Marvel's upcoming slate of self-produced films is being heralded as the first time individual super hero characters and story arcs will be interwoven, ultimately culminating in a multi-character motion picture the likes of which the world has never seen (and comic fans have barely dared to dream of for untold years). It's a web that has to be spun precisely right, with each character serving as its own foundation piece to a greater story.

The revised release dates include the upcoming Thor (moved back a year) and The First Avenger: Captain America (delayed two months) films, as part of its release strategy for an uninterrupted road to The Avengers, now debuting May 4, 2012. The release date for Iron Man 2 has not been changed, and is still on track for May 7, 2010. The original blockbuster film, Iron Man, grossed nearly $600 million worldwide.

A Marvel character-based film will now launch the summer box office season for three years in a row, from 2010 through 2012 - and that's exactly how the comic juggernaut wants it. "This new schedule strongly sequences Marvel's movie debut dates, big screen character introductions and momentum. It maximizes the visibility of our single character-focused films, leading to the highly anticipated release of the multi-character The Avengers film in 2012," said David Maisel, Chairman of Marvel Studios.

Below is Marvel Studios' 2010-2012 updated release schedule for its slate of self-produced and financed feature films:

The First Avenger: Captain America: formerly May 6, 2011, now July 22, 2011

The Avengers: formerly July 15, 2011, now May 4, 2012

Iron Man 2: unchanged - May 7, 2010

Thor: News recently broke that Alexander Skarsgård is in the running for the title role in Thor after being seen having lunch with director Kenneth Branagh in Beverly Hills. He certainly looks the part, and it woudn't be a stretch to see him taking on the role. Channing Tatum has also been named in consideration.

The bad guy in the story, Thor's brother Loki, could be played by Josh Hartnett, who has already met with Brannagh as well and is currently on a very short list to play the villain in the film.

Iron Man 2: We know about Sam Jackson being brought on board for a whopping nine Marvel films, so we can naturally expect him to reprise his Nick Fury role in the Iron Man sequel. And it shouldn't be news to anyone by now that Sam Rockwell's on board. But how about Mickey Rourke? When asked if he was definitely on board Iron Man 2 this week, Rourke told a buzzing reporter, "you bet your ass!" So who's he gonna play? Whiplash!

The Wrestler star met with director Jon Favreau and writer Justin Theroux to discuss the development of his character, which includes elements from that comic book villain and Crimson Dynamo, another Russian bad guy that Rourke had been rumored to be cast as.

Not only that, but Scarlett Johansson has been confirmed as being cast to play the Russian femme fatale Black Widow. I can't imagine a red-blooded male in the world who wouldn't be all about seeing her in that outfit, but this is definitely starting to feel like a case of Batman Forever. Let's hope I'm wrong.