Marvel's original time table for its superhero films, while ambitious, was probably also a little unrealistic.  They've now adjusted that time table for something a little more grounded although still impressive. 

First, only "Iron Man" will dominate next summer as "Thor" has been moved back a full year to June 17, 2011.  Second, "The Avengers" has also moved a almost a full year, going from July 15, 2011 to May 4, 2012 (mark your calendars).  "The First Avenger: Captain America" has also fallen back slightly but only from May 6, 2011 to July 22, 2011. 

Marvel has also plugged in a release date for the fourth "Spider-Man" movie: May 6, 2011.  Again, Marvel is looking for total domination of the summer of 2011.  Then again, like their previous set of release dates, this may be nothing more than a wish list for Marvel.  While I think "Thor" could easily make its target date, we have nothing truly substantial when it comes to another "Spider-Man" movie or "Captain America".  No directors, no stars, and in this economy, is there even the financing?  As always, I admire Marvel's ambition and drive to make these movies happen, but I don't think this is the last time we'll be seeing these release dates shift substantially.

Once again, here's the current schedule of Marvel's release dates for its big superhero movies:

Iron Man 2: May 7th, 2010

Thor: June 17th, 2011