We’ve seen over the past couple of years since Bob Iger’s return as CEO that Marvel Studios has had to scale back the number of projects it was creating for multiple reasons, including superhero fatigue from too many films and shows coming out, a reduction in quality following a push to make more Disney+ shows and a cut in budgets to make Disney+ profitable.

In this time, we’ve seen many films and shows pushed back, such as “Ironheart”, which is coming out later this summer but was originally scheduled to come out in late 2023.  There is also another new show, “Wonder Man” hitting Disney+ in December 2025.

With just under a week until the release of the next Disney+ Original series from Marvel, “Daredevil: Born Again”, it’s been revealed by Deadline that Marvel has paused development on three different Disney+ shows, “Nova”, “Strange Academy” and “Terror, Inc”.

“Nova” is the most well-known project of the three and was originally being written by Sabir Pirzada, before being replaced by Ed Bernero.  The series would follow Richard Rider,  a cosmic-powered hero and last survivor of the intergalactic military and police force known as the Nova Corps, who wields the Nova Force to protect the universe. 

“Strange Academy” is a spin-off from “Doctor Strange” and is based on a comic book story that is set in New Orleans and is about a new school founded by Doctor Strange to educate young individuals with magical abilities. The show was expected to focus on Wong, portrayed by Benedict Wong, though very little is known about it.

While “Terror, Inc” was something a little different and the least known project of the three centers on an antihero by the name of Terror, who possesses the ability to incorporate the body parts of others into his own form, gaining their memories and abilities. 

These three shows were still in the early stages of development, and none of them had been officially greenlighted or announced to the public. This is all part of Marvel’s efforts to reduce the number of projects on the go at once, allowing them to focus on making them better.

Following the failure of some big-budget shows like “Secret Invasion,” Marvel completely changed strategy, building a new Marvel Television division. This division shifted back to the more traditional method of making shows, having multiple projects in development, with showrunners and writers coming in to put together a concept of a show before being given the green light.

Previously, Marvel Studios would just announce a show, usually at a major event like San Diego Comic-Con or D23 Expo, then sort out the rest of the show later.  

Last year, Brad Winderbaum, Marvel Studios’ Head of TV, Streaming, and Animation, revealed in an interview with Screenrant and confirmed that they would be changing their way of creating shows:

“We’re developing more than we make now, so we’re actually have a few different things brewing that we might see through to at least a pilot script to see if we want to make it.  But, there’s a lot of opportunity out there, it’s hard to choose favorites… We’re really being careful about what we choose to do next.”

Marvel is currently filming the second season of “Daredevil: Born Again” and a new series about Vision, which will be another “WandaVision” spin-off show, which is also expected to begin filming later this year.  

Roger’s Take: It does feel like Marvel is trying to get its house back in order following a difficult few years and drastically reducing the number of projects it puts out, as the quality of the films and shows suffered during the Disney+ launch boom.  It’s important to note that none of these projects were ever officially announced and could still come out, but it’s likely going to be a few years until they do.

With the upcoming “Avengers: Doomsday” and “Avengers: Secret Wars” films set to wrap up the end of the multiverse saga, Marvel might be considering just easing on the breaks, allowing some of its other projects to be released and letting the audience breath, before introducing even more characters into the MCU, since it’s brought in so many new heroes, without much follow through.   Disney needs to build faith in the Marvel brand again, and quality over quantity is going to be key. Plus, they want to save money!

What do you think of Marvel pausing development on these shows?  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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