Marvel One-Shots Could Return as Exclusive Online Content

Remember the Marvel One-Shots? They were the series of short films set within the Marvel Cinematic Universe that were included as bonus features on the DVD and Blu-ray releases of Marvel films. Five Marvel One-Shots were produced from 2011-2014 including one that served as the inspiration for ABC’s Agent Carter TV series. Then in May of 2014 Marvel announced that the DVD and Blu-ray release of Captain America: The Winter Soldier wouldn’t include a One-Shot. Then the Guardians of the Galaxy DVD was released without one as well. It seemed as if the Marvel One-Shots might be dead, but like Bucky Barnes, they’re not dead, just in a cryogenic hypersleep waiting to be reborn bigger and better.

Marvel head Kevin Feige explained that the One-Shots disappeared largely because Marvel Studios upped their theatrical release schedule to three films a year starting in 2017, which increased the workload for an already small production team. He added that they have “no active plans for the One-Shots to return” despite a backlog of ideas. Well, it turns out they may have found a way to bring the One-Shots back after all.

Joe and Anthony Russo, directors of Captain America: Civil War and the upcoming Avengers: Infinity War told Forbes they are thinking of ideas and “figuring out” what to do with the One-Shots:

We have gone through a little bit of a transition with that content, We can’t go into too many details about this but we are thinking, very specifically, about to do new ways of what you are talking about with Avengers: Infinity War. We’re just in the beginning phases of figuring them out. Yes, DVDs are gone but there is this wonderful internet platform out there called YouTube.

Interesting. So, what kind of content would you be uploading to this YouTube?

Elaborate versions of trailers for instance, that are shot specifically for online that will never appear in the movie but that may appear as a kind of short film for a movie in the same way that a trailer does.

Huh. So like a trailer for Avengers: Infinity War, but one that’s longer and features exclusive content? Anything else?

We’re also talking to Facebook and Twitter and Instagram about ways to feed ancillary content to them and to viewers because it’ll go viral there and you can reach millions of people. The platform is changing but it is a lot easier to sit on your couch and Apple TV pops up rather than you having to get up and find a DVD, so it is what it is, and there are always new and different ways to reach the audience.

What exactly that ancillary content would be remains to be seen, but Instagram only allows for 15 second videos, so those certainly couldn’t be One-Shots. We’d also be surprised if Marvel spent $10 million on a One-Shot only to post it on Facebook for free, where that content can’t be monetized.

Louis D’Esposito, Marvel’s co-president, said in 2013 that they had plans for One-Shots that included Loki, a young Nick Fury, Black Panther, Ms. Marvel and Black Widow. It will be interesting to see if any of those ideas are still valid and return for whatever Marvel is planning on social media, but it does seem like you haven’t seen the last of the One-Shots just yet.