Are ‘Ghost Rider’ and ‘Helstrom’ Leading to a “VengeanceVerse” on Hulu?

Marvel Television made a surprise announcement earlier this morning that they’d be introducing both a Ghost Rider and Helstrom series for Hulu at some point in 2020. It’s a rebound move for Marvel Television, who’s still reeling from losing nearly half a dozen shows on Netflix; that leaves us begging to ask — is Hulu about to have their own version of Netflix’s “Defendersverse?”

The whole idea of interconnectivity is what made the world of comic books so popular in the first place, right? You could be reading an X-Men comic and see Captain America randomly pop up to help out and if you liked it enough, you could turn around to the drugstore and by a different comic focusing on Captain America. Because of that, it’s only fitting fans have been conditioned to expect a certain amount of those crossovers in other forms of entertainment.

Enter the Marvel Cinematic Universe. To date, over 22 movies and dozens of television shows have resided in the same shared continuity, or so we’ve been told. While some TV shows have been direct connections to the movies — Agent Carter and Agents of SHIELD are movie spin-offs — the shows have pretty much had free reign to do as they please, without referencing the events of the movies all too much.

What they built on Netflix with Daredevil, Jessica Jones, Luke Cage, Iron Fist, and The Punisher was almost akin to The CW’s Arrowverse. While less crossover-heavy, it was pretty evident that the group of shows was set in its own corner of the overall universe. But with those Defenders shows canceled, now what?

Marvel Television has a great opportunity to build something (a VengeanceVerse, perhaps) with the new Ghost Rider and Helstrom shows on Hulu. Like Netflix, Hulu has the opportunity to have shows geared towards adult audiences, allowing Marvel to get into the deeper, darker storylines than what we’d ever see in a movie or on network television. With a blooming relationship with Hulu, that could allow for some other fan-favorite characters with a darker past to eventually join the fray. Think characters like Moon Knight, Blade, or Elsa Bloodstone. While they’d each have their own series, they could eventually team up in a Spirits of Vengeance limited series or annual crossover episode.

Both Ghost Rider and Helstrom are currently set for a 2020 release.

What other shows do you think could enter a potential VengeanceVerse for Marvel? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below or by hitting me up on Twitter at @AdamBarnhardt!

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