We now know that Marvel is planning to expand the MCU by creating a series of big-budget TV shows that will launch on the Disney Play streaming service. So far, there have been reports that Marvel is planning on series starring Tom Hiddleston's Loki and Elizabeth Olsen's Scarlet Witch, but is it possible that we've known about some of the other shows for some time, and have erroneously believed they were movie projects?
Marvel tends to release three films a year - typically two sequels and one new franchise launch. Given that the studio will now be busy producing TV shows as well, that output probably isn't going to increase anytime soon. But Marvel has rights to over 7,000 characters, a number that will increase dramatically should the Fox/Disney merger go as planned, and the comics are adding new characters all the time. That means a lot of characters and concepts could wind up being developed for Disney's streaming service.
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Marvel has quite an amazing number of potential projects in the works, including a handful that they've hinted at as being "imminent." Some are spinoffs featuring secondary characters, while others introduce brand new heroes into the MCU. Inhumans has already transitioned from a planned movie project to a TV show, so could the same thing happen to other characters and superhero teams?
- This Page: From Ms. Marvel to Moon Knight
- Page 2: From Hawkeye to the Thunderbolts
Ms. Marvel
Debuting in Marvel Comics back in 2013, Kamala Khan - a.k.a. Ms. Marvel - is one of Marvel's most culturally relevant legacy heroes. Kamala was created in a similar mold to Peter Parker: a young "everyman" superhero whose struggles are so very familiar to her readers. She's also Marvel's first American Muslim superhero, and the comic has traditionally explored concepts of social justice in the context of traditionalist faith.
Back in May, Kevin Feige confirmed that Marvel Studios has plans for Kamala Khan. He's keen on a comic-book-accurate portrayal, which is why Marvel has held back on the project until after the release of Captain Marvel next year. "We wanted to get Captain Marvel out there first," he revealed, "so that there is something for a young Muslim girl to get inspired by." It would make sense for Marvel to use these TV shows to launch legacy heroes like Kamala; they'd be aimed at the right demographics to make Disney Play attractive, they'd spin out of the movies pretty effectively, and their episodic format would allow Marvel the time to world-build around them. As Ms. Marvel comic book writer G. Willow Wilson has reflected, the richness of Kamala's world and the depth of her supporting characters are major reasons the book has been a tremendous success.
Nova
According to Kevin Feige, Nova has "immediate potential" to enter the MCU. In the comics, Richard Rider is a teenager who becomes a member of the space-faring Nova Corps. The MCU version of the Nova Corps, Xandar's protectors, were introduced in Guardians of the Galaxy (albeit very different in design to the comics). Xandar was ravaged by Thanos when he sought out the Power Stone, and it's safe to assume that the Nova Corps was decimated. That's the perfect setup for Nova's comic book origin, which saw him recruited because the Corps' numbers had been reduced after a bloodbath.
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Nova is another hero who's ideally suited to a TV show adaptation. Like Kamala Khan, he's perfectly aimed at the kind of demographic Disney Play seem to be trying to reach. What's more, stylistically the early Nova comics felt rather like a cosmic version of Spider-Man (creator that Marv Wolfman intended him to be a homage to the wall-crawler). That would, however, mean that a Nova film wouldn't really add to the diversity of tones and styles we typically see in the MCU movies. A TV series would probably be a better bet.
Blade
Kevin Feige has always been quite open about the debt Marvel Studios owes to Blade. "There were two things that sort of launched the modern era [of superhero movies]," he noted last year. "One was X-Men, which was the first thing that people said, "Oh, there's life here." But a few years before that, there was Blade. A character nobody had heard of at all, had only appeared in a few issues of Tomb of Dracula or something, turned into a big franchise." He views Blade as a "legacy character," and has always believed he should enter the MCU at some point.
Wesley Snipes recently revealed that there are a lot of conversations going on about Blade right now. According to Snipes, there are two possible projects in the works, and the only problem for Marvel is deciding which one to go with. There's been some speculation that one of these projects could be adapted from the never-published Blade the Hunter comic, a concept that saw Blade discover he had a daughter - and introduced her to the family business. That could be a smart way of doing a Blade series for Disney Play; it would honor what has gone before, while simultaneously introducing a fresh, younger character for new viewers.
Power Pack
Back in 2004, Marvel began to work on the idea of self-financing their own films. The proposed first wave included Power Pack, but that project was dropped as the nascent studio began to focus on the Avengers franchises. Kevin Feige recently confirmed that Marvel Studios is still interested in exploring the concept; "We wanted to do something for families, something that's a little younger." As he noted, Ant-Man has essentially become that family-focused franchise on the big screen; but could Power Pack serve a similar purpose on Disney Play?
