Wednesday, October 16, 2013

If Not the FF, Then...

As Steve pointed out in yesterday's post, it's unlikely the Fantastic Four will debut as a live-action television series anytime soon. Not only do intellectual property holders have an irrational phobia about allowing characters to appear in competing media at the same time (we viewers are too stupid to understand the differences between a television Batman, for example, and a movie Batman), the Fantastic Four would be an incredibly expensive show, more expensive by far than even Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.

Steve and Sean suggested some of Marvel's urban crimefighters could headline their own show, which makes sense; heroes like Iron Fist and Power Man have relatively simple powers, though the suggested '70s period setting, while cool, might also make such a show prohibitively expensive.

So. If I had to guess which four shows Marvel might be working on - and leaving out the Incredible Hulk and the proposed Agent Carter show, which have already been suggested - here's what I'd gamble on...

X-23
Hugh Jackman is too expensive to offer more than a cameo from time to time, so why not produce a series about his female clone? It could follow the same general format as the old Incredible Hulk show; hunted by her creators, X-23 wanders North America, running from her own past to try and find a home.

Hail Hydra
This would be the anti-Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.; while the do-goodniks of S.H.I.E.L.D. have their adventures, Hydra plots to take over the world. Lots of potential for crossovers, and ABC could run the shows back to back much as the WB ran Buffy and Angel back to back years ago.

Captain Marvel
They might save her for the Avengers movies, but Carol Danvers is probably Marvel's most bankable heroine, next to She-Hulk or the Invisible Woman. Give her Jessica Drew as a best friend and you have the makings of a new Odd Couple of the superheroine set. Could make a great dramedy.

Hawkeye
Television executives love to ape success, so with Arrow on the air and doing well, Marvel's carbon-copy archer could hit the airwaves despite his involvement in the movies.

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