10 Marvel Comics Joss Whedon Could Bring to TV
From She-Hulk to Heroes for Hire to Young Avengers, we look at characters we think would make sense for Joss Whedon's just-announced Marvel TV show.
by Eric Goldman
It’s happening and we can hardly believe it. Joss Whedon is not only returning to write and direct The Avengers 2, but he’s also helping develop a TV series for Marvel and ABC, set within the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
What will this TV show be? For now, we have no idea. But there are obviously a ton of possibilities. And suffice to say, the creator of Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Angel and Firefly returning to TV to expand the world he already proved such a great fit with on The Avengers has us excited. Even assuming Whedon is more of a consultant than a hands on showrunner, there still are plenty of intriguing paths to go. Here are some potentials that make the most sense to us...
S.H.I.E.L.D.
S.H.I.E.L.D. have been a big part of the Marvel Cinematic Universe since the first Iron Man movie and Agent Coulson was an endearing and humanizing element of the films. In fact, it would seem like an obvious route for a TV show…
…if Coulson hadn’t been killed in The Avengers. Sure, this is a comic book-based world, and who’s to say Coulson might not come back at some point? But for now, the character who would most likely seem appropriate for the lead in a S.H.I.E.L.D. based show is gone. And yeah, we wonder about Maria Hill too, but Cobie Smulders has at least one more year of How I Met Your Mother ahead, and it’s looking likely there could be more than that. Plus, this more militarized world wouldn’t seem the most compelling one to Whedon, given his previous work, especially without Coulson there… That being said, it certainly could still happen. We just don't see it as the most likely candidate.
Young Avengers
We don’t expect this Marvel TV show, whatever it is, to be “Avengers: The TV Series.” And yet, there is a way to put Avengers in the title – with a property that would be a lot of fun on TV.
With Buffy, Whedon showed his ability to bring us fully realized, sympathetic and east to root for teenage characters. A TV show about this group of young superheroes – who have emulated themselves on the Avengers we’ve seen in the films – would be a great set up and easy way to tie a TV series into the films, without needing to have Robert Downey Jr. and Chris Evans show up each week (though we wouldn’t mind a cameo or two).
And yes, on a similar note, Avengers Academy is another route that would certainly make sense...
Blade
The rights to Blade have reverted back to Marvel, meaning the character could now be introduced into the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Though no, it’s not likely that Joss Whedon would want to tackle his third TV show about vampires. But given the fact that he’s proven he can do kick ass stories about both vampires and about Marvel Universe characters, we’re just saying… We’d watch the hell out of this. Just think about the Buffy in-jokes alone!
Jessica Jones
We heard a lot about "AKA Jessica Jones" as a potential project for the last couple of years from Marvel/ABC, with Melissa Rosenberg (Dexter, the Twilight films) writing a script that has yet to be produced. Jessica Jones makes a lot of sense for a TV series – Alias, the comic book she first appeared in, had a grounded, gritty tone that would work well with a smaller TV budget.
Whedon is drawn towards strong female characters, and Jessica Jones is a wonderful character – with all of the faults and strengths to make for plenty of compelling stories. Plus, her role as a private detective working in the Marvel universe is a great way to touch upon little corners of Marvel or introduce new characters into this world. Rosenberg’s script was said to include Luke Cage and Carol Danvers in supporting roles and it would be amazing to see what Whedon could do with them – possibly leading to bigger roles in future Avengers films.
Heroes for Hire
Speaking of Luke Cage, another way to go would be to have a show more centered on Luke and his sometime partner, Danny Rand/Iron Fist. Kind of like the short-lived Human Target (from DC), but much more willing to embrace its comic book background -- costumes included -- Heroes for Hire would provide a nice unlikely partners setup and the potential for a lot of fun stories about Luke and Danny working together.
There’s also room for the Heroes for Hire duo to become more of a larger group as time goes on – starting with characters like Misty Knight and Colleen Wing and perhaps expanding out to others. In the comics, after all, there have been larger Heroes for Hire teams, that included everyone from Black Knight to Shang Chi to… Well, the next person on this list.
She-Hulk
She’s whip smart, sassy, funny and incredibly strong. Could there be a more perfect character for Joss Whedon? The Hulk’s cousin, Jennifer Walters, is a lawyer turned superhero and her best comic book stories (most notably Dan Slott’s She-Hulk series a few years back) delved into both these worlds. She-Hulk’s sense of humor is a big part of her character, something Whedon excels at – but she also has plenty of depth and the ability to be used in dramatic storylines as well and Whedon is a master at suddenly shifting tones.
Having seen what wonderful work Whedon did with Jennifer’s cousin Bruce in Avengers, this seems like a logical leap for him to make. All you’d need is Mark Ruffalo to guest star in the pilot to give Jennifer that blood transfusion and you’re off and running.
Daredevil
Right now this is wishful thinking, given that Fox still has a hold on Daredevil. But there is speculation that could end very soon . And if Daredevil were to fully revert back to Marvel, he would be right at home on TV. His powers are toned down enough to not need a massive budget, while his comic book history gives you a ton of excellent stories to pull from. Like She-Hulk, Matt Murdock is a lawyer, giving you a bit of a procedural element for a TV series as well – but mixed in with plenty of overreaching arcs as his alter-ego battles criminals like Kingpin and Bullseye.
We'd love to see Daredevil back on the big screen eventually as well, but there's no reason you couldn't first introduce him into the Marvel Cinematic Universe via TV first. Marvel's become so ambitious with their longterm plans, and DD would be an appropriate character to build up within television, before he returns to the film world (yes, using the same actor).
Damage Control
As we saw at the end of Avengers, when a bunch of superheroes fight, say, an alien god and his army, a lot of stuff gets trashed. Enter Damage Control, the group who come in to fix things after superhero battles. A Damage Control series could chart how such a group is founded, in the wake of this rise of superheroes and villains in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. The main characters would mostly be of the human variety, but there would be plenty of opportunities for superhero guest stars, from the powerful to the silly.
Cloak and Dagger
Teenage characters mixed with superheroics and some surprisingly dark topics? Sounds like Joss Whedon to us!
Cloak and Dagger’s origins, involving abduction and drugs, would give a TV show some real substance to build on – while the main characters outcast nature and their dealings with more of the seedy underbelly of the Marvel Universe could provide plenty of fodder for weekly stories.
Runaways
Marvel has been developing a Runaways movie for awhile, though things have been quiet on that front recently. But the thing is, Runaways makes much more sense as a TV show. The story of a group of next generation superhero teenagers who discover their parents are actually supervillains, Runaways felt so much like a cool Joss Whedon story that Joss Whedon eventually wrote an arc on the comic book!
Like Young Avengers, this feels like the kind of characters and storylines Whedon could absolutely knock out of the park on TV, given his history with young and dysfunctional characters who eventually become a formidable team – with a strong, family-like bond.
C. LeeSuperherohype Administrator
Lily Adler#forthecontent! 📹 (she/her)