Related: The Original Marvel Studios Plan Would Have Led To A Very Different Infinity War
Moon Knight
There have long been rumblings that Marvel Studios is interested in developing Moon Knight; in fact, back in 2017 James Gunn even pitched an idea for a movie to Marvel execs, but decided he simply didn't have the time to work on it. In truth, though, this is a character who lends himself perfectly to a creative TV show. Marc Spector suffers from a version of dissociative identity disorder, and his confused mental state makes it difficult for him to differentiate between reality and hallucination. Many writers have used this as a storytelling tool, portraying the world through Spector's eyes so as to confuse readers, and that approach really does work best in an episodic format.
Page 2 of 2: From Hawkeye to the Thunderbolts
Hawkeye
Marvel has given no indication that a Hawkeye project is in the works, but he still deserves inclusion on this list for one simple reason: Jeremy Renner is keen to reprise the role in any format, whether as a movie or a TV series. Hawkeye may have been entirely absent from Avengers: Infinity War, but he's confirmed to play a major role in next year's Avengers 4. That could easily set up the Avengers archer for his own show.
Although Hawkeye is rarely seen as an A-list hero, he's been the star of both popular and critically-acclaimed comic book runs - most notably the Matt Fraction and David Aja Hawkeye series that launched in 2012. Comic book readers have long dreamed of that book being turned into a movie, but frankly a six-or-eight-episode TV series would be even better. It's true that Marvel would need to adapt it a little, given that their version of Hawkeye is a family man, but that would add a unique dynamic. Superhero movies tend to treat love interests as background characters, but for Hawkeye his wife and kids would be a core part of the story.
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Interestingly enough, a Hawkeye series could potentially set up two further Marvel TV shows. His protege Kate Bishop is involved in the Young Avengers, and in the comics Clint wound up team leader of the Thunderbolts for a while. Let's take a look at those ideas too.
Young Avengers
The Ant-Man films have clearly signposted Cassie Lang's potential future as a superhero in her own right; in the comics, she's best known as a member of the popular Young Avengers. "Taking our cue from the comics as we always do," Kevin Feige noted, "that’s why we wanted Cassie, a very young Cassie in this movie, to be inspired by her father. Just planting seeds." Emma Fuhrmann has joined the cast of Avengers 4 as an older Cassie Lang, and given that film is expected to feature time-travel, she may give viewers an idea of just what kind of superhero Cassie could become in the future.
The Young Avengers are a group of heroes inspired by the iconic team. They include Kate Bishop as master markswoman Hawkeye, the sorcerer Wiccan, the super-fast Speed, and the powerhouse Ms. America. The beloved Young Avengers comic wove together pop culture, a millennial's eye view of the world, and a rich sense of humor. As with several of the franchises we've mentioned, Young Avengers would be perfectly targeted towards the teenage demographic.
Thunderbolts
There's been a lot of speculation that Marvel Studios is setting up something revolving around the Thunderbolts. The Thunderbolts are a team of ex-villains and antiheroes, with some of their members seeking redemption and others simply aiming to fool the public into thinking they're good guys now. Recent Marvel movies have introduced two key members; Captain America: Civil War introduced Daniel Bruhl as Baron Zemo, founder of the Thunderbolts, and Hannah John-Kamen played Ghost in Ant-Man & the Wasp. Curiously enough, while Marvel is well known for killing off their villains, they kept these two alive. Feige has admitted Marvel made a deliberate decision "to keep [Ghost] around." As he noted, "With Ghost it is, step one: complete. As for step two, we’ll see where we go with that."
Interestingly enough, it's even possible a Thunderbolts series could incorporate Jeremy Renner's Hawkeye. At one point, he became leader of the Thunderbolts, trying to help them redeem themselves in the eyes of the public.
Related: Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. Fixes Ghost's Confusing Backstory
New Warriors
An honorable mention does need to made here of Marvel Television's New Warriors, which also seems likely to debut on Disney Play. Described as a "docu-comedy," the show's core cast include Milana Vayntrub as Squirrel Girl, Derek Theler as Mr. Immortal, Jeremy Tardy as Night Thrasher, Calum Worthy as Speedball, Matthew Moy as Microbe, and Kate Comer as Debrii. New Warriors was expected to stream on Freeform, but was pulled in November last year after testing performed even better than Marvel had hoped.
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