MARVEL RISING Animated Film Series Rounds Up a Diverse Group of Superheroes

Marvel ComicsOpens in a new tab has long had a large stable of diverse heroes on its roster. Still, when it comes to the screen, the focus has been on all publishing house’s long list of white dudes. Sure, there have been notable recent exceptions, like Jessica JonesOpens in a new tab, Luke CageOpens in a new tab, and Black PantherOpens in a new tab, but the MCU could still stand to up the ante on representation. But now, the folks at Marvel are looking to give their more diverse heroes a shot at the spotlight with a new animated film coming from Marvel Television in 2018.

Called Marvel Rising: Secret Warriors, this will be a new animation franchise starring diverse heroes–Spider-Gwen, Squirrel Girl, Ms. Marvel, Quake, Inferno, America Chavez, Patriot, Captain Marvel, and newly named Inhuman called Exile. With this team line-up, we get six women, an black hero, an Asian woman, two Latinx characters, a Muslim woman, and an LGBT hero. You can check out a behind-the-scenes making of video down below:

Marvel Rising: Secret Warriors will first launch with six digital shorts starring Spider-Gwen—rather, Ghost-Spider, as she’ll be referred to in this canon. Although no real reason was given for the name change, I suppose the name “Spider-Gwen” is inherently kind of silly. (It’s not like Spider-Man is “Spider-Peter,” right?) The film will arrive after the shorts, sometime later in 2018.

Marvel has hired an impressive voice cast for the series, including Kathreen Khavari, who returns to voice Ms. Marvel/Kamala Khan, after playing the role in the animated series Avengers: Secret WarsOpens in a new tab. Actress Chloe BennettOpens in a new tab of Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.Opens in a new tab will play a younger version of her live-action character Quake, while Milana Vantrub will be voicing Squirrel Girl, along with playing her in the upcoming New WarriorsOpens in a new tab live action series, which is also set to premiere next year.

Dove Cameron is providing the voice of Gwen StacyOpens in a new tab, while Teen Wolf Opens in a new tabstar Tyler PoseyOpens in a new tab will be voicing Inferno, the former protagonist of the Marvel Comics series InhumanCierra Ramirez is Miss America Chavez, Marvel’s first Latino-American LGBT character, while Kamil McFadden stars as former Young Avengers member Patriot. X-Men: Days of Future PastOpens in a new tab star Booboo Stewart will provide the voice for Exile. Rounding out the cast is Kim Raver as Captain MarvelOpens in a new tab/Carol Danvers, Dee Baker as Tippy Toe the Squirrel and Lockjaw the Dog, and another Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. star, Ming-Na WenOpens in a new tab as the villainous Hala.

Will this line-up see life beyond the small screen? Marvel Phase IV anyone? Now wouldn’t that be something?

What do you think of this new team? Be sure to let us know down below in the comments.

Images: Marvel

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