With the nipples on the Iron Man suit and that neon Chitauri gang it's a wonder this got greenlit!
Now Marvel is looking to replicate that success on television. There’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., Agent Carter, and the upcoming Daredevil and the Defenders series. As I stated before, I think TV shows can do a lot more than movies in terms of character development and stories that can be adapted. I've always thought of Marvel characters as people trying to be superheroes. They're interesting because they have human struggles plus a sense of responsibility that comes with their powers. Stan Lee created great characters that have stood the test of time. The various writers and artists have taken Lee's characters and brought them new dimensions and exciting new adventures.
For example there's a green Hulk and a red Hulk! Neat!
With DC doing it's best to have at least one TV show on every major network, it got me thinking of what Marvel characters I thought could really kick ass on TV or Netflix. Here are my 5 suggestions for Marvel TV shows that I’d like to see produced:
SPIDER-MAN:
In this case I'm referring to either Peter Parker or Miles Morales. Both characters are strong enough to anchor a TV show. I’m not sure how the rights issues work with Miles Morales, I assume that (at least for now) Sony owns the rights to his character. Either way, I think it would be really cool to see a live action Spider-Man TV series. Given the enormous budgets that are given to the live action films this seems highly unlikely. Then again, the Flash is a very special effects heavy show and they make it work there. Spider-Man has had a successful string of animated series but there is something about seeing him in live action that makes it so cool. And if it was on a weekly basis? Man, that would be sweet.
One idea, if Marvel does indeed get the rights back, is have Peter Parker in the films and give Miles Morales a TV show. They could crossover every now and then, but Parker could join the Avengers on film while Miles protects the streets on TV. Another idea is to have Miles live in his own universe (like in the comics where he lives in the Ultimate Universe). Or maybe just have Peter in a live action series and give Miles his own animated series! I don't know! I just want everyone to be happy!
Ok he's happy.
And he's happy too! Ok good . . . Good . . .
Like I said, it’s highly unlikely. Then again, maybe they’ll just do a Peter Parker prequel show called Forest Hills!
I’m just kidding! Don’t produce that! It would be awful!
CAPTAIN AMERICA:
There’s really only one thing I need to say about this – Ed Brubaker. Brubaker’s stories were already adapted into the Winter Soldier film but I still think it would be great to see the character in a TV series. Chris Evans has gone on record saying he plans on retiring from acting once his Marvel contract is up (he’s gonna take up directing), so his involvement in a show like this would be a stretch but there are two potential candidates waiting in the wings: Anthony Mackie’s Sam Wilson and Sebastian Stan’s Bucky.
And uh . . . Whoever the hell this guy is
Both characters have taken up Cap’s shield in his absence and those are critically acclaimed stories, despite Wilson’s run having only just begun. Cap is one of my favorite characters and I think a TV series could be a lot of fun to watch. Winter Soldier proved that Cap can catch up quickly with today’s technology. The struggle for him is to maintain his morals when the rest of the world has fallen into shades of grey. I felt that the character was well handled in the film and Sam was his right hand man just like in the comics. And Bucky's journey is just beginning! Steve, Sam, and/or Bucky all have plenty of story to tell.
If I had to pick one, then the best option would be Bucky. Stan has a 9 picture deal with Marvel. It would probably not take much renegotiation to turn his contract into a TV series or even a mini-series. Also, during Bucky's time as Captain America in the comic books he fought side by side with the New Avengers. That team included members like Luke Cage and Jessica Jones. And they have TV shows coming up soon . . . Interesting . . .
This is a bit of a tough sell. There have been 3 movies based on this character and none of them were very successful. First of all, it’s tough to sell a character who just kills everyone he thinks is a criminal. He has no rogues gallery! They’re all dead! His main adversary is the police and let’s face it, they have a right to bring him in. It’s one thing for Daredevil or Spider-Man to be vigilantes, but they hold themselves to a code of honor that the police understand. How to do you make a successful TV show about a character that just kills all the guilty people in the city he lives in?
Didn't work out so well for this guy . . .
