Well, here is the new thread for the new show replacing "Avengers: Earth's Mightiest Heroes". The new show is being heralded as having the tone and feel of the Avengers movie.
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Marvel has long dominated comic books and movies — as most recently witnessed by the colossal box office for The Avengers movie — and now the superhero company is making their mark in television. On Monday Disney XD announced a second season pick-up for Ultimate Spider-Man, the network's highest-rated animated series. Next up, the newly created Marvel Animation Studios division is flexing its muscle with an ambitious development slate. On the horizon for 2013 are two series, Hulk and the Agents of S.M.A.S.H. and Marvel's Avengers Assemble. "We've got the very best talent possible and we're allowing them the leeway to create the best stories possible," says Joe Quesada, chief creative officer of Marvel Entertainment. "We're not reinventing the wheel here, we're just looking at what we've done successfully and applying that now to a new division of Marvel." Quesada and Jeph Loeb, Marvel's executive vice president and head of television, got on the phone with TV Guide Magazine to talk about their new initiatives. Here is an edited transcript of the interview.
TV Guide Magazine: First off, congrats on the Ultimate Spider-Man renewal. Jeph Loeb: Just to start, the people that we really want to thank are the fans, who just came out in droves. And also this larger audience that we're trying to reach, the Disney XD audience, which has come to us, some for the first time. So that part is super exciting to us. Joe Quesada: We loved the response from our hardcore Marvel fans. They really embraced the show and they got the word out in so many ways. It's been pretty overwhelming. We knew we were creating a really special show, just how special we weren't sure. At the end of the day it's a pretty democratic system how these things get renewed: You either have the ratings or you don't. And we've been really, really thankful and blessed that we've had incredible ratings. Jeph Loeb: To give credit where it's due, Disney XD really went out and pumped the Marvel Universe block. And now we're really excited to be able tell our fans that there's going to be at least 52 episodes.
TV Guide Magazine: Season 1 is still airing, but what can you tell us about the second season? Jeph Loeb: The Avengers is the No. 3 movie of all-time and there's a brand new Spider-Man movie that's coming out on July 3. We want [this series] to be relevant to those films. There will be more stories that feature those Avengers characters — Captain America, Thor, Iron Man, the Hulk, they'll all be coming back in Season 2. But even more exciting to us is that we're going to be able to explore the villain from this summer's Amazing Spider-Man [movie]. Curt Connors has been playing a role throughout all of Season 1, and finally in Season 2, longtime Spidey fans and Marvel fans will get to see his transformation into the Lizard. Joe Quesada: We'll also dig a little bit deeper into the supporting cast, so we'll have more about Luke Cage, Iron Fist, Nova, including an origin or two. For the hardcore Marvel aficionado it's safe to say that you could some much beloved characters that you might not expect to see in animation.
TV Guide Magazine: What else is coming from Marvel Animation Studios? Jeph Loeb: This was a major step forward for us and it's been a chance to both maintain the creative control that Marvel has been so successful with and at the same time be able to push the boundaries in animation. There are two huge projecta that we're working on. The first, we know the impact that The Avengers had — and continues to have — this summer, and there's one particular character who has been the breakout hit of the summer and he's big and he's green and he's our Incredible Hulk. So we started talking about it and we thought what's more fun than one Hulk? And that would actually be five Hulks! We're taking characters that already exist in the Marvel Universe — because it's very important to us that it all begins with [the comic-book] publishing. That cast is Hulk; the Red Hulk; Skaar, who's the teenage barbarian Hulk, She Hulk — who's actually been a character in the Marvel Universe for 30 years; and a relatively new character, A-Bomb. He's more of a Blue Hulk. And together they are Hulk and the Agents of S.M.A.S.H.
TV Guide Magazine: What does S.M.A.S.H. stand for? Jeph Loeb: Joe had that answer the first day: They're Hulks, it can stand for anything they want it to.
TV Guide Magazine: And what's the second project? Jeph Loeb: The Avengers movie has been the ambassador to the world for the Marvel Universe so we want a show that has the feel and the tone and the incredible adventures like that movie. So the next project that we're working on — and this is down in our lab, top secret, with the S.H.I.E.L.D. agents protecting us at all costs — is Marvel's Avengers Assemble, which will be a brand new and really extraordinary looking animated series dealing with the Avengers in that same world.
TV Guide Magzine: You already have Avengers: Earth's Mightiest Heroes on the Disney XD. How is this new show going to be different? Jeph Loeb: We're still very early on in the process and we don't give away too much. It's safe to say that we're looking at a show that more closely echoes the tone and the feel of the movie.
TV Guide Magazine: Does that mean it will skew towards an older audience? Jeph Loeb: No, but it will certainly have that kind of gigantic action and interacting among the characters and their voices that the movie has.
