Howard The Duck, M.O.D.O.K., Hit-Monkey, and Tigra and Dazzler… A bunch of misfit characters that you might have seen or heard of in some form in the MARVEL universe. Of course a lot of people know Howard The Duck, a cult character known more for his 1986 live action movie bomb and appearances in the Guardians of the Galaxy movies more than his multiple attempts at launching a long running comic series. M.O.D.O.K. you might have heard of in the past, the Mental Organism Designed Only for Killing has appeared in the well done and long running Avengers Assemble cartoon series along with other recent MARVEL cartoons. As for Hit-Monkey, Tigra and Dazzler… You might have heard of them from comics and other media in small roles or a passing mention. However all that is about to change.
Thanks to the upcoming merger between MARVEL owners Disney and the Movie/TV division of 20th Century FOX, which will make Disney a majority share holder in the Hulu streaming platform, we are going to see cartoons based around these five characters, with four of them getting their own series (Howard The Duck, M.O.D.O.K., and Hit-Monkey getting solo series while Tigra and Dazzler will share a series) followed by a special called “The Offenders” where all five characters will team up.
“Howard the Duck” will be written and executive produced by Kevin Smith and Dave Willis. Smith is known for his Askewniverse films, including “Clerks,” “Mallrats,” and “Jay & Silent Bob Strike Back.” Smith has also written for Marvel Comics in the past, writing for popular characters like Daredevil and Spider-Man. Willis previously co-created popular animated shows like “Aqua Teen Hunger Force” and “Squidbillies” for Adult Swim in addition to his work as a voice actor. In the series, Howard the Duck is trapped in a world he never made, but America’s favorite fighting fowl hopes to return home with the help of his unstoppable gal pal Beverly before the evil Dr. Bong can turn him the crispiest dish on the menu.
“M.O.D.O.K.” will be written and executive produced by Jordan Blum and Patton Oswalt. Blum’s previous credits include “Community” and “American Dad.” Oswalt is an Emmy-winning stand up comedian. He currently appears on the NBC series “A.P. Bio,” the Syfy series “Happy!,” Netflix’s “Mystery Science Theater 3000,” and serves as narrator on ABC’s “The Goldbergs.” “M.O.D.O.K,” or Mental Organism Designed Only for Killing, centers around an egomaniacal supervillain with a really big head and a really little body, who struggles to maintain control of his evil organization and his demanding family.
“Hit-Monkey” will be written and executive produced by Josh Gordon and Will Speck, the team that previously co-directed films like “Blades of Glory” and “Office Christmas Party.” The show tells the tale of a wronged Japanese snow monkey, mentored by the ghost of an American assassin, as he cuts a wide swath through the Tokyo underworld.
“Tigra & Dazzler” hails from writers and executive producers Erica Rivinoja and Chelsea Handler. Rivinoja worked on the story for the film “Girls Trip” and her previous writing credits include shows like “The Last Man on Earth,” “South Park,” and “Grounded for Life.” Handler is known for hosting her own talk shows on both E! and Netflix, “Chelsea Lately” and “Chelsea” respectively. Not much is known about the plot of the series at this time. Same goes for the team up Special “The Offenders”
The upcoming streaming service Disney+ is also working on multiple limited series centered on the Marvel Cinematic Universe characters including Loki, Scarlet Witch, and Falcon and the Winter Solider.
