Regardless of the mixed reception Marvel's 'Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.' has come to endure, there remains the exciting prospect of Marvel's TV future, especially with possibly four new series on the way. Getting 'Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.' off the ground was no easy feat, however, as Marvel TV boss Jeph Loeb recently opened up about Guillermo del Toro's failed 'Hulk' series, and the big names in the running for future Marvel TV.

Speaking to Aint It Cool, Loeb understandably defended the reputation of Marvel's 'Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.' as exactly the territory they promised to explore, while the cast continually settles into their roles, and this week's "F.Z.Z.T." take the series in a darker direction that helps cement its mythology going forward.

Interesting to note however, is that Loeb had discussed a S.H.I.E.L.D. TV series with Joss Whedon as a better creative fit for ABC and the franchise than the proposed Jessica Jones TV series, which might have fit the network's female demographic, but ultimately didn't match Marvel's vision of the future. Loeb had the same interest in exploring Guillermo del Toro's proposed 'Hulk' TV series, though Joss Whedon and Mark Ruffalo's 'Avengers' take on the character ended up as the better fit:

We don’t talk a lot about our development, but it was very public and the first one out of the block and it had a great deal to with that we are on ABC in the States which is very well known for having a large, female demographic. The best of those in the Marvel Universe was Jessica Jones, but it didn’t quite fit with the ABC model. But, we still believe in that show in a major way.

Then, Guillermo del Toro came in and talked to us about doing a Hulk show and when Guillermo del Toro comes and wants to do a show about your pinkie, you are going to want to do it. But it was just a case that once we saw what Joss Whedon and Mark Ruffalo were creating in ‘The Avengers,' that was a better solution.

'Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.''s current reception notwithstanding, Loeb maintains high hopes for the future of Marvel's live-action TV series, likening their gradual expansion to the manner in which the cinematic universe first expanded with an 'Iron Man' sequel, increasing its breadth exponentially until 'The Avengers.' The same will likely hold true for TV, making sure the right names end up matched with the right properties when the time comes:

We took our cue from the movie studio. They started out very simply in that they made ‘Iron Man’ and then they made ‘Iron Man 2’. Then, in one year, they doubled the production and made ‘Thor’ and ‘Captain America’, which led to ‘The Avengers’. That’s a very smart way of telling your audience that you care deeply about what it is you are making. For us in television, it always comes down to finding the right show runner.

If you look in genre television at the best of those shows, Ron Moore on 'Battlestar Galactica,' Damon Lindelof on 'LOST' and then Joss on 'Buffy,' 'Angel,' 'Firefly' and 'Dollhouse,' there is a single mind or a single vision that is going along with it, that’s our goal. I do believe that we have that with Joss, Jed, Jeffrey and Marissa, all of whom are either related to or have known Joss for many years. The answer is always going to be that when the right person is matched with the right property that is when we will make the next exciting announcement from Marvel Television.

You can read the full scope of the interview for yourself at the link above, but in the meantime, what say you? Are you disappointed that Jessica Jones and the Hulk didn't fit Joss Whedon and ABC's visions of the franchise future? Who would you like to see take on the next Marvel TV series when 'Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.' is ready for a bit of live-action company?

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