The official logo of the series.
Blackbird is a 2015 superhero television series created for HBO by Ava DuVernay, based on the Marvel Comics character of the same name. It is set in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) and is the 2nd in a series of shows that will lead up to a Defenders crossover film set for release in November 2018. The series is produced by Marvel Television in association with ABC Studios, DeKnight Productions, and Anonymous Content. Ava DuVernay served as showrunner for the first season, while Steven S. DeKnight, who serves as executive producer of the series, will serve as showrunner for the second and third seasons. The musical score is provided by Tyler Bates, who previously scored the Guardians Of The Galaxy films and Marvel's Slipknot.
The first season premiered on HBO on June 21 2015 and ended on August 23 2015 and was released to positive reviews. On August 22 2015, it was announced that HBO and Marvel have renewed Blackbird for a second season and will take place before and after the events of Captain America: Civil War, for in which the Blackbird character appears in. It premiered on July 10 2016 on HBO and will air on HBO's Sunday night lineup alongside Season 2 of Ballers, new series Vice Principals, Last Week Tonight With John Oliver, and Season 2 of Star Vs. The Forces Of Evil.
On July 3rd 2016, a week before its Season 2 premiere, it was renewed by HBO and Marvel for a third season that premiered on September 17 2017 and ended on December 10 2017. Ava DuVernay later confirmed at the 89th Academy Awards red carpet that this will be the final season of the show, as it was her decision to end the show and not HBO's or Marvel's decision to end it.
PREMISE[]
The first season sees businessman Tom Smith using a electromechanical suit (similar to Iron Man) to fight crime in Manhattan, New York after a plane crash that traumatized his life and causing him to lose both arms, which are replaced with electromechanical arms.
In the second season, which will be set before the events of Captain America: Civil War and after the events of The Punisher, Smith will cross paths with Phantom, an assassin sent by Kingpin to hunt down anyone associated with The Punisher and Daredevil, with Smith being his first target, as well as the Inhuman crime boss Sinestro.
In the third season, which will be set after the events of Season 1 of Marvel's X, Doctor Strange, Spider-Man: Homecoming, and Season 1 of The Meddler, and before the events of Season 2 of Marvel's X, The Defenders, and Avengers: Infinity War, this season will see Blackbird go up against the devil's favorite demon Ludo, as well as the vigilante X. The season will also see Blackbird, X, Heatwave, Slingshot, and Laurel Viper teaming up with The Punisher, Daredevil, The Meddler, Nightwatcher, The Guardians Of The Galaxy (who appear in Episodes 11 to 13), and the recruited Defenders (Ashwood, Jessica Jones, Luke Cage, & Iron Fist) to defeat Ludo Crane in Orlando, Florida, his hiding place. The season also saw the death of Blackbird in the series finale.
CAST[]
- Eddie Redmayne as Tom Smith / Blackbird
- A businessman with electromechanical suits to fight crime in Manhattan after a plane crash that traumatized his life and causing him to lose both of his arms, which were replaced with electromechanical arms.
- David Oyelowo as Jasper Dockson / The Minister
- A mysterious man residing in underground Manhattan who becomes Smith's mentor in becoming the Blackbird.
- Kate Mara as Amber Rose
- An officer in Manhattan and Smith's childhood friend.
- Tony Shalhoub as Commissioner Hugh Dillon
- The head of the Manhattan Police Department who becomes suspicious of Blackbird's antics in stopping crime.
- Craig Robinson as Nolan Cross / Slingshot
- An assassin with superhuman strength and skilled sniper abilities who becomes Blackbird's ally and friend.
- Mark Rylance as The Stranger
- A mysterious journalist living in Manhattan whose articles notably relate to the Blackbird.
- Deedee Magno-Hall as Jill White
- The chief officer of the Manhattan Police Department who also becomes suspicious of Blackbird's antics in stopping crime. She later allies with Blackbird at the end of Season 1 and onwards.
- Wendell Pierce as Mordecai Roosevelt (Seasons 1 - 2)
- The mayor of Manhattan until his death in Season 2 at the hands of Phantom.
- Cuba Gooding Jr. as Titus Knight
- A high-ranking weapons specialist working for Dockson who helps Smith in becoming the Blackbird.
- John Boyega as Terrence Jackson / Heatwave
- An inhuman taking disguise as a NYPD Police Officer who can manipulate fire. He helps Blackbird in fighting off Phantom and Luthor's Inhuman Crime Group. The character was introduced in Season 2.
- Jeffrey Wright as Alan Steele
- The CEO of the company Smith works for who becomes one of Blackbird's supporters. The character was introduced in Season 2.
Recurring Roles:
- Clark Gregg as Phil Coulson
- A S.H.I.E.L.D. agent who oversees many of the division's field operations. Gregg reprises his role from Agents Of S.H.I.E.L.D.
