Marvel preparing four new TV shows and a miniseries

By Ryan Fleming Updated October 15, 2013

marvel preparing four new tv shows and a miniseries shield episode1

Marvel Studios is currently shopping a package of 60 episodes spread over four potential TV shows and a miniseries, according to a report from Deadline. It’s being pitched as a single bundle to VOD and cable networks.

Marvel Studios is, and always has been, notoriously secretive regarding its plans, so the exact nature of the potential programming isn’t clear. No talent is confirmed to be involved, and no one is saying what exactly the various programs would be about, or what characters from the Marvel universe – if any – they would feature. Based on Marvel’s strategy though, the programs would almost certainly connect to the larger Marvel world the comic book publisher offshoot has created through films and now a successful TV show. With hundreds of characters and decades of stories to draw from, there are a lot of possibilities.

The move comes after the ratings success of Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. on ABC, which just received an order for a full season. There has also been discussion about bringing to air a series based on Peggy Carter, Captain America’s love interest in Captain America: The First Avenger, played by Hayley Atwell. The series would build off of the one-shot short film Agent Carter, which appeared as an exclusive on the Iron Man 3 Blu-ray. That proposed series may or may not be part of this bundle.

Other Marvel shows may end up on ABC in the future, but the network is likely content with just one for now – especially considering the pilot alone was rumored to cost over $14 million to produce (which is not uncommon for major series these days – the pilot for Lost was around $10 million – but it still makes them very risky). As Disney owns both Marvel and ABC, that narrows the field of potential buyers down to networks that are not direct rivals to ABC. Several cable networks are said to be interested, as are VOD platforms, including Amazon and Netflix.

Based on the speed of the maneuvers – this all came to life after Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. was deemed a success with only three episodes having aired – it seems like Marvel is looking to have a deal in place soon.

So who would you like to see brought to the small screen? Sound off in the comments below!

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Former Digital Trends Contributor

Ryan Fleming is the Gaming and Cinema Editor for Digital Trends. He joined the DT staff in 2009 after spending time covering…

Gaming

You need to read this free Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 prequel comic

Miles Morales and Peter Parker stand together in Spider-Man 2.

While Marvel's Spider-Man 2 is supposed to come out sometime this fall, we don't actually have that much information on the video game's narrative or any other differences from its predecessors. That's why those looking forward to the game should check out the Marvel's Spider-Man 2 prequel comic, which was previously released physically, but is now available for free on Marvel's website.
Marvel's Spider-Man 2 (2023) No. 1, which was written by Christos Gage and illustrated by Ig Guara, was released physically on May 6 for Free Comic Book Day. Now, just a few days later, Insomniac Games and Marvel have followed up on their promise to make the book available digitally for free, so you can easily read it on Marvel.com.
It's a breezy read that doesn't contain many shocking revelations, but gives more context on what Peter Parker, Miles Morales, and Mary Jane Watson have been up to since the events of Marvel's Spider-Man: Miles Morales. In terms of new villains introduced here that could show up in the game, the Spider-Men fight The Tarantula, an arachnid-themed assassin, and The Hood, a gang leader who's trying to use magic for personal gain.
On the more character-focused side of things, we learn that Peter, Miles, and MJ are now all working together as a tight crime-fighting unit. Peter is now trying to get a teaching certificate and to convince MJ to move in with him. As Peter now lives in Aunt May and Uncle Ben's old house in Queens, that could mean we'll get to explore more boroughs of New York City in Marvel's Spider-Man 2. Meanwhile, Miles decides to pursue a Music Technology major at Empire State University, and J. Jonah Jameson decides to buy back ownership of the Daily Bugle.
There's little more than a passing mention of Norman Osborn, and we don't see Harry Osborn, Kraven, or Venom in action, so there aren't any must-know reveals from this free comic. Still, it's worth a read if you want to get reacquainted with this Marvel universe, the headspace of the heroes within it, and the gadgets they use ahead of Marvel's Spider-Man 2's launch.
Marvel's Spider-Man 2 will release exclusively for PlayStation 5 sometime this fall.

Gaming

Marvel’s Midnight Suns for Nintendo Switch canceled ahead of last-gen launch

Hulk shouts at an enemy in Marvel's Midnight Suns.

Superhero strategy game Marvel's Midnight Suns is getting its long-delayed Xbox One and PS4 port on May 11, but there's some bad news for Nintendo Switch owners: The Switch version of the game has been canceled.
2K Games and Firaxis released Marvel's Midnight Suns, a card-based strategy game focusing on the supernatural side of the Marvel comic book universe, for PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X/S last December. While Digital Trends enjoyed the game, it underperformed financially and the game's director left Firaxis altogether following its release. Originally slated to launch alongside the current-gen versions of Midnight Suns in October 2022, the PS4, Xbox One, and Nintendo Switch versions of the game were indefinitely delayed when the game was pushed to December.

Now, the PS4 and Xbox One ports will finally come out digitally alongside the Blood Storm expansion on May 11, but 2K confirmed in the press release announcing the date that "the Nintendo Switch version of Marvel's Midnight Suns will no longer be offered as part of updated plans."
Additionally, the release calls Blood Storm the "final" DLC for Midnight Suns, so it seems unlikely that the game will continue to receive lots of post-launch support, unlike other Firaxis titles such as Sid Meier's Civilization VI and XCOM 2. That's certainly a more muted ending than one would expect from a Marvel game from the industry's premier strategy developers.
Marvel's Midnight Suns will finally launch for PS4 and Xbox One on May 11. It's currently available for PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X/S.

Gaming

Marvel Snap road map reveals new competitive mode, token shop rework

marvel snap friendly battle mode impressions key art

Second Dinner released a road map that revealed several significant updates coming to Marvel Snap over the next couple of months, including a new competitive mode called Conquest and revamps of the mobile card game's Token Shop and ranked modes.
The developer went into more detail about all of these features in Marvel Snap's in-game blog. Conquest was thoroughly explained, and we learned it's a competitive version of Friendly Battles' health-based fights. Conquest mode will be split into multiple leagues (Proving Grounds, Bronze, Silver, Gold, Vibranium, Infinite), and players must win three consecutive battles in one to move up to the next and get better rewards. Players will be rewarded with Conquest medals, which can then be used in a new cosmetic-driven Conquest Shop. This major new feature is expected to launch in June, but some updates are coming before then.
In Marvel Snap's next patch, Second Dinner will increase the number of Collector's Tokens players get from opening Collector's Caches and Collector's Reserve, and add the ability for players to claim a free Series 3 card once per season. This should shorten the amount of time it takes to get new cards, and set the stage for a Token Shop revamp in April. That rework will make the Marvel Snap Token Shop much more comprehensive by featuring new Series 5 cards in a weekly spotlight and giving Series 4 and 5 cards their own dedicated shop sections.
More modes and easier card acquisition have been some of the most-requested things from Marvel Snap players since launch, so it's great that Second Dinner will finally deliver on these fronts in the coming months.

Looking at the long term, the road map also teases several features that are in the development in concept stages at Second Dinner. These updates include widescreen support on PC, Smart Decks, the ability to equip avatars and titles by deck, personalized shops, global matchmaking, social Guilds, card emotes and emojis, mythic variants, PC controller support, season audio, and a Test Deck mode that will let players try out certain deck builds in an unranked mode against AI.
Marvel Snap is available now for PC, iOS, and Android.