'It changed our release plan': Ironheart producers explain why it's taken so long to come out on Disney+ – and what the deal is with the Marvel TV show's unusual release schedule

• Two Ironheart producers have answered big questions about its impending launch
• Marvel fans have wondered why it's taken so long to be released on Disney+
• MCU devotees also want to know what's up with its unusual release structure

Ironheart's creative team has lifted the lid on the Marvel TV show's long-overdue release.

Speaking to TechRadar ahead of its Disney+ debut, producer Zoie Nagelhout admitted the 2023 Hollywood strikes were the primary reason behind its launch delay.

Initially conceived as a movie in mid-2018, Marvel announced that Ironheart had been reimagined as a TV Original in December 2020. However, despite principal photography wrapping in November 2022, it's taken two and a half years for the final Marvel Phase 5 TV series to see the light of day. Indeed, Marvel only confirmed Ironheart's official release dates (June 24 and 25, depending on where you live) last October when the comic giant announced its 2025 Disney+ TV show line-up.

Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) fans will point out, though, that the 2023 strikes mainly focused on labor disputes between actors and writers, and the Alliance of Motion Pictures and Television Producers. If these individuals had completed work on Ironheart prior to the industrial action, and the series' post-production phase was all that was left to finish, why wasn't it released sooner?

"As it did for so many shows and films, the strikes changed our release plan," Nagelhout told me when I put that question to her and fellow producer Sev Ohanian. "As you can imagine, we [Marvel Studios] have a plethora of content that's always coming out, and we want to make sure each piece gets its day. We don't want them to compete with each other.

"So, whether that's Thunderbolts* coming out in theaters [in early May] or Daredevil: Born Again coming out [on Disney+ in early March}, it's about making sure each project has its moment to shine and gets the attention of fans. This ended up being when Ironheart could have its window. It's been locked and ready to go for two years, and we're just so excited it's finally here."

That answers one major question, but what about the show's unique release format? When Ironheart's first trailer arrived in mid-May, it also revealed it would launch with a three-episode premiere. Then, just one week ahead of launch, Marvel confirmed my biggest fear about Ironheart when it announced its final three episodes would drop simultaneously on the same day. You can read more about when they'll arrive in my Ironheart release schedule article.

When I asked Nagelhout and Ohanian if there's a specific reason behind the show's unusual release format, the latter replied: "Those decisions are above our pay grade, but I think it's just about how Marvel and Disney distribute content.

"What I will say that's exciting about it is the third episode ends with a major cliffhanger that's also an evolution of our [Marvel's] storytelling," Ohanian added. "I love the fact that there's a week between these three-episode releases. If people want to binge watch them, they get to do so and then the wait isn't long for the next batch to drop, so I think it'll make for a good viewing experience."

Want the complete lowdown on the last MCU live-action show of 2025? Read my dedicated Ironheart guide. Alternatively, read the section below for more Ironheart-based coverage.

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