The Offenders Are Coming, Get Excited!
Updated: Feb 13, 2019
It was recently announced that Marvel will be bringing 4 new animated shows and 1 animated event to Hulu soon. Yep, Marvel is going to bring you a new uh… Superhero Team that you “never asked for!" That team is going to be called, The Offenders. (A take on Marvel’s The Defenders).
The line up consists of some quirky characters that some have seen before in TV and Movies, some maybe only hardcore (or long time) fans may recognize. What peaks my interest are the creators attached to them. So lets see who we have, shall we?
First we have M.O.D.O.K. or Mechanized Organism Designed Only for Killing. If you are familiar with Marvel Comics, you know this… uh… guy as a big head with a small...ish… mechanical body. If you are a theorist within the Marvel Cinematic Universe (The MCU) there has been talk that Armin Zola will be M.O.D.O.K. as we see him as a “big head” in Captain America: Winter Soldier in the scene in the military base where Cap and Natasha are looking for the Winter Soldier and come across a computer version of Zola so he just appears a big head on a computer screen. While, not the same as the comics, in the MCU, it’s feasible. M.O.D.O.K. is pretty much a megalomaniacal super villain, so it will be interesting how he becomes part of a team. Patton Oswalt (Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.’s Koenig Bros) is listed as both a writer and as Executive Producer. Patton is known for being a brilliant comedian and a super nerd. Disney fans will also know him as the voice of Remy in Pixar's Ratatouille. He’s the kind of guy who really knows his stuff when it comes to comics, so seeing his take on what can be considered a ridiculous character is exciting.
Next we have Hit-Monkey, which I’ll admit, I know nothing about. Apparently he’s a Japanese snow monkey that is somehow wronged and is mentored by the ghost of an assassin. What’s not to like about that sentence? Absolutely nothing! If you are going to watch a show about a monkey, why not a monkey that’s been wronged and is mentored by a ghost assassin? This show is being written by Josh Gordon and Will Speck of Blades of Glory fame, so again, a capable comedic team.
This next one is the show I wanted but never thought would happen, and that is Marvel’s Tigra & Dazzler Show. Fans of the old X-Men Arcade game (You know the huge one with 4 players) will recognize Dazzler… she shoots… lights? Also maybe from the almost produced 80s movie starring Bo Derek. She is basically this 80s singer (well, she may not be an 80s singer in the show and just a singer? Rock Star? Leader of the Holograms?) who can convert sound to light beams… which dazzle! She’s the original bedazzler! It also features Tigra who I only know as Not DCs Cheetah. In the press release, Dazzler and Tigra are two Best Friends who are super “woke” trying to find their place among the other super powered heroes in LA. This show has both Chelsea Handler (best known for being the host of Chelsea Lately) and Erica Rivinoj (writer on Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs 2 and producer on Last Man on Earth and South Park). Looks like Marvel/Hulu is really going for the comedy… but, like, smart comedy.
Lastly and not leastly… is that a word?... Comes the show I knew had to be coming in some way… Howard the Duck! Years ago, Lucasfilm put out a movie called Howard the Duck based on the comic character which was met with… well, it wasn’t received well. Recently in the post-credits scene from Guardians of the Galaxy, we saw a newer iteration of the character voiced by Seth Green. We even saw a cameo in Guardians of the Galaxy 2. This caused speculation of a movie or possibly a new series with Howard. Looks like we kind of are, but in animated form. Writers and Executive Producers include Kevin Smith, who probably would be on the Mt. Rushmore of Comic Nerds and also Dave Willis who co-created Aqua Teen Hunger Force. For both, this would not be their first foray into an animated comedy. Smith also has a short lived but brilliant animated series based on his film Clerks.
I’m excited because these are animated shows aimed at more adult audiences, so probably not overtly cute or kid friendly as Star Wars: Resistance (which I like, but sometimes you want less cute). It’s also interesting that they aren’t saving these shows for their Disney+ channel. Maybe a sign that they will utilize Disney+ for more family affair and use Hulu for less family friendly shows/movies. Which, I’m all for. Probably don’t want to have super strict parental controls on a Disney app just due to perception… pretty sure parents will want kids to be able to have free reign on that channel without having to worry about more mature themes popping up.
I’m also super stoked about the line up of creators. Each one has the comedy bonafide to give us a smart, funny and super fun show with some of Marvel’s more interesting characters. I’m super intrigued about what brings all the characters together for the Event show, The Offenders. Yep, I just want to see Howard interact with M.O.D.O.K. and a snow monkey. Admit it, it’s something you never knew you wanted, until now!