MarvelBlog News for May 19th, 2024
This past week, the Agatha series got its fifth and final name. This time, they mean it for sure!
We’ll talk about that, the release dates of some Disney+ titles, and more in MarvelBlog News.
What’s in a Name?
Photo: Marvel Studios
Let’s play a game. Are there more Kardashian exes or names for the Agatha Harkness television series?
I’m unqualified to answer this question, as I don’t keep up with the Kardashians and couldn’t pick them out of a police lineup.
Photo: Marvel Studios
If I were guessing, I’d think that it’s close, though. At this point, I’ve almost lost count of all the re-namings of the Agatha series.
In fact, the most recent name was…Agatha. That seemed like the simplest solution to me, but somebody else meddled again.
Photo: Marvel Studios
Then again, perhaps this was the plan all along? I’m sure we’ll find out at some point down the line.
For now, all we can do is recap the chaos with our mouths agape.
Disney Channel Original Movie Moment. Photo: Marvel Studios
In November 2021, Disney announced this limited series as Agatha: House of Harkness, which I thought was a great name.
A few months later, Marvel switched the title to Agatha: Coven of Chaos, which is still stimulating.
Photo: Funko
Indeed, the recurring theme here is that most of them have painted a picture, as did the third title, Agatha: Darkhold Diaries.
By this point, we could piece together many of the ideas. Obviously, we already knew that Agatha Harkness was part of the House of Harkness.
Photo: Marvel Studios
Similarly, we knew she was part of a coven that sought the Darkhold, which is currently in Wanda Maximoff’s possession.
As a reminder, those two aren’t friends after the events of WandaVision, which set Wanda down a dark path.
Image: Marvel
The end of that series wasn’t great for Agatha, either, as Wanda ensorcelled her, trapping her in Westview, New Jersey.
Agatha All Along
Given the immense popularity of Agatha as a character, Marvel seemed to have figured out the best strategy here.
As previously mentioned, the title changed to Agatha, which struck me as final, and I said as much. However, it wasn’t.
Now, we’ve learned that the absolute, final, no takebacks name is Agatha All Along.
That name also makes sense and feels clever as a cheeky play on all the title changes.
Photo: Rock ‘Em Socks
Plus, fans will get the song in their heads as an earworm, and that’s good, too.
The new series will debut on September 18th, which is gonna be a happy birthday for me!
Disney just revealed that two episodes will air on this date. Then, the show will switch to a weekly schedule.
So, now that X-Men ’97 has finished its first season, Agatha All Along becomes the next high-profile Marvel release on Disney+.
Agatha break free. Photo: Marvel
We will get Deadpool & Wolverine in between those releases, and there’s a chance an animated series debuts as well.
The current schedule shows Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man as debuting on November 2nd.
Source: Marvel
I don’t expect that date to move up several months, but I’ve also learned never to be certain about anything Marvel-related these days.
Speaking of Disney+
Photo: Getty Images
Disney CEO Bob Iger recently appeared at the MoffettNathanson Media, Internet & Communications Conference.
As the owner of Marvel and the person ultimately responsible for that purchase, Iger sets the release schedule.
Source: Jesse Grant/ Getty Images
Obviously, Kevin Feige carries the most weight here, but Iger is always in the loop on this stuff.
During the Q&A, Iger reconfirmed several elements of the current Disney release strategy, which applies to Marvel as well.
Getty Images
As a business, Disney is cutting costs in linear as it transitions to a streaming focus.
Similarly, Disney has reduced marketing expenses because it’s releasing fewer products, specifically movies and television series.
Photo: Getty Images
Iger previously indicated that Marvel will release no more than three movies and two television series annually.
Is that forever? Absolutely not. That’s a short-term cost-cutting move as every media company tries to crack the streaming math.
Source: Marvel
However, you should expect that trend to continue through at least 2025 and probably even into 2026.
As part of that strategy, we learned this week that Daredevil: Born Again won’t debut until March 2025.
Source: Marvel Studios
That’s about nine months later than originally expected, but it’s not surprising after torching the original scripts.
As part of last week’s event, Disney also showed a trailer for Daredevil: Born Again that some have seen.
Source: Marvel
Sadly, Marvel hasn’t officially released it yet, and nobody has leaked it. So, we know it exists, but that’s about all.
Marvel Miscellany
Source: Marvel
Later in 2025, Ironheart will debut on Disney+. This one started filming in May 2022. That’s a looooong lead time for television.
Ordinarily, I’d be worried about the quality of the content for this six-episode series.
Image: ‘This Is Us’ NBC/Marvel Comics
As a reminder, we were still technically in the pandemic in May 2022, and filming issues during that timeframe hurt Marvel greatly.
However, with this much lead time, the producers should have the necessary time to create a solid story.
Source: Marvel
The one question this raises is what’s happening with Wonder Man.
That series finished filming in April and should be ready in a year.
Source: Marvel
However, Ironheart and Daredevil: Born Again have already fulfilled Marvel’s quota of two live-action releases per year.
So, I guess Wonder Man will kick off 2026. I’m not crazy about that decision and hope Marvel readjust.
Source: Marvel
If Agatha All Along can have five different titles, Wonder Man and Iron Heart can update their release dates.
The other two stories of note this week involve Sony’s Spider-Man Universe.
Silk #4. Photo: Marvel Comics
One Amazon series, Silk: Spider Society, is not moving forward. It’s a dead project.
Meanwhile, Noir, which stars Nicholas Cage, will proceed, which I’d previously indicated as the likeliest outcome here.
Having a recognizable name at the top of the cast matters in these situations.
Have a great week, everyone!
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Featured image: Marvel
