In light of the Coronavirus pandemic, many film and television releases have been postponed. The Marvel universe has followed this trend, with its timeline of phase four releases being pushed back multiple months. 

The blockbuster meant to begin the summer movie season, Black Widow, has caused a ripple effect in the release dates of the Disney superhero films set to follow. The Scarlett Johansson film’s May 1 release date was pushed to November 6, taking the spot of Marvel’s The Eternals. 

While some Marvel fans have called for the long-anticipated Black Widow to be released on the streaming service Disney Plus instead, the company has made changes to allow all upcoming Marvel films their intended theater releases. “To avoid catastrophic losses to the studios, these titles must have the fullest possible theatrical release around the world,” read a statement from the National Association of Theater Owners.

Marvel Studios movies are in a rare situation in that they are meant to be watched in a specific order, meaning if one release date is shifted, the rest of the franchise is required to follow suit. Postponing Black Widow has caused five additional release dates to be changed. The Eternals is now set to release on February 12, 2021, a date previously held by Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Rings, which will now premiere on May 7, 2021. The Doctor Strange sequel has been moved to November 5, 2021, causing Thor: Love and Thunder to claim a new release date of February 18, 2022. Black Panther 2’s release date will remain May 6, 2022, and the sequel to Captain Marvel has been moved up to July 8, 2022.