2015 has been another banner year for Marvel’s Cinematic Universe, but following the surprising success of Daredevil on Netflix, superhero fans are just as interested in Marvel’s television plans as they are in the future of the Avengers.
Unfortunately (though understandably), the TV projects take a backseat to the films, but Umberto Gonzalez at Heroic Hollywood appears to have shared some inside information regarding the future of Marvel on the small screen earlier this week, and it’s even more complicated than you might have expected.
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According to Gonzalez, Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige views Marvel’s TV ventures as a “necessary evil,” demanded by the higher-ups at Disney. Creators on the TV side of things are trying to bring in characters from the movies to connect the two universes, while TV actors want to be somehow be involved in the movies. All the while, Marvel Studios has been doing its best to brush those involved with TV production aside entirely.
But let’s forego the drama and pick out the juiciest details, because what we really want to know is what Marvel has in store for its television properties (whether Feige likes it or not).
We already know that the next Marvel series on Netflix will be A.K.A. Jessica Jones, but other than the casting of Krysten Ritter in the lead role. In Gonzalez’s piece, he states that the series will have “a great deal of crossover with Daredevil.” The Netflix series were always meant to be interconnected, but no one else had been cast during the production of Daredevil, so it will stand alone more than other upcoming shows.
Gonzalez also says that Marvel’s TV side is planning a ‘Phase 2’ of its own, set to kick off in 2017 with the premiere of the Defenders miniseries. Daredevil’s second season will also apparently fall under Phase 2, and “Elektra is coming.”
Other characters are under consideration too, including The Punisher, Ghost Rider and Blade, but these heroes are much less traditional than the current lineup, which could mean they will be delegated to guest appearances, providing they appear at all.
Delving back into the drama momentarily, Gonzalez mentions that the TV creators are pushing for Dr. Strange to make an appearance in Defenders, and possibly give less “super” characters, such as Hawkeye and Black Widow, their own movies or limited series on Netflix. Gonzalez refers to these as “pipe dreams,” but I don’t think any fans would be opposed to seeing any characters get more screen time, no matter which screen it happens to be on.
