Although Marvel Cinematic Universe-set television shows have been around since Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.’s premiere in 2013 (though there’s debate about whether it actually takes place in a different corner of the Marvel multiverse rather than the main continuity), Marvel Studios proper didn’t dip its toes into the proverbial small screen pool until WandaVision at the start of 2021. Since then, the studio has delivered 11 more series, with many more upcoming Marvel TV shows on the way. However, today brings word that three of these series are no longer in active development, though I’m crossing my fingers that one of them will still see the light of day.
The Three Marvel TV Shows That Have Been Paused
According to Deadline, Marvel Studios has hit the pause button on Nova, Strange Academy and Terror Inc. Of these three projects, only Nova had ever been officially acknowledged, with Brad Winderbaum, the studios head of streaming, TV and animation, saying in March 2024 that Nova was in “early development.” None of them, however, were ever given the greenlight, and while the article notes that it’s possible any, if not all of the three could still end up moving forward, for now, this move exemplifies how Marvel Studios changing its priorities.
As laid out by Deadline, originally Marvel Studios handled the development of its TV shows in the same way the Marvel movies in order were handled, meaning a show would be greenlit and what was conceived made it to the eyes of those with a Disney+ subscription. Now, however, the company is taking a more “traditional” approach with developing its TV shows, including more projects being put in the works that will ever actually get made, and showrunners being brought in to oversee them. Daredevil: Born Again, which premieres on the 2025 TV schedule in just a few weeks, reflects this new strategy, as the show went through major creative retooling in late 2023.
I Hope Nova Gets Revived Someday
I’d be lying if I said I wouldn’t be interested to see Strange Academy and Terror Inc. if they were released on Disney+. Assuming these projects would follow their source material closely, then the former would be about a New Orleans-based school established by Doctor Strange to train teens in the ways of sorcery, and the latter would be about an antihero who can gain someone’s talents and memories through their dismembered limbs. Terror Inc. in particular sounds like it would be a worthy horror follow-up to Werewolf by Night.
That being said, Nova is the one I’ve been itching to see handled in the MCU, stretching back to when Guardians of the Galaxy utilized the Nova Corps. In fact, the stage has already been set for the debut of this hero for more than half a decade now, as MCU fans learned at the beginning of Avengers: Infinity War that Thanos laid waste to the Nova Corps when he came to Xandar to obtain the Power Stone. Whether it’s Richard Rider or Sam Alexander who inherits the Nova mantle in the MCU, I’m eager to see one of them carry on the legacy of this organization and help expand the cosmic corners of this franchise.
Honestly, maybe it’d even be better for Nova to be turned into a movie rather than a TV show in order to pour more money into VFX. For now though, Nova, Strange Academy and Terror Inc. have all been put into stasis, but if their statuses change, we’ll let you know.
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