Posted in: Disney+, Marvel, Movies, Opinion, Preview, streaming, TV, TV | Tagged: disney plus, Echo, ghost rider, marvel spotlight, Marvel Studios, mcu, Werewolf By Night

Marvel Spotlight: What Marvel Studios' New Banner Says About MCU

With Echo being the first series under it, Marvel Studios rolled out its new Marvel Spotlight banner. So what does that mean for the MCU now?

As many of you know, the end of the week brought some huge news regarding Marvel Studios' Alaqua Cox & Vincent D'Onofrio-starring Echo. With the five-episode series set for January 10th, viewers were treated to an official trailer, key art poster, and preview images – as well as some interesting details about how the series will be a "first" in many ways. Along with being the first series rated "TV-MA," Echo is also the first series to be binge-dropped and the first to be released on Disney+ & Hulu at the same time. But did Marvel Studios save the biggest news for later in the day – the unveiling of the new "Marvel Spotlight" banner? During Choctaw Nation's annual Powwow in Durant, Oklahoma, on Friday night, director Sydney Freeland and Seth Fairchild, Executive Director of Cultural Services for Choctaw Nation, screened the first two episodes and took part in a post-screening Q&A. And it was during that event that the new Marvel Spotlight banner (with music composed by Michael Giacchino) was introduced – but what is it?

For Marvel Comics fans, Marvel Spotlight was a comic book anthology series that first originated in 1971, running for 33 issues (with a second series beginning in 1979 and lasting 11 issues). Over the course of its run, the series would debut such popular characters as Werewolf by Night, Ghost Rider, and Spider-Woman. With Echo about to be the first official project under the new banner, viewers will want to know what makes Marvel Spotlight different from anything else in the MCU. "Marvel Spotlight gives us a platform to bring more grounded, character-driven stories to the screen, and in the case of 'Echo,' focusing on street-level stakes over larger MCU continuity,"  Brad Winderbaum, Head of Streaming, explained. "Just like comics fans didn't need to read Avengers or Fantastic Four to enjoy a Ghost Rider Spotlight comic, our audience doesn't need to have seen other Marvel series to understand what's happening in Maya's story."

A couple of quick points to make. First, it was interesting that the news was buried at the end of a press release for the screening event and not given more of a spotlight of its own. Second, the timing is interesting, coming at the end of a week that saw a pretty scathing profile from Variety about Disney's Marvel Studios woes going live – and a lot of traction. Third, it reads like Marvel Studios is not only acknowledging that its canon-heavy MCU might be turning off some viewers at this point – viewers looking for quality Marvel programs without feeling like they have to watch eight shows and three films just to understand what's going on. Fourth, it's interesting that it seems to be replacing the "Special Presentation" banner that Werewolf by Night and The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special had. And lastly – and on a more positive note – we're hoping that Marvel Spotlight will take a page from its comic book predecessor and become a "spotlight" series where live-action takes on characters can be experimented with.

Joining Cox and D'Onofrio for the five-episode streaming series are Chaske Spencer (Wild Indian, The English), Graham Greene (1883, Goliath), Tantoo Cardinal (Killers of the Flower Moon, Stumptown), Devery Jacobs (FX's Reservation Dogs, American Gods), Zahn McClarnon (Dark Winds, FX's Reservation Dogs), and Cody Lightning (Hey, Viktor! Four Sheets to the Wind). Now, here's a look back at the official trailer that was released this week – with Marvel Studios' Echo set to hit streaming screens on January 10th:

Episodes of the series are directed by Sydney Freeland (Navajo) and Catriona McKenzie (Gunaikurnai). Executive producers include Kevin Feige, Stephen Broussard, Louis D'Esposito, Brad Winderbaum, Victoria Alonso, Richie Palmer, Jason Gavin (Blackfeet), Marion Dayre, and Sydney Freeland – with Jennifer L. Booth and Amy Rardin co-executive-producing.

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