One of the reasons I love Marvel so much is the outreach they do to try and expand the comic book readership. They’ve reached out to women and readers in other countries by introducing new female characters and heroes from different cultures. I hasn’t always worked, but in the times that it has, like with Ms. Marvel, the diversity is a benefit to the entire industry. And I see them taking that same approach with their upcoming animated initiative, Marvel Rising, which will lead to a feature film titled Marvel Rising: Secret Warriors.
Launching in 2018, it will begin as a series of animated short films featuring lesser known Marvel characters. That will lead to an eventual feature film titled Marvel Rising: Secret Warriors. The shorts will all be centered on Gwen Stacy aka Spider-Gwen, going by the new name of Ghost Spider. She’ll be joined by other characters like the popular Kamala Khan aka Ms. Marvel, Squirrel Girl, Quake, and more. And in many cases they’ll be voiced by their live-action counterparts. For instance, Quake will be voiced by Agents of SHIELD‘s Chloe Bennett. Squirrel Girl gets New Warriors star Milana Vayntrub.
And no, it isn’t part of the MCU, even though you have Bennett voicing Quake this is a much younger version of the SHIELD agent and powerful Inhuman.
Check out this introductory teaser followed by a breakdown of the heroes you can expect to see:
•Gwen Stacy aka Ghost-Spider (formerly Spider Gwen) voiced by Dove Cameron – a free spirited teen who found her calling to be a super hero after being bitten by a radioactive spider and gaining spider-like powers. As Ghost-Spider, she aids those in need, but has to keep her alter-ego a secret from her father, Captain George Stacy, who sees Ghost-Spider as more of a menace than a hero.
•Daisy Johnson aka Quake voiced by Chloe Bennet – a leading agent of S.H.I.E.L.D. whose tendency for rule-breaking gets her into trouble now and then. Daisy befriends the young group of heroes and through them discovers how to become a better leader. She can generate powerful vibrational waves, which produce effects similar to earthquakes.
•Dante Pertuz aka Inferno voiced by Tyler Posey – a brooding, dark loner on the run. Dante has the power of pyrokinesis, which makes him capable of generating flames – however, he is not fully in control of his fiery abilities. It’s a thin line between good guy and villain for the unpredictable Inferno.
•Victor Kohl aka Exile voiced by BooBoo Stewart – a charming, handsome, and troublesome young Inhuman whose quest for superiority places him into the wrong crowd. He can use Darkforce energy to create weapons and portals that allow him to teleport.
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Image via Marvel
•Kamala Khan aka Ms. Marvel voiced by Kathreen Khavari – a devoted fan of Super Heroes, especially of her mentor Captain Marvel; she is determined that she too can be a great hero! If only she’d be taken seriously. Kamala is equipped with metamorphic powers that allow her to stretch, enlarge, or shrink her overall size, parts of her body, or alter her physical appearance. She is especially fond of “embiggening” her fists.
•Doreen Green aka Squirrel Girl voiced by Milana Vayntrub – the uber-positive, hilarious best friend and teammate of Ms. Marvel. With advanced computer skills, enhanced strength, agility, durability, and senses of a squirrel, Doreen (along with her squirrel partner, Tippy Toe!), is primed and ready to become a successful hero.
•America Chavez voiced by Cierra Ramirez – a strong, independent young hero whose painful past drives her to reject leadership and remain a loner. America’s powers include superhuman strength, speed, and durability, plus the ability to fly.
•Rayshaun Lucas aka Patriot voiced by Kamil McFadden – a natural born leader who is quick to leap into action to impress his colleagues at S.H.I.E.L.D. Rayshaun strives to live up to Captain America’s legacy with integrity, honesty, and order above all. His skills include heightened strength, speed, stamina, and durability.
•Gloria “Glory” Grant voiced by Skai JacksFron – Gloria, or ‘Glory,’ is Gwen Stacy’s friend and member of their garage band “The Emm-Jays.” Gloria is a smart, hard-working girl that genuinely cares for Gwen, but has felt a distance growing between them ever since their friend, Kevin, was murdered. When being casual, Gloria’s known to be funny, sarcastic and sassy.
•Carol Danvers aka Captain Marvel voiced by Kim Raver – a bold leader who doesn’t sugar-coat and is guided by a strong sense of duty and honor. She’s the ultimate inspiration for our band of misfit heroes. She is equipped with superhuman strength, can fly at high speeds, and can project intense energy blasts.
•Hala voiced by Ming-Na Wen – Hala is a Kree Accuser bent on galactic domination. She’ll go to any length or treacherous means to achieve what she, and the entire Kree race, wants: Power. Hala is cold, cryptic and nefarious, often challenging those who try to oppose her.
•Captain George Stacy voiced by Steven Weber – Chief of the NYPD and Gwen Stacy’s loving, but fiercely protective father. Captain Stacy is a very disciplined, hard-working man that will stop at nothing to obtain justice – who unfortunately sees Ghost-Spider as a menace and a threat to society.
•Lockjaw and Tippy Toe are voiced by Dee Bradley Baker. Two lovable and heroic sidekicks: Lockjaw is Kamala’s trusty, teleporting mutt and Tippy Toe is Doreen’s partner in crime and best squirrel friend.
