Following its inception in 2008, the Marvel Cinematic Universe became a true juggernaut of entertainment. Marvel Studios has released 23 interconnected films and counting as part of the franchise, with Marvel Television expanding the brand to the small screen by debuting numerous shows across networks and streaming platforms like ABC, Netflix, Hulu and Freeform. But while there's certainly a myriad of Marvel content out there, not every project put into development (or even production) has come to fruition. In fact, there are two Marvel Television pilots -- Most Wanted and New Warriors -- that were completed years ago and yet have never seen the light of day.
Of course, Marvel Television as we knew it no longer exists. Because of this, these pilots may be seen as nothing more than lost relics of a bygone era, especially as Marvel Studios begins to produce its own, big-budget television productions for the Disney+ streaming service. However, it's because of the continued success of Disney+ that Marvel and its parent company have a platform to finally release these pilots to the general public -- and they absolutely should take advantage of that.
Marvel's Most Wanted was supposed to air on ABC as a spinoff of Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., with Adrianne Palicki and Nick Blood reprising their roles as Bobbi Morse (aka Mockingbird) and Lance Hunter, respectively. The project received a pilot order in August of 2015 and added some new cast members shortly thereafter, including Delroy Lindo as Dominic Fortune, Fernanda Andrade as Christina Santos and Oded Fehr as a "well-known" Marvel Comics character.
The pilot wrapped production by March of 2016. The following May, however, ABC announced that it would not be ordering Most Wanted to series. ABC President Channing Dungey said the network was open to letting Marvel shop the show to a different network, but while Marvel Television boss Jeph Loeb acknowledged this possibility, he said Most Wanted was specifically designed to air alongside S.H.I.E.L.D. on ABC. In 2018, Loeb stated that Marvel was unable to release the ABC pilot even if it wanted to, and that the decision to do so lied with the network.
Marvel's New Warriors had a slightly different journey. The series was slated to introduce a number of Marvel characters to live-action, namely Doreen Green/Squirrel Girl (played by Milana Vayntrub), Craig Hollis/Mister Immortal (Derek Theler), Dwayne Taylor/Night Thrasher (Jeremy Tardy), Robbie Baldwin/Speedball (Calum Worthy), Zach Smith/Microbe (Matthew Moy) and Deborah Fields/Debrii (Kate Comer). Additionally, Keith David was set to appear a municipal employee named Ernest Vigman. Series creator Kevin Biegel later confirmed that there were plans to turn Vigman into the classic marvel villain M.O.D.O.K., thus bringing that character into the MCU as well.
As opposed to Most Wanted, this show was set to go straight to series. Freeform, home of Marvel's Cloak & Dagger, ordered 10 episodes of New Warriors in April of 2017. The pilot episode wrapped production by November, and the series was expected to premiere sometime in 2018. But by November of that year, Freeform no longer had room in its schedule. As such, it returned the show to Marvel Television, which began shopping it to other Disney-owned networks. Both Hulu and Disney+ were considered, though neither streamer had any interest in picking up the series. New Warriors was ultimately declared dead as of September 2019.
So, why should Disney+ release these pilots now? Well, for starters, they're legitimate pieces of Marvel history and should be available to the fans, rather than locked up in a vault somewhere. For example, Keith David as M.O.D.O.K. is a fascinating "what if," and Squirrel Girl's involvement in New Warriors technically makes her one of the first comic book mutants to show up in an MCU project, second only to Scarlet Witch and Quicksilver. Moreover, those involved with the Most Wanted pilot have spoken highly of the production, which says that something of value was most certainly lost when it got shelved.
Obviously, there are a few things standing in the way of these pilots' release. First and foremost, most (if not all) major networks and studios tend to be very protective of their unaired pilots. That being said, a company akin to Marvel releasing a failed pilot to the public would not be unprecedented -- just look at the Distinguished Competition. In 2006, the creators of Smallville produced a pilot for an Aquaman TV series for The WB. Following the WB-UPN merger, the newly-christened CW declined to order Aquaman to series, leading Warner Bros. to make the pilot available for purchase on iTunes.
Moreover, the rise of streaming has completely changed the game for media distribution. Speaking of DC, Zack and Deborah Snyder freely admitted that releasing the director's cut of Justice League would have been impossible prior to the advent of HBO Max. And unlike the Snyder Cut, the Most Wanted and New Warriors pilots likely wouldn't require any additional production or editing. By all accounts, they're finished and ready to go. Compare that to, say, Marvel's Damage Control on ABC, which was nixed during development went unproduced entirely.
Sure, Marvel Studios and Marvel Television went in different directions back when they existed concurrently, meaning the content of these pilots could contradict future MCU plans. However, that's nothing a simple disclaimer at the front of each episode can't fix, especially seeing as how Marvel Studios boss Kevin Feige recently came to the defense of Marvel Television-era shows and the fact that Disney+ already hosts non-MCU Marvel projects like Fox's X-Men films. Disney+ did initially pass on picking up New Warriors as a series, but simply hosting the pilot as a one-off special is another matter entirely. Finally, while it's ABC that holds the power to release the Most Wanted pilot, the network is itself owned by Disney. So, surely something can be worked out. Marvel's Agent Carter -- another ABC show -- is already on Disney+, after all.
If we're to have a truly complete picture of the MCU and its rise, the Most Wanted and New Warriors pilots need to be available to the public -- the fans deserve that much. More importantly, it's clear a lot of love went into these pilots on the part of both their stars and creative teams. That hard work should be recognized and appreciated. And through Disney+, Marvel and Disney can accomplish just that.