Marvel Chief Discusses Why Many Disney+ Series Don’t Receive Renewals

Marvel Head Explains Why Disney+ Shows Struggle to Get Second Seasons

The TV boss at Marvel Studios recently tackled the issue of why so few Marvel Cinematic Universe series on Disney+ manage to secure a second season. As it stands, only a handful of MCU streaming shows have seen more than one season, including Loki, What If…?, Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man, and Daredevil: Born Again. Despite these series tying into the wider MCU universe and characters often transitioning from TV to the big screen, a pattern of limited returns on Disney+ remains.

Marvel Studios executive Brad Winderbaum shed light on this in a recent interview with The Hollywood Reporter, pointing out that crafting series around “marquee names” poses a challenge for securing second seasons due to the tighter profit margins in the TV world. This sheds light on the absence of follow-up seasons for Disney+ shows featuring Avengers in prominent roles, like WandaVision, Hawkeye, and The Falcon and the Winter Soldier.

Interestingly, this financial aspect of producing second seasons was echoed by Hawkeye star Jeremy Renner who reportedly declined a second season offer due to inadequate compensation. Given that some MCU actors receive substantial paychecks for reprising their roles in films, the economics of streaming TV present a different landscape.

Marvel’s decision to focus less on well-known Avengers characters for TV series signals a change in strategy for the studio, with fewer primary Avengers figures planned for small screen appearances moving forward. However, Winderbaum confirmed that these characters could still show up in supporting roles.

In total, Marvel Studios has rolled out 15 original TV series on Disney+, showcasing notable MCU actors reprising their roles. Despite the shift towards introducing newer characters on TV and reducing the presence of big Avengers names, Marvel TV’s focus on creating space for lesser-known characters has proven effective. Projects like She-Hulk: Attorney at Law, which brought back Mark Ruffalo as Bruce Banner in a supporting role, exemplify this strategy.

As Marvel prepares to launch new series like Ironheart, Eyes of Wakanda, and Wonder Man, their model of prioritizing lesser-known characters on TV will likely continue. The Hollywood Reporter suggests that the fate of these shows in terms of a second season remains uncertain, as Marvel scales back its TV production output.

Overall, Marvel’s shift in approach to Disney+ series reflects a balancing act between financial feasibility and introducing a diverse range of characters that might not get as much screen time in major movie releases. The studio’s willingness to experiment with new characters and narratives is evident, emphasizing their commitment to expanding and diversifying the MCU on both the big and small screens.