- Rosario Dawson as Claire Temple
- A nurse in Hell's Kitchen. Dawson reprises her role from Daredevil.
- Benedict Cumberbatch as Stephen Strange / Doctor Strange
- A neurosurgeon who, after a horrific car accident that led to a journey of healing, discovers the hidden world of magic and alternate dimensions. Cumberbatch reprises his role from Doctor Strange. In Season 2, he is seen in a cameo in a news report reporting on his car crash, confirming that the events of Doctor Strange take place during the events of Season 2 of Blackbird. In Season 3, Strange will have a larger role and will help Blackbird.
Season 1 Only Cast:
- Giovanni Ribisi as Eric Dyme / Salvage
- A criminal mastermind with electromechanical powers of his own and a dangerous man from Smith's past due to the fact that he was responsible for the plane crash that traumatized Smith's life.
- Christopher Meloni as Officer Brian Rose
- An officer in Manhattan, friend of Dillon, and Amber's father.
- Powers Boothe as Gideon Malick
- A notorious man whose loyalties remain a secret. Boothe will reprise his role on Season 3 of Agents Of S.H.I.E.L.D.
- Cecile De France as Florence Arnaud
- The Boss of Smith who also becomes suspicious of Blackbird's antics in stopping crime.
- Scarlett Johansson as Natasha Romanoff / Black Widow
- An Avenger who formerly worked for S.H.I.E.L.D. as a highly trained spy. Johansson reprises her role from various MCU films.
- Andre Holland as Jim "Hectrix" Walker
- A weapons specialist and ally of Salvage.
- Thomas Sadoski as Harry Crowne
- An officer in Manhattan and ex-boyfriend of Amber.
- Ben Schwartz as Evans
- The leader of a gang that works for Salvage who is the first person Blackbird hunts down.
Season 2 Only Cast:
- Douglas Booth as Edward Fox / Clyde
- An inhuman criminal who can shapeshift into a more dangerous and powerful form and can create shockwaves when angry.
- Andy Samberg as Scott Hoyt / Phantom
- A maniacal criminal mastermind who portrays himself as the "Master of Shadows", who rises into dominant power by terrorizing Manhattan. He is sent by Kingpin to hunt down anyone associated with Frank Castle / The Punisher and Matt Murdock / Daredevil, with Blackbird being his first target.
- Sarah Silverman as Katie Taylor
- The United States Secretary of Defense who brings about the Sokovia Accords. Taylor will make her first appearance in Captain America: Civil War.
- Allen Leech as Cal DiMage / Silver Stone
- An inhuman criminal and Clyde's partner who can transform his skin into organic steel, granting him superhuman strength and resistance to physical damage and extreme temperatures, similar to Colossus from the X-Men series.
- Randy Orton as Harold Luthor / Sinestro
- An inhuman crime boss and the mentor of Clyde, Silver Stone, Freelance, and 8-Ball who can manipulate and master the 4 elements of Earth (water, earth, fire, and air).
- Tom Wilkinson as General Wallace Murphy
- A US Army General currently in task of taking down any inhuman criminal in New York and also becomes one of Blackbird's supporters.
- Steve Austin as Sgt. Nicholas Walker
- An army sergeant dedicated to hunting down any inhuman criminal.
- John Turturro as Harold Cross
- An inhuman specialist who allys with Blackbird in stopping any inhuman criminal.
- Riz Ahmed as Tony Dallas / The Peacemaker
- An inhuman recruiter and Luthor's bodyguard.
- Brian Tee as Will McKenzie / Namor The Sub-Mariner
- The ruler of Atlantis, inhuman expert, and ally of Blackbird who possesses superhuman strength and aquatic abilities of Homomermanus race, as well as the abilities of flight and other superhuman powers.
- Stephen James as Morgan Cross / Freelance
- An inhuman criminal with superhuman speed.
- Bray Wyatt as Will Bronson / 8-Ball
- A Psychotic inhuman criminal who can control minds and can release poison to his enemies.
- Jason Ritter as Alvin Mirage / The Interrogator
- A bounty hunter and inhuman specialist who keeps a collection of belongings and evidence from various vigilantes, mainly from The Punisher and Daredevil. Ritter reprises his role from previous MCU Media.
- Chloe Bennet as Daisy Johnson / Quake
- An inhuman hacktivist and former S.H.I.E.L.D. recruit working for Mirage who can sense vibrations and create earthquakes. Bennet reprises her role from Agents Of S.H.I.E.L.D.
