Major changes are currently taking place at Marvel Studios. Disney CEO Bob Iger was the first to decide that Disney+ needed to be shored up with an endless supply of Marvel and Star Wars content, but his replacement, Bob Chapek, took that ball and ran with it...and then kept running.
As a result, the MCU has found itself dealing with quantity over quality issues. VFX has suffered and, more importantly, so has storytelling quality. Now, the returning Iger is setting out to get Marvel Studios back on the right track.
Thus far, that's entailed reducing the number of movies and TV shows we get, hence why 2024 will likely see the release of only Deadpool 3, Echo, and Agatha (X-Men '97 will probably be the only animated project we get, while Ironheart has slipped into 2025 despite shooting wrapping up last year).
The Multiverse Saga has featured the release of multiple big and small screen projects over the course of a calendar year, leading to there being perhaps too much of a good thing. We even had a couple of "Special Presentations" in 2022, though it appears their days are now numbered.
According to scooper Daniel Richtman, the plan is to shelve them after Werewolf by Night and The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special both underperformed on Disney+.
Despite the latter being a star-studded "inbetweenquel" set between Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 and Vol. 3, we're not surprised to hear this as the marketing campaigns for both felt last-minute and largely underwhelmed.
Where does this lead The Witches' Road "Special" expected to follow Agatha? All we know right now is it will be "handled differently," suggesting it could be folded into that series or perhaps released in another format.
The disappointing part of this news, of course, is that we were expecting "Special Presentations" which would revolve around characters like Nova and Silver Surfer. Instead, it seems Marvel Studios will find other ways to introduce those characters (they are, after all, better suited to the big screen).
Ultimately, releasing near-feature-length specials like these on streaming leads to no real financial benefit for Disney+; while fans certainly had a good time with the stellar Werewolf by Night, it's not as if the obscure character would have led to a significant surge in all-important subscriber numbers!
What do you think bout this latest change for the MCU? As always, let us know your thoughts in the comments section.