Wonder Man season 2 has been canceled, which means Marvel Studios' TV presence is getting pretty sparing. As one MCU fan has noticed, there are now only two Disney Plus shows in production, and they both release in the next eight months.
As it stands, VisionQuest, which ends the WandaVision saga, and Daredevil: Born Again season 3 are the only remaining live-action shows in the Marvel line-up. There are a few more in development on the animation side, including X-Men '97 season 4 and Marvel Zombies season 2, but it certainly seems that the strategy is shifting at Marvel HQ.
Kevin Feige spoke recently about the decision to not release any Marvel movies between Avengers: Doomsday and Avengers: Secret Wars. "A lot of it is a strategy we've talked about for a while, of focusing on quality," Feige told Empire magazine. "We always try to focus on quality, but when quantity is so much, you get spread thin. We didn't want to be spread thin, and the Avengers is as important as it comes."
It seems they're now planning a similar approach to TV shows, streamlining the narrative of the MCU projects once again. I was a big fan of Wonder Man and would have enjoyed seeing it return, but I've got to admit that I'm relieved by this seeming shift in strategy.
Marvel has been having a lot of problems since releasing Avengers: Endgame. Mainly referred to as superhero fatigue, it's been a case of casting too wide a net. Films have introduced endless new characters who we've never seen again (Eros who?) and brought the MCU in exceedingly far-reaching directions.
While it's been fun to try out new genres, it's all gotten a bit muddled. Realigning the MCU back around its tentpole Avengers movies and the upcoming X-Men film feels like a smarter choice. It also means we'll hopefully have fewer announcements of projects that never materialize (a Blade movie, Shang-Chi 2, and Armor Wars to name a few).
I'm hoping that the restructuring of Marvel's upcoming releases will mean a bit more focus on what the universe is planning to create. At the very least, it seems to be an admission that something needs to change for the MCU going forward to allow it to last as long as Feige plans (up to at least 2042, according to his recent comments). That in itself feels like progress.
For more on the MCU, check out our list of all the upcoming Marvel movies and shows on the way as well as our Spider-Man: Brand New Day review.
