Murphy's Multiverse

Tag: Marvel TV

  • Marvel Adds Two Projects to Its 2026 Slate

    Marvel Adds Two Projects to Its 2026 Slate

    Bob Iger‘s return to the Disney throne may have come with a mandate for the company’s major production studios to slow their respective rolls in terms of the quantity of streaming projects being released per year but in the case of Marvel Studios, no slowdown has been detected just yet.

    We’re slowly going to decrease volume and go to probably about two TV series a year instead of what had become four and reduce our film output from maybe four a year to two, or a maximum of three. And we’re working hard on what that path is.

    -Bob Iger

    A busier than expected 2025, featuring three films and a total of six streaming series, has just gotten underway and is about to ramp up significantly with the highly-anticipated Daredevil: Born Again set to launch on March 4th. Following the return to Hell’s Kitchen, fans still have plenty to look forward to the rest of the year and it’s starting to look as though 2026 might be nearly as busy, including second seasons of two of the studio’s most well-received streaming series to date.

    According to Marvel TV chief Brad Winderbaum, the sophomore seasons of both X-Men ’97 and Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man are planned to hit D+ at some point in 2026.

    Of course, in the world of animatied projects things can often move a little slower than expected; however, Winderbaum reminds, at the very least, cautiously optimistic that Season 2 of Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man will be ready for next year. “Season 2 in ’26, I think,” said Winderbaum before addressing the studio’s even grander plans for the hit series.

    Peter Parker/Spider-Man (Hudson Thames) in Marvel Animation’s YOUR FRIENDLY NEIGHBORHOOD SPIDER-MAN, exclusively on Disney+. Photo courtesy of Marvel Animation. © 2025 MARVEL. All Rights Reserved.

    “We will have a Spider-Man season every year if I have anything to say about it,” said Marvel’s head of TV, streaming and animation. “What usually happens, as you know, in animation, is that there’s a bigger gap between Season 1 and Season 2 than in subsequent seasons, and that’ll be similar in Friendly. We will have to wait a little bit more than a year for Season 2, but then after that, it should come out on an annual cadence, hopefully. “

    Pragmatically speaking, a second season of Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man might not hit arrive on D+ until mid-2026. That’s ok, however, considering fans are already looking forward to a jam-packed follow-up which will introduce Gwen Stacy, follow Peter and Harry’s plans with the Worldwide Engineering Brigade, follow Tombstone’s rise in Harlem and, hopefully, address how Peter’s father ended up in prison, among other things. It’s also ok because it sounds like another amazing animated adventure might be on track to return sooner than that.

    (L-R): Cyclops (voiced by Ray Chase) and Jean Grey (voiced by Jennifer Hale) in Marvel Animation’s X-MEN ’97. Photo courtesy of Marvel Animation. © 2024 MARVEL.

    “Season 2 of X-Men ‘97 is going to be in ‘26. We’re working on it now,” Winderbaum told Collider, confirming previous reports. The longtime Marvel exec then explained that as part of Marvel Television’s new approach, the hope is to have X-Men ’97, like Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man, ready for yearly release. “To me, it’s important to try to get to an annual cadence with these shows and to have something that people can rely on,” he said. “This has been a challenge for streaming in general, but I really want to create television shows that feel like shows. So, part of that is creating a seasonal cadence that people can rely on.”

    The season finale cliffhanger set the stage for multiple major storylines to unfold in Season 2 of X-Men ’97; however, with Ms. Marvel and What If…? writer Matthew Chauncey taking over for a fired Beau DeMayo, the new season required a little more time to prep as Chauncey redirects it from the original 5-season plan.

    As it stands, fans have 4 streaming projects confirmed to arrive in 2026 (X-Men ’97 Season 2, Daredevil: Born Again Season 2, The Punisher Special Presentation, Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man Season 2) with another likely (Vision). Theatrically, the studio has set dates for Avengers: Doomsday and Spider-Man 4 while still keeping dates set aside for a pair of untitled films. All told, 2026 does indeed look to be another busy year for Marvel, Iger’s mandate be damned.

