Head of Streaming, Television and Animation at Marvel Studios, Brad Winderbaum, has spoken out about the recent pause on multiple TV shows in the tutelage of Sorcerer Supreme Wong in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness.
ScreenRant's Liam Crowley asked Brad Winderbaum about these shows being put on indefinite hold in an exclusive interview, with the studio executive responding that he didn't want to "rush into" shows and wanted to ensure that all MCU shows had staying power. He also stated that it is important for Marvel Studios to be developing "many things at once," though it seems the aforementioned shows were not able to make the grade. His full response is as follows:
Liam Crowley: I want to talk about your grander plans for Marvel Television a little bit here. Reports came out recently that a couple [of] shows were indefinitely paused on production. One of those that I found interesting was Strange Academy because based on where we left a character like America Chavez, it seemed like she was going to be an integral part to a story like Kang Dynasty, considering her abilities [with] portals, different worlds. Was pivoting away from Kang Dynasty to Doomsday something that kind of corresponded to pausing development on something like Strange Academy?
Brad Winderbaum: To me, it's very important that we develop many things at once. I don't want to just rush into making shows. I want to make sure that we have a reason to make them, and that it's something that can sustain for a long period of time, season over season, and be something that people feel like is an event when a new season comes out, and they can rely on, year over year.
What Brad Winderbaum's Comments Mean For The MCU
It Is An Expected Move But Could Risk Sidelining America Chavez
Brad Winderbaum's comments are not entirely unexpected. It falls in line with Disney's recent announcement that the MCU will be pivoting to a "quality over quantity" ethos, potentially foregoing the typical output of 3 shows and 3 movies per year. This has seemingly culminated in placing more obscure projects, like Terror Inc., on the back burner as the MCU shifts gears to help assuage the looming specter of superhero fatigue in an era where comic book adaptations don't strike quite the same chord as they used to.
Next Marvel TV Show: All 12 MCU Releases Confirmed And More
Marvel Studios' most recent Disney+ series may have come to an end, but there are plenty of MCU TV shows in development.
Liam Crowley does raise a good point, however, as scrapping shows could exacerbate another common MCU criticism. While it remains unclear if there are alternative plans for America Chavez, the scrapping of Strange Academy could leave her MCU future up in the air just a couple of years after she was first introduced. There was also plenty of enthusiasm surrounding Nova, as evidenced by the rampant fan-casting of such actors as Ryan Gosling in the titular role. Nevertheless, Winderbaum stopped short of confirming that these shows are irrevocably canceled, so whether they'll stay paused forever remains to be seen.
Our Take On Brad Winderbaum's Comments
I Think Brad Winderbaum Has Ultimately Made The Right Call
While I am sad to see that Nova has potentially hit the chopping block, as it was one MCU show that I was particularly looking forward to, I think Winderbaum has hit the nail on the head. Ensuring that the MCU's output is now carefully considered is a wise move now that the MCU is more divisive than ever. At the same time, I'll remain quietly optimistic that the indefinite "pause" on these shows isn't an outright cancellation and that Nova and America Chavez will return to the MCU in due course.
- Created by
- Kevin Feige
- First Film
- Iron Man
- Films
- Avengers: Secret Wars
- First TV Show
- Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.
- TV Shows
- Agatha: Coven of Chaos, Vision Quest
- Cast
- Jonathan Majors
