Brad Winderbaumis on a very special shortlist, singularly titled: “Marvel Studios Parliament.” This means he’s in a very tight-knit group of long-time Marvel executives directly underKevin Feige, who offer notes and elevate one another’s projects. Winderbaum, in his unique position, is head of streaming, television, and animation. Needless to say, Winderbaum has his fingers in every Marvel pie imaginable, making him one of the most fascinating people to interview. In particular, one of those pies is audience-favoriteDaredevil: Born Again, set to make its debut on Disney+ and kicking off an exciting queue of Marvel projects rushing down the pipeline.
Set a few years after the action-packed events of the originalDaredevilseries, Matt Murdock (Charlie Cox) has found a solid rhythm in his life, balancing his work and personal life, friendships and relationships, and putting down the red-horned suit for good. At the same time, Wilson Fisk (Vincent D’Onofrio) is out in public, shaking hands as he runs for mayor of New York City. As both men pursue a fresh start, they soon fall back into their distressing, violent pasts of crime. The series co-starsMargarita Levieva(The Acolyte),Elden Hensonas Foggy Nelson,Deborah Ann Woll’s electrifying reprise of Karen Page, andJon Bernthal’s return as The Punisher, Frank Castle.
For this interview, Winderbaum chats with Collider’sSteve WeintraubaboutDaredevil: Born Againand Marvel’s upcoming television slate. He shares updates onWonder Man,Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man,X-Men ‘97, and tells us when fans will finally get to seethe much-anticipatedIronheart.
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COLLIDER: Listen, man, I’ve got a lot of questions for you, but before we get into it, I’m just going to say the first two episodes ofDaredevilare frickin' awesome.
BRAD WINDERBAUM: Steve, you have no idea what that means to me.
That first episode is… Holy shit.
WINDERBAUM: Thanks. It’s led to a lot of sleepless nights, I’ll tell you that.
You don’t have to worry. Fans are going to very much embrace these first two episodes. If the rest of the season is like these first two, you’re all set. You really are.
WINDERBAUM: I can’t wait for you to watch the rest.
I have a lot of different questions for you, so let’s just jump in. For everyone watching,Daredevilis incredible. Absolutely watch it. Will I ever seeIronheart?
WINDERBAUM: Yes. You’ll see it later this year.
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How many episodes isWonder Man, and what is the tone of the series? Is it similar to something that Marvel has done before, or something completely unique?
WINDERBAUM:Wonder Manis eight episodes.It’s a very new flavor for Marvel. It’s straight from the minds of Destin Daniel Cretton and Andrew Guest. Honestly, it is one of my favorite things ever. I think it’s the best show no one’s ever seen, and I’m very excited to see the audience reaction to it. I think it’s a love letter to what we do as filmmakers. It’s a love letter to acting as a profession, and it’s a very sincere, beautiful show.
Are the episodes 30 minutes or an hour?
WINDERBAUM: There’s a little bit of some streaming leeway in the episode runtimes, so I think our shortest episode is 20-something, and our longest is, like, 40-something.
When Can Fans Expect More of ‘Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man’?
“We will have to wait a little bit more than a year.”
Marvel Animation right now is having a renaissance.You’re Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Manis fantastic. Do you think, in an ideal world, every season could be like one a year? Or do you think it’s more like every 18 months to get a season out?
WINDERBAUM: We will have aSpider-Manseason every year if I have anything to say about it. What usually happens, as you know, in animation is that there’s a bigger gap between Season 1 and Season 2 than in subsequent seasons, and that’ll be similar inFriendly. We will have to wait a little bit more than a year for Season 2, but then after that, it should come out on an annual cadence, hopefully.
Do you think that Season 2 will be later this year, or is it definitely 2026?
WINDERBAUM: Season 2 is in ‘26, I think.
‘X-Men ’97’ Season 2 Is in the Works Now
This and ‘Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man’ are Marvel Animations’ top priorities.
What’s the story withX-Men ‘97Season 2? Will it be later this year, or is it definitely 2026?
WINDERBAUM: Season 2 ofX-Men ‘97is going to be in ‘26. We’re working on it now. It’s exciting. That world of the ‘90s is just… Honestly, Steve, I can’t believe they let me make it. I grew up at Marvel, as you know. I’ve clocked a lot of time here, and I feel like I used a lot of currency to revive this thing that I loved watching after school. So, the fact that we get to play in that universe with those actors is honestly why I went into this business in the first place.
I want to actually follow up on that. You took a risk making that because you really don’t know what’s going to happen, then all the critics and all the fans are like, “This is awesome.” How much does that sort of level you up when you say, “With other animation, let’s do this,” and now people are like, “Oh, let’s do that?”
WINDERBAUM: I think, certainly, the viewership has opened up some opportunities on the development side for us on animation. To me, it’s important to try to get to an annual cadence with these shows and to have something that people can rely on. This has been a challenge for streaming in general, but I really want to create television shows that feel like shows. So, part of that is creating a seasonal cadence that people can rely on. So,we do have other things we’re working on, butX-Men ‘97andYour Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Manare the top prioritiesin trying to get to a place where we can reliably have very strong seasons every year.
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Is there another show that you’re working on for animation or a movie, even an animated movie, that’s close to being announced, or is it all in the preliminary?
WINDERBAUM: It’s all in the preliminary. As you know, we’re developing more than we make, so I don’t want to announce anything before it’s ready. But there’s hopefully some exciting stuff on the horizon.
“I would work with them forever if I could.”
Jumping intoDaredevil, how much are Justin [Benson] and Aaron [Moorhead] directing in Season 2?
WINDERBAUM: They’re directing a block of episodes, just like they did in Season 1. They are fundamental in establishing the tone ofBorn Again.Those guys are tonal masters. The way they tell a story, they know how to pull the levers of drama and tension especially, like no one else. Hopefully you remember, inLokiSeason 2, I always talk about this shot on their way to the cosmic loom, and it’s a shot of a door, and it just sustains and just builds this enormous amount of tension. That is something that I think is emblematic of the way they work and how they direct. Certainly, they move around the audiences’ eye and attention on-screen in a phenomenal way.
Loki Season 2, I loved it. Their work on that season is incredible. I’m a huge fan, and I think Marvel’s lucky to have those guys.
WINDERBAUM: They’re amazing. I would work with them forever if I could.
Daredevil: Born AgainSeason 1, Episodes 1 and 2premiere on Disney+ on March 4, with subsequent episodes dropping every Tuesday.
Daredevil: Born Again
Matt Murdock finds himself on a collision course with Wilson Fisk when their past identities begin to emerge.
