An actor behind cancelled Marvel TV show New Warriors has revealed a treasure trove of behind-the-scenes images from the MCU project, as well a heartfelt tribute to the series-that-never-was.
Derek Theler, who was set to play Mr. Immortal in the New Warriors pilot, took to Instagram to explain more about the show, which featured the unlikely C-list team of Squirrel Girl, Night Thrasher, Speedball, Microbe, and Debrii protecting Cleveland, Ohio, of all places.
"The concept was hilarious," Theler wrote. "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."
Despite filming a pilot that, according to Theler, was well-received, the show eventually fell by the wayside.
Theler wrote, "Eventually, the show disappeared into Hollywood limbo. No dramatic cancellation. No real explanation. We just never came back."
While it joins the long list of other scrapped superhero projects, from Marvel or otherwise, Theler has at least shared clips and photos from production, including Milana Vayntrub's Squirrel Girl in costume – which you can see below.
"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," Theler said. "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."
Theler even shared his own personal thoughts on the project's termination. He wrote, "Every once in a while, I wonder what could have been. Would people have loved it? Would we have gotten multiple seasons?"
New Warriors, though, has shown no signs of life since. Squirrel Girl's actor Milana Vayntrub went on to voice the character in Marvel Rivals, however.
Marvel Studios has pared back on its television output, too, with Daredevil: Born Again season 3 and VisionQuest among its very few MCU projects on Disney Plus in the next 12 months.
For more, check out our guide to upcoming Marvel movies.