TV Guide Magazine: I understand that the African-American superhero Falcon is going to be a part of this show. Why was he an important addition to the team? Joe Quesada: Falcon is going to be the eyes of the viewer. He's a new member of the Avengers so he's walking through our stories wide-eyed and with wonder and amazed to be a part of it. He's a little younger than the rest of the cast and a little greener, so he adds an interesting dimension to the team that we think will play really well with the audience.
TV Guide Magazine: Where are you in terms of finding a network? Since you're part of the Disney empire and you've already had success on Disney XD, that would seem like a logical home for these shows. Jeph Loeb: I think the best answer for that would be, "Wouldn't that be fantastic?"
TV Guide Magazine: So even though the Avengers franchise is huge right now, you're comfortable producing these without a network partner lined up? Jeph Loeb: We feel comfortable that we will have a home for this.
TV Guide Magazine: What style of animation will you be using for these shows? Jeph Loeb: In the same kind of way that Ultimate Spider-Man pushed the boundaries in terms of a unique combination of 2D and CG and using top-flight writers and voice actors, that's what we're looking for. Eric Radomski, who is in charge of production for us, has been involved with such groundbreaking shows as Batman: The Animated Series and Spawn, and every single time there's been a significant leap in the look and tone of action adventure television animation he's been there. We really look to him and our creative people to break down that wall and see what the next level is.
New info on Avengers Assemble as the season starts Sunday July 7 at 11am. A 1 hour preview show will happen Sunday May 26 at 11am.
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Disney XD has set the premiere dates for new animated efforts as part of its "Marvel Universe" block.
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Marvel's Avengers Assemble, featuring a voice cast that includes Adrian Pasdar, will officially debut Sunday, July 7, at 11 a.m. following a one-hour preview on Sunday, May 26, also at 11 a.m.
Marvel's Hulk and the Agents of S.M.A.S.H., with a voice cast that includes Eliza Dushku and Seth Green, will launch Sunday, Aug. 11, at 11 a.m.
Avengers Assemble reunites the superhero team (Iron Man, Captain America, Thor, Hawkeye and Black Widow), along with newcomer Falcon. Led by Iron Man, the heroes train and live together in their new headquarters in Avengers Tower.
IGN.com reviewed Part 1 (of 2) of the premiere airing soon. They gave part 1 a 7.7/10. The premiere will air Sunday May 26 at 11am.
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A great many fans of The Avengers: Earth's Mightiest Heroes were unhappy to learn the show had been canceled in favor of a revamped animated series called Avengers Assemble. Oh sure, Marvel's reasoning for the switch was understandable enough. They wanted a show that could better capitalize on the popularity of the live-action Avengers movie. They also wanted a series that was produced entirely in-house at Marvel TV. The problem is that last time time Marvel canceled an animated series and replaced it with an in-house project, we went from The Spectacular Spider-Man to Ultimate Spider-Man. Earth's Mightiest Heroes was never quite Spectacular-quality, but it was an enjoyable series that made good use of the long and colorful history of the team. Is there any hope that Assemble can do better?
It's a little premature to be making that judgment, but the series premiere was solid enough that Assemble doesn't look to be the second coming of Ultimate Spider-Man. Assemble has the weird distinction of being both a pseudo-continuation of Earth's Mightiest Heroes and also a fresh starting point for Marvel fans. In truth, it's only really a continuation of EMH in the sense that it doesn't blatantly contradict anything that transpired in that series. Marvel seems far more interested in making Assemble seem as though it's a follow-up to the film. The team lineup is the same (Cap, Iron Man, Thor, Hulk, Hawkeye, Black Widow), with the lone addition of Falcon as the rookie "man on the street" character among seasoned heroes. There's also an increased focus on banter and friction among the various characters. As in the film, Thor and Hulk are just as likely to punch each other as their enemies.
This debut episode makes for a slightly odd transition from EMH because, as it opens, the Avengers have been disbanded for some time. And none too amicably, if the various veiled references are to be believed. That certainly doesn't mesh with the finale of Earth's Mightiest Heroes, which proved more than ever the need for a team of Earth's best and brightest. Nor does this approach really gel with the movie, where the team disbanded solely for practical reasons, and only then until destiny called them back together. But whatever the case, it isn't long before a new disaster forces Iron Man to bring the whole gang back together.
It's really best not to look at this series as an EMH follow-up, or else you'll spend the entire 30 minutes wondering why Iron Man didn't include heavy-hitters like Giant-Man and Ms. Marvel in his recruitment drive. It's a shame so many of the old regulars are out of the picture, but there's something to be said for a smaller, tighter team dynamic. The banter and tension is a nice added element, even if at times it feels a little forced. The characters feel a bit more flawed than they did in EMH. Iron Man in particular stands out as he experiences the beginnings of an arc where he's forced to overcome his selfish tendencies and become a true leader.
