Marvel TV has had a checkered history, but when the comic giant gets it right, they craft shows that millions can't get enough of. This is especially true in the animation department, which has given way to some genuine classics.
Donald Glover, who some still separate from Childish Gambino, is a brilliant comedic talent, and Glover has used his comedy chops to amass a $35 million net worth. The stud writer, actor, and musician was all set to team-up with Marvel for a Deadpool animated series, but things fell apart, leaving many disappointed.
Let's take a look back at what could have been.
Deadpool Is One Of Marvel's Biggest Characters
Marvel has many iconic characters in its history, all of whom have helped the studio become a global powerhouse in various mediums. In recent years, it could be argued that no character has increased their popularity with mainstream audiences more than Deadpool.
Wade Wilson certainly had love from comic book fans long before taking off with global audiences, but in mainstream media, he wasn't quite what he is now. He had popped up on animated shows, and he had a laughably bad live-action debut in X-Men Origins: Wolverine, but once he got his own film, things changed in a heartbeat for the character.
The Ryan Reynolds-led Deadpool films were massive financial successes, and they made the Merc with a Mouth a household name. Suddenly, Deadpool was one of Marvel's most popular characters, meaning that the studio was going to do anything and everything to make bank off the newfound fame the character achieved.
Thanks to his fresh dash of fame, the lovable Deadpool was all set to get his very own animated series, something that Marvel fans were genuinely excited for.
Donal Glover Was Going To Craft A Deadpool Animated Series
In what came as joyous music to the ears of comic book fans everywhere, Donald Glover was the man set to lead Deadpool: The Animated Series.
"Donald Glover is an incredibly gifted and versatile artist who’ll bring the untitled Marvel’s Deadpool series to life with the same intense, singular vision as his breakout hit Atlanta. With the success of Legion, we’re looking forward to again partnering with Marvel Television to create a series that is bold, striking and entirely original," said President of Original Programming at FX, Nick Grad.
This seemed like a match made in heaven, and people could not wait to see the Merc with a Mouth on the small screen in a hilarious solo TV show.
Deadpool creator, Rob Liefeld, talked about the project in its aftermath (more to come on that), saying, "I thought the whole thing was brilliant. And I really can’t say anything more than that or I’ll get into all sorts of trouble from every side.”
Despite things seemingly moving along well enough, fans' jaws hit the floor when an unexpected split was announced.
Things Fell Apart Behind The Scenes
In March of 2018, the proposed Deadpool: The Animated Series was suddenly dead in the water.
In a statement, FX said, "Due to creative differences, FX, Donald Glover, Stephen Glover and Marvel Television have agreed to part ways on Marvel’s Deadpool animated series. FX will no longer be involved with the project. FX and Marvel have an ongoing relationship through our partnership on Legion, which will continue.”
This came as quite a blow to the fans and to Glover. A lot of work had been poured into the project, and as fans got to see, there was no love lost between Glover and the network.
"For the record: I wasn’t too busy to work on Deadpool," said Glover on his social media account.
The creative mastermind would also drop the script from his "Finale" episode of the show, which only caused the fans to grow more upset with the fact that the show was axed before it even got off the ground.
The script can still be found online, and if you're a fan of Glover, the character, or even just some hilarious writing, then it is 100% worth the read. The man knows comedy, understood the character, and could have delivered a phenomenal show that would have pleased fans of all ages.
The fallout of Deadpool: The Animated Series will certainly go down as a huge missed opportunity for Marvel. Now that the character is with Disney, fans will be paying close attention to how he is handled. After all, there is nothing kid-friendly about Wade Wilson. Like...at all.