The multiverse is a shifting and unpredictable concept, and movies about it are no exception. Avengers: Secret Wars, the grand finale to the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s current “Multiverse Saga,” has been delayed six months, from Nov. 7, 2025, to May 1, 2026.
The news comes thanks to a new round of schedule shuffling done by Marvel’s parent company Disney, which delayed Secret Wars in addition to the third Deadpool movie, (moving from Sept. 6, 2024 to Nov. 8, 2024), Fantastic Four (moving from Nov. 8, 2024 to Feb. 14, 2025) and Blade (which gets bumped from Nov. 3, 2023 to Sept. 6, 2024).
Blade is easily the most heavily impacted by the changes. The anticipated reboot was set to begin filming next month before production was halted on Tuesday. According to The Hollywood Reporter, Marvel has decided to take its time in the search for former director Bassim Tariq’s replacement, choosing to develop the movie further instead of keeping the production’s planned November start after Tariq’s departure two weeks ago. If Marvel’s plans suffer no further setbacks, Blade will likely begin production in “early 2023.”
It’ll be some time before we know what all this means for Marvel’s aggressive (and crowded) Phase 5 and Phase 6 plans, which together with intermediary Phase 4 that began with Black Widow and will conclude with next month’s Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, comprise the “Multiverse Saga.” Said plans are currently vague enough that right now the biggest takeaway is that fans will have to wait a bit longer before they see what some of the newest MCU players will look like onscreen. But it’s also worth remembering the biggest rule about the multiverse (and blockbuster moviemaking): The future isn’t set in stone.