''Vixen'', also known as ''DC Comics' Vixen'', is an American

animated web series An animated series, or a cartoon series, is a set of Animation, animated films with a common title, usually related to one another. These episodes typically share the same main heroes, some different secondary characters and a basic theme. Series ...

from executive producers

Greg Berlanti Gregory Berlanti (born May 24, 1972) is an American screenwriter, producer and director. He is known for his work on the television series ''Dawson's Creek'', ''Brothers & Sisters (2006 TV series), Brothers & Sisters'', ''Everwood'', ''Political ...

Marc Guggenheim Marc Guggenheim (born September 24, 1970) is an American screenwriter, television producer, comic book writer, and novelist. He is best known as the creator of the television series ''Eli Stone'' (2008–2009), ''Arrow'' (2012–2020), and ''Lege ...

and

Andrew Kreisberg Andrew Kreisberg (born April 23, 1971) is an American former television writer, producer and comic book writer. He is best known as the co-creator of the television series ''The Flash'', ''Arrow'', ''Supergirl'' and ''Legends of Tomorrow''. Pers ...

, which debuted on August 25, 2015, on

The CW The CW Network, LLC (commonly referred to as The CW or simply CW) is an American commercial broadcast television network which is controlled by Nexstar Media Group through a 75% ownership interest. The network's name is derived from the firs ...

's online streaming platform,

CW Seed The CW Network, LLC (commonly referred to as The CW or simply CW) is an American commercial broadcast television network which is controlled by Nexstar Media Group through a 75% ownership interest. The network's name is derived from the first ...

. It is based on the

DC Comics DC Comics (originally DC Comics, Inc., and also known simply as DC) is an American comic book publisher owned by DC Entertainment, a subsidiary of Warner Bros. Discovery. DC is an initialism for "Detective Comics", an American comic book seri ...

character Mari McCabe / Vixen, a costumed superhero crime-fighter with the power to mimic the abilities of any animal that has ever lived on Earth. The series is set in the

Arrowverse The Arrowverse is an American Superhero fiction, superhero media franchise and shared universe that is centered on various interconnected television series based on DC Comics superhero characters, primarily airing on The CW as well as web series ...

, the same

fictional universe A fictional universe, also known as an imagined universe or a constructed universe, is the internally consistent fictional setting used in a narrative or a work of art. This concept is most commonly associated with works of fantasy and scie ...

as ''

Arrow An arrow is a fin-stabilized projectile launched by a bow. A typical arrow usually consists of a long, stiff, straight shaft with a weighty (and usually sharp and pointed) arrowhead attached to the front end, multiple fin-like stabilizers c ...

'', ''

The Flash The Flash is the name of several superheroes appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. Created by writer Gardner Fox and artist Harry Lampert, the original Flash first appeared in ''Flash Comics'' #1 (cover date, cover-dated Jan ...

'', ''Supergirl'' and ''

Legends of Tomorrow ''DC's Legends of Tomorrow'', or simply ''Legends of Tomorrow'', is an American Time travel in fiction, time travel superhero fiction, superhero television series developed by Greg Berlanti, Marc Guggenheim, Andrew Kreisberg, and Phil Klemmer, ...

''. In January 2016, the series was renewed for a second season, which premiered on October 13, 2016.

Premise

After her parents were killed in

Africa Africa is the world's second-largest and second-most populous continent after Asia. At about 30.3 million km2 (11.7 million square miles) including adjacent islands, it covers 20% of Earth's land area and 6% of its total surfac ...

by local corruption, Mari McCabe inherits her family's Tantu Totem, gaining the powers of the animal kingdom, using them to fight as Vixen to stop threats like those that claimed her family.

Cast and characters

Main

Megalyn Echikunwoke Ebubennem Megalyn Ann Echikunwoke ( ; born May 28, 1983), also known as Megalyn E.K., is an American actress, known primarily for her roles in television and film. Born in Spokane, Washington, she was discovered while performing in a theatric ...

as Mari McCabe / Vixen: : Born in an

n village near the river of

Zambezi The Zambezi (also spelled Zambeze and Zambesi) is the fourth-longest river in Africa, the longest east-flowing river in Africa and the largest flowing into the Indian Ocean from Africa. Its drainage basin covers , slightly less than half of t ...

but raised in the United States, Mari is orphaned at a young age and inherits her family's mystical Tantu Totem, allowing her to access the powers of the animal kingdom.

