On the heels of Disney's splashy Investor Day, the studio has firmed up its release calendar, announcing some high-profile Marvel moves that you may have missed in the deluge of news on Thursday.

As noted in last night's story regarding the identity of Christian Bale's villain, Thor: Love and Thunder is moving from Feb. 11, 2022 to May 6, 2022. That means Black Panther 2 has been delayed two months, from May 6 to July 8, 2022, thereby taking over the date that had been earmarked for Captain Marvel 2, which has been bumped from July 8 to Nov. 11, 2022 -- a four month delay.

Those three movies will comprise Marvel's theatrical slate in 2022, and while Disney is no doubt excited about this trio from a financial perspective, since superhero sequels typically perform well at the box office, there are plenty of reasons for fans to be excited from a creative perspective.

King T'Challa sitting on his throne in Black Panther.
Image via Marvel Studios

First and foremost, Black Panther 2 will address the fallout from the loss of King T'Challa, who will not be recast following the death of Chadwick Boseman, according to Marvel's Kevin Feige. Will Letitia Wright's character Shuri receive more screen time to fill the void, or does director Ryan Coogler have something else up his sleeve?

Meanwhile, with Tom Hiddleston's Loki getting his own Disney+ show (click here to watch the trailer), Thor: Love and Thunder will introduce a new villain played by Oscar winner Bale, and the sequel will also bring back Natalie Portman's Jane Foster, who will be given plenty to do in this film. Not only will she battle breast cancer, but I'm sure she'll also battle someone or something once she becomes Thor herself.

captain-marvel-brie-larson-social-featured
Image via Disney

Finally, the Captain Marvel movie was a bit of a mixed bag, so the sequel has recruited Iman Vellani's Ms. Marvel, who will fight alongside Brie Larson's Carol Danvers. Also, unlike Black Panther 2 and Thor: Love and Thunder, the Captain Marvel sequel has a new director in Candyman helmer Nia DaCosta, whom I expect will elevate this franchise.

With the theatrical calendar being what it is right now (i.e. totally unpredictable), there are no other movies slated to open against either Thor: Love and Thunder or Black Panther 2, though Captain Marvel 2 will now open against Spellbound, an animated movie from Paramount that is now doomed until it moves elsewhere.

For a look at the new WandaVision trailer, click here, and be sure not to miss the explosive first trailer for The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, which you can watch right here.