MarvelBlog News for March 2nd, 2025
This week, Marvel redefines itself with multiple projects, but a couple don’t make the cut.
We’ll try to make sense of it all in MarvelBlog News. Spoiler: You’re gonna loooove the Daredevil update!
The Bad News Before the Good News
Source: Marvel Studios
Let’s start with the story that frankly makes no sense…or all the sense in the world, depending on your perspective.
Marvel has delayed the production of Nova once again. Deadline broke the story last week, so I’ve had plenty of time to sniff around.
Source: Marvel
The brutal truth is that nobody has any clue why Marvel has yo-yo’d this project so much over the past decade.
At this point, rumors of a Nova movie or television series are a decade old, yet here we are.
Nova has become the television equivalent of the Blade reboot in that every time Marvel makes forward progress, it all falls apart.
This time, Deadline describes the problem as “reflective of a new model for producing television that’s emerged at Marvel in recent years.”
Source: Marvel
That statement at least makes some sense. Remember when we talked about Agatha All Along?
Marvel officials, well, marveled at the reception to that project, which delivered astonishing bang for the buck.
The witch series was by far the cheapest live-action project Marvel had created for Disney+.
Despite the financial constraints, Jac Schaeffer delivered a spectacular limited series.
Photo: Vanity Fair
What happens when someone does that? A corporation reevaluates the budget on everything else.
Do you know what costs a lot of money? Shows set in outer space.
Image: Marvel
I mean, even shows set on Earth that feature Skrulls somehow cost Marvel $235 million.
You can understand why they’d have budget concerns over Nova, a project that could easily spiral out of control.
In short, Nova lost out, at least in the short term, because Agatha All Along made everything else look bad on the balance sheet.
The Other Shows That Died
Image: Marvel
Along the way, Marvel also tanked two other projects that shouldn’t cost as much: Strange Academy and Terror, Inc.
To the best of my knowledge, I’ve never even discussed either of these here, but Strange Academy has been under discussion.
Photo courtesy of Marvel Studios. © 2022 MARVEL.
Marvel officials liked the idea of the comic book adaptation. It involves a magical training facility led by Wongers.
Skottie Young, the genius behind I Hate Fairyland, created Strange Academy in 2020.
The premise fits Marvel’s new edict in that it’d be cheap. With a New Orleans setting, it even sounds familiar.
You could think of it as Marvel’s version of Legacies or The Originals, both of which are spinoffs of The Vampire Diaries.
Hollywood has taken advantage of the low pay for hot teens and 20-somethings for generations now.
So, Strange Academy could have been done for cheap, but it’s not ideal for a few reasons.
Source: Marvel Studios
One is that Ned from Spider-Man should probably be in this group, but there’s NO WAY that Sony would allow it.
Another is that if Marvel is moving toward Young Avengers – and that seems to be the plan – this would muck up the process.
Source: Marvel
The MCU would be juggling competing groups of young superheroes.
Ergo, this plan never made much sense yet it kept hanging around on the periphery of MCU projects.
Source: Marvel Studios
I never mentioned it for a reason, and I’m not surprised by this turn of events.
Strange Academy probably would have had a better chance if The New Mutants had done better. It’s another apt analog here.
Source: Marvel/ Fox
As for Terror, Inc., that seemed like a bad version of Legion. Its cancellation doesn’t surprise me.
With Nova, the project isn’t dead, but it’s fair to think of its status as TV’s Blade.
The Next Phase of Marvel
Photo: Pedro Pascal on Instagram
Now we can talk about the fun stuff and hopefully will continue to do so throughout 2025.
I’m bullish on Thunderbolts*, The Fantastic Four: First Steps, and the projects coming soon.
A new Christmas poster for ‘The Fantastic Four: First Steps’. Photo: Marvel
One of them is Avengers: Doomsday, which we just learned will start filming in two months.
The Russo Brothers took time out from counting their giant mountains of cash to discuss the project with Deadline.
Source: Deadline
They joked that they may not survive the back-to-back filming of the next two Avengers films.
Basically, from April on, everyone you love in the MCU will be on call or on set for an Avengers appearance.
Photo: Filmibeat
Joe Russo recently said this, which made me nervous: “We found a way into the story that we think is gonna be challenging for audiences, it’s challenging for us to execute.”
Personally, I’d strongly suggest that Marvel simplify its storytelling for these projects, but I’m tired of writing about failures.
Photo: BBC
The Russos get paid either way. So, I guess they can take the risk by “challenging” audiences.
Glowing Reviews
Source: Marvel
Of course, risk often leads to larger rewards, which I mention as I segue to Daredevil: Born Again.
While we must wait a few more days for the series, which debuts on March 4th, a few lucky critics have already watched it.
Source: Marvel
The review embargo lifted this week, and let’s just say we’ve got a winner on our hands.
Variety collated some quotes from various reviews. One described the first episode as the best MCU pilot to date.
Source: Marvel Studios
The person didn’t stop there, either. They indicated that Daredevil: Born Again has easily separated itself from the pack.
Another reviewer states, “the first two episodes are terrific, setting up a story that is part court procedural and part all-out brawling.”
Image: Marvel
So, yeah, the news is glowingly positive thus far. To date, the primary nitpicks involve some CGI.
Other than that, Marvel appears to have a much-needed winner on its hands as Captain America: Brave New World struggles in theaters.
Source: Marvel Studios
During the publicity tour, Marvel revealed that season two will air in 2026 and that the scripts are nearly completed.
Also, The Punisher’s “special presentation” will air in 2026 as well. So, we’ll be spending lots of time in Hell’s Kitchen.
Photo: Netflix
A surprising cast member also confirmed that they’ll return for season two. I won’t say which one to avoid spoiling the surprise.
Let’s just say that rumors of someone’s demise may have been exaggerated. Or maybe not. Marvel can fracture time, too.
Source: Marvel/ Marvel Studios
Oh, and here’s the best part. Daredevil season two started filming the other day! So, it’s already well underway.
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