- Brett Dalton as Grant Ward / Krauge
- A humanoid sea creature working for Mirage and Meddler's Arch nemesis with superhuman strength and regenerating healing. Unlike previous incarnations of Krauge, this Krauge is portrayed as Grant Ward, who before becoming Krauge was a Hydra Agent posing as a S.H.I.E.L.D. Black Ops Specialist. Dalton reprises his role from Agents Of S.H.I.E.L.D.
- Steven Blum as Krauge (voice)
- Paul Wight as Nikolai Zahkarov / Man Of Stone
- A former Russian general and weapons specialist working for Mirage. Wight reprises his role from previous MCU Media.
Stan Lee makes a cameo appearance in Episode 7 as a store clerk.
Season 3 Only Cast:
- Alan Tudyk as Ludo Crane
- A mysterious, skilled, and powerful alien assassin who portrays himself as the "devil's favorite demon" and hopes to seek vengeance for the destruction of his planet.
- Selena Gomez as Laurel Viper
- An inhuman with snake-like abilities who allies with Blackbird.
- Josh Hutcherson as Charlie Dyme / X
- An army veteran who dedicates himself to protecting Manhattan from its criminal underworld as the masked vigilante hailed as the "X" at night. He fights Blackbird this season but later allies with him to defeat Ludo. Hutcherson reprises his role from Marvel's X.
- Braun Strowman as Angelo
- Ludo's strongman bodyguard.
- Michael C Hall as Angelo (voice)
- Saif Ali Khan as Roy Manuel
- Ludo's childhood friend, bodyguard, and weapons specialist.
- Neko Cortez as Frank Castle / The Punisher
- A vigilante and former Avenger who aims to clean up any city by any means necessary, no matter how lethal the results. Cortez reprises his role from previous MCU Media.
- Charlie Cox as Matt Murdock / Daredevil
- A blind lawyer who becomes the hero Daredevil and childhood friend of Castle. Cox reprises his role from previous MCU Media.
- Jamie Kennedy as Peter Fox / Judgment
- A paranoid and psychotic inhuman and the father of Edward who is working for Ludo and seeking revenge over his son's death.
- Mahershala Ali as The Cryptkeeper
- A mysterious and skilled inventor who allies with Blackbird. This is Ali's second role in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, the first being Cottonmouth in Luke Cage.
- Whoopi Goldberg as Sarah Walker / Jigaroo
- A wise inhuman psychiatrist who once worked as an inhuman superhero with telekinesis powers.
- Diamond White as Sarah Walker / Jigaroo (young)
- Donnie Yen as Kahli Tetzuka / Jett
- A martial artist inhuman who allies with Blackbird.
- Adam McArthur as Clarence Copper
- A mad scientist and childhood friend of Ludo who later allies with the heroes.
- Joan Allen as Janet Dyce
- A politician who becomes the new mayor of Manhattan following the death of Mordecai Roosevelt in Season 2.
- Sidse Babett Knudsen as Anne Sylvia
- A politician who becomes suspicious of Blackbird's antics.
- Ty Olsson as Dennis Miller / Magnus
- An inhuman officer and an old friend of Tom Smith who can control the weather.
- Bill Hader as Ryan Heller / Spidermonkey
- Tom's old business friend who lost his legs in the plane crash that Tom was also in and were replaced with spider legs. He currently works for Ludo hoping to gain revenge on Smith / Blackbird.
- Mo'Nique as Shaniqua Burton
- A politician whose had several experiences with inhumans.
- Rosie O'Donnell as Janice King
- A bar owner and old friend of Tom Smith whose been following the inhuman crisis in New York.
- Bill Paxton as Sgt. Raymond Burr
- An army sergeant and friend of Nicholas Walker in charge of taking down any inhuman criminal. Paxton completed filming his scenes before his death in February 2017. This is Paxton's second role in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, the first being John Garrett in Agents Of S.H.I.E.L.D.
- Viggo Mortensen as Michael Smith
- The late father of Tom Smith who was the CEO of the company Smith works for.
- Keanu Reeves as Hive
- A powerful inhuman crime boss and Mirage's adopted father who can control people and inhumans under his command. Reeves reprises his role from Marvel's X.
- Cherami Leigh as Laura Brisky / Nightwatcher
- A bounty hunter and Charlie's girlfriend. Leigh reprises her role from Marvel's X.
- Lou Jackson as Kyle Dash / Ashwood
- A multi-powered mutant with the abilities of superspeed, high jumping, duplication, and night vision. Jackson reprises his role from previous MCU Media.
- Krysten Ritter as Jessica Jones
- A former superhero suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder who opens her own detective agency, Alias Investigations. Ritter reprises her role from previous MCU Media.
- CM Punk as Ryan Stone / The Meddler
- The ruler of Concordia who's abilities include manipulation of sea life, water adapted superhuman strength, swimming at incredible speeds, long distance jumping, and accelerated healing. Punk reprises his role from previous MCU Media.
