When Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. first launched on ABC, we were told that the series would be closely connected to the MCU. After all, it starred Agent Phil Coulson, a major player in the early MCU films and it even had storylines that revolved around Chitauri weaponry and appearances by Thor’s pal, Sif. However, when the series failed to connect with fans on as strong a level as the films, an invisible wall seemed to go up between TV and film. That wall was continued through later ABC Marvel series Agent Carter and Inhumans and the Netflix series Daredevil, Luke Cage, Jessica Jones, and Iron Fist. In a new interview with Variety, MCU boss, Kevin Feige explained that the old ways will die when it comes to Marvel programming on the upcoming Disney+ streaming network.
One element that will be different is that the coming storyline won’t unspool exclusively on the big screen. This year, Disney is launching its own challenger to Netflix, a streaming service dubbed Disney Plus. Feige and his team are overseeing several limited series for the platform featuring Marvel characters such as Loki and the Scarlet Witch. They will be played by Tom Hiddleston and Elisabeth Olsen, who portrayed the same characters in several big-screen “Avengers” sequels and spinoffs.
“These episodes will intersect with the movies in a very big way,” explains Feige. “It’s a totally new form of storytelling that we get to play with and explore.”