 |
| Image Courtesy www.facebook.com/ AgentsofShield |
Unfortunately, back in April word broke that
ABC had decided to pass on the Marvel’s Most Wanted spinoff of Agents
of S.H.I.E.L.D. This was extremely
disappointing news since this show looked like a really good and interesting
change of pace from Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. which would expand on two
really good characters. At the time the
powers that be didn’t explain their reasoning for passing on the spinoff (they
have since stated that it “wasn’t as strong” as other ideas), but a rumor did
surface shortly thereafter that this was part of a major shakeup at ABC. The old executive was trying to market shows
with the “Marvel” logo which did not connect directly with the movie universe—essentially
using “Marvel” to boost ratings. The new
executive did not want to do that and instead wanted to focus on Marvel shows
that would expand on and connect directly to the Marvel movies.
Personally, while the idea of
just using the “Marvel” logo to boost ratings is problematic, I also think it’s
a stupid idea to focus on just connecting to the movies (if it’s true). In my opinion, what’s interesting about Agents
of S.H.I.E.L.D. (excepting the Winter Soldier tie-in, which belongs
in its own category) isn’t the 2-5 episodes each season which directly connect
to movies. What’s interesting about the
show is the interesting characters and the plots which expand the movie
universe in ways that the movies would not be able to (due to time, scope, and
the like). Agent Carter was
interesting specifically because it could expand on things like the origin of
S.H.I.E.L.D., Hydra infiltration, and initial experimentation with Darkforce,
things which help to give the movie universe depth. Marvel’s Most Wanted would have been
interesting because it could expand on the “seedy underbelly” of the MCU in
ways that Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. and the movies really can’t. Just because a show doesn’t directly tie into
the movies doesn’t make it bad; just look at Netflix and The Defenders
shows.
/endrant
However, that being said, it
seems that Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. is in need of a new spinoff to set up
this year. For the sake of argument, I
will introduce these spinoff ideas under the assumption that they need room to make
direct connections to the movies.
Considering the number of ideas involved, I decided to break them up
into 2 groups. This week’s ideas are the
“easy ones” (meaning that they use characters/concepts already on the
show). Next week’s ideas will use new
characters and themes.
 |
| This, reduxImage Courtesy www.mcuexchange.com |
Shadow Initiative or Shadow Warriors
Characters:
- Bobbi and Hunter
Introduction: Coulson and the Director have to bring in
specialists dissociated from S.H.I.E.L.D. for a special black ops mission
This is a concept which has been
explored numerous times in the comics: a
covert team of superheroes (or other powered people) who take on missions too
dangerous or politically messy for the more public/official teams. The name “Shadow Initiative” comes from the Avengers:
The Initiative comic series, in which Tony Stark founded a camp to train
young heroes for deployment as part of the Fifty State Initiative (superhero
teams for all fifty U.S. states). A
small number of the recruits (mostly former criminals) were held in reserve as
a Suicide Squad-like “wet-work team” which the camp director (Henry Peter
Gyrich) could deploy as needed.
When Coulson pitched the idea of
the Secret Warriors to Daisy, he actually intended that team to serve as
just such a covert operations unit, so you may be wondering why S.H.I.E.L.D.
would need a second covert superhero team when they’ve barely filled out
the roster for the first one. I think that the situation in Russia
(“Parting Shot,” 3x13) is a perfect example of why S.H.I.E.L.D. needs a powered
black ops team, particularly now that S.H.I.E.L.D. has been re-legitimized by
the U.S. Government. Coulson and
S.H.I.E.L.D. had to disavow valuable agents when a mission on foreign soil went
south. Because Bobbi and Hunter had
official connections with the U.S. Government and S.H.I.E.L.D., it nearly
turned into an international incident.
However, a team without any official connections to S.H.I.E.L.D.—people
S.H.I.E.L.D. would never associate with—would be able to operate in that
situation without risking an international incident.
If Marvel and ABC choose to go in
this direction, this could give them an opportunity to recycle some of the
elements from Marvel’s Most Wanted, specifically the characters of Bobbi
and Hunter. Considering that they have
already been disavowed by S.H.I.E.L.D., I can’t think of anyone better to lead
a team of reformed criminals getting their hands dirty in dirty situations.
