On the big screen, Marvel can seemingly do no wrong. The studio cranks out hit after hit and even their lesser efforts, like Thor and Thor: The Dark World, are still perfectly enjoyable films. On television, however, it’s a different story. After going from strength to strength in the early days of their Netflix deal, the past few outings have been substantially less satisfying.
The same goes for what they’re doing on ABC, with Agent Carter only lasting two seasons and the future not looking terribly bright for their other shows. Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. finds itself with fewer and fewer fans each year and Inhumans, which was supposed to be a big deal for Marvel, has turned out to be a complete bust.
So, who’s to blame for all this? Well, that’s hard to say at the moment, but a new report from Variety points to there being some trouble brewing in the studio’s television department.
In an article published earlier tonight, the outlet noted that Inhumans‘ failure to perform has caused friction between ABC and Marvel. Apparently, the former expressed some concerns early on in the production process, stating that both the scripts and effects weren’t up to par. Not only that, but Variety also mentions that many of the ABC execs wanted to cut Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. last year and the only reason it lived to see another season is because Disney ordered them not to give it the axe.
We’re sure that there’s more to the story here, but it doesn’t sound like things are running smoothly over in Marvel’s television department. Or at least, not in the part that handles the ABC shows. And as we mentioned above, the Netflix side of things isn’t looking much better either, with The Defenders now sitting as the least watched of Marvel‘s series on the streaming service.
Whether The Punisher and season 6 of S.H.I.E.L.D. can turn things around for the studio’s TV output remains to be seen, but we’ll stay hopeful that they can learn from their mistakes and get back on track sooner rather than later.