Disney+ No Longer Making New Marvel Shows?
Disney+ may be phasing out season-long Marvel shows in favor of special presentations.
Rumors and speculation are part of both the movie industry and the fanbases for these properties, and a move by Disney+ Marvel Studios is causing a lot of stir. The buzz surrounds two holiday specials that are due to be released, and whether these herald the end of episodic series based on the Marvel Cinematic Universe. It is believed that the two affiliates will be phasing out shows in favor of special presentations in the future.
There are numerous stories in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, from established characters like The Scarlet Witch of WandaVision and the titular characters of The Falcon and the Winter Soldier to new characters like Ms. Marvel. As more of these spin-off stories are being produced into 6-9 episode series, the market is becoming flooded with Marvel content, risking burnout from fans. This hurts both the various shows as well as the cinematic releases such as the upcoming Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania and Black Panther: Wakanda Forever.
Disney+ and Marvel Studios are releasing two upcoming special presentations that are the cause for all the speculation about the future of the series shows. The first is Werewolf by Night, which drops on October 7. It is the story of a group of monster hunters in the race for a relic as terrible evil lurks in the shadows, just in time for Halloween.
Next up is The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special, aimed for a Christmastime release. With all the nostalgic ambiance of Star-Lord’s mix tapes, the special will be a primer on the adventures the ragtag group of aliens experienced between the Vol. 2 and Vol. 3 feature films. The special sets the pace for Marvel stories that fans want to see told, but that don’t need an entire movie or series to tell.
With a universe as vast as that of The Avengers and their allies and enemies, that means there are a lot of stories to tell and a lot of content fans want to see. However, there are also risks involved in showing everything. Fan burnout might be brought on if a story drags on too long for their taste, if there are too many stories, or if fans just don’t connect with the characters.
It is currently known that Loki is getting a second season as announced at San Diego Comic-Con, where the release dates for Phase 5 of the Marvel Cinematic Universe were announced. What that means for other shows remains to be seen, and not much has been revealed about Phase 6 other than a tease of Avengers movies Kang Dynasty and Secret Wars. It could very well be that Disney+ and Marvel Studios are moving to a format that tells most of these side stories in single-episode special presentations.
However, nothing is known yet and for now, the Comic-Con reveal has made definite announcements of what is to come in the current phase of the storyline. This has included the Disney+ shows in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, as they do a lot to set up events in the Phase 5 movies, such as Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness and Captain America: New World Order. All we can do is wait and see what Disney+ and Marvel do next.
