During New York Comic Con this year, Marvel Animation dropped the huge bomb that Hayley Atwell would be reprising her role as Agent Peggy Carter in the fourth season of ‘Avengers Assemble’ on Disney XD titled ‘Avengers: Secret Wars’. However, that’s not the only awesome thing coming from the House of Ideas’ animated division in the coming months as a number of new projects were announced as well.
First, the panel shared that ‘Ultimate Spider-Man’ would be ending in January 2017 with an epic two-part finale called ‘Graduation Day’ where Spidey stops Doctor Octopus and the Superior Sinister Six from destroying all the heroes in New York City. But when that series that tracked the web-slinger’s evolution as a street-level hero that fought alongside S.H.I.E.L.D. comes to an end, another will step up to take it’s place. Simply titled ‘Spider-Man’, the new show will take a page from the Marvel Cinematic Universe and ‘Spider-Man: Homecoming’ by bringing the iconic wall-crawler back to his roots. Though no stars have been announced yet, SVP of Marvel Animation and Family Entertainment Cort Lane discussed some of the talent behind the camera that would bring the series to life (which now includes current ‘Amazing Spider-Man’ writer Dan Slott as a consulting producer):
“We’ve been secretly nurturing ‘Marvel’s Spider-Man’ for years now, so we are thrilled to finally announce it. The simple title reflects a back-to-basics approach – the story of an ordinary teen, Peter Parker, who suddenly finds himself with strange new powers and overwhelming responsibility. And thanks to Story Editor Kevin Shinick (‘Robot Chicken’, ‘Mad’) and Supervising Director Philip Pignotti (‘Marvel’s Avengers Assemble’) it’s just filled with heart and humor.”
Additionally, Lane broke the news that Marvel Animation and Funko would be teaming up for a series of shorts that will premiere on Disney XD later this year. In these shorts, beloved characters from the Marvel Universe like Iron Man, Deadpool, Spider-Man, Groot, and more will be depicted in the style of the extremely popular Funko Pop! collectible figures/bobble-heads. The first one, which premiered during the panel to an enthusiastic crowd, is titled ‘Spellbound’ and stars Iron Man and Spider-Man as they take on Loki and his mind-controlling scepter. That will be followed by ‘Chimichangas’, which sees Deadpool face off against Venom, and ‘Rescue’, where Rocket Raccoon breaks into the Collector’s museum to save Groot.You can get a first look at ‘Spellbound’ courtesy of the still below:
Finally, another set of shorts is making their way to Disney XD as well. Starring Josh Keaton as Ant-Man and Melissa Rauch of ‘The Big Bang Theory’ as the Wasp, these shorts created by Passion Pictures and directed by French duo Ugo Bienvenu and Kevin Manach will show the incredible insect-themed heroes as we’ve never seen them before. Keep an eye out for these to hit the network some time next year.
What do you think about the new projects from Marvel Animation? Are you excited for the brand new Spider-Man animated series? And how do you feel about the collaboration with Funko? Sound off in the comments.
Despite being a “professional writer”, Ben likes run-on sentences far too much. For more of his attempts at being funny and the occasional insightful thought, follow him on Twitter and Instagram.