    Source: Collider and Collider

  • Creative Team and Surprising Release Date Revealed for Marvel ‘The Punisher’ Special Presentation

    Creative Team and Surprising Release Date Revealed for Marvel ‘The Punisher’ Special Presentation

    While promoting the upcoming release of Daredevil: Born Again, Marvel Studios’ Head of TV, Streaming, Brad Winderbaum, revealed that Marvel Studios is working with The Punisher star Jon Bernthal on a Special Presentation. Now with the cat out of the bag, the Marvel TV boss has released some more details about the project.

    In an exclusive interview with EW, Winderbaum revealed that Bernthal will co-writer the Special Presentation with Reinaldo Marcus Green, who will also direct it. Additionally, according to THR, the Special Presentation is expected to stream on Disney Plus in 2026.

    “It’s like a shotgun blast of a story, but also has all the pathos and emotion that you want out of a Frank Castle story. It’s so exciting,” said Winderbaum of the project.

    Green and Bernthal previously worked together on the six-episode HBO miniseries We Own the Night.

    Bernthal is a generational actor. He’s incredible what he brings to all the roles he plays, but particularly Frank Castle. And he’s a great writer. He knows the character inside and out…. Also, I love Punisher, but I love Jon’s Punisher in particular. The idea that he’s in the MCU and can bring that to the greater universe, especially the more grounded street-level stuff, is a huge opportunity and, as a fan, the greatest thing ever.

    -Brad Winderbaum

    Shortly after the news hit, Bernthal posted a picture of the cover of The Punisher #53, the first of a seven-part arc entitled “The Final Days.” Published in 1991, “The Final Days”, written by Mike Baron, saw Castle tangle with Wilson Fisk.

    The Punisher project will join Werewolf By Night (2022) and The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special (2022) under the Marvel Studios Special Presentation banner. The two projects–which had runtimes of 55 minutes and 45 minutes, respectively–while standalone, also positioned the characters for further adventures, though Jack and Ted’s excellent adventures have yet to be explored. It’s possible that the new Punisher project could pave the way for Castle’s next appearance, whether that be in a film or in a new ssteeaming season of The Punisher on D+.

    Sources: EW, THR

  • Among Slew of Delays and Cancellations, Two Marvel Television Projects Under Consideration for Second Seasons

    Among Slew of Delays and Cancellations, Two Marvel Television Projects Under Consideration for Second Seasons

    In May 2024, Marvel’s head of streaming, television and animation, Brad Winderbaum, explained that things had changed behind the scenes in the way Marvel Studios developed and released its streaming series. “We were already, as of two years ago, adapting our process from being, you know, fill the service as fast as possible no matter what, to a more considered approach,” Winderbaum said in an interview with Variety. Less than a year later, the results of that “considered approach” are ruffling fans’ feathers.

    Over the past week, it was revealed that a pair of LONG-gestating streaming series, Nova and the Danai Gurira-led Okoye spinoff, were among multiple projects that the studio had either delayed indefinitely or scrapped entirely as Marvel Television pursues a more traditional approach to cheating its series. Now, Winderbaum has given some insight into what considerations are being given to the projects Marvel will move forward with in the future.

    “I think it’s ‘linear series potential,’” said Winderbaum, referencing a shift to a far more traditional approach to producing television. “As we develop things for the future, I think they’re going to be designed to be multiple seasons, have more of a pattern, and be able to be released annually.”

    Winderbaum‘s comments come as cameras prepare to roll a second season of Daredevil: Born Again just as the first season launches on D+. His comments also may well explain the delays to projects such as Nova and Strange Academy, which insiders believe the studio will eventually greenlight for production: until the creative teams can outline multiple seasons of the series, the studio may be content to hold off.

    That plan, however, could eventually mean a shortage in content which wouldn’t be ideal even as Disney seeks to reduce the output of content from its major studios. There is good news on that front, though, as Winderbaum reveals that a pair of previously well-received streaming series could be revisited for second seasons. Though nothing is set in stone, both Agatha All Along and Hawkeye are under consideration for future seasons.

