Before the launch of Disney+, Marvel Studios went through a process of bringing together all of its films, animation and television shows all under one banner.  Marvel Television, which was behind shows like “Agents Of Shield” and “Daredevil” was sidelined, with Marvel Studios taking full control, as they wanted to unify everything into the Marvel Cinematic Universe, especially with the popularity of the movies.

This led to the release of many television series like “WandaVision” and “Loki”, but over the past few years, Marvel Studios has quickly learned that putting everything together into one pot exposed some issues.  One of the biggest was oversaturation, with superhero fatigue and franchise fatigue kicking in among audiences, who became bored of the never-ending supply of superhero-themed content, especially as the quality of Marvel’s shows and films had decreased as they increased their output to feed the growth of Disney+.

Following Bob Iger’s return as CEO, work soon began on reducing the number of films and shows created by Marvel Studios for multiple reasons. There was little doubt that as content output increased, the quality decreased, and all of this additional content wasn’t cheap. This resulted in Disney+ spending millions on new original content that wasn’t performing as well as expected.

Since then, Marvel Studios has taken a step back and is separating its divisions with some clearer brands to highlight the changes.  Earlier this year the Marvel Spotlight banner was launched with “Echo”, which was meant to represent a more “separate” show from the MCU, where you didn’t need to know everything within the larger MCU going into it.

And most recently, “X-Men ’97” was launched on Disney+ under the Marvel Animation banner, to help audiences separate this show from the rest of the Marvel Cinematic Universe.   Also later this year, “Agatha All Along” is set to be released on Disney+ and the new logo also highlighted that this new series will be the first show to be released under the “Marvel Television” banner.

Recently, while promoting the new “X-Men ’97” season finale, Marvel Studios Head of TV, Streaming, and Animation Brad Winderbaum explained to CB why the Marvel Television brand has been resurrected:

“We want to make sure that Marvel stays an open door for people to come in and explore.  On the heels of Endgame, I think there was, maybe, a little bit of an obligation to watch absolutely everything in order to watch anything. As you know, as a comics fan, they’re designed to just pop in, find something that you like, and use that to enter you into the universe, and then you can explore and weave around based on your own preferences. So part of the rebranding of Marvel Studios, Marvel Television, Marvel Animation, even Marvel Spotlight is to, I think, try to tell the audience, ‘You can jump in anywhere. They’re interconnected but they’re not. You don’t have to watch A to enjoy B. You can follow your bliss. You can follow your own preferences and find the thing you want within the tapestry of Marvel.'”

In 2025, “Daredevil: Born Again” and “Ironheart” will also be released on Disney+ under the Marvel Television brand, showing a shift in direction, while also potentially restoring some brand prestige on the bigger theatrical releases.  But does it also devalue future Disney+ series?

Roger’s POV:  I completely understand the addition of the Marvel Animation brand, especially with things disconnected from the MCU, but the Marvel Television branding also feels like it’s a way of pulling back the shows from the major films.  I wouldn’t be surprised if we see the Disney+ shows become smaller in scope, keeping them more disconnected from the big movies and possibly more standalone.  There’s little doubt that Marvel Studios got carried away with being able to make as many shows, films, animated series, and special presentations as possible, but I’m also not convinced that having a little logo change is going to make much difference to the casual audience.

What do you think of the “Marvel Television” brand returning?  Let me know on social media!

Roger Palmer

Roger has been a Disney fan since he was a kid and this interest has grown over the years. He has visited Disney Parks around the globe and has a vast collection of Disney movies and collectibles. He is the owner of What's On Disney Plus & DisKingdom. Email: Roger@WhatsOnDisneyPlus.com Twitter: Twitter.com/RogPalmerUK Facebook: Facebook.com/rogpalmeruk

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