Over the weekend, Marvel Television officially announced a new Disney+ series titled Zodiac. Beyond the title card, the project’s only details were that production begins next spring in London and that it will release sometime in 2028. Fans began trying to figure out what the title card could be based on the “O” and “A” icons in the logo. Some thought the “O” came from the comic Dark Reign: The List – Secret Warriors #1, and the “A” looked like a version of the S.H.I.E.L.D. logo. So naturally, many assumed this series might be an Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. set firmly in the MCU. Even actor Clark Gregg, who famously played Agent Phil Coulson throughout Phase 1 and on Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., shared the logo on his Instagram story after the announcement. Though it might not be as clear as many might think.
We at Knight Edge Media have learned exclusively that the series is expected to be a dark British spy thriller. They are casting soon and are looking for three main British leads: two male and one female. These leads are not expected to have comic book counterparts and are totally original. The series is set in London, which is why it is shooting there in early Spring 2027 (via Marvel.com). Brad Winderbaum told Collider, “It’s a globetrotting, international espionage show about secrets and lies and betrayals and secret acts of loyalty and an insane cast of characters.” Although Collider says the series is in line with franchises like James Bond or Mission: Impossible, it will be closer to the much grittier FX series The Americans. We were specifically told as a comparison.
Many don’t remember that Marvel’s critically panned Secret Invasion TV series already introduced the British intelligence agency MI6. British actress Olivia Colman was cast as Sonya Falsworth, head of MI6 and granddaughter of James Montgomery Falsworth from Captain America: The First Avenger. In the series, she is a close friend of Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson) and tries to protect England from the growing Skrull threat. At the end of the series, she recruits Super Skrull G’iah (Emilia Clarke) to protect the planet from future alien threats and possibly create the British superteam eXcailber. It’s currently unclear whether Zodiac is a direct spin-off of Secret Invasion or a standalone series.
Another possibility is that this series introduces the MCU to MI-13, the extraordinary British intelligence group. In the comics, this group includes characters like Captain Britain, Blade, and the Black Knight as they take on threats bigger than MI6 can handle in England. Since we don’t know the time period this show takes place in, we can only assume it is after Avengers: Secret Wars. This series may be looking for mutant or alien threats in the MCU’s next phase.
Also, if the series is post-Secret Wars, characters long dead could theoretically return in a soft rebooted universe, as many fans have suspected. This could allow S.H.I.E.L.D. to be resurrected, since Avengers: Age of Ultron and the reintroduction of Agent Phil Coulson, and hopefully Daisy Johnson. While this wouldn’t be a direct revival of Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., it could be a nice way to bring the characters back into the fold as variants. Why else would Clark Gregg share this series logo if it meant nothing? Not to mention, in the comics, Nick Fury’s brother Jake is the supervillain Scorpio and leader of the Zodiac cartel. That could connect the American agency S.H.I.E.L.D. to this British spy-thriller plot. Though, of course, this is all pure speculation.
Zodiac will stream exclusively on Disney+ in 2028