    I really like the idea of two shows a year, especially because we are developing more than we make. We used to treat the shows like the features where we’re gonna make a show and that’s it, we’re going to hit a release date, hell or high water. Well, it’s hard to do for a two hour feature, it’s even harder to do for, six, seven, eight, nine hours. So now we have a more traditional approach.

    -Marvel Television boss Brad Winderbaum

    “A show like Agatha, to me, is concept based. Yes, a second season for sure is something that we would want to do, but let’s not rush it. Let’s get the right idea and then make it,” said Winderbaum of another batch of episodes of Agatha All Along.

    Winderbaum’s comments on a potential second season of Agatha All Along are certainly surprising given co-star Patti LuPone‘s comments to the contrary. Even series star Kathryn Hahn, who made it clear she’s not down with playing the character, wasn’t able to confirm whether or not a follow-up season was in store, saying “we’d have to let the powers that be make those decisions.”

    Talk of a potential sophomore season of Hawkeye is a bit less surprising, at least to those who keep tight tabs on such things. Rumblings of a The Raid-inspired Season 2 that would introduce Clint Barton’s brother, Barney, first appeared online in May 2024. Six months later, Marvel insider Daniel Richtman reported that the studio was indeed moving forward with the new season, targeting a Fall 2025 start of production with an eye on another Christmastime release in either 2026 or 2027. While Winderbaum didn’t confirm it, his comments echo Richtman’s report.

    “Hawkeye is another one that feels like you can make a second season of that show because it’s Christmas, because it’s Clint and Kate,” said Winderbaum. “You can kind of revisit it whenever, and we’re looking for opportunities to do that.” And with a shortage of projects known to be in the queue, the studio may be reaching into its quiver for Season 2 sooner rather than later.

    Source: EW

  • New Details Emerge about Marvel Television’s Newly Delayed Streaming Series

    New Details Emerge about Marvel Television’s Newly Delayed Streaming Series

    Just a couple of months ago, Marvel Studios seemed as though it was ready to finally launch the Human Rocket into the MCU. After being originally developed as a film by Moon Knight writer Sabir Pirzada in 2022, Nova was put on the back burner by the studio before being repackaged as a streaming series. With a new course charted for Richard Rider’s long-awaited debut, Marvel Television brought veteran showrunner Ed Bernero in to get the series ready for a reported late-2025 start of production.

    Now, even as rumors fly around actors Marvel may be considering for the role of Richard Rider, Nova is once again grounded. According to Deadline, Marvel Television has paused the development of multiple streaming series, including Nova.

    Though studio representatives are quick to point out that the series was never greenlit, Marvel TV boss Brad Winderbaum confirmed the project was moving forward in September 2024, calling it “an amazing ensemble piece.”

    To that end, new details about Nova were shared by insider Daniel Richtman, who claimed that the series would see Rider rebuilding the Nova Corps after Thanos’ decimated it prior to the events of Avengers: Infinity War. Richtman also revealed that Rider’s team, the ensemble referenced by Winderbaum, would be made up of Sam Alexander and a handful of original characters created for the D+ series.

    Interestingly, both Deadline and studio insider Jeff Sneider were bullish on Nova still making it to the screen, claiming that the series is simply delayed while the studio revamps its process.

    Sources: Deadline, X

  • Marvel Unveils Non-Traditional Release Schedule for ‘Daredevil: Born Again’

    Marvel Unveils Non-Traditional Release Schedule for ‘Daredevil: Born Again’

    After being delayed by roughly one year, Marvel Studios most highly-anticipated streaming series to date, Daredevil: Born Again, will finally debut on Disney Plus on March 4th. Like most, if not all, of Marvel’s streaming projects, the Charlie Cox and Vincent D’Onofrio-led revival of Netflix’s Daredevil will open up with a two-episode premier; however, according to a new press release, that won’t be the only time fans will be able double dip.

    As part of its coverage of D+’s March release schedule, What’s On Disney Plus revealed that in addition to the two-episode opener, a pair of episodes of Daredevil: Born Again (Episodes 5 and 6) will stream on March 25th.

