Disney+ Drops Trailer for “Marvel’s 616” Anthology Docuseries

Even though the Marvel Cinematic Universe is the biggest movie franchise on the planet, the comics themselves have experienced a resurgence, thanks to a revival of old characters with new identities, and more diversity on the pages and behind-the-scenes.

Marvel's 616 is a new documentary series that aims to tell the stories behind the stories, with each episode tackling a different artist or fan that brought different aspects of Marvel Comics to life, including toy manufacturers, writers, and even theatre students. Each episode is directed by a different filmmaker, including actor Paul Scheer, who hosts a pair of great film podcasts, How Did This Get Made? and Unspooled, and wrote the recent series Cosmic Ghost Rider. Two alumnae from one of my favorite shows (Community) also contribute as Gillian Jacobs and Alison Brie each direct an episode. For Jacobs, it is her first episodic directing credit while Brie has directed an episode of her Netflix comedy GLOW.

All episodes of Marvel's 616 will stream exclusively on Disney+ on Friday, November 20.

About Kip Mooney

Like many film critics born during and after the 1980s, my hero is Roger Ebert. The man was already the best critic in the nation when he won the Pulitzer in 1975, but his indomitable spirit during and after his recent battle with cancer keeps me coming back to read not only his reviews but his insightful commentary on the everyday. But enough about a guy you know a lot about. I knew I was going to be a film critic—some would say a snob—in middle school, when I had to voraciously defend my position that The Royal Tenenbaums was only a million times better than Adam Sandler’s remake of Mr. Deeds. From then on, I would seek out Wes Anderson’s films and avoid Sandler’s like the plague. Still, I like to think of myself as a populist, and I’ll be just as likely to see the next superhero movie as the next Sundance sensation. The thing I most deplore in a movie is laziness. I’d much rather see movies with big ambitions try and fail than movies with no ambitions succeed at simply existing. I’m also a big advocate of fun-bad movies like The Room and most of Nicolas Cage’s work. In the past, I’ve written for The Dallas Morning News and the North Texas Daily, which I edited for a semester. I also contributed to Dallas-based Pegasus News, which in the circle of life, is now part of The Dallas Morning News, where I got my big break in 2007. Eventually, I’d love to write and talk about film full-time, but until that’s a viable career option, I work as an auditor for Wells Fargo. I hope to one day meet my hero, go to the Toronto International Film Festival, and compete on Jeopardy. Until then, I’m excited to share my love of film with you.