Kimberly Brooks Kimberly Brooks is an American voice actress. Brooks has voiced characters in video games since the mid-1990s. She has played the voice of Luna in the ''Scooby-Doo'' franchise as part of The Hex Girls, Ashley Williams in the ''Mass Effect'' s ...

voices a young Mari. *

Neil Flynn Neil Richard Flynn (born November 13, 1960) is an American actor and comedian. After performing with numerous comedy troupes in the Chicago area during the 1980s, he made his film debut in ''Major League (film), Major League'' (1989). During the ...

as Chuck McCabe: Mari's foster father. *

Sean Patrick Thomas Sean Patrick Thomas is an American actor. He is best known for his role as Derek Reynolds in the 2001 film '' Save the Last Dance'' and as Jimmy James in '' Barbershop'' (2002), '' Barbershop 2: Back in Business'' (2004), and '' Barbershop: The N ...

as Professor Macalester: A university professor under Kuasa's employ. *

Anika Noni Rose Anika Noni Rose (born September 6, 1972) is an American actress. She is best known for voicing Tiana (The Princess and the Frog), Tiana in ''The Princess and the Frog'' (2009). She was named a Disney Legends, Disney Legend in 2011. Rose starred ...

as Kuasa: Mari's older sister who seeks to obtain the Totem for herself.

Recurring

* Carlos Valdes as Cisco Ramon: A mechanical engineer at S.T.A.R. Labs who assists Barry Allen. Valdes reprises his role from ''

''. *

Grant Gustin Thomas Grant Gustin (born January 14, 1990) is an American actor. He is best known for his roles as Barry Allen / The Flash on The CW series ''The Flash'' (2014–2023) as part of the Arrowverse and as Sebastian Smythe on the Fox series ''Gl ...

Barry Allen / Flash Barry may refer to: People and fictional characters * Barry (name), including lists of people with the given name, nickname or surname, as well as fictional characters with the given name * Dancing Barry, stage name of Barry Richards (born c. 195 ...

: A Central City superhero with super speed. Gustin reprises his role from ''The Flash''. *

Stephen Amell Stephen Adam Amell (born May 8, 1981) is a Canadian actor. He came to prominence for playing the lead role of Oliver Queen on the CW superhero series ''Arrow'' (2012–2020), based on DC Comics. Amell also appeared in subsequent Arrowverse franc ...

as Oliver Queen / Arrow / Green Arrow: A

Starling City This page lists the locations in the DC Universe, the shared universe setting of DC Comics. Sites Arrowcave The Arrowcave is the former base of operations of the Green Arrow and Speedy. Avernus Cemetery Avernus Cemetery is a hidden burial grou ...

vigilante archer. Amell reprises his role from ''

''. *

Emily Bett Rickards Emily Bett Rickards (born July 24, 1991) is a Canadian actress. She is known for her role as Felicity Smoak (Arrowverse), Felicity Smoak on The CW series ''Arrow (TV series), Arrow'', her first television credit. She reprised the role in the Ar ...

Felicity Smoak Felicity Smoak is a fictional character appearing in comics published by DC Comics. Her first appearance was in ''The Fury of Firestorm'' #23 (May 1984), created by writer Gerry Conway and artist Rafael Kayanan. She was originally the manager of ...

: A friend and partner of Oliver Queen. Rickards reprises her role from ''Arrow''. *

Hakeem Kae-Kazim Hakeem Kae-Kazim (born 1 October 1962) is a British actor and producer. He portrayed Georges Rutaganda in the film ''Hotel Rwanda'' (2004) and won a SAFTA for his performance in the film '' Riding with Sugar'' (2020). He produced and starred ...

as Benatu Eshu: A former general responsible for destroying Mari's village, seeking Zambezi's lost totems. *

Katie Cassidy Katie Cassidy (born November 25, 1986) is an American actress. Following several minor television roles, she came to attention as a scream queen after starring in the horror films ''When a Stranger Calls (2006 film), When a Stranger Calls'' (2006 ...

as Laurel Lance / Black Canary: A Star City attorney-turned-vigilante and a member of Oliver Queen's team. Cassidy reprises her role from ''Arrow''. *

Brandon Routh Brandon Routh (; born October 9, 1979) is an American actor. He portrayed Superman in the 2006 film ''Superman Returns'', which garnered him international fame. In 2011, he played the title character of the film '' Dylan Dog: Dead of Night''. H ...

as Ray Palmer / Atom: A scientist, inventor, businessman and CEO of Palmer Technologies who developed a power-suit that is now capable of shrinking. Routh reprises his role from ''Arrow''.

