The Marvel TV family just keeps growing. First there was “Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.” and “Agent Carter” on ABC. Then Netflix got in on the action with several shows revolving around street-level superheroes. And now FOX is teaming up with Marvel to produce “Hellfire” (Working title) about the infamous Hellfire Club.
From the official announcement:
Set in the late 1960s, the series — which will be produced by 20th Century Fox Television and Marvel Television, with 20th Century Fox handling the physical production — follows a young Special Agent who learns that a power-hungry woman with extraordinary abilities is working with a clandestine society of millionaires – known as “The Hellfire Club” – to take over the world.
This adds an interesting wrinkle to the ongoing power struggle between Marvel and 20th Century Fox. As the latter still holds the film and television rights to the X-Men, the Marvel Cinematic Universe has been mutant-free. So what does this mean? Will “Hellfire” fit into the continuity of Bryan Singer”s “X-Men” franchise? Will it be connected to the television side of Marvel? Or will it exist in some nebulous no-man”s land as the youngest child of divorced parents?
Besides the logistics of what this partnership means for the future of mutants in the MCU, there”s another pressing question: just who is the “power-hungry woman” from the plot synopsis? There are two real* options: Courtney Ross or Selene.
*FOX could also opt to either have January Jones reprise her role as Emma Frost or recast the role.
#1: Courtney Ross aka the White Queen
All is not what it seems with Captain Britain”s ex-girlfriend Courtney Ross. She is actually the supervillainess known as Sat-Yr9 from an alternate dimension who killed Ross and assumed her place in the primary continuity. As the White Queen, she has been aggressively acquiring a power base, though to what ends remains a mystery. Shave off all the dimension-hopping doppelgänger shenanigans, and Courtney Ross could become a cutthroat socialite climbing the Hellfire ladder.
#2: Selene aka the Black Queen
An ancient mutant who has at times been worshipped as a Goddess or seen as a powerful sorceress, her millennia of experience helped her quickly ascend the ranks of the inner Hellfire Club circle. At times she has attempted coups to unseat the Black King – Sebastian Shaw – or disband the organization altogether to upset the balance of power in the mutant world. Her ambition knows no bounds and her willingness to make deals with the devil – or at least demons – makes her a dangerous enemy. If “Hellfire” takes place within the X-Men film continuity, Selene would definitely make a power play in the wake of Sebastian Shaw”s demise.
Of course, FOX and Marvel could also be using a lesser known character lower on the food chain as an entry point to the world of scheming, bored billionaires. We”ll have to wait and see!
”Hellfire” is a co-production of 20th Century Fox Television and Marvel Television.