Marvel animation had a big week with the announcement of numerous animated shows coming to Disney+ over the next couple of years. We've got Spider-Man: Freshman Year, Marvel Zombies, and new episodes for X-Men '97 in addition to a second season of What If...?.
In light of all the new announcements, Brad Graeber, the CEO and CCO at Powerhouse Animation Studio, the company behind the hit Castlevania series on Netflix along with many other animated shows, shared a fascinating story about a project that his studio had pitched to Marvel. It was called Marvel Era.
As the name alludes, Marvel Era would exist as an anthology series designed to celebrate the rich history of Marvel as the company approached its 75th anniversary. The idea was to have each short story episode take place in a different decade of Marvel history, and each episode's art and animation would be inspired by that era.
Graeber shared a concept video that his studio presented and although this was during Powerhouse's earlier days when they didn't have a lot of time or money for spec projects, it's still incredibly good looking. And it definitely gives off What If...? vibes.
Graeber revealed that he had wrote about 14 rough concepts for the series, including a "40’s Captain America d-day story in the style of Fleischer studios, a Submariner U-boat story, a 60’s X-men story that featured a mutant who led a cult with his powers."
"There was also a very cinema 70's Luke Cage and Iron Fist, an 80's Punisher story that leaned into SCARFACE and MIAMI VICE, and a DEADPOOL story made based on cheesy 90s cartoons," he continued.
Unfortunately, Marvel Era never happened. "Wasn't meant to be and was probably for the best," Graeber concluded. "Studio politics were complicated and we were green. We ended up doing CASTLEVANIA eventually instead."
Of course, anyone who has seen Castlevania on Netflix now recognizes the incredible talent at Powerhouse Animation Studios. We can assume Marvel Era would've been an amazing series as well.