    In Marvel Television’s Daredevil: Born Again, Matt Murdock (Charlie Cox), a blind lawyer with heightened abilities is fighting for justice through his bustling law firm, while former mob boss Wilson Fisk (Vincent D’Onofrio) pursues his own political endeavors in New York. When their past identities begin to emerge, both men find themselves on an inevitable collision course.

    -Official Synopsis, Marvel Television’s Daredevil: Born Again

    The final three episodes of the nine-eposode first season won’t roll out until April, so it’s not yet clear if the series will also wrap with a two-episode finale. Whatever the case, Daredevil: Born Again joins Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man as projects that have bucked the trend of releasing individual episodes following the series debut.

    Source: What’s On Disney Plus

  • ‘It Ends With Us’, ‘1923’ Star In the Mix for Major Marvel Studios Role

    ‘It Ends With Us’, ‘1923’ Star In the Mix for Major Marvel Studios Role

    Though cameras haven’t begun rolling quite yet, Marvel Studios has a busy year ahead. While the biggest news will almost certainly center around the two films headed into production this year (Avengers: Doomsday and Spider-Man 4), a trio of streaming series are also slated for filming. The Paul Bettany-led Vision and Season 2 of Daredevil: Born Again are both reportedly getting underway in February, keeping Marvel Television busy for the first half of the new year. Next up on the list is a series that has come together quickly after being put on the back burner for a couple of years.

    First revealed to be in development as a film in 2022 with Moon Knight scribe Sabir Pirzada on board to write the script, Nova reentered development as a streaming series in early 2024. Described by Marvel Television boss Brad Winderbaum as “an amazing ensemble piece” that will explore “how heated that Richard Rider kind of world can get,” Nova picked up veteran TV crime writer Ed Bernero as its showrunner in December. And while Bernero puts together a writers room and prepares the series’ scripts, a new report suggests that casting for the project is already underway.

    According to Jeff “The In” Sneider, Marvel has begun to narrow down it’s list of potential candidates to bring the Human Rocket to life in the MCU. At or near the top of that list, according to the longtime Hollywood insider, is It Ends with Us and 1923 star Brandon Sklenar.

    Recent reports indicated that Nova will introduce the classic Marvel Comics’ villain Annihilus and pit the Bug-Lord against a young team of Nova Corpsmen. Given Bernero‘s background, which  includes Criminal Minds, the NBC crime drama Third Watch and Crossing Lines, a crime drama that focuses on an elite team of special investigators, it seems reasonable to assume that while Rider will be the series’ central figure, the other Corps members will feature prominently in the action.

    With the studio looking to lock down an actor for the role of Richard Rider now, it’s possible that production could get underway in the next six months or so. That said, it’s been believed for some time that Nova will not be included in the Multiverse Saga and won’t stream on D+ until 2027.

    Source: Hot Mic

  • Upcoming Marvel Studios Series Already Greenlit for Record Run

    Upcoming Marvel Studios Series Already Greenlit for Record Run

    After 17 years with the company, it would be right to say that Marvel Studios Head of Streaming, Television and Animation, Brad Winderbaum, has seen it all. After working as an assistant to Louis D’Esposito on 2008’s Iron Man, Winderbaum climbed company ladder and is now one of the most influential voices working behind the scenes at Marvel. Given the scope of that influence, when Winderbaum feels strongly about the direction of a project, it’s good news for that project.

    In the case of Marvel Animation’s upcoming streaming series, Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man, which debuts on January 29th, Winderbaum‘s positivity about the project seems to have it poised to make a record-breaking run on Disney Plus.

    Peter Parker/Spider-Man (Hudson Thames) in Marvel Animation’s YOUR FRIENDLY NEIGHBORHOOD SPIDER-MAN, exclusively on Disney+. Photo courtesy of Marvel Animation. © 2024 MARVEL. All Rights Reserved.

    What Jeff is building brick by brick in this show is starting to pay off. You feel it in season 1. You grow connected to these characters so when everything starts to lock into place and starts to pay off by the end of the season, I feel it in my soul. It just gets deeper and deeper in subsequent seasons.

