‘New Warriors’ Milana Vayntrub Squirrel Girl Photos Resurface from Canceled Marvel Series
Some superhero projects never see the light of day, yet they continue to spark interest in pop culture years later. Marvel’s ‘New Warriors’ is a prime example of this phenomenon, a series that was fully cast and filmed but ultimately disappeared into development limbo without ever airing an episode.
Originally conceived in 2016 as a half-hour comedy for Freeform, the show aimed to introduce a quirky team of lesser-known superheroes navigating their journey to heroism while being followed by a documentary crew. It was pitched as a blend of “Marvel meets The Office,” and for a time, it seemed like Marvel Television had a unique concept on its hands.
Now, nearly a decade after the project was shelved, new images have emerged online, providing a clearer view of what fans missed out on. Behind-the-scenes photos and footage shared this week showcase Milana Vayntrub fully suited up as Doreen Green, also known as Squirrel Girl, offering audiences their best look yet at a costume and performance that few had seen.
These images come from Derek Theler, who portrayed Mr. Immortal in the unaired pilot. He shared the collection on his Instagram, revealing that he had been documenting the project throughout its production, despite Marvel’s restrictions on cast members taking photos or videos on set.
Theler’s post not only showcased Vayntrub in her intricate squirrel-tailed costume, complete with a practical tail and puppeted squirrel companions, but also offered glimpses of Night Thrasher’s costume and lighter moments from the shoot, including scenes of the team engaging in community service while actor Keith David observed.
Reflecting on the experience, Theler shared how it felt to work on the project during the peak of the MCU’s Infinity Saga. “At the height of Marvel’s epic Infinity Saga run, we shot a comedy about a B-level superhero team tasked with protecting Cleveland, Ohio: The New Warriors,” Theler wrote on Instagram.
He recounted how the cast and crew filmed the pilot, received a full season pickup, and genuinely believed they had created something special before the project quietly vanished without any formal cancellation announcement. This subtle fade-out has turned ‘New Warriors’ into a legend among dedicated Marvel fans who have spent years piecing together the scant information available about the ill-fated series.
Despite the cancellation, Vayntrub maintained her connection to the character, voicing Squirrel Girl in the animated ‘Marvel Rising’ franchise, the Unbeatable Radio Show podcast, and more recently in the popular game ‘Marvel Rivals,’ keeping Doreen Green alive in the broader Marvel universe even without a live-action platform.
This continuity has sparked ongoing speculation about whether Marvel might eventually revisit the character in live action, especially given the positive response from fans to these newly surfaced images. Theler even humorously suggested in his post that if the Avengers ever need backup against Doctor Doom, he knows a team that might be ready.
The other original cast members, including Jeremy Tardy as Night Thrasher, Calum Worthy as Speedball, Matthew Moy as Microbe, and Kate Comer as Debrii, remain part of the show’s small but passionate legacy. For a project that never officially aired a single frame, ‘New Warriors’ has generated an impressive amount of ongoing fan interest.
Whether these resurfaced images serve as mere nostalgia or hint at a potential revival remains uncertain. Marvel Studios has not indicated that the project is being reconsidered, but the enthusiastic reaction to Vayntrub’s Squirrel Girl suggests there is still a significant audience eager to see her make it to the screen someday.
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