Disney+ Suddenly Removes Marvel Channel—Fans Left Confused and Frustrated
What’s Going On?
It was supposed to be a superhero fan’s dream—a 24/7 stream of Marvel epics and Star Wars classics, playing nonstop for anyone too overwhelmed to choose what to watch next.
But now? It’s vanished without a trace.
No announcement. No fanfare. Not even a whisper from Disney. In a move that stunned subscribers, Disney+ has quietly removed its Hits & Heroes Streams channel from the platform. What happened to one of the service’s most exciting features—and why won’t Disney talk about it?
An Ambitious Experiment with Old-School Appeal for Disney
In late 2024, Disney+ launched a new tiered feature called Streams, designed to mimic traditional TV viewing in an on-demand world. Rather than having to scroll endlessly through a sea of thumbnails, users could simply tune in to always-on channels that ran curated content loops all day, every day.
Among the first channels rolled out for Premium members were ABC News, Real Life (featuring National Geographic content), and seasonal offerings like Hallowstream. But the fan-favorite was clearly Hits & Heroes—a rotating carousel of Marvel and Star Wars titles that brought together the biggest names in sci-fi and superhero entertainment.
For busy viewers or longtime fans, Hits & Heroes offered something rare: a way to rewatch favorite moments or discover hidden gems without having to think too hard about what to click next.
Then It Was Gone—Without a Word
By May 2025, users noticed something strange: Hits & Heroes was gone. Not missing from the main carousel. Not temporarily hidden. Gone. Entirely removed from Disney+, along with the Real Life channel.
Disney offered no warning or explanation, and the silence has only fueled speculation. Did the channel fail to meet internal metrics? Was it overshadowed by newer initiatives like the Star Wars-only stream, “In a Galaxy Far, Far Away”? Or is this just another step in Disney’s increasingly cautious approach to its streaming empire?
Whatever the reason, the sudden disappearance left a void—and it didn’t go unnoticed by fans.
A Pattern of Pullbacks
This isn’t the first time Disney+ has walked back a consumer-friendly feature. Once a darling of the pandemic streaming boom, the platform has faced a rocky road in the post-lockdown era. Subscriber growth slowed. Competition surged. And Disney found itself forced to make tough business decisions.
In recent years, features like GroupWatch were removed, while stricter password-sharing policies were enforced. These shifts, often viewed as anti-consumer, have made some subscribers question Disney+’s long-term vision. While the company continues to push new content and build on its mega-franchises, its choices around user experience have felt increasingly transactional.
And now, the elimination of Hits & Heroes—a seemingly low-effort, high-reward feature—is being seen as yet another casualty of that shift.
Why Hits & Heroes Mattered More Than You Think
Sure, you can still watch all your favorite Marvel or Star Wars titles on demand. But the beauty of Hits & Heroes wasn’t just convenience—it was comfort.
At a time when many users feel fatigued by endless options, a curated stream provided a sense of structure and nostalgia. It made viewers feel like they were watching TV again—tapping into that feeling of flipping on the set and catching the middle of a movie you’ve already seen a hundred times, but still can’t resist.
It’s also a subtle nod to how audiences are evolving. Many subscribers today want something passive. Something familiar. Something that doesn’t require a decision tree.
The Bigger Disney Picture: Chasing Growth at Any Cost
Some are hopeful that this isn’t the end. With Star Wars getting its own dedicated stream, could a Marvel-only channel be in the works? Possibly—but if that were the plan, why not say so?
As of now, Disney+ has made no announcements about future Streams expansions or replacements. With the Hits & Heroes branding now erased, fans are left guessing. It seems that unless a feature performs at scale, it’s not long for this world—regardless of its fan following.
The Walt Disney Company is a massive machine, and like any public company, it’s driven by one core objective: growth. But infinite growth is an illusion—especially in a saturated streaming landscape. As Disney+ pivots toward tighter budgets and leaner features, it’s likely that even beloved experiments like Hits & Heroes will be sacrificed if they don’t move the needle financially.
Unfortunately, those sacrifices often come at the cost of trust, loyalty, and long-term subscriber satisfaction.
