Marvel Studios head of streaming Brad Winderbaum reveals why the Marvel Television banner name was revived for the upcoming Disney+ shows.
“We want to make sure that Marvel stays an open door for people to come in and explore,” Winderbaum said in an interview with ComicBook while promoting the Season One finale of X-Men ’97.
“On the heels of [Avengers] Endgame, I think there was, maybe, a little bit of an obligation to watch absolutely everything in order to watch anything. As you know, as a comics fan, they’re designed to just pop in, find something that you like, and use that to enter you into the universe, and then you can explore and weave around based on your own preferences. So part of the rebranding of Marvel Studios, Marvel Television, Marvel Animation, even Marvel Spotlight is to, I think, try to tell the audience, ‘You can jump in anywhere. They’re interconnected, but they’re not. You don’t have to watch A to enjoy B. You can follow your bliss. You can follow your own preferences and find the thing you want within the tapestry of Marvel.'”
Previously overseen by Jeph Loeb, the Marvel Television banner was a separate entity from Marvel Studios under the larger Marvel Entertainment umbrella. The banner was used for hit Marvel shows such as ABC’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. and Agent Carter as well as the numerous programs on Netflix, Hulu, and FreeForm. In 2019, Marvel Television was absorbed by Kevin Feige as new shows like WandaVision and Loki would be produced under Marvel Studios.
The changes surrounding Marvel’s television output come at a time when Disney looks to slow down their production output to emphasize quality storytelling. Part of that change involves producing shows like Echo under the Marvel Spotlight banner to focus on stand-alone stories rather than forcing viewers to understand the larger MCU continuity. “Really, what the Spotlight branding represents is an opportunity for people who are more casual fans who might not know what happened in the last Avengers movie to show up and kind of enjoy it on its own terms,” Winderbaum said.
Upcoming Marvel shows coming to Disney+
The next slate of shows likely to fall under the Marvel Television banner include Agatha All Along, starring Kathryn Hahn reprising the title role from WandaVision. The series is set to premiere on September 18th on Disney+. Additionally, Daredevil: Born Again, starring Charlie Cox and Vincent D’Onofrio, will hit the streamer in March 2025, while Ironheart, starring Dominique Thorne, will be released later in 2025. The other remaining completed Marvel show. Wonder Man, does not have a release date.
