WandaVision has its premiere on Disney+ on Friday (delayed from a 2020 start due to the production shutdowns) and that will be the first of many Marvel television shows that are designed to supplement and enhance the MCU movies on the streaming service. The Falcon and The Winter Soldier is set for a March premiere, Loki will debut in May, and She-Hulk along with other shows should start hitting the lineup later this year. But are these shows designed as one-off mini-series or will they stick around for multiples seasons if they prove popular? It is hard to say for sure at this point, but comments from MCU boss Kevin Fiege and other developments give some clues as to how these shows will proceed.
In a recent interview with Variety, Fiege had this to say about how long the TV shows will run:
There are some shows that, while always interconnected, are being built with multiple seasons in mind. So it’ll vary the way a lot of I think great TV now varies, whether it’s a couple of years between seasons of Game of Thrones or Stranger Things, or one offs like — what did I just watch? — Queen’s Gambit. One of the fun things about streaming is the rules are loose, which allows for you to just follow creatively, where you want to go.
That definitely confirms that at least some of the shows could run longer than a season. And there are already indications that Loki could return for a second year, and Elizabeth Olson has suggested that WandaVison could get a second season.
Ultimately, how long the shows will run will most likely be determined by how they fit into the grand scheme of the MCU movies. WandaVision leads into the second Doctor Strange movie while The Falcon and the Winter Solider will apparently deal with who will replace Captain America. And for the most part, each of these shows will be telling close-ended stories, basically acting like extended movies. But just like the movies can have sequels, many of these shows will be built to continue the story of the characters, though perhaps with some changes in subsequent years.
WandaVision will take place in some weird, sit-com-like alternate universe, but a continuation of the characters could move to a different setting (or return back to that universe). The Falcon and the Winter Soldier may decide who carries Cap’s shield, but there will still be plenty more stories to tell with those characters. Fiege has indicated that She-Hulk (which will be a half-hour legal comedy?) will only go one season. But if it proves popular, it could continue beyond that. The one show that may have a more traditional television series type run is the animated What If? which will present alternate universe versions of the various Marvel characters and storylines.
Most of the shows will roll out as events and will be designed to tell a complete story, or if they end on a cliffhanger, a second season (or more) will almost certainly be planned in advance. And it certainly seems unlikely that Disney+ will just up and cancel one of these shows, leaving viewers hanging. Even if a show does end earlier than the creative team planned, there will be multiple opportunities to wrap up the storyline in another show or in one of the movies.
But always remember that Disney+ and Marvel are part of a mega-corp (that will be buying up the rights to you and me soon), and they are run by corporate executes that remain focused on the bottom line. Daredevil, Jessica Jones, and the other Netflix Marvel shows were cut short by corporate shenanigans and have not been revived even though the rights have reverted to the Mouse House (and fans have been screaming for their return). That same fate could await any of the Marvel shows if the execs don’t like the numbers and/or if they are distracted by the latest shiny object (consider how quickly the Marvel Television projects were dumped after Marvel Studios absorbed that branch).
What we do know is that the new Marvel shows that will run on Disney+ will be closer to the format of other streaming originals and for the most part will not have broadcast network-type runs. But since they should wrap up their stories within a season (even if they suggest a continuation), there should be (hopefully) less in the way of shows ending and leaving fans hanging. And all of these should work into the overall universe-building of the MCU. Just don’t get too attached to any one show (something sci fi fans should be wary of anyway), because there is no guarantee it will continue beyond one season.
