Marvel Studios announced the title of a brand-new series during NYCC last week, but we're still mostly in the dark when it comes to the mysterious Zodiac.
Brad Winderbaum, head of Marvel Television, Animation, and comic books, didn't give us much to go on, but did reveal that the show will start shooting in London this spring. Casting will begin soon, and the series is expected to premiere on Disney+ in 2028.
Winderbaum added: “If you’re a fan of the comics, there’s a lot hidden in that logo. That’s all you’re getting. It’s supposed to be a secret.”
The most obvious clue is part of the Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. insignia visible in the logo, and rumor has it that the show will "continue the story" of some of the characters from the long-cancelled ABC series. Whether Agent Phil Coulson (Clark Gregg), Daisy Johnson (Chloe Benett), or any of the other main players will actually appear remains to be seen, but even if they do, it definitely doesn't sound like they will be the focus.
Knight Edge Media recently reported that Zodiac is being developed as "a dark British spy thriller," and Marvel is currently casting for three main British leads: two male and one female. "These leads are not expected to have comic book counterparts and are totally original."
The prevailing theory is that Zodiac will be the name of a new organization in the MCU that picks up the pieces of S.H.I.E.L.D., and there's been a lot of speculation that the show may introduce a version of MI13, a group that featured the likes of Captain Britain, Blade, and the Black Knight.
The Cosmic Circus' Alex Perez was asked about the possibility of seeing Brian and Betsy Braddock in the series, and responded with the GIF he uses when he's "not allowed to say anything."
This is obviously far from any kind of confirmation, but we have been hearing rumors that Marvel is planning to introduce Captain Britain for a while at this stage, and wouldn't be at all surprised if Zodiac featured the Braddocks as well as other UK-based heroes that have been affiliated with MI13 and Excalibur over the years.
Former Man of Steel Henry Cavill remains a popular fan-pick to play the powerful hero, and revealed that he would be interested in suiting up as Britain in a 2021 interview.
"I’m never going to say a Marvel character that is already being played by someone else because everyone’s doing such an amazing job. However, I have the internet and I have seen the various rumors about Captain Britain and that would be loads of fun to do a cool, modernized version of that - like the way they modernized Captain America. There’s something fun about that, and I do love being British."
Zodiac is the first new Marvel Television project announced since the studio canceled the previously renewed Wonder Man after a single season, and also announced that Daredevil: Born Again will end after its upcoming third season.
Winderbaum addressed the MCU canon status of AOS and Agent Carter last year.
"Well, I'll tell you this, and put it to you like this. It's exciting for me to think about how to square those ABC shows with the canon. That, to me, if you know me and the way my brain works, that is fun territory to imagine."
Daniel Richtman has also shared the following tidbit: "I hear that the Zodiac show will be very much a standalone project. You won't have to watch anything before to understand it and it won't affect anything in the MCU."
Do you have any theories on Zodiac? Let us know in the comments below.