Marvel are all set to have a jam-packed 2017 when it comes to television, and the number of projects they’re producing this year continues to grow. Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. just went on hiatus after delivering one of its strongest episodes yet, but will be back with the future wide open in 6 weeks. The show will be joined later this year by Inhumans, which just cast Game of Thrones’ Iwan Rheon in a lead role. Meanwhile, Iron Fist is a month away from debuting on Netflix before being followed by The Defenders and The Punisher later this year.
If all of that wasn’t enough to keep fans satisfied, the Guardians of the Galaxy animated series will return next month, joining Ultimate Spider-Man and Avengers Assemble on Disney XD. Surely, with all of that content, Marvel would be satisfied to look to their equally busy schedule for 2018. But it turns out, they’re just getting started when it comes to new projects. Marvel will once again be working with Japanese partners to bring their characters to the world of anime.
CBR has learned that this summer will see the premiere of Marvel Future Avengers, a new anime series set to air on DLife. It will follow the story of a group of newly empowered kids who team up with the Avengers as their sidekicks. Check out the first poster below, which pairs the kids with the Wasp, Captain America, Thor, the Hulk, and Iron Man.
Marvel have previously teamed with Japanese production studios like Madhouse and Toei to bring movies and kid-friendly TV shows to anime fans. The new series looks to follow the lead of Marvel Disk Wars: The Avengers by catering to a younger audience, and is using the same lineup as the show. In addition to the anime, a manga will be written and drawn by Teruaki Mizuno and will appear in April’s issue of Shogakukan’s Bessatsu Coro Coro Comics Special. You can check out the teaser image for that below.
Marvel have found a lot of success internationally with their films, so it makes sense that they’d seek to collaborate directly with another country on a specific venture. For fans of the comics, it’s just another fun way of seeing their favorite characters brought to life. It’s also nice to the Wasp added to the line-up of Avengers stalwarts. While two versions of her were teased in Ant-Man, the upcoming Ant-Man & the Wasp will finally see Evangeline Lily suit up as the hero in a headlining role that will explore her origin.
Hopefully, the lineup of heroes announced for Marvel Future Avengers will change over time, and more heroes will be brought into the fold. The three kids of the series will serve as the titular Future Avengers, and are all original characters. It’s possible, however, that younger heroes from the comics could be added to the lineup. It’s equally possible that we could see some of the kids brought into the world of the comics. After all, there’s only so many superheroes that New York can handle.
Marvel Future Avengers premieres in print this Tuesday in Japan. There’s no word yet on when in the summer the anime will arrive.
Source: CBR