Disney+ Confirms a Surprising Comic Book TV Show Is Happening, And It’s Not A Marvel Series

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Despite starting 2025 with some concerns about comic book movies, the year has actually been quite successful for the genre. With four films and several shows already released, things are improving compared to recent years, and Disney+ has just announced an unexpected development. While Disney+ is known as the home of all Marvel Studios projects, including popular shows like WandaVision, X-Men ’97, and Daredevil: Born Again, the streaming service has started working on a new comic book adaptation that has absolutely no connection to Marvel. However, it might be grateful to Marvel for helping to create some initial interest.

A recent report from Deadline reveals that Disney+ will be the new streaming home for Afterlife with Archie, a one-hour dramatic series adapted from the horror comic created by Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa and Francesco Francavilla. The show isn’t just based on the comic; it also brings back the creative team behind both Riverdale and Chilling Adventures of Sabrina, with both Aguirre-Sacasa and Greg Berlanti serving as executive producers. Interestingly, Warner Bros. Television is also involved in producing the series.

Afterlife with Archie TV Series Finally Confirmed, But at Disney+

Afterlife with Archie first appeared in comic books in 2013, offering a dark and violent take on Archie and his friends. The series introduced zombies and survival challenges to Riverdale, and also explored other horror themes, featuring creatures like vampires, ghosts, and even Cthulhu. It’s currently unknown if the Afterlife with Archie TV show will be as intense, graphic, and mature as the comics, but the original source material certainly sets a specific tone for the series.

Even though the Afterlife with Archie comic only lasted ten issues over three years, it significantly boosted the Archie brand. Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa’s work on Afterlife with Archie led to more horror-influenced stories featuring the well-known characters, and ultimately paved the way for Riverdale, the seven-season series on The CW that he created and oversaw. The comic also introduced Sabrina the Teenage Witch, and its popularity resulted in a spin-off, The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina, which later became a Netflix series of the same name.

Afterlife with Archie Can Thank Marvel for Landing at Disney+

Following the announcement of Afterlife with Archie, two key questions come to mind – questions many viewers are likely asking themselves. First, why will this series stream on Disney+ instead of HBO Max? And second, can this show truly thrive on Disney+ while still meeting the expectations of its dedicated fanbase?

Let’s start by looking at how Warner Bros. has run things since joining forces with Discovery. They’ve been surprisingly willing to license their shows to other streaming services – something many other studios wouldn’t consider. While new TV shows connected to the DC Universe stay with HBO and HBO Max, other shows featuring well-known DC characters, like Batman: Caped Crusader (streaming on Prime Video), have been sold elsewhere. Given that there aren’t any other shows focused on Archie characters currently, and this series probably won’t have a significant connection to Riverdale or Chilling Adventures of Sabrina, it makes sense for WBD to offer the series to another streaming platform.

As a longtime cinema fan, I’ve been wondering how a show with zombies and scary stuff can even *be* on Disney+! But it turns out Disney’s priorities have shifted, just like Warner Bros.’ have. Over the last year, they’ve been combining the Disney+ and Hulu apps, so if you subscribe to both, you get everything in one place. This also means that when you’re browsing for something to watch on Disney+, you’ll find a mix of everything – not just shows like Bluey, but also things like Alien: Earth.

Additionally, Disney+ has shown that it’s willing to release content with darker and more violent themes, and that such content can be successful. Daredevil: Born Again was popular with viewers when it premiered, taking the typically family-friendly Marvel Cinematic Universe into a grittier, more violent direction. More recently, Marvel Zombies is exactly what it sounds like – a show featuring famous characters being eaten by zombies, with plenty of blood and gore.

It sounds unbelievable, but Afterlife with Archie as a Disney+ show isn’t an April Fool’s joke-it’s actually happening, and it genuinely makes sense.

https://comicbook.com/tv-shows/news/every-avengers-death-in-marvel-zombies-ranked/embed/#

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2025-10-01 23:12