Marvel Studios expanded its cinematic franchise onto the small screen when the Disney Plus streaming service presented it with the perfect opportunity to do so. As a result of that, Phase Four launched with multiple TV shows, the very first of which earned the Marvel Cinematic Universe its first Emmy Awards (along with a multitude of nominations). Yes, the MCU shows were making history.
Since then, there have been a lot of success stories, but Phases Four and Five have been less consistent than the original three, with movies such as Eternals, Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania, and The Marvels all underperforming (and not resonating as much with fans or critics) and Disney Plus shows such as Secret Invasion receiving the worst feedback of any Marvel project ever.
These uncharacteristic lows have forced both Disney and Marvel to prioritize quality over the quantity going forward, with the studios determined to do all they call to ensure that every title on the horizon are both critical and commercial hits. That also unfortunately means that they will be more selective about what titles they greenlight going forward.
With reports and rumors already suggesting that a number of Marvel TV shows could be renewed for second seasons (to allow the franchise to build out multiseason shows instead of one-season miniseries), there are also rumblings about a number of projects that will likely be cancelled (both on the movie and TV fronts). And thus, with the studio expected to unveil its complete slate of Multiverse Saga movies and shows at San Diego Comic-Con and D23, let's look at the projects that probably won't make the cut.
She-Hulk: Attorney At Law brought the MCU into full-blown sitcom territory and it received acclaim from critics for doing so. Tatiana Maslany was praised for her hilarious and heartfelt performance while Marvel Studios earned praise for trying something different, using the TV format to produce a half-hour legal dramedy that worked equally as well as a superhero series.
Of all the shows that Marvel has produced for Disney Plus, this is the one that could easily return for a second season. Heck, it could return for nine more seasons if it was allowed to; sitcoms have long lifespans, and She-Hulk would have been right at home among the ongoing ones. Unfortunately, it doesn't seem like that is on the cards.
It's been two years since the show's conclusion and Marvel has yet to deliver a definitive update about its future. Its star, on the other hand, had a rather disheartening update for fans earlier this year, telling them that a second season is unlikely as the show "blew [its] budget and Disney was like 'no thanks!'"
With Marvel expected to officially confirm which of its classic Disney Plus shows will return for a second season (with Hawkeye and Moon Knight, and potentially even Ms. Marvel all rumored to get renewal announcements), the absence of She-Hulk will likely confirm that the studio is not proceeding with another installment of it. That certainly doesn't rule out a return for the character in another MCU project (Jennifer Walters' Jade Giantess is already rumored for the next two Avengers movies), but it is extremely expensive to produce a whole series centred on a CGI Hulk, so it wouldn't be too surprising if She-Hulk: Attorney At Law remains a one-and-done miniseries.
The Okoye prequel series
One of the most intriguing shows on Marvel's calendar is the Black Panther spinoff series focused on Okoye. Danai Gurira is expected to reprise her role from the MCU movies as the general of the Dora Milaje in a show that is rumored to dive into the character's origins. Or at least that was the case until new reports suggested that it has been put on hold, if not already cancelled altogether.
Veteran Marvel insider Daniel Richtman recently revealed that Marvel may be moving away from the project, which, as upsetting as it is, isn't too surprising. There haven't been any significant updates about the project since Danai Gurira confirmed it was true in January 2023 and that was before Marvel decided to make some changes.
If reports about the studio reshifting its focus, specifically on the TV front, are true, it might well invest more time, money, and energy to ongoing shows instead of trying to launch new ones. And with Okoye likely having a spot in a potential third Black Panther movie, a prequel focusing on her origins may have been deemed less necessary to the MCU's Multiverse Saga than her current and / or future stories.
If the rumors about Kevin Feige confirming Marvel's TV slate at D23 are true and Okoye isn't mentioned, we should likely take that as official confirmation that the show isn't moving forward.
Another project that we haven't heard anything about in far too long is Armor Wars. Set to star Don Cheadle as he reprises his iconic role as James "Rhodey" Rhodes, a.k.a. War Machine, from the MCU movies, it was initially announced at Disney Investor Day all the way back in 2020 and, well, there haven't been many promising updates about it since.
It was initially announced to be a Disney Plus series. After a period of no updates on it, fans began to worry about its future, until it was confirmed at D23 in summer 2022 that it had been repackaged as a movie. And then all went quiet on the Armor Wars front once again.
A recent rumor has indicated that Marvel is considering scrapping the movie altogether in the wake of its new era, but honestly the better idea would be to revert it to its original form as a TV series. There is a strong chance that it would be a huge success for Disney Plus and that might be a better approach given the uncharacteristically weaker year Marvel had at the box office in 2023.
There is also the Secret Invasion debacle to consider, as that show's huge reveal that Rhodey had been replaced by a Skrull at some point during the MCU timeline was reviled by audiences, making it hard to know how Armor Wars could ever hope to repair the damage that it did. Some project will have to at some point, as that likely isn't the last we've seen of Rhodey, but will it be this one?
Since Armor Wars was one of the original Multiverse Saga projects confirmed by Marvel, fans are expecting it to be one of the mystery projects in Phase Six. If it isn't on the calendar when Kevin Feige unveils it (presumably at San Diego Comic-Con), that might speak volumes about the future of this one. Here's hoping that it is on it!
Eternals 2
You might look at this entry and think "Wait, hasn't Eternals 2 already been cancelled?". Well, no it hasn't. Not officially at least. But unfortunately, it's looking like it will be.
While Eternals performed decently at the box office, its big budget meant that it needed to do better. It was the first signs of weakness that Marvel had ever experienced at the box office and as a result, there hasn't been any kind of sequel confirmed since its release almost three years ago. In fact, there were early talks of a sequel, but those have since quietened, with the divisive reviews and the generally lacklustre response likely the cause of that.
The one thing that there has been plenty of, however, are rumors, with the vast majority of them suggesting that Marvel won't be pursuing an Eternals 2 anytime in the foreseeable future. Marvel insider Alex Perez recently reported that Marvel Studios had been developing a sequel but that it's not currently in development as it is no longer a priority. This also supports an earlier report from insider Daniel Richtman that claimed the movie is on hold due to the fact that, even though Kevin Feige wants to make it, Disney CEO Bob Iger thinks it's a guaranteed flop.
Given that Iger was reportedly the one that insisted Marvel change its strategy after its recent shortcomings, it's highly unlikely that Eternals 2 will get made. And if Feige doesn't announce it at San Diego Comic-Con, we can probably take that as official confirmation that the movie has been cancelled. After all, the Eternals were introduced as major players in the Multiverse Saga, so if they don't get to continue their story before that saga's conclusion, then it raises eyebrows about whether Marvel plans on giving them another go.
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