- Mike Colter as Luke Cage
- A former convict with superhuman strength and unbreakable skin who now fights crime. Colter reprises his role from previous MCU Media.
- Finn Jones as Daniel Rand / Iron Fist
- A billionaire Buddhist monk and martial arts expert, proficient in Kung Fu with the ability to call upon the power of the Iron Fist. Jones reprises his role from previous MCU Media.
- John Goodman as Howard Saint
- The head of the NYPD who once was suspicious of The Punisher's antics, but later supports him after the death of Jigsaw and is the co-founder of The Defenders along with Punisher and Molly Von Richtofen. Goodman reprises his role from previous MCU Media.
- William Hurt as Thaddeus "Thunderbolt" Ross
- The United States Secretary Of State and former U.S. Army General dedicated to capturing the Hulk. Hurt reprises his role from previous MCU Media.
- Chris Pratt as Peter Quill / Star-Lord:
- The half-human, half-Celestial leader of the Guardians who was abducted from Earth as a child, and raised by a group of alien thieves and smugglers called the Ravagers. Pratt reprises his role from previous MCU Media.
- Zoe Saldana as Gamora:
- A member of the Guardians, who is an orphan from an alien world and raised by Thanos, seeking redemption for her past crimes. Saldana reprises her role from previous MCU Media.
- Pom Klementieff as Mantis:
- A member of the Guardians with empathic powers. Klementieff reprises her role from Guardians Of The Galaxy Vol. 2.
- Dave Bautista as Drax The Destroyer:
- A member of the Guardians and warrior in search of vengeance against Thanos for killing his family. Bautista reprises his role from previous MCU Media.
- Vin Diesel as Groot:
- A member of the Guardians who is a tree-like humanoid. Diesel reprises his role from previous MCU Media, and Terry Notary performs motion capture for the role.
- Bradley Cooper as Rocket:
- A member of the Guardians who is a genetically-engineered raccoon-based bounty hunter and mercenary, and is a master of weapons and battle tactics. Cooper and Sean Gunn, who serves as a stand-in for Rocket during filming, reprise their roles from previous MCU Media.
- Mitch Young as Miklro:
- A half-human Ravager and member of the Guardians who was adopted by the Ravagers after being abandoned by his parents on Earth. Young reprises his role from Guardians Of The Galaxy Vol. 2.
- Olivia Holt as Tandy Bowen / Dagger
- A teenager with the ability to emit light daggers. Her cameo is seen in found footage discovered by Jessica Jones in Episode 11.
- Aubrey Joseph as Tyrone Johnson / Cloak
- A teenager with the ability to engulf others in darkness. His cameo is seen in found footage discovered by Jessica Jones in Episode 11.
- Shinsuke Nakamura as Hibyro Takashi / Restrepo
- A master martial artist with the abilities of causing shockwaves from his sword, as well as superhuman strength and accelerated healing. His cameo is seen in found footage discovered by Jessica Jones in Episode 11.
- Finn Balor as Marc Spector / Moon Knight
- A skilled martial artist, weapons expert, and expert detective. His cameo is seen in found footage discovered by Jessica Jones in Episode 11.
- Dan Green as Dr. Peter Alraune
- A doctor and good friend of Spector. His cameo is seen in found footage discovered by Jessica Jones in Episode 11.
Cameos / Minor Roles:
- Stan Lee as Store Clerk (reprising his role from the previous season) (Episode 1)
- Steven S DeKnight as Stadium Onlooker (Episode 5)
- David Yost as Willy Brooke, A high ranking NYPD Officer who is killed by Ludo's Stadium attack (Episode 5)
- Jason David Frank as Lyle, the new bartender of the bar Frank Castle goes to following the death of Gary at the hands of Jigsaw. (Episodes 5 - 9)
- Amy Jo Johnston as Gina, the co-bartender of the bar Frank Castle goes to and Lyle's wife. (Episodes 5 - 9)
- Jenny Slate as Mary Walker, a prisoner being held at New York City whom has a close relationship with Ludo. (Episode 7)
- Weird Al Yankovic as Taxi Driver (Episode 11)
- Jeff Gerstmann as Curtis Jackson, General Ross's second-in-command. (Episodes 2, 6, & 10 - 13)
- Dan Ryckert as Joseph Zeitgeist, a security guard who is confronted by Ludo. (Episode 2)
- Drew Scanlon as Stadium Onlooker (Episode 5)
- Brad Shoemaker as Stadium Onlooker (Episode 5)
- Liv Tyler as Stadium Onlooker (Episode 5)
- Kevin Feige as Stadium Onlooker (Episode 5)
- Joe Queseda as Stadium Onlooker (Episode 5)
- Ava DuVernay as News Reporter (Episode 6)