Marvel Studios has seemingly revived its Legends series after fans had long thought it had been cancelled. From 2021 to 2023, Marvel Studios debuted two seasons of its Legends documentary specials, each focusing on a different MCU hero attached to a particular Phase 4 and 5 and their history in the super-powered franchise. After 46 episodes, Marvel Studios quietly abandoned the format, with the last one coming in December 2023 in conjunction with the release of What If...? Season 2.
To the surprise of many, a new Marvel Studios: Legends episode was released more than 17 months after the last entry. The show has long been assumed to be cancelled by the MCU brain trust; however, that no longer seems to be the case (at least for now). The new Legends episode debuted on Marvel Entertainment's official YouTube channel on Friday, June 13. It focuses on Dominique Thorne's Riri Williams and her armor-clad alter ego, Ironheart.
The release of the new Legends special would make sense, considering Thorne's MCU character is about to take center stage in the upcoming Ironheart series. However, the format has not been seen or heard from for nearly two years, making this particular release all the more confusing.
As of writing, the Riri Williams Legends episode only seems to be available on YouTube, with no news of a Disney+ release planned. It is worth noting that the Legends series started as a Disney+ product before also coming to YouTube with the debut of Season 2 in 2023.
This particular episode, though, looks to be a YouTube exclusive, adding to the confounding nature of this surprise release.
Aside from that, the format of the new Legends episode is essentially the same. It is remarkably shorter than every other episode in the series (coming in at just under four minutes). The shortest episode of the show thus far was Mantis', which was about five minutes long.
Watch the Riri Williams Marvel Studios: Legends episode below:
Ironheart comes to Disney+ on Tuesday, June 24, debuting in two three-episode batches, one week apart. As explored in her Marvel Studios: Legends special, Dominique Thorne's titular hero is a 20-something supergenius living in Chicago who takes on the life of a superhero after building an Iron Man-like suit of armor.
Is Marvel Studios Legends Back?
While never officially cancelled by Marvel Studios, Marvel Studios: Legends was assumed dead and gone. After the show's second season in 2023, it had not been mentioned in any meaningful way, with several big-name MCU projects coming and going without its characters getting the Legends treatment.
That is why its sudden return is confounding. Of course, Marvel wants to get people pumped up for the Ironheart series.
Legends seems like a good way to build anticipation for a show like Ironheart by catching fans up on the Riri Williams story to this point. However, it is bizarre to do it in a format that seemed gone without making any big deal about its return.
Does this mean the series is back? Can we expect more of these in the future? Are these specials going to be a YouTube-only thing from now on? These are all questions that fans have, especially as the franchise rounds out the Multiverse Saga.
If it is back for good, plenty of potential characters like Daredevil, Val, and Yelena Belova are itching to be covered under the Legends banner. So, why not do so now?
