Cast your minds back to the far distant time of February 2019, when the Marvel MCU Machine had just concluded its massively successful 3rd phase with Avengers: Endgame a year prior. The Disney model for the Marvel properties was poised to continue by branching out into brand-new mediums apart from a cinematic universe. Executives at the streaming service Hulu were prepared to strengthen their partnership with Disney by launching four new adult comedy animated series based on Marvel properties: Howard the Duck, MODOK, Hit-Monkey, and Tigra & Dazzler. All four of these series would then spin off into a fifth program (or perhaps a movie; we’re not entirely sure) called The Offenders.
As of the time of writing, only two of those shows have ever seen the light of day. Marvel’s M.O.D.O.K. debuted on Hulu in 2021 to quite a significant media push, with Patton Oswalt playing the titular lead and Stoopid Buddy Stoodios (formerly known as Stupid Monkey), renowned for their work on the stop-motion Adult Swim hit Robot Chicken. However, despite the media hype and critical acclaim, M.O.D.O.K. stands as a fairly average venture for most fans, garnering an overall favorability rating of 3.7 out of 5 and a modest 68% Fan Rating on Rotten Tomatoes.
Hit-Monkey, starring Jason Sudeikis and Olivia Munn, on the other hand, was a quieter release but was much better received by fans in every metric, achieving an 89% Rotten Tomato score. Despite its more low-key release, the more esoteric simian assassin garnered more interest from fans in the adult-themed comedy releases from Hulu. But what if I told you none of that really mattered?
Offenders: Dead on Arrival
By the time both M.O.D.O.K. and Hit-Monkey aired, the aforementioned other two shows, “Tigra & Dazzler” and “Howard the Duck,” were already dead. Despite being the two shows meant to spearhead The Offenders crossover event, production issues were apparent from the start. For Howard the Duck, there was little to no news about its progress. Kevin Smith (Masters of the Universe: Revelation) and Dave Willis (Archer) were slated to write, but other than that, it quietly faded away as Kevin Feige took over all of Marvel’s slates, and Jeph Loeb was phased out of the animation wing. The story for Tigra & Dazzler, however, was just the opposite.
Barely a year after the announcement of the four shows, the Tigra & Dazzler series was put on hold. The news was sudden and to the point: the showrunner, Erica Rivinoja, and many writers exited the project, citing creative differences. In December, the writing team was dismissed from the show after finalizing several scripts and drafting outlines for others. They had reached the 15th week of a scheduled 20-week production phase. Sources say that efforts were underway to find a new showrunner as part of a broader creative restructuring. But as of the staff dismissal, ALL of their previous work was to be scrapped, and the show would start fresh. Jeph Loeb and comedian Chelsea Handler were still attached as producers at the time.
Two months later, the show was dead.
Marvel had moved on from the crossover project idea, and M.O.D.O.K. was canceled halfway into 2022. The only show that is still alive as of today is Hit-Monkey, to which Floyd County Productions and Marvel announced a 2nd season arriving this year in 2024. But there is little word on whether we will ever get to see what the Tigra & Dazzler series would be like with all the fallout. At least, that’s what we thought.
Adam Faye Concept Art
In February of 2024 when Disney Animation News Tumblr stumbled across these concept shots from Adam Faye’s portfolio site
This is the only existing conceptual work form the show’s production and it certainly paints a specific picture of the show’s over all look and feel. With a Disco Dazzler design and more modern look for Tigra it appears to dip into a mix of decades. Seems like they were going for a retro feel with a modern setting. Dark black lining and vibrant color choices are dimmed by a comic book halftone overlay. There’s no telling how much of this would have translated to the final product but this is definitely the best representation we could have of the show’s visual style.
Because all the early scripts were scrapped the only thing we have to the show’s tone is the small descriptor presented when the shows were announced for Hulu’s comedy slate:
Marvel’s Tigra & Dazzler Show is a story about two woke superheroes and best friends, Tigra and Dazzler, as they fight for recognition among powered people who make up the eight million stories in Los Angeles. Writers Erica Rivinoja and Chelsea Handler serve as executive producers along with Jeph Loeb
Well. Given that quote maybe it’s best this never did see the light of day…
- Interested in other “What Could Have Been” animated series? Check out this classic write-up for Nickelodeon’s never developed show Constant Payne
- You can also listen to this episode of the Animation Destination Podcast where we talk about properties that SHOULD be adapted into animated series: EPISODE 69 – ANIMATION ADAPTATION