How the big changes at Marvel will affect its TV shows going forward
- Marvel's TV unit is folding into Marvel Studios and will be overseen by Kevin Feige, the Marvel Studios president and Marvel's chief creative officer.
- Speculation has swirled about Marvel TV's fate since Feige's promotion to creative chief, as he now oversees the creative direction of Marvel's movies, TV, and comics.
- But the changes started long before Feige's promotion when all of Netflix's Marvel shows were swiftly canceled late last year and early this year.
- Hulu's "Helstrom" is the only live-action Marvel series that is still in development that is not on Disney Plus and directly connected to the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
- Some adult-oriented, animated Marvel shows are still in the works at Hulu, though one of them, "Tigra and Dazzler," is on pause.
- Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.
Big changes are happening to Marvel's TV division, but the writing was on the wall.
The TV unit is being folded into Marvel Studios, where the Marvel Cinematic Universe movies and upcoming Disney Plus TV shows are developed. Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige, who was also recently promoted to Marvel's chief creative officer, will oversee the TV unit.
Speculation swirled that Marvel TV would be folded into Marvel Studios the moment Feige's promotion was announced. Marvel TV has operated outside of Feige's supervision until now. Some of its shows, such as ABC's "Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D." and the former Netflix Marvel shows like "Daredevil," were loosely connected to the MCU but not in a substantial way. But in his role as creative chief, Feige is now in charge of the creative direction of Marvel's movies, TV, and comics.
More suspicion about Marvel TV's fate arose when it was reported in October by multiple outlets, including Deadline and The Hollywood Reporter, that the head of Marvel TV, Jeph Loeb, was stepping down by year's end. He'll remain with the unit during the transition to Marvel Studios and his last day is unknown, according to THR.
The future of Marvel TV was in doubt even before Feige's promotion
By February of this year, all of Netflix's Marvel TV shows - "Daredevil," "Luke Cage," Jessica Jones," "Iron Fist," and "The Punisher" - had been canceled. Data provided to Business Insider had had shown that audiences were increasingly losing interest in them.
Some speculated that it was because Disney was preparing to launch its streaming competitor Disney Plus. But in a letter to fans in February, Loeb blamed Netflix, saying it "decided they no longer want to continue telling the tales of these great characters."
Whatever the case for the cancellations, it's become more and more clear since then that any live-action Marvel shows that aren't directly associated with the MCU are in danger.
What's coming to Disney Plus and Hulu
"Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D." is ending with its upcoming seventh season and Hulu's "Runaways" is concluding with its third season, which debuts on Friday. An expected live-action "Ghost Rider" series is no longer in development at Hulu, Deadline first reported in September.
That leaves Hulu's "Helstrom" as the only non-MCU/Disney Plus, live-action Marvel series in development. There are several adult-oriented Marvel shows still in development at Hulu, which Disney controls.
They include:
- "Tigra and Dazzler," which is on pause due to a "creative overhaul," THR said.
- "M.O.D.O.K."
- "Hit-Monkey"
- "Howard the Duck"
- Those four are expected to crossover in a series called "The Offenders."
At Disney Plus, eight series spinning out of the MCU are in the works, including:
- "The Falcon and the Winter Soldier" (debuting fall 2020)
- "WandaVision"and "Loki" (spring 2021)
- the animated "What If...?" (summer 2021)
- "Hawkeye" (fall 2021)
- "She-Hulk," "Moon Knight," and "Ms. Marvel" (release dates unknown)
The Disney Plus shows will tie in with the MCU movies. During CCXP in Brazil recently, Feige said it will be the "first time" that TV shows will "interlink" with the movies, all but erasing what little connection the Netflix shows or "Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D." may have had with the MCU.