ABC Lines Up Next Marvel Adaptation, In Talks For “Mostly Brand New” Female Superhero

ABC is in “active talks” about bringing another Marvel female superhero to the network.

The broadcaster is working with its Disney sibling on another comic book adaption. This comes as Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. is set to finish after its upcoming seventh season.

The hope is seemingly to ensure that there is at least one Marvel property is on air on the broadcast network at any given time. However, it’s not clear whether the adaptation is being lined up for the broadcaster’s traditional development season or will be developed off-cycle.

ABC Entertainment president Karey Burke told Deadline, “I have spoken to Marvel and we are in active talks about one project in particular.” While she wouldn’t give away any details, she said the character would be “something brand new, mostly” and that the series would fit in with its strategy of female-focused superheroes.

This project is separate to the show ABC developed last year with Wonder Women writer Allan Heinberg. Last September, the network gave a production commitment to an untitled hourlong drama from Heinberg, Marvel Television and ABC Studios. Written by Heinberg, it was about female characters with superpowers. But in classic Marvel tradition, few details were offered.

While the Marvel catalog has been well mined for TV and feature films, there are still a relatively large number of female characters that haven’t been on screen, or have only turned up briefly in limited roles. She-Hulk, who is Dr Bruce Banner’s cousin, and Native American mutant Danielle Moonstar are two such examples, while the likes of Misty Knight, the police officer with the bionic arm, appeared briefly in Netflix’s Luke Cage.