However, given the success of Dexter, it’s not like a show like this would be impossible to produce. I can’t comment on the original Dolph Lundgren film because I didn’t see it but I do know what the problem was with the other two films. With Thomas Jane’s film, the budget was very small and the action was toned down. Frank went after the bad guys in a psychological way. Granted, I enjoyed it but I did think that it was strange that the Punisher did very little punishing. In Ray Stevenson’s film, the action was over the top and the villains were campy. I guess a true balance can’t be found for the films but maybe a TV show could find that balance. The first season of Arrow saw Oliver as judge, jury and executioner as he saw fit, but the past couple of seasons have changed his crusade. Now he has found another way to deal with his enemies.
I'm not going to kill you. I want you to do me a favor. I want you tell all your friends about me!
My favorite run on the Punisher was from Greg Rucka. He introduced a character that had just gone through a tragedy, similar to Frank, and she joined him on his quest for Vengenance. Her name was Rachel Alves. Her legal name was Cole but her fiancee was murdered on her wedding day before they were officially married. It's pretty intense. She wanted revenge and Frank took her under his wing. To me, this would be a perfect way to get a show going. It gives us a chance to meet Frank Castle during his crusade but it's an easy way in without having to repeat his origin. That can be saved for a later episode. I think the best place for this show would be on Netflix. That way it can be violent, dark, and, most importantly, as adult as the creative team sees fit. Netflix would be the perfect place to do this. Actually, I have a feeling this one will be coming to us soon.
Here’s the idea – Take the Avengers and give them teenage counterparts. Sounds goofy right? Well I thought so too but the original run by Allan Heinberg was actually really cool. The characters all had organic introductions and interesting ties to the adult Avengers instead of just being sidekicks or offspring.
Uh . . . No offense guys . . .
A show exploring a younger generation of superheroes isn’t a new concept (see above pic) but a team of heroes growing up together would be interesting and a lot of fun if handled in the proper way. Especially since these heroes don't have the advantage of a built in audience. With characters like Robin, Superboy, and Kid Flash they were trained by their adult counterparts and groomed to be their replacements. In the case of the Young Avengers, they simply were inspired by the current Avengers and built themselves up to be heroes and they did it together.
According to Geoff Johns, Titans shoots a pilot sometime this year and, given DC's recent TV success, it will probably get picked up for the fall season. Young Avengers would be a tough sell if Titans is already on the air, but stranger things have happened. After all, how many police procedurals are on TV right now? It's not too far fetched to say that two teenaged or college aged teams of heroes could share the small screen together.
Not long ago, Guillermo Del Toro said he was developing a live action Hulk TV series for ABC. Why. Didn’t. This. Happen? Ok well, we know why. Because of the success of the Avengers, Marvel put this series on the backburner to focus on the Hulk’s big screen adventures. That would be awesome except for the whole No-Hulk-film-being-announced-during-Marvel’s-Phase-3-event. So . . . Let’s get this thing going again!
You may not know this about me, but the Hulk is one of my all time favorite characters. Growing up I could relate to a guy that had to hold in a lot of anger because he was afraid that if he released it, he would turn into a horrible monster. I felt that way growing up and it's an issue I still deal with today. Luckily, like the Hulk, I've had people see me angry and they are still on my side even if I was angry at the wrong thing or over nothing. A Hulk TV series is something I could definitely get behind. Like with the Punisher, there have been a couple unsuccessful attempts to get a film series going. There are rumors of a Planet Hulk movie but I don't think that would be interesting. Planet Hulk was made to get Hulk out of the way for the Civil War comic (cuz if one of the sides had the Hulk then that fight is pretty much over). So what should they do with the character?
We'll put a pin in that suggestion for now . . .
I think a series that focuses on Banner trying to rebuild his life and use the Hulk for good could be really interesting. Plus, it's a great metaphor for channeling your anger into a positive force. At the end of the day, superpowers are just a metaphor for everyday life and responsibility. The Hulk is one of the best examples of how losing your temper, even for just a moment, can destroy your entire life. I'd like to see a new series capitalize on that idea.
These have been my suggestions for who Marvel should use in a new television series. I know there are those out there that think Blade, Ghost Rider, Moon Knight, and other obscure characters should get the spotlight. I agree to a certain extent. A Blade series would be cool, I'm a big fan of the first film. However, I think using more popular characters in new and different ways would be more interesting.
Obviously, Marvel agrees with me ;)
Till next time!
JJ - The Comic Junkie
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