The docuseries is a staple of virtually every major streaming service, and despite what you may think, not all of them have to revolve around murder and serial killers, although those do tend to be the ones that generate the most publicity. Of course, Disney Plus has often faced accusations of being painfully short on high-profile original content, but the Mouse House’s platform has now added a new docuseries titled Marvel’s 616 to the library.
The eight-episode show takes a deep dive into some of the more obscure corners of the titular company’s history, including the bizarre Japanese Spider-Man TV show. So far, 616 has received hugely favorable comparisons to ESPN’s 30 for 30, which is hardly surprising when the sports channel is also a part of Disney’s vast multimedia empire, and fans seem to be digging it.
Each episode focuses on a completely different aspect of the expansive Marvel universe from the creators and storytellers behind the company’s incredible success to a Florida high school putting on a series of plays based on famous comic book characters, via a look at some forgotten and overlooked superheroes that are hilariously reappraised in a modern light.
Disney Plus has always boasted a solid lineup of original docs like the incredibly informative and engaging One Day at Disney and The Imagineering Story, and the exhaustive behind the scenes look at The Mandalorian, not to mention the irreverent The World According to Jeff Goldblum.
Marvel 616 marks another excellent addition, too. Combining the standard docuseries format with one of their biggest and most beloved brands, it effortlessly straddles the divide between education and entertainment to deliver a look at some of the comic book giant’s unsung heroes, and is well worth checking out if you’re a fan of either the company at the core of it or the format in general.