Blade and Deadpool 3 will close out Phase 5 of the MCU

When Deadpool 3 was revealed, it had an original release date of September 6, 2023. Fans were ecstatic to finally see both Deadpool and Wolverine make their MCU debut.

A week later, it was announced that there will be a shift in the schedule with Deadpool 3 being pushed back to November 8, 2024. The reason for the shift was that Blade encountered problems with production and had to be delayed by several months.

Blade was supposed to premiere on November 3 but it was delayed after losing its director, who reportedly departed the project after "continued shifts in the production schedule."

The Mahershala Ali-led Blade reboot was rescheduled to September 6, 2024, effectively taking over Deadpool 3's slot. As such, the third Deadpool movie will be capping off Phase 5 with Fantastic Four being moved to 2025 to start Phase 6.

Some movies within the continuity are very important to the greater story while others aren't as impactful. A good example is how Captain America: Civil War set up the events of Avengers: Infinity Wars and End Game.

Similarly, Deadpool 3 will reportedly be influential as it sets in motion the multiversal events leading to Avengers: Kang Dynasty and Secret Wars. There are rumors that the story of Deadpool 3 will make the greater MCU aware of the existence of the multiverse. So far, only Spider-Man, Loki, Doctor Strange, Scarlet Witch, America Chavez, and the Ant-Man family are aware of or have experienced the multiverse.

It would be fitting for Deadpool 3 to end Phase 5 given that Wade Wilson's time-traveling antics will reportedly set off the Nexus events that will crack open the multiverse and lead to the variants of Kang invading Earth-616.