4 guesses about what Disney+’s unannounced Marvel series could be
By Shaun Stacy
Following the teaser trailer for the upcoming The Falcon & the Winter Solider, WandaVision, and Loki Marvel shows, CEO Bob Iger revealed that there are two new Disney+ television series in development. But what are they?
While it hasn’t premiered any major Marvel content since debuting, Disney+ appears to be doubling down on television shows based on previous Marvel Cinematic Universe films and Marvel Comics. A teaser trailer was released during the Super Bowl this past weekend, highlighting the much-anticipated The Falcon & the Winter Soldier andWandaVision, both series that are scheduled to be released by the end of 2020.
And according to Screen Rant, during a recent Disney earnings conference call, CEO Bob Iger stated that there are seven other Marvel series in various stages of development or pre-production. Five of these shows were previously revealed as being Hawkeye, the animated What If… series, She-Hulk, Ms. Marvel, and Moon Knight. But what would the other two be?
Let’s take a look at some theories.
Agents of S.W.O.R.D.
ABC’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. is set to conclude its run this summer, becoming the longest-running Marvel television series, and one of the few series to actually tie directly into the MCU. Centering on a group of elite S.H.I.E.L.D. agents who travel the world saving lives and fighting evil, AOS has been a solid hit for Marvel with a dedicated fanbase and talented cast. It would be a shame to lose all of that after seven years.
Agents of S.W.O.R.D. would be a spin-off that would shift the focus from just dealing with humans to combating extraterrestrial threats on the regular. While we’ve seen the agents fight with the Kree race, there are many more alien races out there to be dealt with. This would be the second attempt at a spin-off, with one previously planned for the character of Bobbi Morse, aka Mockingbird, played by Adrienne Palicki but it never moved forward.
Between confirmation that the S.W.O.R.D. organization will appear in the upcoming WandaVision series and rumors that the spin-off would feature Daisy Johnson, aka Quake, played by Chloe Bennet leading a new team of heroes, this scenario isn’t far-fetched at all.
Young Avengers
The Young Avengers team debuted in 2005 and has been one of the most celebrated teen groups in Marvel history. The team was originally comprised of younger characters, like Wiccan and Patriot, who had similar power sets to the adult Avengers, such as Iron Man, Thor, and Captain America. The roster would soon change and include more brand-new characters, like a female Hawkeye and America Chavez. The series would win several prestigious honors during its run, receiving praise for it’s inclusivity, including depictions of LGBTQ+ characters.
With Ant-Man’s daughter Cassie, aka Stature, already appearing in the MCU, and Wanda and Vision’s twin boys set to appear in WandaVision later this year, a Young Avengers team is already halfway there. America Chavez is also rumored to be making her debut in next year’s Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness. The formation of a team consisting of Stature, America Chavez, Wiccan, Speed, and the female Hawkeye, Kate Bishop, seems achievable in the near future.
Ironheart
One of the things that the previous phases of the MCU have struggled with is making diversity organic in it’s storytelling. It’s not until Black Panther came out that a central character was a POC, paving the way for Ms. Marvel, and possibly for Ironheart. In the comics, Ironheart (Riri Williams) is an African American girl who just happens to be a super genius. She eventually builds her own Iron Man suit to fight crime and save lives. Her story has been inspirational for girls of all backgrounds, particularly those with an interest in STEM.
With the death of Tony Stark, someone needs to take up the Iron mantle, and since Peter Parker is content just being Spider-Man, Riri would be a great introduction into the MCU. She’s also a member of the Champions super team that consists of other teenage heroes that could easily be featured in an ongoing series, similar to what is done in The CW’s Arrowverse.
New Warriors/Vigilantes
In the comic books, New Warriors debuted in the ’90s and featured a team of young adult heroes, like Firestar and Nova, who come together to face a common enemy, but then decide to stay together to fight evil. New Warriors has had several iterations throughout the decades, with varying degrees of success, but the OG characters still have a place in Marvel fans’ hearts. A couple of years ago, there were plans to make a New Warriors sitcom based on a version of the team that had their own reality television series. However, this project never got past the shooting of a pilot. Probably for the best.
With the recent endings of both Freeform’s Cloak & Dagger and Hulu’s Runaways during the height of their popularity due to Disney+ being formed, it would be very easy to continue to capitalize on the fanbase of both shows by bringing all, or a mix, of characters back for a new show. While Cloak and Dagger have both been members of the New Warriors, online fans have been suggesting the show be named Vigilantes, to be more inclusive of both sets of characters. Cloak & Dagger were recently featured in a crossover episode of the third season of Runaways, where it was made very clear that the kids are alright. Youth and diversity are two things Marvel needs badly to keep it’s entertainment fresh to reach new audiences, and having these characters return is a no-brainer to accomplish that.
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