Kevin Feige revealed more about plans for Marvel’s shows on the Disney streaming service, and the concept doesn’t sound all too different compared to Netflix, and even Hulu or HBO.
Marvel thinks it can recreate the wheel with every single endeavor it tries, but not everything has to be particularly special and unique. Okay, we’ll hand it to them with Infinity War and Black Panther, but even its best movies didn’t necessarily turn the industry upside down.
Now, Marvel is venturing on to the Disney streaming service to start producing several shows about MCU side characters. So far, we’ve learned that Loki and Scarlet Witch will be among the few to get a show. And now, Falcon and Bucky are reportedly the next set of characters to get a miniseries (and it seems like this will be a joint series for the two, versus each having their own series.)
Marvel Studios President Kevin Feige talked about the upcoming venture with the streaming service during a roundtable with The Hollywood Reporter, but it seems like he might be hyping up these new developments more than its worth. During the roundtable, he followed up on a statement from director/producer Paul Greengrass saying:
"Paul mentioned the streaming service, and I think that is something that we’re going to be adding content to, which is exciting. I love your analogy with the campfire, right? As many people as you can get around the campfire and tell stories. Campfires can be different: We are going to tell stories for the streaming service that we wouldn’t be able to tell in a theatrical experience — a longer-form narrative, that’s what comics are, it’s about as longform a narrative as exists. But also maintaining that theatrical experience, which is our bread and butter, and the lines around the block, if you’re lucky."
From what it sounds like, the side character miniseries will be a way to explore those characters in-depth who haven’t had much time to develop on the big screen. (Darn you, Tony Stark and Steve Rogers for being screen hogs all these years!) But really, Feige is just explaining what a TV series is in a fancy way. TV shows are a longer-form narrative, yes. A whole season of the Big Bang Theory is considerably longer than something like Black Panther. That’s how TV shows work.
Even your series on Nexflix, Hulu, Freeform, etc. check these boxes, Marvel. Daredevil has had three seasons to build up Matt Murdock’s character, and it’s done so fabulously. And, I’d go as far to say that it’s done in the same “theatrical” sense that Feige is talking about for the planned Disney shows.
So while it may seem like Feige is talking up something brand new and exciting, when the veil is thrown back and the message is decoded, he’s giving us the same old, same old vague language. Now, we won’t let that hold us back from expecting something amazing from these series nonetheless. This is exactly the kind of content that fans of these characters have been yearning for. And we think that even if the shows end up being mediocre, we’ll still just be happy getting to see more of these characters in the first place.
While we’re still living in the land of vague answers when it comes to the Disney streaming service, one day a synopsis will have to be revealed for either of the shows. Then the ball will really be put into play. But until that day, Marvel will just have to keep us at bay with its vague language and analogies.