    -Brad Winderbaum
    In an interview with The Movie Podcast, Winderbaum not only confirmed that the previously announced second season of the series is already deep into development but also that a third season has already been given the go-ahead.

    “We’re greenlit for season three so in a couple of weeks, I’m going to hear [Jeff Trammell ‘s] pitch for the third season of this show,” said Winderbaum.

    Peter Parker/Spider-Man (Hudson Thames) in Marvel Animation’s YOUR FRIENDLY NEIGHBORHOOD SPIDER-MAN, exclusively on Disney+. Photo courtesy of Marvel Animation. © 2024 MARVEL. All Rights Reserved.

    With that, Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man joins Marvel Animation’s What If…? and X-Men ’97 as the only Marvel Studios’ streaming series to find life beyond a second season. Like X-Men ’97, the first season Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man consists of 10 episodes which means, should subsequent seasons also receive 10-episode orders, it looks to be on track to be the first streaming series to run for at least 30 episodes, especially with development on X-Men ’97 slowing down.

    Early reactions to the new animated series have been overwhelmingly positive and Winderbaum seems to share that enthusiasm. “I’ve fallen so head over heels in love with these characters,” he said before updating the progress being made on Season 2. “By the way, I’ve now read all the scripts for season 2. We’re halfway through the animatics.” Though the animation process is a long one, Winderbaum‘s comments could point to a second season streaming on Disney Plus at some point in 2026.

    Source: The Movie Podcast

  • Newly Greenlit Marvel Television Series May Feature a Surprising Star

    Newly Greenlit Marvel Television Series May Feature a Surprising Star

    Marvel Studios may not continue releasing live-action streaming projects at the same rate they will in 2025, but that doesn’t mean they’ve slowed down the development process. Outside of Nova— which was confirmed by Marvel Television’s head honcho, Brad  Winderbaum, to be in development–the studio has been tight-lipped about which projects are in the works. Rumors and reports persist that Champions, which will bring together a new generation of heroes led by Kamala Khan and Kate Bishop, and Strange Academy, a Harry Potter-esque series featuring young magic users, are priorities for the studio despite lack of official word from anyone at Marvel.

    We have a new system behind-the-scenes at Marvel Studios. We’re more like a traditional studio now. We’re developing more than we actually will produce.

    -Brad Winderbaum

    In the case of Strange Academy, Marvel Studios insider Daniel Richtman recently reported that Winderbaum and his team had given the project the green light which could mean work on the series could get underway this year. Now, another insider has come forward with some information that calls to mind a two-year old rumor about the series.

    According to social media scooper My Time To Shine Hello, Wong, the MCU’s current Sorcerer Supreme, will serve as the star of Strange Academy. Additionally, Benedict Cumberbatch will reportedly have a “small role” in the series, if he appears at all.

    Though the Sorcerer Supreme has proven himself, having Benedict Wong as the lead would certainly seem to indicate that the studio sees Strange Academy as somewhat of a light-hearted adventure. Despite facing off with the Scarlet Witch and her demonic minions in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, Wong has far more often served as comedic relief. And while the series would feature a fairly large cast of kids and offer the potential for cameos from all types of MCU magic users, it could also allow for the return of the vacuous Madisynn King, Wong’s bestie last seen in She-Hulk: Attorney at Law.

    Created by Skottie Young and Humberto Ramos, Strange Academy was first published by Marvel Comics in 2020 and focused on a new generation of magic users being trained in the mystic arts at a Hogwarts-esque school opened by Stephen Strange. Classes at Strange Academy were led by an array of Marvel mages including Doctor Voodoo, Wanda Maximoff, Wong, Magik and, yes, Agatha Harkness and covered a range of topics from astral projections to interdimensional geography to xenoanatomy.

