We became used to release date changes during the pandemic, but Marvel Studios has just confirmed another alteration to its Phase 4 slate. For reasons which haven't yet been made clear, the decision has been made for The Marvels and Ant-Man and The Wasp: Quantumania to swap release dates.
Now, the Ant-Man threequel moves from July 28, 2023 to February 17, 2023, while the Captain Marvel sequel shifts from February 17, 2023 to July 28, 2023. Simple enough to understand, right?
Deadline has shared some insights into the swap, explaining "Both films are moving along very nicely, we hear, but Ant-Man is further along in the production process and it was a simple decision by the studio to swap the release dates." While that's by no means an official reason, it's one that does make sense. However, we can't help but wonder if Kang the Conqueror might be to blame.
Tom Hiddleston recently revealed that Loki season 2 begins shooting in 6 weeks, putting it on track for a 2023 debut. By bringing Ant-Man and The Wasp: Quantumania forward, we'll be able to spend some time with Kang there before visiting a timeline where one of the villain's Variants rules over the TVA.
With that in mind, don't be surprised if the plan is for Loki to return sometime before next July.
Both movies are incredibly exciting, though, and it is a shame we'll have to wait that little bit longer before seeing Captain Marvel, Spectrum, and Ms. Marvel team-up on screen for the first time. You have to believe there's a chance this release date change will impact when we see Secret Invasion as well, though it always seemed unlikely that it would premiere prior to The Marvel's original release.
Stay tuned for updates!
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