Warning! Spoilers ahead for The Wicked + The Divine!
The next great epic fantasy TV series is waiting to be adapted. The Wicked + The Divine is a rollercoaster reinterpretation of classic mythology for contemporary audiences; it captivated readers during its 5-year comic book run, and it has all the ingredients necessary to be made into a television series for a new generation of fans to obsess over.
The Wicked + The Divine was written by Kieron Gillen, with art by Jamie McKelvie. The book is a whirlwind from start to finish, providing more than enough source material for multiple seasons of TV.
The successor to Game of Thrones, Good Omens, and the previous decade’s fantasy shows is out there, it just needs to be brought to the screen.
“The Wicked + The Divine” Mixes Classic Mythology And Contemporary Concerns, Making It Perfect For TV
The Wicked + The Divine, Written By Kieron Gillen; Art By Jamie McKelvie; Published 2014-2019
The Wicked + The Divine is a generation-spanning epic, centered around “the Pantheon,” a dozen mythological deities who reincarnate every 90 years, in a cycle dubbed “the Recurrence.” Just like “breaking chains” was a vital theme in Game of Thrones, breaking this cycle of death and life becomes the endgame for The Wicked + The Divine.
Over the course of its run, the series cultivated a deep, complex mythology of its own. The lore of the series could be expanded and elaborated on by a TV series. At the same time, the core emotional throughline of the book’s rich set of characters would ensure that audiences stay invested in a show, as was the case for the comic.
At the heart of The Wicked + The Divine is its protagonist, Laura, who discovers her connection to the Pantheon and later becomes the manifestation of the goddess Persephone. As readers follow Laura on this journey, the series effectively uses its novel reinterpretation of ancient myths to make a point about modern life at every turn.
Fantasy TV Is Still Living In The Shadow Of “Game Of Thrones”; “The Wicked + The Divine” Could Step Out Of It
The Epic Comic Series Has The Makings Of A Fan-Favorite Show
HBO’s Game of Thrones ran from 2011 to 2019. It became a cultural juggernaut, and legitimized fantasy as TV genre after it had languished for decades thanks to budgetary concerns, special effects limitations, and content restrictions. GoT raised the bar, and every fantasy and sci-fi series greenlit for TV since has been hoping to match its success.
The Wicked + The Divine is one of many comic series from the past decade that has the potential to be that next huge hit for HBO, Amazon, or whichever of their competitors snatches up the adaptation rights to the underrated fantady series and puts the right amount of effort, and money, into it.
