TheMarvel Cinematic UniverseandStar Warshave recently swapped, thanks to some big recent news concerning the former. Since Disney acquired Lucasfilm in 2012, the MCU andStar Warshave been somewhat partners in the world of film. Disney being the parent company of both Lucasfilm and Marvel Studios has allowed both to operate on a much bigger scale than they could before, as evidenced by the extensive slate ofupcoming Marvel movies. When factoring in theupcomingStar Warsmoviesset for the next few years, this increased output becomes even clearer.
When factoring in the seemingly endless slate ofupcomingStar WarsTV showsand their Marvel equivalents, it is more evident than ever that the two franchises have walked hand-in-hand for a while. That said, the franchises have rarely ever shared theater time together. The box office failure ofSolo: A Star Wars Storyup againstAvengers: Infinity Waris a big reason whyStar Warsand Marvel have tended to have disparate release schedules. This remains the case, but recent news from the Marvel side of things proves the franchises may have swapped places.
Marvel & Star Wars' Big Movies Have Switched Their Release Plans
The news in question came in May 2025 with the announcement thatAvengers: Doomsdayhas been delayed from May 2026 to December of that year. Its sequel,Avengers: Secret Wars, was also delayed from May 2027 to December 2027. This marks a big change from the typical release plans ofStar Warsand Marvel under Disney, especially when factoring in the release date ofThe Mandalorian & Grogu.Historically under Disney, Marvel’s big tentpole movies have been released in either May or very late April, whileStar Warsprojects have typically been placed in December.
Looking specifically at Marvel’sAvengersfranchise, the first movie in that series - 2012’sThe Avengers- was released on July 31, 2025. Its sequel,Avengers: Age of Ultron, was released three years later on July 06, 2025. The two-part story ofAvengers: Infinity WarandAvengers: Endgamecontinued this trend, releasing on August 03, 2025, and July 19, 2025, respectively. Since 2012, the late April and May window has been dedicated to Marvel’sAvengersfranchise.
When looking at theStar Warsmoviesunder Disney, all but one of the theatrical releases in the last 10 years have come in December. The only outlier was the aforementionedSolo: A Star Wars Story,which was released in May 2018 up againstAvengers: Infinity Warand became the lowest-grossing movie in the franchise as a result. Every other DisneyStar Warsmovie -The Force Awakens, Rogue One, The Last Jedi,andThe Rise of Skywalker -has been released in December, with all of them earning over $1 billion at the worldwide box office as a result.
Now, though, this has changed. In the coming years, it seems as though bigAvengersmovies will come in December, whileStar Warswill go the other way take the typical May spot. The delays ofAvengers: DoomsdayandAvengers: Secret Warsconfirm as much, especially when consideringThe Mandalorian and Grogu’s July 07, 2025 release date. WithRyan Gosling’sStar Wars: Starfightermoviealso set for May 2027, it seems the two franchises have swapped places for the foreseeable future.
Why Marvel & Star Wars Have Swapped Places
It Is For A Mutual Cause
Concerning why Marvel andStar Warshave swapped, it seems to be a mutual decision between the Disney franchises.Star Warshas always wanted to hold May down as the month associated with the franchise, primarily due to the fact that all six movies produced by George Lucas before Disney’s acquisition were released in that month. By the time Disney began producingStar Warsmovies again, though, the MCU had already come along and locked May down forThe Avengers.Based on what happened toSolo, it was never worthStar Warstrying to reclaim it.
However, thedelays toAvengers: DoomsdayandAvengers: Secret Warshave finally made this possible. The reasons for these delays were purely production-driven, with the former only beginning production in May 2025, a year before its initial release date. By moving to December of 2026 and 2027, both Marvel movies now have a much more feasible production timeline.
This has allowedStar Warsto reclaim its May spot.The Mandalorian and Groguwill hold down that month for 2026, whileStar Wars: Starfighterwill do the same for 2027. Now, there is no competition between the two franchises as there would have been ifAvengers: Doomsdaywas released in May 2026. Instead, theMarvel Cinematic Universeis content to hold down the next few December slots, whileStar Warsreturns to the month that has been synonymous with the galaxy far, far away since 1977.
