We knew this day was coming, but now it's finally here, or very nearly anyway. Netflix, the streaming service that, through its deal with Disney, has been the home of the Marvel Cinematic Universe for the last several years, is now saying goodbye to its last film. Avengers:Infinity War was already slated to leave the service for Disney+ this week. And now, Netflix has revealed that the final MCU movie left on Netflix, Ant-Man and the Wasp, will be leaving on July 28.
According to Disney+, Ant-Man and the Wasp won't be arriving on that streaming service until August 14, which is a bit longer wait in between the two services than we're used to seeing, but still, that means that by mid August, just about a month and a half from now, nearly the entire Marvel Cinematic Universe will be able to be viewed on Disney+. The only missing movies will be The Incredible Hulk, Spider-Man: Homecoming, and Spider-Man: Far From Home, movies which Disney doesn't fully own the rights to.
Of course, Marvel fans who don't own Disney+ won't be entirely without content. There are, of course, the Marvel series that were made exclusively for Netflix, which will remain on the service. You can also still watch Marvel's Agents of SHIELD on Netflix, though that one will probably make the jump to Disney+ as well at some point down the road.
Disney+ isn't quite the exclusive home to all things MCU streaming wise yet, a few of the Phase 1 Marvel films, including Thor, Iron Man 2, and the first Avengers film are currently available to subscribers of Amazon Video as well.
The Marvel situation is a major part of an even larger problem that services like Netflix are having as more streaming services get launched and content owners keep a tighter grip on the content. While original movies and series are certainly a big part of why people subscribe to various services, having access to favorite shows and films is just as important, and the loss of movies like the MCU films certainly doesn't help Netflix in that battle.
Although, it was revealed last year that the existing deal between Netflix and Disney could see many Disney films, including these Marvel films, return to Netflix down the road. While it's going to be several years before this happens, and the deal could always be renegotiated between now and then, it's possible the story of Marvel and Netflix isn't quite over yet.
Disney+ became a major player in the streaming game from day one, and the addition of the last couple of Marvel movies only makes the service more powerful. And with the MCU's theatrical delay and Black Widow not even hitting theaters until November, where people can get their Marvel fix is all the more important.
