Marvel Has "Official" Release Date for Troubled Project

As Marvel struggles to overcome a disappointing year and dozens of delayed projects, it seems as though its next installment has gotten an official release date.

Marvel has been experiencing a rough few years. Although Black Panther: Wakanda Forever (2022) and Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 (2023) were well received by fans, most of the other releases over the last two years have been panned by fans and critics to like. Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania (2023) became Marvel’s biggest theatrical box-office failure earlier this year, which was soon followed by the release of Secret Invasion on Disney+, which became one of Disney+’s biggest failures.

This was also in the midst of complaints about quality and quantity from the studio, as VFX workers revealed the alleged working conditions experienced over the last couple of years. The CEO of Disney, Bob Iger, also commented that Marvel was doing too much too quickly and that they had no business getting into television in the first place.

These comments from Iger shocked fans and forced Marvel to announce several delays for their upcoming projects in an effort to slow down production. Unfortunately, this was further exacerbated by the writers’ and actors’ Hollywood strikes, which forced productions around the world to halt indefinitely.

Suddenly, the anticipated slate of Marvel releases was completely up in the air, even more so. Marvel had already been dealing with confusing release dates for other projects, including Secret Invasion earlier this year. The Samuel L. Jackson-led series was one of the most anticipated MCU series but became one of its biggest disappointments.

However, troubles started even before the show was released, with constant updates to its expected premiere date. The series was originally planned to be released in early 2023 before being bumped to “summer” and then just marked as “Coming Soon” before finally being given a June release.

The Marvels suffered a similar fate, being pushed from a summer to a November release, as well as Loki Season 2. Suffice to say, many of Marvel’s recent releases and upcoming projects are subject to change. Including the just announced date of another one of the MCU’s troubled projects.

Echo is a Disney+ spinoff of the Hawkeye series, featuring Alqua Cox reprising her role as Maya Lopez/Echo as well as Charlie Cox returning as Matt Murdock/Daredevil and Vincent D’Onofrio as Wilson Fisk/Kingpin. According to the summary on Disney+,

The origin story of “Echo” revisits Maya Lopez, whose ruthless behavior in New York City catches up with her in her hometown. She must face her past, reconnect with her Native American roots and embrace the meaning of family and community if she ever hopes to move forward. 

The series had wrapped filming and post-production well before the strikes started back in May. Originally, the show was slated to premiere on November 29, 2023, releasing all six episodes at once. It was first rumored that the show had been delayed back in August, although no reason was given.

According to The Direct, it seems as though Echo has been given another “official” release date, with an expected premiere on January 10, 2024, according to the US Copyright Catalog. With most of Marvel’s other major projects, including Agatha: The Darkhold Diaries and Deadpool 3, unable to resume production until the actors’ strike has been resolved, the studio needs to spread its releases out as much as possible.

With Loki and The Marvels the only other two MCU releases coming this year, and the 2024 schedule completely pushed back, it’s unclear what, if anything, Marvel has ready to be released to tide fans over. Hopefully, Echo will meet its projected date, although it hasn’t yet been confirmed by Marvel or Disney.

Are you excited to see Echo? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below!