- Marvel is shifting its focus away from live-action TV shows to prioritize animated projects like X-Men ‘97, signaling a potential animated superhero renaissance.
- Disney is following suit with Star Wars, pausing development of live-action series after Season 2 of Ahsoka to focus more on animated content like The Ninth Jedi.
- The move towards animation for both Marvel and Star Wars is aimed at providing a clear delineation of programming on Disney+ for fans, while reserving live-action content for the big screen.
X-Men ’97 just finished its second season, and fans and critics agree that this is one of the best cartoons ever made. It’s certainly one of the best Marvel projects ever made, and its quality rivals all but the very best of the live-action films. Previously, I predicted that the show might be so good that it kills the MCU altogether; after all, why pay a small fortune to go to the movies when you can stream perfect superhero storytelling from the comfort of your own home? For that matter, why would Marvel continue working on crappy live-action movies when animation is cheaper, faster, and almost always better?
Now, it seems, my prediction is starting to come true. Collider is reporting that Marvel will not be working on any live-action shows after the release of VisionQuest. We may see more live-action content in the form of things that have already been shot (like Daredevil: Born Again Season 3) and in the form of one-shot presentations. This doesn’t mean the end of Marvel television, however, as the House of Ideas will be prioritizing animated projects like X-Men ’97, meaning that we may be on the cusp of an animated superhero renaissance.
The End Of An Era
Why is Marvel nixing development of its live-action TV shows to focus on animation? It all comes down to whether enough people are watching to justify the exorbitant cost of creating a new show from scratch. While Disney is understandably cagey about their streaming numbers, it seems clear that many of their Marvel shows had low viewership because they only lasted one season. This includes The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, Hawkeye, Moon Knight, Ms. Marvel, She-Hulk, Echo, and Ironheart. Surely, if the audience was showing up for this stuff, some of these would have gotten a second season.
What can you expect to see in place of new live-action shows? More animated ones, of course! This includes more seasons of X-Men ’97, Marvel Zombies, and Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man. With any luck, we’ll get revivals of the ’90s Spider-Man: The Animated Series that could share a continuity with X-Men ’97. Incidentally, this focus on animation doesn’t mean the complete end of live-action Marvel content. Instead of complete series, though, we’ll be getting more one-shots like ThePunisher: One Last Kill and the occasional miniseries. Like the animated shows, those can be created quicker and cheaper than full seasons of a live-action show.
The Age Of Apocalypse (Er, Animation)
In case you were wondering, the same thing is happening to a galaxy far, far away. After the high-profile failure of The Acolyte, Star Wars is pausing development of its own live-action series after Season 2 of Ahsoka. Following Marvel’s lead, this franchise will focus more on animated series such as The Ninth Jedi, which has proven to be a fan-favorite. At a glance, it seems that Disney wants to have a clear delineation of programming in which fans can rely on Disney+ for their animated Marvel and Star Wars needs. For almost all live-action, though, fans will need to head to the big screen.
Honestly, it’s a fairly solid strategy for Disney’s biggest franchises. Many have long complained about Marvel shows feeling like “homework” they have to complete before seeing the movies. As for Star Wars, audiences got so used to seeing this galaxy far, far away on the small screen that they avoided The Mandalorian and Grogu, making it the lowest-earning live-action movie in the franchise’s history. Putting these franchises’ biggest adventures back on the biggest screen seems like a straightforward way to make money, especially if any of them become runaway hits like Spider-Man: Brand New Day.
But will fans flocking back to theaters ultimately cancel subscriptions to Disney+ since it is going to be far less valuable? As usual, only time (and sweet, sweet money) will tell.
