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Mark Millar wants a TV adaptation of his new ‘Kick-Ass’ comic series

By Kelly Shanaphy

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In 2010 Kick-Ass was one of the most entertaining albeit controversial black comedies to be released in theaters.

Now the author, Mark Millar, is hoping that the reboot of his wildly popular comics will inspire some television offers. With a new character taking up the Kick-Ass mantle, this new hero is bound to make an impression on readers who were hoping to get more comics since the conclusion in 2014.

Readers and moviegoers will remember teenager Dave Lizewski playing the titular hero in Kick-Ass, but there’s a new girl in town. The series will no longer focus on the younger protagonists with Patience Lee, a mother and military veteran from Afghanistan, stepping into the costume. A huge departure from the typical characters in the comics, Lee marks a new era for the storylines as well as for Millar.

In a recent interview with Yahoo Movies UK, Millar gave a pretty extensive interview about his decision to have a new protagonist lead the Kick-Ass franchise. With the recent success of Black Panther and the growing need for diverse representation in entertainment Millar acknowledged his power as a creator.

"The Justice League were all white, as were the Avengers you know, and I had always noticed that comic book starring black characters, like Blade the Vampire Hunter, there just weren’t that many around and they didn’t seem to last. So then I thought, I’m in a very unique position where I’ve got a lot of followers and fans and reasoned that I could try something that maybe other people weren’t trying."

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Millar recently sold his company, Millarworld, to Netflix and the streaming network has gained attention for their representation throughout their superhero shows. While Matthew Vaughn actually owns the television and movie rights to Kick-Ass, there’s no reason to believe he wouldn’t be open to striking a deal for a series. Not to mention, Netflix would probably be happy to have the opportunity to get another show led by a strong female protagonist to pair alongside Jessica Jones.

Speaking of the Marvel Netflix series, an actress from the Marvel Cinematic Universe has already expressed an interest in playing Patience Lee. Tessa Thompson, who portrayed Valkyrie in Thor Ragnarok, tweeted out her excitement for the new Kick-Ass comics much to Millar’s delight. Thompson is such a big up and coming movie star, that it seems like a crime for networks not to look into developing a television series for her. She’s become an inspiration to many as one of the few women of color in genre films and would be a perfect fit as Patience Lee.

"What’s quite interesting, because a lot of people have said why did you make her black rather than white, is that the army is disproportionately, in terms of the American population, African-American. So it just felt more real having her black. A year ago it would have been seen as radical to have a black hero, but look at Black Panther set to be the biggest opening weekend for Marvel ever. So it is crazy how much things can change of what you expect from a superhero movie in that very short space of time, but it is an improvement."

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As the television landscape changes to adapt with the times, it’s time to see more networks embrace leads who don’t fit the conventional mold. Kick-Ass started out as a comic book which pushed boundaries, and now Mark Millar has continued the legacy he started. While he might not get another movie out of the original heroes, he could get a television series out of the new vigilante.

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