2021 has the makings of a milestone year for the Marvel Cinematic Universe. WandaVision has already become the first MCU series to stream on Disney+, with many more slated to follow over the next ten months or so. There are also several Marvel Studios movies on the release calendar this year, including the ones that were delayed from their original 2020 release dates by the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. Add that all together and there could be new MCU releases every week (or close to it) through to the end of 2021.
A Reddit user has provided a visualization of what the MCU's full schedule might look like this year, based on Marvel Studios' current release plans. As illustrated by their breakdown, there could be a new episode of an MCU series on Disney+ for as many as 38 weeks this year, between WandaVision, The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, Loki, Marvel's What If...?, Ms. Marvel and Hawkeye. The remaining weeks would be covered by the films Black Widow, Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings and Eternals, with "Making Of" episodes on Disney+ forming a buffer between shows and movies.
Obviously, there are some caveats to this. The biggest one concerns the MCU's film slate for 2021, which is highly subject to change and will depend greatly on how the distribution of the coronavirus vaccine goes over the next few months. Similarly, unless Disney decides to give Black Widow a simultaneous release on Disney+ and theaters, the odds aren't in favor of it sticking to its current May release date. Then again, even if it does move, Marvel Studios could merely elect to bump up Loki and Marvel's What If...? while pushing Black Widow and Shang-Chi back to later this year, without moving anything else.
Clearly, there's some wiggle room for the MCU to change its Phase 4 release slate without creating continuity issues. WandaVision was initially supposed to come out after The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, yet in many ways, it's worked better as the first installment in Phase 4. Similarly, because Black Widow takes place before the other Phase 4 MCU movies and TV shows, it shouldn't be a problem if it comes out after Loki. What's more, Loki, Marvel's What If...?, Ms. Marvel and Hawkeye have yet to receive concrete release dates, so Marvel is more or less playing things by ear right now anyway.
The Reddit breakdown also leaves out the untitled Spider-Man 3, which is currently the final MCU film scheduled to open this year. Of course, it's tricky to say how that sequel will be impacted by the rest of the MCU lineup this year, given that it's a Sony movie. It's expected the general public will have achieved herd immunity against the coronavirus well before Spider-Man 3's December 17 release date, so if the film does move, it should be to accommodate Disney and Marvel Studios.
Whichever way things shake out, it appears viewers won't have to wait long between new MCU releases this year. While franchise fatigue is more of a real concern than it's been in the past, with so many MCU titles coming out in a single year, the schedule laid out here would make it easier for audiences to keep up on the latest happenings without feeling overwhelmed. Besides, as evidenced by the discussions around WandaVision, people seem to be enjoying having new MCU storytelling to dissect and analyze each week.