It goes without saying that there is a lot of anticipation for just about any project to originate within the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Fans love the classic franchise and they have been consuming any and every project from the MCU since the Marvel Studios franchise's beginning all the way back in 2008. That continued even beyond the Infinity Saga-closer Avengers: Endgame and the franchise's expansion onto the Disney Plus streaming service via multiple MCU TV shows.
That being said, in recent years, the franchise hasn't been as consistent when it comes to success stories. That, along with its original plan for miniseries on the small screen over ongoing TV shows, has left the fates of many Disney Plus MCU shows uncertain. And with the studio eventually pivoting after a number of failures, it seemed clear that second seasons went from being not likely to not happening.
Unfortunately, it looks like another Marvel series may have a similar fate, but for potentially different reasons.
Eyes of Wakanda season 2 now unlikely after studio files for bankruptcy
Axis Studios, the Scotland-based studio that brought us Eyes of Wakanda, has filed for bankruptcy. According to Forbes, the company struggled to overcome the "one-two punch" of the pandemic and the strikes in Hollywood, along with the constant battle against inflation. The report also points out that even a deal with the almighty Marvel Studios for the animated series couldn't save them from this sad fate, unfortunately.
Eyes of Wakanda is an animated series based on the Black Panther movies. Produced by the director of those films, Ryan Coogler, it made history as the first series in the MCU canon, taking place centuries before the 1940s-set Captain America: The First Avenger. The four-episode series focuses on Wakandan warriors throughout time as they travel the world to find valuable artefacts.
The show premiered on Disney Plus in August to positive reviews and itself a high-placement on the Disney Plus charts. Its strong reception had fans hopeful that a second season might come to fruition at some point, especially as showrunner Todd Harris revealed that there were more stories which could potentially be told in the future, telling SFX Magazine that they "definitely have more in the tank".
That's not to say that the show was guaranteed a second season before now. Although it did generate some buzz in its opening week, it didn't last in the same way that the buzz for fellow Marvel Animation series Marvel Zombies has. That show dominated the Disney Plus charts in the week after its release and generated a lot of discussion about a second season within hours of its premiere - leading fans to believe that a second season is possible for that one. But things had been pretty quiet on the Eyes of Wakanda front.
As Marvel continues to adapt its release format, its television arm is now focusing on ongoing TV shows. With that, Daredevil: Born Again just made history as the first live-action MCU series to be renewed for a third season, while second and third seasons are in the works for both animated offerings Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man and X-Men '97. The hope is that Marvel Zombies and Eyes of Wakanda could join them in making the jump from miniseries to ongoing series, but it's not looking likely for the latter at least.
Marvel's lack of clarity when it comes to the future of its original wave of shows has made it difficult to determine if any of them could ever return for a future season. While most were designed as miniseries, the likes of She-Hulk: Attorney At Law, Ms. Marvel, and Moon Knight could have worked as shows. Hawkeye will reportedly return in the future, but its not on the horizon for now. But, for now, Marvel Zombies and Eyes of Wakanda await their fates. Unfortunately, it's looking like Zombies has a much, much better chance at renewal right now.
It's certainly the end of an era for Axis Studios and we wish everyone the best there. They can be proud of their incredible body of work over the years, and that Eyes of Wakanda was a stunning final project.
Eyes of Wakanda is streaming on Disney Plus.