Netflix has ramped up its marketing efforts into their Marvel properties with the release of the Luke Cage and Iron Fist trailers, along with teasing the anticipated Defenders team up. With the streaming service making a lot of noise, it is easy to assume that ABC’s investment in Marvel TV is taking a backslide. Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. now stands as the only of the Marvel/Disney studio shows left on network television.
With news of a new S.H.I.E.L.D. Director taking the reins and the surprise reveal of Robbie Reyes a.k.a. Ghost Rider being included in season 4, the show seems to be settling into a new, but familiar, skin. Just as fans get settled in for this next season of Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., ABC let the press know that they have big plans for Marvel on the network.
Despite cancelling Agent Carter earlier this year and passing on Marvel’s Most Wanted, ABC network president Channing Dungey assures fans and critics alike that several projects are in the works. At the Television Critics Association summer press tour, IGN notes that Dungey expects a lot more Marvel content to appear on ABC. She said:
“Since I’ve been in this role, we’ve been in a number of really terrific conversations with the Marvel team, [including] sitting down [with Marvel] in two weeks to discuss our next steps. We have a lot of enthusiasm and we’re very, very excited for the plans they have for Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. Season 4.”
Heading into its fourth season, Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. revealed at San Diego Comic-Con that Ghost Rider would be making his way into the series. Because nearly all of Marvel operates inside the Marvel Cinematic Universe, events from the films have a trickle down effect on the TV properties. With a greater focus on magic and mysticism being infused into the MCU this fall with Doctor Strange, Ghost Rider is a good addition to the TV side of Marvel’s universe.
Still, with so many characters still left to be pulled out of the Marvel Comics and brought to live-action, it’s unclear what Marvel and ABC could have up their sleeves. Purposefully mum on the characters fans can expect to see, Dungey did say:
“We’re looking at a number of different things. Some of them are projects that we were working on before and some of them are totally new ideas and IP.”
Previous projects does not include a second look at Marvel’s Most Wanted, on which the ABC president clarified that, “at the end of the day, [it] did not feel as strong as some of the other pilots that we shot.” With so much potential in the pipeline, is there room for direct connectivity between the network shows and Netflix series? “That’s an interesting question and we have talked about that, yes,” Dungey clarifies.
Options like All-New X-Factor or Young Avengers come to mind for potential TV slots, as well as Nova Corps as a sort of Fantastic Four serial instead of Marvel trying another film reboot.
Stay tuned to Screen Rant for more details on the next wave of Marvel heading to ABC.
Marvel & ABC Working on Several Possible New TV Series
