Unlike their golden run on the big screen till phase 3, Marvel didn’t quite replicate its huge success on the small screen, with most of the Disney Plus MCU shows earning less-than-stellar reception. While fans have complained about MCU’s recent catalog being bloated following the abundance of TV shows, Marvel has also abandoned an overwhelming number of TV shows over the years.
This involves several renowned superheroes, including a Captain Britain show, which was greenlit long before the rise of Disney Plus and MCU TV shows.
Captain Britain
Back in 2016, rumors regarding a Captain Britain show being in the early stages of development emerged. Poster artist Clara McAvoy claimed she was being paid to do a promo poster for it, assuring fans an official announcement might be heading our way in early 2017 or late 2016. Unfortunately, it never happened, leading many to speculate Marvel might have put the kibosh on it.
Eternals
Following the release of 2021’s Eternals, fans argued that the Chloé Zhao-led film would’ve worked better as a TV show and interestingly, the IP was planned to be a TV product back in 2015. John Ridley, who was hired then to work on an ABC Marvel project, revealed he was developing an Eternals TV show, which per him, “was the good version”, compared to the eventual film release.
Damage Control
2015 also saw a live-action Damage Control show being announced by the now defunct Marvel Television for ABC, which would’ve been incorporated into the larger MCU. Jeph Loeb and David Miner were hired to serve as the executive producers on the show, which would have followed the underpaid staff of Damage Control cleaning up the wreckage caused by superhero battles.
New Warriors
Another canned show that was originally planned to be released on ABC involves New Warriors, which would’ve been a star vehicle for Squirrel Girl, played by Milana Vayntrub. But despite its pilot testing positive, the show was never picked up.
Showrunner Kevin Biegel, in a deleted tweet, claimed the show was killed for being proudly gay by one executive, who was fired shortly after.
Ghost Rider
Gabriel Luna, who starred as the Ghost Rider in Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., was once set to helm his own spin-off show at Hulu in 2019. However, the network was quick to put the kibosh on it, revealing they were opting to not move forward with the spin-off show. Per Luna, the spin-off would’ve culminated into a Defenders-Style Team-Up special, if the plans had moved forward.
Brother Voodoo
Back in the early 2000s, when comic book properties witnessed a major boom, thanks to the X-Men and Spider-Man movies, a Brother Voodoo show was once planned for the Syfy channel. With Hans Rodionoff incorporated to helm the screenplay, it was initially planned to be a made-for-TV movie, whose success would’ve determined the series’ future. But in the end, nothing came to fruition.
Daughters Of The Dragon
Brother Voodoo was far from the only IP that was being planned for a TV adaptation back in the early 2000s, as a live-action Daughters Of The Dragon show was announced back in 2001.
It would’ve featured Colleen Wing and two other female characters but wouldn’t have included Misty Knight. But as the story goes, the show never made it past the early stages of development.
Bloodstone
The same year also saw Marvel announcing a Bloodstone TV series, revolving around the titular character Ulysses Bloodstone. Not much is known about the project, as since being announced back in 2001, there has been nothing but crickets on the MCU’s part. However, the immortal monster-hunter did eventually get introduced in the Disney Plus special Werewolf by Night.
Night Thrasher
In 2002, UPN, a short-lived broadcast channel, signed a deal with Marvel to produce the pilot for a Night Thrasher show, the leader and founder of the New Warriors. Michael Elliot, the writer behind the pilot, described the character as “a hip-hop version of James Bond”. But not long after the deal, the network shut down, leading to the show being eventually canned.
Carol Danvers
Before becoming the leading lady in the MCU, Carol Danvers, aka Captain Marvel, was initially on her way to star in the Jessica Jones series, when it was initially planned for ABC. In SDCC 2011, showrunner Melissa Rosenberg revealed, “Back when it was at ABC Network, I did use Carol Danvers”. But after it was moved to Netflix, her part was replaced by Trish Walker.
While it’s hard to say how many of these canned ideas would’ve made for some good TV, fans could really use the likes of Captain Britain and Ghost Rider in the MCU right about now.