  • The ‘Daredevil: Born Again’ Trailer Contains the MCU’s First ‘Luke Cage’s Reference

    The ‘Daredevil: Born Again’ Trailer Contains the MCU’s First ‘Luke Cage’s Reference

    The decision by Marvel Studios to canonize Netflix’s Daredevil series as part of the creative overhaul on Marvel Television’s Daredevil: Born Again meant that the adventures of the Devil of Hell’s Kitchen weren’t the only stories retconned into MCU continuity. Indeed all of Netflix’s series made the jump because of the interconnected nature of their stories and the shared experiences of the title characters in The Defenders. So while Matt Murdock, Wilson Fisk, Frank Castle, Benjamin Pointdexter and others will share the screen again in Daredevil: Born Again, Jessica Jones, Colleen Wing, Danny Rand, Misty Knight and Luke Cage are out and about somewhere in New York City. And while fans of those characters wait to learn what’s next for them, the first trailer for the new series acknowledges another one of the Defenders for the first time.

    As can be seen around 28 seconds into the trailer, during a New Year’s Eve gathering in Times Square in which Wilson Fisk is seen giving a speech, one of the billboards just above the advertisement for Rogers: The Musical serves as an advertisement for Harlem’s Paradise.

    Founded in the 1960s by Buggy Stokes and Quincy McIver, Harlem’s Paradise served as headquarters for the Stokes Crime Family and was a key location in both seasons of Luke Cage. As of the series finale, ownership of the club had been passed on to Cage following the death of Mariah Dillard.

    Harlem’s Paradise is the place where hip-hop, funk, jazz & rock and roll all come back to the mothership. It’s a party, y’all.

    Though the billboard is advertising the club through a quote, the lettering on the sign is unclear. However, the nod to the location is an easy way to incorporate one of the key settings of the Defenders-verse into the MCU without making any major changes to the world previously created or painting themselves into a corner.

    Daredevil: Born Again debuts on Disney Plus on March 4th.

  • The Ten Rings Set to Return in a Surprising Marvel Project

    The Ten Rings Set to Return in a Surprising Marvel Project

    Though the true nature of the organization wasn’t revealed until 2021’s Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings, Xu Wenu’s surreptitious terrorist organization, The Ten Rings, has been causing chaos in the MCU since its inception. If not for the actions of one cell of The Ten Rings that attacked a U.S. military convoy in Afghanistan, Tony Stark would never have become Iron Man in the MCU’s Sacred Timeline.

    Of course, it was eventually revealed that the leader of that cell, Raza Hamidmi al-Wazar, had been working with Obadiah Stane, first to buy Stark Industries weapons and then to kidnap Tony. After recovering pieces of Stark’s original Iron Man armor from the desert, al-Wazar believed he had struck a deal with Stane that would eventually provide the Ten Rings with an army of armored soldiers. Instead, Stane took the armor, which eventually became the Iron Monger suit, and killed al-Wazar and his men.

    While that certainly seemed to be the end for the MCU’s first baddie, it seems there’s more for the Phase 1 villain to do after all. According to multiple trade reports, Faran Tahir, who portrayed al-Wazar in 2008’s Iron Man, will return to the role in Marvel Television’s untitled D+ Vision series.

    Tahir’s return certainly Adds another layer of intrigue to the already mysterious Vision series. The Paul Bettany-led series, which was originally developed by WandaVision and Agatha All Along creator Jac Schaeffer before being reworked by Terry Matalas, is expected to follow the White Vision as he attempts to relearn his own tragic history.

    James Spader signed on to reprise his role as Vision’s “father”, the rogue AI Ultron, and Todd Stashwick joined the project in September as a mysterious assassin. As murky as those two castings made the picture of what the plot of the Vision series could entail, bringing back a long-dead baddie muddies the waters even further. Given Vision’s history is thoroughly entangled with Tony Stark’s, it’s entirely possible Tahir’s al-Wazar could be seen in flashbacks; however, since the character’s death was only assumed, it’s possible he could have survived Stane’s firing squad and find himself somehow mixed up with Ultron. Whatever the case, al-Wazar will now be operating in a world where Xu Wenwu has died and his daughter, Xu Xialing, is now the head of her father’s empire. Perhaps the next chapter in her story will be tied somehow to the events of the Vision series.

    Marvel Television’s untitled Vision series begins filming soon and is expected to stream on Disney Plus in 2026.

    Source: Deadline