A character from a canceled Marvel television show is rumored to return in Strange Academy.
Strange Academy is an MCU show that is in development, though it does not have a release date at this time and little is known about the project. In Marvel Comics, Strange Academy sees Doctor Strange start a school to train young people in the art of magic and sorcery.
Who is rumored to return in Strange Academy?
According to scooper Alex Perez of The Cosmic Circus, Nico Minoru is rumored to appear in the live-action Strange Academy show.
Created by Brian K. Vaughan and Adrian Alphona, Nico is a character who is most commonly associated with Marvel’s Runaways. She is the daughter of two super-powered villains and has magical aptitude; more specifically, she’s able to bend magic with an object called the Staff of One.
Nico was previously played by Lyrica Okano in the Runaways television show, which premiered in 2017 and was then canceled after three seasons.
Whether or not Marvel is looking to recast Nico or if they potentially see Okano reprise her role remains unclear at this time. There’s some debate online as to whether or not Runaways is considered canon to the MCU; there are references to other events that happen in the MCU throughout the show, though there is also nothing strictly tying it into the rest of the shared universe.
This means the show is similar to the Marvel Netflix shows in that Marvel Studios can make some parts of it canon and retcon other elements. Given that the show waned in popularity after its first season, it might make sense to recast Nico; although, Okano’s performance was praised by many, and she returned to voice the character in the 2022 Marvel’s Midnight Suns video game.
An alternate reality version also appeared in the animated Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man series, where she was voiced by Grace Song.
