We Now Know Which Characters Will Topline the 'Agents of SHIELD' Spin-Off

By Cindy Davis | Marvel Movies | April 20, 2015 |

By Cindy Davis | Marvel Movies | April 20, 2015 |

It’s a groovy Monday in the Marvelhood, with a confirmation on the Captain Marvel film deal, and an interesting new rumor.

First up, the Marvel PR machine has officially declared that Guardians of the Galaxy’s Nicole Perlman and Inside Out’s Meg LeFauve will co-write the Captain Marvel script. The two ladies have not written together before, but it’ll be cool to see what they come up with as a team. We’re still waiting to hear who’ll be signed as director, keeping a little flame lit for Game of Thrones’ Michelle MacLaren to be afforded her Braveheart-like opportunity.

The next little rumored tidbit is light on fact and heavy on the hearsay, but it dovetails nicely into some quiet news that leaked last week. Word on the street this past Friday was that Marvel was working on a secret new television project with 12 Years a Slave writer/producer John Ridley, possibly with ABC and likely to “reinvent an existing superhero character or property.” Since there was no real information to go on, the story didn’t get much coverage, but today there’s a rumor floating that the project could involve Ms. Marvel/Kamala Khan. ComicBookMovie and IGN say that information originates from a reddit user who claims to be “in the know,” so at this moment it’s certainly nothing more than rumor. Word is that ABC’s American Crime — which Ridley created, writes and produces — will be cancelled, and the new, Ridley-run Marvel series will be subbed in.

“ABC pitched to him [Ridley] Cloak and Dagger, since they’ve tried to develop it in the past, but Ridley took more interest in a certain Kamala Khan and decided to incorporate her into the MCU…’How does Kamala work without Carol Danvers?’ Well apparently the current plan is to slow-burn her origin into actually being Ms. Marvel over time a la Daredevil (or at least in terms of her taking that name, I don’t know whether or not she’ll have her costume from the start or wait it out). The series will focus more on her fascination with superheroes in general, while balancing issues of religion, racism and Islamaphobia along with her crime fighting.”

A non-white, female superheroine on network television?!!! Holy Yeah!

CBC says the reddit source claims the Ms.Marvel series will be aired in the winter between Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. and that series’ spin-off, which was announced last week. If true, that’s a damned cool rumor. The network’s done a fine job with Agent Carter (which some say may be in trouble), and we’re all for female-led superheroes any damned place and anytime. What’s amazing to me is that this reddit-based rumor has already spawned speculation that Ms. Marvel might replace Agent Carter, which would be a damned shame. DON’T TAKE OUR HALEYPEGGY AWAY!

Finally, and speaking of the Agents of SHIELD spin-off, Deadline is reporting that the participants have been named, and to no one’s surprise, it’s Adrianne Palicki and Nick Blood’s characters. Lance Hunter and Bobbi Morse aka Mockingbird will topline the spin-off, should it go ahead, though a decision isn’t expected to be made until a script is seen. However, the events at the end of this season could lead into the spin-off, which may run concurrently SHIELD or it could also be in line to fill the bridge between the fall and spring of SHIELD.

Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’m going to put on my most fabulous hat and guzzle down a TJ’s Pilsner.

Cindy Davis, (Twitter)