The New Warriors received a 10-episode order from Freeform in 2017, with Kevin Biegel (Cougar Town) set to serve as showrunner. A pilot was shot, and, like the comics, the series was set to revolve around six superpowered young people with offbeat powers who wanted to make a positive impact in the world, even if they weren't quite ready to be heroes.
The cast was led by Milana Vayntrub as Squirrel Girl, Derek Theler as Mr. Immortal, Jeremy Tardy as Night Thrasher, Calum Worthy as Speedball, Matthew Moy as Microbe, and Kate Comer as Debrii.
Marvel Television (the studio behind shows like Daredevil, Runaways, and Cloak & Dagger) had ambitious plans for The New Warriors.
Eventual spin-offs for each character were discussed, but when it came time to launch the main series, Freeform no longer had room in its schedule. The other Disney-owned networks passed on the superhero series, and by 2019, the show was officially dead.
Now, Theler has taken to Instagram to offer fans a glimpse at what might have been. Sharing a new look at Squirrel Girl, Night Thrasher, an on-set reference to Captain America, and even a snippet of footage, the actor also reflected on what might have been for The New Warriors.
"At the height of Marvel’s epic Infinity Saga run, we shot a comedy about a shitty superhero team tasked with protecting Cleveland, Ohio: The New Warriors," he recalled. "The team: Squirrel Girl, Night Thrasher, Speedball, Microbe, Debrii, and my character, Mr. Immortal."
"The concept was hilarious—a group of young adults with superpowers trying to figure out how to actually become superheroes, all while being followed by a documentary camera crew. Basically, Marvel meets The Office," Theler said, "And it was AMAZING. The writers were hilarious, the crew was incredible, and the cast had instant chemistry."
"We shot the pilot, got picked up for the season, and genuinely thought we had something special. Then... we waited. And waited. Eventually, the show disappeared into Hollywood limbo. No dramatic cancellation. No real explanation. We just never came back," the actor explained. "That’s Hollywood sometimes. You can make something great, have all the momentum in the world—and somehow it still gets pushed aside."
Theler, clearly comfortable now with sharing content from the show, revealed, "We were FORBIDDEN from taking photos or videos on set... but there was no chance I was letting my introduction to the MCU go completely undocumented. So I secretly captured some BTS footage. As far as I know, it’s the only footage from our shoot outside whatever Marvel has locked away in a vault."
There's been nothing to indicate that Marvel Studios has any intention of revisiting The New Warriors, which is a shame when a teenage team of superheroes being followed by a camera crew is a concept with heaps of potential.
In the comics, their antics eventually backfired when a confrontation with a group of minor league villains led to Nitro exploding and killing over 600 people in Stamford, Connecticut. That led to the Superhuman Registration Act and a Civil War between the Marvel Universe's heroes.
Check out this first look at this unmade TV series for The New Warriors below.