- Eyes of Wakanda is set to make its Disney+ debut earlier than expected
- Marvel's next animated TV series will be released on August 1
- The Black Panther anthology spin-off show was originally due out on August 27
Marvel is reportedly set to release Eyes of Wakanda, the comic titan's next animated TV show, almost one month earlier than we anticipated.
The four-part anthology series was originally due out on Disney+ on August 27. However, according to Entertainment Weekly (EW), the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) project's launch date has been brought forward to August 1. All four episodes will arrive on the same date and, unlike other Marvel animated projects, are officially canon in the MCU – i.e., they sit on the so-called Sacred Timeline.
I've reached out to Marvel and Disney for official confirmation on EW's report, and I'll update this article if I hear back.
Billed as a Black Panther spin-off, Eyes of Wakanda will explore the fictional, technologically advanced African nation's history in more detail across four time periods.
Indeed, each episode will each feature a different protagonist who are members of the Hatut Zaraze. This collection of highly-trained Wakanda warriors-cum-spies will carry out dangerous missions to retrieve stolen Wakandan artifacts and vibranium-based weaponry.
The miniseries, which is helmed and created by showrunner Todd Harris, was developed in part by Ryan Coogler – the latter being the writer-director of 2019's Oscar-nominated film Black Panther and its 2022 sequel Black Panther: Wakanda Forever. Coogler was also an executive producer on recent Disney+ live-action show Ironheart and is in the early stages of developing Black Panther 3.
Opinion: Eyes of Wakanda's new release date might not be to its betterment
It's rare to see Marvel Studios move up the release date of one of its films or TV show. More often than not, the comic giant has pushed back projects due to reasons outside of its control – the Covid-19 pandemic being a case in point – or due to production issues. Just look at the recent announcement concerning Avengers: Doomsday, which was originally set to land in theaters next May but whose release has been delayed to December 2026.
Nevertheless, I think releasing Eyes of Wakanda three weeks earlier isn't the smartest move. Its revised August 1 launch date means it'll arrive just seven days after The Fantastic Four: First Steps, the final MCU movie of 2025 and one of this year's most anticipated new movies, achieved lift-off in theaters. You can see what I thought of the aforementioned film by reading my review of The Fantastic Four: First Steps.
For a studio that usually likes to stagger the launch of its projects, it's bizarre to see Marvel release two in quick succession. It's even stranger when you consider that, even though they're available on different platforms, MCU devotees are far more likely to watch First Steps than Eyes of Wakanda.
Indeed, I suspect more fans will opt to see the latest attempt to give Marvel's First Family the big-screen adaptation they deserve than its small-screen counterpart. Compare the A-listers who are part of First Steps' cast against the talented yet less-well-known stars who'll voice characters in Eyes of Wakanda, and the allure of the former easily trumps the latter from a star power perspective, too.
This isn't an attempt to discredit Eyes of Wakanda, by the way. I'm sure it'll be one of the best Disney+ shows of the year and, if it is, its positive word of mouth will turn people onto the fact that it's already out on one of the world's best streaming services.
That said, when I think back to interviews with Marvel actors, directors, and producers during my time at TechRadar, one thing is always abundantly clear: Marvel likes to give each project room to breathe. The company doesn't subscribe to the notion of cannibalizing one production's viewership or box office takings in favor of another.
That begs two questions, then: Why release Eyes of Wakanda just one week after First Steps? And, considering there'll be no Marvel films or TV series until Marvel Zombies arrives in early October, wouldn't it have been best to stick with Eyes of Wakanda's initial August 27 release date?
I doubt I'll ever get definitive answers to the above – Marvel Studios is a notoriously secretive company, after all. Still, regardless of whether Eyes of Wakanda is good or not, it deserves better than being dumped on Disney+ when one of Marvel's most anticipated films has just landed in theaters.
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