Hulu has officially released the first full trailer for its upcoming Marvel horror series Helstrom. And while the show appears to be distancing itself from the rest of the House of Ideas' on-screen projects, make no mistake, it is a Marvel property through and through. What's more, it's a Marvel property that looks significantly bolder, darker and more violent than anything Marvel Studios has put on the big screen. To that end, despite streaming on Hulu, Helstrom feels like it wouldn't be out of place among Marvel's now-canceled Netflix lineup of shows -- which certainly makes October worth looking forward to.
Marvel Studios' films are consistently solid comic book movies, often ranging anywhere from good to great. Even at their worst, they're often still "okay." In general, however, Marvel Television was considerably more daring than its big screen counterpart. This was especially true of its Netflix series. While Marvel shows that aired on broadcast television like Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. and Agent Carter were great and boundary-pushing in their own right, Netflix offerings like Daredevil, Jessica Jones and Luke Cage went above and beyond when it came to redefining what a superhero TV show could be.
Daredevil offered a deep dive into the seedy underbelly of the Marvel Cinematic Universe from the perspective of a deeply conflicted hero. Jessica Jones took this idea and ran with it even further, adding a unique noir-esque style and dealing with such hard issues as sexual abuse, toxic relationships and drug/alcohol addiction. Luke Cage looked at this world from a Black perspective, addressing sociopolitical issues relevant to the African-American community in the United States. Moreover, The Punisher had a lot to say about the quality of life among veterans in America and even the oft-criticized Iron Fist had some strong points to make about corporate greed. Marvel's other shows -- and even some of its films -- have at least touched on a lot of these issues. But with each show involved carrying a TV-MA rating, the Netflix lineup was able to tackle them in a far more vivid and brutally honest way than could ever be done with TV-14 or PG-13.
While it's currently unclear exactly what Helstrom is rated, the gore in the new trailer definitely makes it seem like it will be Marvel's first TV-MA-rated program since the Netflix lineup ended with Jessica Jones Season 3. In fact, Helstrom may well be the bloodiest Marvel show since Daredevil. It also appears to be carrying on Jessica Jones' theme of toxic relationships, with the trailer specifically highlighting the -- let's say difficult -- parental situation of the Helstrom siblings. And if Helstrom tackles this element even half as well as Jessica Jones did, it will be pretty safe to call it a success in that respect.
However, that's not to say Helstrom is merely riding the coattails of what the Netflix shows so different from the rest of Marvel's on-screen product, as it certainly seems to be bringing a unique flavor of its own to the table. More specifically, while Marvel has prominently featured the supernatural in movies like Doctor Strange as well as shows like Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., Daredevil and Iron Fist, Helstrom looks to be diving headfirst into the occult, something Marvel hasn't really done since the MCU's inception.
In fact, assuming the TV-MA rating does come to pass, Helstrom could be the first adult-oriented live-action supernatural Marvel project since the original Blade films. Sure, Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. Season 4 wasn't shy about addressing Robbie Reyes/Ghost Rider's Satanic connection. But as great as that show's take on the Spirit of Vengeance was, once again, an adults-only label would mean Hulu won't have to pull any punches, giving it the opportunity to delve into the nitty-gritty of the occult in a far more vivid way than ABC would ever let fly. And with Hulu's planned Ghost Rider series having been canceled, Helstrom has effectively become the torchbearer for this style of content.
On top of that, Helstrom isn't just the last live-action adult-oriented Marvel TV show for the foreseeable future -- it's the last Marvel Television series period. The company has been phased out as a division of Marvel Entertainment, Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. recently came to an end and Marvel Studios is preparing to take over the small screen via Disney+. That in mind, it truly feels like the end of an era. And with Helstrom apparently channeling that era's best, things at least look to be ending on a high note.
Marvel's films are just about always quality, there's absolutely no denying that. As fun as they are, however, it's Marvel's TV shows that tend to push the envelope in terms of content and subject matter. There are also just some inherent advantages television has over film. TV shows get to flesh out stories over a period of time, rather than be restricted to a mere two hours. The fact that these shows generally appeal to more niche audiences also allows the creators to be more ambitious with said stories and challenge what is generally expected from the superhero genre.
Marvel's TV show in particular have always exemplified this, be it with series like ABC's Agent Carter, Freeform's Cloak & Dagger or Hulu's Runaways. Marvel Studios itself even appears to be keeping this trend alive, with the first trailer for its upcoming Disney+ series WandaVision looking genuinely game-changing.
However, no Marvel show has been quite as bold, daring or different as Netflix's offerings were. And while their time may have come and gone, their legacy looks to be living on in Helstrom -- a show that, if nothing else, promises to be one hell of a ride.
Marvel's Helstrom stars Tom Austen as Daimon Helstrom, Sydney Lemmon as Ana Helstrom, Elizabeth Marvel as Victoria Helstrom, Ariana Guerra as Gabriella Rossetti, Robert Wisdom as Caretaker, June Carryl as Louise Hastings and Alain Uy as Chris Yen. The series will debut on Hulu on Friday, Oct. 16.