Avengers... in animation. It's been a dream of Marvelites since the
team's conception in the 1960's, and the Marvel cartoons of the same
decade with such Avengers as Captain America and Thor. And, with
rumors and studio announcements becoming more and more frequent, it
seems this is one dream that may soon come true.
Fox television has confirmed it's ordering of 13 episodes of a new
animated Avengers series from Saban Entertainment, the same studio
responsible for Fox's previous cartoon hits, X- Men, Spider-Man and the
short-lived (but critically acclaimed) Silver Surfer. The question all
fandom (well, Avengers fandom anyway) is asking now is, "What will the
Avengers look like?"
Key visual designs for the Avengers have come from unlikely sources.
Chris Bachalo (Death, Generation X, Unn. X-Men) and Chuck Wojtkiewicz
(Justice League of America) have both submitted character designs to
Saban, suggesting that the television studio is going for a new look
for it's Avengers series. Saban's first two Marvel cartoons, X-Men and
Spider-Man, both had looks and casts based on the current comic book
counterparts, it looks like the Avengers will not be based on the hit
vol. 3 Avengers by fan-favorites Kurt Busiek and George Perez.
(confirmed in Wizard, )
Chris Bachalo, who submitted designs for Wonder Man, expressed an
interest in some of the comics from over a decade ago. The Wonder Man
he wants to see is the sunglasses wearing safari jacket sporting
version, something that is a far cry from the ionic version currently
gracing the pages of the Avengers comics. That isn't to say that is
the design Saban will go with, some potential designs show a Wonder Man
covered in "Kirbydots" (a.k.a. Kirbyblots, Kirby-Sparkle). Ant-Man is
another character that will have a different look from the one in the
comics. Although still using his Ant-Man powers occasionally, Hank Pym
is usually seen in his Giant-Man costume. Chuck Wojtkiewicz designs
for the Avengers minuscule hero have him unlike any of his comic
appearances. Chuck has also expressed an interest in showing a more
unified look to the Avengers costumes, something never done in the
comics. New costume elements? Armor, clearly visible "A" symbols, and
more militaristic uniforms then the Avengers have used in the past.
(designs, not necessarily the final ones, can be see at Ain't It Cool
News, )
As for the look of the series itself, original reports had the new
series placed "five minutes into the future", but before fans could
speculate too much on what exactly this means, the shows producers
already confirmed that it will indeed be twenty-five years in the
future. The Avengers will probably look nothing like the ones that
Avengers fans have grown to love over the past decades, but still, they
are Avengers. (confirmed at Comic Book Continuum,
)
The team roster, undoubted one of the most important aspects of the
Avengers (next to the time period), has also recently been confirmed by
Fox. The roster includes such past Avengers as the Ant-Man, Wasp,
Hawkeye, Tigra, Vision, Scarlet Witch, Wonder Man and the Falcon.
Although the Avengers mainstays such as Hawkeye and the Vision were all
but expected, the inclusion of such brief or unusual members as Tigra
and the Falcon came as a shock to Avengers fans. The "Big Three"
Avengers, Captain America, Iron Man and Thor, could not be included
because Fox (or Marvel) has future plans for them in either cartoon or
movie form, so some of this less popular (comparatively speaking)
Avengers may be there to fill the void. Wonder Man taking on the muscle
role of Thor, Falcon filling the patriotic wings of Captain America,
and Ant- Man in the technological niche left by Iron Man. It's doubtful
fans will see the bikini-wearing, fun- loving occasional nympho they've
come to expect in Tigra, with the possibility of a ditzy Wasp, Saban
may want a more serious or feral Tigra to balance the female cast.
As for the missing Big Three... Thor is always a potential for a
cartoon or a big budget movie, but there are no plans confirmed at the
moment. Iron Man has been in treatment for a major motion picture for
some time, but is on hold at the moment. And Captain America? Although
he was the front runner for the next Fox/Marvel cartoon, Saban
Entertainments unusual plans for the series proved to much, even for
Fox.
So what can Avengers fans expect to see when this new series hits
the air (tentatively scheduled for this fall)? Nothing that they've come to
expect from Marvel or even Saban, but something at least remotely
reminiscent of the comics they've come to love.