proceedings.

According to many fans (and Disney CEO Bob Iger), Marvel’s TV output could have been more thoughtful, with a sense of quantity over quality being a recurring theme. And while the brakes may have been put on both theatrical and television, Marvel Studios’ next release is just around the corner.

Related: Kevin Feige Opens Up About Officially Changing MCU Timeline

Celebrated character, Groot, voiced by Vin Diesel in the MCU, got his own series last year, I Am Groot, and beginning in September, a sophomore outing will debut. This is just one of the spinoffs from the MCU and director James Gunn’s Guardians of the Galaxy trilogy. Ahead of Vol. 3‘s release in May, The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special (2022) became the second of Marvel’s Special Presentations.

While I Am Groot is often forgotten, lost amidst the Moon Knights and the Secret Invasions of the world, the second season of shorts has seemingly caused a shift in the Guardians of the Galaxy franchise and the MCU timeline as a whole.

Ahead of the second season, the Disney+ MCU timeline has been altered. Previously, the timeline featured one episode of I Am Groot between Guardians of the Galaxy (2014) and Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 (2017), and the rest between Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 and Avengers: Age of Ultron (2015). Now, per The Direct, it can be seen that the entirety of I Am Groot Season 1 has been moved to the latter timeframe.

This is only a small change but alters the Guardians of the Galaxy series nonetheless. The timeline is a sacred part of the Marvel Studios franchise, and as fans delve deeper into the Multiverse with The Multiverse Saga, it looks only to get more and more shifted around. I Am Groot is created, written, and directed by Kirsten Lapore.

Related: Marvel Confirms Tom Holland Spider-Man Change, Quietly Alters Everything About ‘No Way Home’

Next up for the MCU is Nia DaCosta’s The Marvels (2023), which will be the final movie to release this year. Next year will see Captain America: Brave New World (2024) and Thunderbolts (2024) take the big screen. As for Marvel TV, nothing has a release date yet, but fans can likely expect Ironheart, Agatha: Coven of Chaos, and Daredevil: Born Again.

As for further in the future, Phase Six will include the next Avengers two-parter, Avengers: The Kang Dynasty (2026) and Avengers: Secret Wars (2027).

Did you catch this MCU timeline change? Let Inside the Magic know in the comments down below!