AirPods, assembled!How Podcasts Are Rocking Superhero Classics | Podcasts

S.Superheroes are everywhere, so it’s no surprise that the growing popularity of podcasts and how this has driven interest in audio drama has caught the attention of a longtime rival. marvel (home of the Avengers, Spider-Man, X-Men) and DC (managers of Batman, Superman, etc.). But without the visuals that fans take for granted, how does he create a superhero story for him without action—what about fight scenes and frantic chases?

Use heart theater. Imagine stories anywhere in time and space. No need to scout locations or spend big bucks on CGI.

A new wave of great superhero narrative podcasts proves that the constraints of audio drama can make stories stand out from the current superhero TV and movie glut. DC has announced that starting in September 2021, he will be launching two Batman podcasts, both with black actors in the lead roles.

Instead of reinventing the wheel, Batman: Audio Adventure Taking inspiration from the past, it uses the narrative tricks of old radio serials and updates them with a self-aware spin. This is a straight-up ensemble his comedy with Jeffrey Wright’s cloaked crusader, joined by a rogue gallery of his live performers on Saturday Night. That means a raspy narrator (Rick and Morty’s Chris Parnell) makes sure the listener understands what’s really going on. The result is a raucous and breezy mood, similar to Adam West’s 1960s TV series.

unburied batman It attempts to tell a compelling Batman story without Batman.The 10-part Spotify exclusive that launched in May briefly knocked out the popular Joe Rogan Experience. Music Streamers Stay Away from the Top of the Podcast Charts.

Instead of an upbeat battle of tights, this is a slow-burn psychological thriller in which Bruce Wayne (Winston Duke in Black Panther) clearly doesn’t have a vigilante alter-ego. A lonely pathologist being stalked by a serial killer. Immersive sound weighs heavily on his design, and (initially at least) the action is lighthearted, making the familiar mythology surprisingly bleak. A second series was recently greenlit.

When Marvel launched its first narrative podcasts in 2018, these well-made audio dramas could easily have been TV series.Richard Armitage cast as the clawed mutant Logan in a murder mystery set in Alaska wolverine: long nightspawned a sequel lost road.

But these days, Marvel is pushing things in some strange directions. Squirrel Girl: An Invincible Radio Show cleverly leans into the audio format by imagining its hairy teenage protagonist hosting an advice show on the local college radio station. Callers seeking guidance include real-life gaming celebrities such as Spider-Man, X-Men villain Magneto, and Back to the Future’s Lee Thompson.

things are even wilder Wastelanders It’s a franchise set in an apocalyptic America where supervillains have won (by ambushing Captain America and killing most of the Avengers). has its own story to explore.

first installment Wastelanders: Oldman Starlord Reimagine Star-Lord, the fearless space cowboy from Guardians of the Galaxy, as a punchy Sixties (voiced by Thirtysomething’s Timothy Busfield). After crash-landing on a radioactive Earth for the first time in a long time, Star-Lord and his cranky sidekick Rocket (Groundhog Day’s Chris Elliott) must adjust to this chaotic new reality. They’re joined by a pseudo-narrator in the form of an intonationless probe droid Cora who catalogs every mutant scorpion and feudal villain they meet, so listeners are immersed in this vast, blown-up world. I feel like I am

follow up Wastelanders: Hawkeye When Wastelanders: Wolverine Fill in the details of a far-flung dystopian future. Acting out all the ill-fated Hawkeye lines. Terminator 2’s Robert Patrick makes Hugh Jackman play even more grizzled Wolverine.

But that’s not all dusty, dystopian, old man sad. Wastelanders: Black WidowIt stars Susan Sarandon and is set in New York’s ultra-rich high-tech enclave. The price of security is constant surveillance by a dedicated young snooper, whose audiovisuals and chirps on various smart speakers help you keep up with all the action.

Why Black Widow wants to infiltrate this place is a central mystery, but it’s what inspires the Surveillance Department and provokes witty workplace conflicts that feel more like office space than Avengers: Infinity War. If Marvel can continue to attract top-notch acting talent and develop its superhero canon into such an interesting new format, even the all-conquering Batman might get a little nervous.

Marvel’s Wastelanders: Wolverine finale releases on August 15th.All other podcasts are available for download from regular providers, but Batman Unbured remains his Spotify exclusive.