For all the efforts that Disney+ has made when it comes to producing and releasing new Marvel and Star Wars content, the one area where the company has sorely dropped the ball is in the home entertainment field, where execs have pointedly avoided Blu-ray and DVD releases, in part to drive up the number of Disney+ subscriptions. That era has thankfully come to an end at last — albeit not until “the era of streaming platforms erasing their own original content” — as audiences will at last be able to own physical copies of such breakout hits as WandaVision, Loki, and The Mandalorian for the first time.
Okay, so DVD-specific enthusiasts are still out of luck here, as the three shows listed above will be getting Collector’s Edition 4K UHD and Blu-ray Steelbook releases. Each set with come with all-new packaging and box art, obviously, since there weren’t any previous boxes involved, and will also feature a set of collectible concept art cards. Artist Attila Szarka is responsible for the snazzy designs for each set.
The first set up for release is Loki: The Complete First Season, which will hit stores on September 26, just in time for fans to catch up before Season 2 hits streaming on October 6. Here’s a rundown of what’s included on the set:
- All 6 Season 1 episodes on 2 discs.
- Designing the TVA – Production Designer Kasra Farahani, and Tom Hiddleston break down all the massive and eye-popping sets from Season 1 while also giving fans a Season 2 sneak peek.
- The Official TVA Orientation Video – Wondering how the TVA timeline works? Clock in and give Miss Minutes' orientation video a watch.
- Gag Reel – You know Loki's stars had a good time filming Season 1, and this gag reel offers up some of the moments where they just couldn't hold in the laughs.
- Deleted Scenes: One features Loki holding Sylvie hostage in a standoff, and one involves another quick appearance from Frog Thor!
- Assembled: The Making of Loki – A closer look at the general production that became the first season of Loki.
Disney will be releasing more information about the other sets closer to their releases, but at least we do already know when to expect WandaVision's full series drop, as well as the first two seasons of The Mandalorian. Check out all the confirmed dates below:
- Marvel Studios' Loki: The Complete First Season - September 26, 2023
- Marvel Studios’ WandaVision: The Complete Series - November 28, 2023
- Star Wars The Mandalorian: The Complete First Season - December 12, 2023
- Star Wars The Mandalorian: The Complete Second Season - December 12, 2023
For those who either can't wait until the respective release dates, or are worried about forgetting them in the meantime, all four Steelbooks will be available for pre-order starting on August 28, so no worries about those being staggered out.
Loki's Blu-ray release makes sense timing-wise, given that its highly anticipated second season is the next big release on the streaming service's schedule, with the ongoing industry strikes making the more distant future a bit more uncertain. That said, the news of physical releases is still rather unexpected at this point in the platform's lifetime, especially since it includes the very first MCU series in WandaVision, and the first live-action Star Wars series in The Mandalorian.
The glass-half-full way to look at this: Disney is starting from the beginning, so that likely means a full list of MCU and Star Wars streaming series are set for physical releases, from Ms. Marvel to Ahsoka (eventually). It's baffling that there aren't 4K versions of all these releases already out there.
The glass-half-empty way to look at this: Disney is starting to release physical copies of its streaming shows so that it can start clipping more of them out of the library of original content, in order to save money in the long run. The service deleted quite a few original series earlier this year that weren't tethered to MCU continuity or galaxies far, far away (at least not scripted ones), but that doesn't guarantee Marvel and Star Wars' placement for all times.
For now, let's just remain hopeful that all will be well, and that Tom Hiddleston's Loki will make the timeline so that no streaming services ever needed to get rid of shows for financial purposes, and so that everyone in the industry gets paid well enough to have avoided the WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes in the first place.
