Is Ms. Marvel Teaming up with Squirrel Girl for Marvel's New Warriors?

Less than a week ago, Marvel fans were excited to hear whispers of a new Marvel TV series - New Warriors, a very different Marvel series to the ones we're used to on Netflix! Starring Squirrel Girl, a much-loved character whose comic book popularity is booming right now, New Warriors was viewed as a lighthearted series with the potential for a lot of teenage angst.

Now, Screen Geek has published some more details. They've been told:

"The team makeup of the current version of the show being shopped around consists of Speedball, Justice, Ms. Marvel, Squirrel Girl, Night Thrasher, and Rage. The tone is very light, and won’t be too focused on action, more about character interaction. Netflix is more interested in adding this as a new show than, say, a seventh hour-long drama, but other outlets such as Hulu, WGN, Freeform, and ABC are also deliberating on whether or not they want the project."

A word of caution: we're still firmly in 'rumor' territory here, so you need to be taking all this with a serious pinch of salt. Still, it does have a lot of evidence in its favor...

The Lineup Is Interesting...

The New Warriors are a young superhero team who see themselves as the next Avengers, only far cooler. They were founded by Night Thrasher, a rich industrialist whose parents were killed by criminals. Sure, there's more than an element of 'Batman' about the character - but unlike the Dark Knight, Night Thrasher is very much a team player. He also has a (sometimes absurd) sense of style - he famously travelled on roller-skates for a while!

The list includes another three characters who are traditionally associated with the New Warriors. Speedball generates a plasma energy field around himself that means he can ricochet around like a human cannonball. Rage is an African-American character who was exposed to biochemical waste, and gained tremendous physical abilities; he becomes stronger as he absorbs kinetic energy into himself. Finally, Justice is a powerful telekinetic.

The New Warriors aren't a particularly strong brand, and simply wouldn't command the same attention as other Marvel pitches (such as Hulu's Runaways). To improve the show's strength, this cast list also includes two characters fans desperately want to see enter the MCU: Squirrel Girl and Ms. Marvel.

Why Squirrel Girl and Ms. Marvel?

Putting Squirrel Girl and the New Warriors together for a lighthearted teenage show made sense right from the beginning. In the comics, Speedball was Squirrel Girl's biggest crush, meaning you've kicked the series off with a fun teenage romance. In fact, I wouldn't be surprised if the New Warriors project evolved out of discussions about how to make a Squirrel Girl TV show.

Right now, Squirrel Girl is proving to be a hit in the comics. So much so that two actors - Anna Kendrick and Shannon Purser - have both publicly stated that they'd be interested in playing the role. (My suggestion for deciding it: acorn fight!)

Meanwhile, Ms. Marvel is another teenage character whose popularity is booming. Kamala Khan was only created in 2013, but has already proved significant enough to be mentioned by none other than President Barack Obama! She's the modern equivalent of Spider-Man, designed as an 'everyman figure' while introducing real diversity into Marvel Comics as an American Muslim. The award-winning Ms. Marvel comic is a blazing torch of youthful optimism, and a delight to read.

Although the character usually stands in the shadow of Carol Danvers's Captain Marvel, in the MCU Carol is unlikely to ever go by the name Ms. Marvel - or even to wear the familiar lightning-bolt symbol. It shouldn't be too hard to separate Ms. Marvel from the Captain Marvel legacy.

I freely admit that this is actually the one thing that gives me pause. To my mind, both Squirrel Girl and Ms. Marvel are strong enough characters to act as series leads. Putting the two together actually feels a little like overkill.

But Notice the Powersets...

According to Screen Geek, a number of networks broadcasters have been approached, including Netflix. Given that Netflix has traditionally gone for lower-budget superheroes (Daredevil, Jessica Jones, Iron Fist, Luke Cage, and the Punisher), you'd expect this pitch to center around physical, low-cost superpowers. With only two exceptions - Speedball and Ms. Marvel - that's the case. The rumored roll-call is perfectly designed to control the show's budget.

The Direction of Travel for Marvel TV

Marvel's Netflix success has been associated with a dark and gritty style that's been loved by fans. Tying in with this, Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. has moved to a later timeslot, and Season 4 is taking advantage of this to go for a darker tone.

At the same time, though, two of Marvel's most recent announcements have been Cloak and Dagger and Runaways. Both shows would be teen-centric, marketed towards teenage audiences, and likely somewhat lighter in tone. It feels as though Marvel Entertainment is trying to diversify, and New Warriors fits that attempt nicely.

All in all, we're still in rumor territory, and we don't yet know if any network or broadcaster is interested in New Warriors. That said, to me Screen Geek's rumor seems likely to be accurate; it looks as though there truly is a New Warriors pitch making the circuit, and these characters are probably a part of it. Time will tell whether or not this show gets made...