As for Falcon, he doesn't really play a large enough role in this episode to form much of an impression. There's no indication of why he of all of Marvel's heroes has suddenly become the apple of Iron Man's eye. But there's the barest hint of the classic Cap/Falcon dynamic introduced in this episode, and hopefully the writers will continue focusing on that angle moving forward.
The writing quality in general is on par with EMH. The villains are largely as two-dimensional as they ever were, but the Avengers themselves have some nice moments throughout. Hawkeye stands out far more here than he ever did in the movie. Whereas Ultimate Spider-Man is a joint effort between Man of Action, Paul Dini, and what seems like half the big names in superhero animation, Assemble is more strictly a Man of Action affair. This seems to be a case less cooks in the kitchen producing stronger and more cohesive results. There are no annoying cutaway gags, and the show doesn't feel overly skewed towards a younger audience (aside from a seeming reluctance to use the word "dead").
On a technical level, the results are slightly more mixed. Most of the voice actors have changed to sync up with Ultimate Spider-Man, with only Fred Tatasciore reprising his earlier Earth's Mightiest Heroes role as Hulk. Generally, the voices are not so much better or worse as merely different. I appreciate that Tony Stark sounds less like a Robert Downey Jr.-wannabe now that Adrian Pasdar has taken over the role. Black Widow is more of an odd shift now that her Russian accent is suddenly absent, and I'm still not a fan of Chi McBride's Nick Fury. In terms of music, the annoying theme song from EMH is thankfully gone, but the musical score is wholly forgettable.
In many ways the animation is the most obvious improvement over EMH. The new style boasts more detail and much more robust lighting. Even the CG-animated vehicles are a notch or two above the previous series. The few lackluster screenshots Disney has released thus far really don't give an accurate indication of Assemble's visual quality. There are also recurring efforts to capture the feel of a comic book by splitting the frame into multiple panels. At times this is superfluous, but one sequence involving Iron Man flying through a corridor works pretty well.
That said, the animation sometimes falters during the action sequences. Not because of a drop in detail, but because of a strangely choppy focus where the "camera" bounces between characters at breakneck speed. The episode feels almost unfinished in that regard, as if the cuts and breaks are hiding gaps in the animation.
The Verdict 7.7
There's only so much you can judge about a new series from the first part of a two-episode premiere. But based on this first installment alone, it doesn't look like fans need to fear having another Ultimate Spider-Man on their hands. This is a solid start that more or less continues the momentum of Earth's Mightiest Heroes, even if so many of that show's regular players are absent.
Pros:
+Despite some quirks, the animation is clearly improved.
+The smaller cast leads to a fun team dynamic. Cons:
– The villains are two-dimensional.
– Some of the regulars from EMH are sorely missed.
FYI... in addition to these two-parts airing on Sunday morning... Part 1 is free right now on iTunes in HD. Don't know why part 2 isn't... but I downloaded Part 1 yesterday.
I don't think this show will last. Some of the animation was cool but then of it looked as if it was straight out of those motion comics which is disappointing.
This story was completely scattered. Red Skull starts attacking out of nowhere and then MODOK comes out of nowhere. Suddenly, Iron Man is in charge and Falcon immediately joins. Very little purpose for this episode to even happen story wise.
The voices are off. Red Skull does not sound German at all. Iron Man does not have a leading tone. Hulk talks to much and uses too much proper grammar.
I hope the next episode or two get better but I'm really missing Earth's Mightiest Heroes.
I don't think this show will last. Some of the animation was cool but then of it looked as if it was straight out of those motion comics which is disappointing.
This story was completely scattered. Red Skull starts attacking out of nowhere and then MODOK comes out of nowhere. Suddenly, Iron Man is in charge and Falcon immediately joins. Very little purpose for this episode to even happen story wise.
The voices are off. Red Skull does not sound German at all. Iron Man does not have a leading tone. Hulk talks to much and uses too much proper grammar.
I hope the next episode or two get better but I'm really missing Earth's Mightiest Heroes.
The Red Skull had a very strange accent for a German. The first two episodes were okay. They took the roster from the Avengers' movie and threw in Falcon as a rookie superhero.
I did appreciate the more serious tone of it than what we got on Ultimate Spider-Man.
Watched both episodes yesterday and thought it was a good start. Obviously, there is room for improvement so lets hope the show grows and the stories get better like they did with EMH.
Watched both episodes yesterday and thought it was a good start. Obviously, there is room for improvement so lets hope the show grows and the stories get better like they did with EMH.
This is now the, what, second or third post-Phase 1 cartoon that's worked Falcon into the main team, so think we can expect his CA2:TWS appearance to be groomed for official Phase 2.
(And with Nova as the comedy-relief irritant on Disney XD's "Ultimate Spiderman", looks like the Guardians of the Galaxy movie wasn't that unexpected after all...)
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