As far as movie connections go,
this series may actually be freer to work within the movies than even Agents
of S.H.I.E.L.D. is. A movie like Black
Panther does not offer many tie-in opportunities for a U.S.
Government-sanctioned organization like S.H.I.E.L.D. However, the “Shadow Warriors” (if they go
with the “_____ Warriors” moniker to coordinate with the “Secret Warriors”) could
tie-in by undertaking a mission within Wakanda which the U.S. Government could
never officially sanction. A tie-in
similar to “The Dirty Half Dozen” (2x19) in which a S.H.I.E.L.D. team
infiltrates a base to gather intelligence would work just as well—if not
better—with an off-books team, depending on the mission. An ultra-covert team can be right in the thick
of the movie action without ever being shown on-screen.
 |
| Image Courtesy en.wikipedia.org |
Inhumans
Potential New Characters:
- Crystal (member of the Inhuman Royal Family with the ability to control the four classical elements)
- Karnak (member of the Inhuman Royal Family who can see weaknesses in people, objects, and situations)
Introduction: The Inhuman Royal Family sends Crystal and
Karnak to investigate reports of new Inhumans, bringing them into conflict with
S.H.I.E.L.D. In the end, Daisy convinces
the two sides to work together for mutual benefit.
We’ve already been introduced to
the Inhumans on Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.:
results of Kree experimentation on early humans, they have latent
superpowers which can be activated by the Terrigen Mist.
Up until very recently, there was
an Inhumans movie set for release in July 2019, and even following its
removal from the schedule Kevin Feige has remained adamant that the Inhumans
are still an important part of the MCU’s future. Given this—and given that the AoS
season 2 finale unleashed Terrigen into the ecosystem, which is scheduled to
cover the Earth by about the middle of season 4—why shouldn’t the Inhumans get
a little more publicity via TV before their inevitable movie debut? This holds doubly true now that Marvel
Studios is giving Marvel TV a little more freedom to incorporate “classic
Inhumans characters” (which most likely means the Inhuman Royal Family).
If Marvel and ABC go this route,
the series would begin laying the groundwork for Attilan and the Royal Family. Crystal and Karnak could serve as easy
stand-ins for the rest of the Royal Family as they gather, train, and lead a
group of newly-transformed Inhumans. If
this is the case, the series could follow the concept of the All-New
Inhumans, in which Crystal and Gorgon lead a team of NuHumans.
I don’t think I need to point out
the potential for this series to connect with the movies. Even if the rest of the Royal Family does not
appear, Attilan (and the Attilan-Inhuman society) could be explored.
Secret Warriors
Characters:
- Daisy, Yo-Yo, and James (a.k.a. Hellfire)
- Eden Fesi, a.k.a. Manifold (Inhuman with the ability to teleport)
- Sebastian Druid (magic user)
Introduction: Near the end of the season, Coulson gives the
Secret Warriors a specific mission for the coming year
I’ve talked about the spinoff
possibilities of the Secret Warriors quite a bit. In fact, when it was first rumored that there
would be a spinoff I thought this was the clear choice, considering how much
the Secret Warriors plot has taken over Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. since it
was announced at the end of season 2.
Spinning them off into their own series would be a good way to free up
time and allow AoS to focus more on the espionage elements as well as
the concept of non-powered people living and working in a world of
superheroes. This would pull Daisy
(arguably one of the two main characters of the show) away from AoS, but
as a tradeoff we could get a lot more development from minor characters on both
shows.
Obviously the Tie-In potential
with this series is about the same as that for Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.
itself. The Secret Warriors team can
participate in ancillary battles/events parallel to those in the movies. The series can also show the aftermath of
movie events (like AoS).
Conclusion
All of these spinoff
possibilities have definite potential to build naturally from the foundation
that Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. has already laid and offer a change of pace
from the stories that AoS tells. Likewise,
each offers major tie-in possibilities for the upcoming MCU movies. If Marvel and ABC were to green light one or
more of these series, I would be really excited. If I had to pick just one of these, I think Secret
Warriors makes the most sense, looking at the show as it currently stands. However, Inhumans may actually be the
more likely, considering that it offers the most change-of-pace from Agents
of S.H.I.E.L.D.
Which of these spinoff options has you most
interested? What would you like to see
as an AoS spinoff? Do you think
they should revisit Marvel’s Most Wanted? Let me know in the comments!
No comments:
Post a Comment