Warning: SPOILERS follow for the entire season of The Falcon and the Winter Soldier.

With Black Widow, but had the projects been released in order, Black Widow would have enjoyed a theatrical release in May of 2020, and The Falcon and the Winter Soldier would have followed it in August of that year.

Re-shoots could have included a new cameo promoting one of the films - Captain America 4.

Related: Who Replaced Steve Rogers As Captain America In The Comics?

Having The Falcon and the Winter Soldier remain fairly self-contained within the cast necessary to the series allowed for a greater focus on unity of theme. Phase 1 cameos like Nick Fury appearing in hints to be the Power Broker, Sharon Carter is seen talking on the phone promising access to U.S. Government secrets and technologies. While it lacks the surprising twist that Nick Fury or Thor's hammer in a crater in the desert provided, it serves the same purpose – hinting at and establishing the groundwork for a subsequent film or series.

It would do a disservice to the Black Widow film to cameo Yelena Belova, even if the release dates had worked out as intended. The climax of The Falcon and the Winter Soldier focused on Sam Wilson's journey to becoming Captain America. While Bucky may have backstory ties to the Black Widow project in the comics, this would have drawn focus in an already tightly-paced series, unless more time was dedicated to Yelena's appearance. The hypothetical cameo would therefore be caught between a rock and a hard place: Either wedge in Yelena Belova to meet Bucky, but not allow her enough screen time to properly introduce the character, or disrupt the pacing of an already short series.

Although part of the MCU canon, both WandaVision and The Falcon and the Winter Soldier have existed a step apart from the conventions of the films. They haven't been afraid to make bold declarative statements about what's going on in the MCU, but they're also paced very differently, and with the apparent intent to allow people to enjoy the films even if they haven't seen the series. It's a difficult needle to thread, as bigger changes make the series more interesting and engaging but run the risk of alienating potential future moviegoers without a Disney+ . Happily, The Falcon and the Winter Soldier has split the difference, introducing just enough that can be recapped as necessary.

Next: 7 Biggest Questions After The Falcon & The Winter Soldier Finale

Key Release Dates