July 24, 2012

Marvel heroes get new-era mission — visiting a Disney cartoon

The gang from “Phineas and Ferb” meets the Avengers and Spider-Man on “Phineas and Ferb: Mission Marvel.” (Disney XD)

Spider-Man has teamed up with John Belushi and Stephen Colbert. Last year, Batman crossed paths with “Weird Al” Yankovic and Scooby-Doo. Superman once traded punches with Muhammad Ali while Eminem did a lock-and-load tale with the Punisher.

Now another nutty collaboration is in the works: Spider-Man and the Avengers will join forces with Phineas and Ferb — yes it’s the first animated special to take Marvel Universe characters and mash them up with other Disney properties. Get used to it: Disney didn’t spend $9 billion on Marvel to leave the powerful brands alone on their own corporate island.

HULK AT 50: A LOOK BACK

Announced at Comic-Con, “Phineas and Ferb: Mission Marvel” will have Spider-Man, Iron Man, Thor and Hulk drop into Danville but they’re not happy to be there — a scheme by Dr. Doofenshmirtz has robbed the mighty quartet of their powers. The marooned heroes will have a fight on their hands with four super villains — the Red Skull, Whiplash, Venom and M.O.D.O.K. — who are working together with Dr. Doofenshmirtz.

“Phineas and Ferb” creators Dan Povenmire and Jeff “Swampy” Marsh are designing Marvel’s heroes and villains to fit their new world, and the photo above is one of the first images to come out. The special isn’t slated for release until the summer of 2013 but sometimes you see a photo and you just have to share it. Some Marvel fans might howl, but Spidey used to be on “The Electric Company” all the time and, really, after Thanos showed up on “Super-Hero Squad,” we’re ready for anything.

The choice of Marvel characters is interesting. Disney never does anything by accident so why pick these eight? Thor, Spidey and Iron Man will all be back in theaters in 2013 and 2014 and Hulk is still being weighed as a live-action television series. On the other side, Whiplash, Venom and Red Skull have all been featured in films, too. Hmmm. Maybe M.O.D.O.K. is on deck for “Captain America: The Winter Soldier”? If so, we know the perfect guy for the part….

– Jevon Phillips and Geoff Boucher

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