Disney+ Corrects Its MCU Black Widow/Black Panther Timeline Error

 Disney+ fixes a mistake in the chronological sequencing of the MCU films on its streaming service - and viewers have noticed.

Disney+ has just made a change to the Marvel Cinematic Universe's timeline on its streaming service.

Previously, the service's "Marvel Cinematic Universe in Timeline Order" option chronologically placed 2018's Black Panther prior to 2021's Black Widow. However, Disney+ has recently reversed the sequence of the two films and now placed Black Widow first.

Both movies take place in the aftermath of 2016's Captain America: Civil War, which saw the alliance of the MCU heroes fractured as its members found themselves on opposing sides of the Sokovia Accords, intended to regulate the activities of superpowered individuals. Both Natasha Romanoff/Black Widow and T'Challa/Black Panther allied themselves with Tony Stark/Iron Man, in support of the accords. Natasha, however, later switched sides in the film, subsequently finding herself on the run after the accords have become law.

While both stem from Civil War, the stories of Black Panther and Black Widow are largely independent of one another, and arguably could even take place concurrently. However, the juxtaposition of the two films in the MCU timeline by Disney+ implies an intended chronological order -- one that had apparently been shown incorrectly on the streaming service until recently.

The timeline sequence as currently seen on the streaming service begins with 2011's Captain America: The First Avenger -- taking place starting in 1941 -- and ends with the recent Hawkeye streaming series -- taking place five years after The Blip, in 2024. The MCU timeline is comprised of 27 films and five Disney+ original streaming shows

The chronological sequencing isn't exact, however, as not all the movies are fully contained within the time frame they're placed in. The epilogue to The First Avenger, for instance, features Steve Rogers/Captain America waking up in present day after decades in suspended animation. And the recent Eternals, while mostly taking place in the present, opens in 5000 BC.

Prior to Civil War, and with the exception of The First Avenger, the MCU timeline essentially paralleled the films' real-time release schedule. However, 2019's Captain Marvel took place in 1995, the events of the subsequent Avengers: Endgame jumped ahead five years, and the expansion of the MCU with the Disney+ streaming series have all made tracking what takes place when more of a challenge. The chronological ordering of the various entries on Disney+ can be interpreted as the definitive sequencing of the dozens of stories making up the continuity of the MCU.