Disney is supposedly developing some star-studded MCU spin-off shows for its planned competitor to Netflix

Hoping to somehow top the awe-inspiring spectacle of decades-old cartoon series and “Fuck Batman” that Warner Bros. used to herald the arrival of its recently debuted DC Universe, Disney is reportedly getting ready to throw some serious money at its own entry into the on-demand market. Per Variety, the entertainment supergiant is prepping a series of TV shows spun off from its multi-billion-dollar Marvel Cinematic Universe of properties in order to help launch and support the service, including shows apparently centered on popular characters like Loki and the Scarlet Witch.

This is all still hearsay at the moment, but Variety reports that unlike, say, the Netflix Marvel shows—or even Agents Of S.H.I.E.L.D., on the company’s own ABC—these shows are expected to feature regular appearances from performers from the MCU films. No one’s outright saying “Oh yeah, Tom Hiddleston is going to be in these things,” but Disney is apparently interested in tossing feature-film-budget amounts of money at these series, which would run for six to eight episodes at a go.

It’s just the latest indicator that Disney is really, truly not fucking around with launching this thing as a credible competitor to Netflix; the company has been trimming down its licensing deals extensively in order to consolidate its content for itself, and is reportedly working on massive-budget shows based on Star Wars and High School Musical. Add in some sexy, mischievous (and currently, uh, indisposed) Norse troublemakers, and it’s a pretty potent lure for all sorts of different flavors of dedicated nerds.