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The End of the Netflix/Marvel Partnership?

5 Shows Needed for the New Disney Play Service

By Ian IfieldPublished 5 years ago 7 min read
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Original pencils and inks by David Marquez

With the Marvel by Netflix era seemingly coming to an end with the plug having been pulled on season three of Luke Cage, hot on the heels of the cancellation of Iron Fist. Disney have also finally announced their own streaming service making it feel like a curtain call for the Netflix Marvel collaboration. Daredevil launched its third season this past Friday and appears to be bringing to an end to its show long arc of Murdoch versus Fisk, marking potentially another nail in the coffin. But what new Marvel shows could we expect from the new Disney Play service? Or to put it more aptly what would I like to see fill those vacant slots.

Hawkeye

Original art by David Aja

The perfect action comedy franchise to put this list in motion. Taking from Matt Fraction and David Aja’s near unbeatable run on the character which did away with all the high octane avenger-ing and instead boiled Clint down to his day to day life outside of the famous superhero team. Clint resides in something of a rundown tower block that is ever pestered by an eastern European-esque gang of tracksuit wearing, baseball bat wielding baddies whom end every sentence with 'bro'. The series thrives however on the everyday interactions of Clint out of the suit and away from the bow, helping his fellow residents, partaking in rooftop parties and more importantly finding his identity outside of the avengers. The book was never afraid to follow other characters either with one issue taking on the adventure of Clint’s adopted pet dog who searches out his missing owner when he is apprehended by the 'bro' spouting baddies and trust me it’s absolutely brilliant.

The series would take those day to day elements, the books trademark humour and street level crime fighting ascetic to forge a charming series of a hero trying to find his place in the world. Which could be even more interesting depending on the outcome of Avengers 4 which could see Hawkeyes ascension to Ronin. Of course the series could go in the complete other direction and leave Jeremy Renner’s interpretation alone and instead follow the adventures of Kate Bishop as Hawkeye.

Kelly Thompson has been writing a fantastic and witty run on the character with Kate heading out to the west coast to set up a detectives agency. While finding very little luck with it she still manages to find herself enwrapped in enough danger and madness to keep anyone entertained. The series is sweet, sassy and action packed and would make for the perfect alternative to Jeremy Renner's hard faced but still wise cracking portrayal of the character and maybe the two could even eventually meet on either the big or small screen.

Blade

Blade has long gestated with talks of both a cinematic and comics comeback. The true vampire slayer has been absent for too long so maybe he can find his home on the small screen. Dark, moody, blood soaked action horror is the order of the day here. To really pull this into the realm of unmissable and engaging TV though I’m going to pinch from the sadly unmade comic series that circulated back in Marvels All-New All-Different phase which saw Blade teaming up with his some what estranged daughter to fight the devilish seekers of blood. With Blade showing her the ropes and with the daughter teaching the old hand new tricks and the way of the modern world this match-up would make for an extraordinary series with plenty of room for character and emotional developments. To add kudos to this idea just take a look at Bosslogics mock up of Jamie Foxx as the titular slayer, here. Now just to get the wheels spinning of the dream casting of the daughter. All I’ll say is Kiersey Clemons would make a helluva badass counter to Foxx’s oh so serious demeanour.

Moon Knight

Original Art by Greg Smallwood

Long seen as Marvels answer to the brooding Dark Knight over at DC comics.While the comparisons are just seeing as Moon Knight centres on a wealthy bachelor who dresses up at night to fight crime equipped with gadgets galore including the affectionately named Mooncopter and with the aid of his trusty right hand man Frenchie. Moon Knight however has far more to offer then just being a carbon copy of the caped crusader. Having been resurrected by the Egyptian moon god, Khonshu, after being unjustly killed by one of his fellow US Marine squadron members. Recent incarnations have seen the man behind the mask Marc Spector, said US Marine, suffering from dissociative personality disorder. Which has seen him embodying the traits of Jake Lockley a New York taxicab driver and Steven Grant, a millionaire entrepreneur. Who have all helped to provide a versatile and emotional playground for the character as well as providing the perfect counter to his nighttime crime fighting. Mental illness is something that has long been amiss in much of the Marvel universe and the wider superheroing genre in general so it would be incredible to see the subject delved into on prime time as. Moon Knight is a brilliant mix of vigilantism, Egyptian mysticism, mental heath issues and with a wide cast of supporting characters and enemies Moon Knight has a rich tapestry to weave a grand tale on the small screen. As great as it would be to see Moon Knight grace the big screen with such an intricate and multifaceted story it feels Moon Knight would work far better in a season by season episodic format.

The Howling Commandos

Agents of Shield is killing it over on ABC and is one of the more fiercely integrated MCU series doing the rounds but lets dial up the weird for this one. While the howling commandos started their tenure in the war comics of yesteryear as the ultimate strike force nowadays they dwell in the land of the strange and mysterious. The team has at times comprised of the likes of Frankenstein’s Monster, the eponymous Man-Thing; a humanoid swamp creature of incredible strength and embed with emphatic powers, Warwolf; a man voluntarily in control of his ability to transform into a Were-Wolf and Gorilla Man; a man trapped inside the body of a gorilla, just to give you a flavour of things. The origins of the team lie with the one and only Nick Fury who set the team up to take on all the supernatural goings on of the Marvel universe so imagine the oddest team alive taking on missions far too strange for Shield. For added crossover bonuses the team once carried Quake as a member as well as having had the time displaced Dum Dum Dugan as part of the new wacky team. The series could follow a monster of the week theme while also trying to protect the world from a much larger and wider threat and with such a diverse team all battling their own inner demons there would be plenty of room for strong character arcs and tear jerking moments. Welcome to the odd, strange, supernatural side of Marvel and Shield.

Howard the Duck

Original Art by Joe Quinones

I know I know this one is going to take a lot of convincing thanks to the wonderful work of George Lucas but thankfully such incarnation is fading from memory and so it is high time to bring the quack back. Howard's adventures have long been social satirical and metafictional misadventures that see him getting into all kinds of trouble in deepest space to the depths of hells kitchen. Howard as a character is a hard to love, easy to hate, fast talking wise cracking hero who was plucked from his home world and thrown into the harsh realties of our Earth. In addition to dealing with Howard's sense of loss and acclimation to the new world around him, the series would focus on his time as a private eye in which we would witness him adventuring to furthest corners of the Marvel universe. The series would start with Howard already established as a private eye and with his backstory developing over time allowing us time to explore the full rich depths of his character. Rather than being the hour long tense affairs that has been the norm of many of the Marvel shows Howard would be better suited to half hour capers in the vein of Atlanta or Bojack Horseman with it keeping the adult themed sensibilities of the pair. Howard the Duck would be a witty satirical romp through modern life and what it feels like to be an outsider but just from the perspective of an other-worldly duck.

Bonus: Heroes for Hire

Maybe it isn’t all over for Netflix with internet rumours circulating that the cancelling of the two aforementioned shows, Luke Cage and Iron Fist, is in order to combine the pairing and restore them to their classic partnership in Heroes for Hire. If it is sadly all over then I would love to see any of the above, if not all, added to the roster over at Disney Play when it finally makes its debut.

What would you love to see Marvel put on the small screen.

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