Guest

Kari Wuhrer Kari Samantha Wuhrer (born April 28, 1967) is an American actress, model, and singer. She is known for her time as hostess of the MTV game show ''Remote Control (game show), Remote Control'' (1988–1989), her portrayals of Abby Holland, Abigail ...

as Patty McCabe: Mari's deceased foster mother. *

Franz Drameh Franz Alhusaine Drameh (born 5 January 1993) is an English actor. His film debut was in Clint Eastwood's fantasy drama, ''Hereafter (film), Hereafter'' (2010). He also appeared in British film ''Attack the Block'' (2011) and the 2014 blockbuste ...

as Jefferson Jackson / Firestorm: A former high school athlete whose pro career was derailed by an injury who now works as an auto mechanic and serves as half of Firestorm with Martin Stein. Drameh reprises his role from ''The Flash''. *

Victor Garber Victor Garber, (born March 16, 1949) is a Canadian stage and film actor and singer. Known for his work on stage and screen, he has been nominated for three Gemini Awards, four Tony Awards, and six Primetime Emmy Awards. In 2022, he was made an ...

as Martin Stein / Firestorm: A nuclear physicist focused on transmutation, who is also half of the character Firestorm with Jefferson Jackson. Garber reprises his role from ''The Flash''. *

Toks Olagundoye Olatokunbo Susan Olasobunmi Abeke "Toks" Olagundoye (born 16 September 1975) is a Nigerian actress known for playing Jackie Joyner-Kersee on '' The Neighbors'', Hayley Shipton on ''Castle'' and Olivia Finch on ''Frasier''. She also voices Nanefu ...

as Esi: Mari's deceased biological mother.

Episodes

Season 1 (2015)

Season 2 (2016)

Development

In January 2015,

announced that a six-episode animated web-series centered on

Vixen Foxes are small-to-medium-sized omnivorous mammals belonging to several genera of the family Canidae. They have a flattened skull; upright, triangular ears; a pointed, slightly upturned snout; and a long, bushy tail ("brush"). Twelve species ...

from

would be debuting on

in late 2015, and would be set in the

with ''

'' and ''

''. In total, the six episodes encompass one 30-minute story. The series, described as an "origin story", is set in

Detroit, Michigan Detroit ( , ) is the List of municipalities in Michigan, most populous city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is situated on the bank of the Detroit River across from Windsor, Ontario. It had a population of 639,111 at the 2020 United State ...

and "prominently" features characters from ''Arrow'' and ''The Flash''.

Keto Shimizu Keto Shimizu (born December 23, 1984) is an American television writer, Television producer, producer, and comic book writer. She is known for her work on the North American adaptation of ''Being Human (North American TV series), Being Human'' a ...

and

Brian Ford Sullivan Brian Ford Sullivan is an American television writer. He is known for his work on The CW superhero series ''Arrow''. Life and career He grew up, for the most part, in Chicago, Illinois. Sullivan founded the U.S. TV listing website ''The Futon ...

, writers on ''Arrow'', also serve as writers for ''Vixen''. On adding Vixen to the established universe, Guggenheim said, "Vixen's such a great character. First of all, she represents magic, which is an area that we haven't explored on either of the two shows just yet. One thing we're always saying is, ''Flash'' is very different from ''Arrow'', ''Arrow'' is very different from ''Flash.'' If ''Arrow'' is crime and ''The Flash'' is science, ''Vixen'' has a big magic component." Guggenheim also talked about why the series originated as animation, saying, "One of the things we can do in animation is really push the envelope in a way that we can't on either of the two shows. So there's a much larger production value. We're taking advantage of the animated form." At the 2015

San Diego Comic-Con San Diego Comic-Con is a comic book convention and multi-genre entertainment event held annually in San Diego, California, at the San Diego Convention Center. Founded in 1970, originally showcasing primarily comic books and science fiction/fant ...

, it was revealed that the series would debut on August 25, 2015, with new episodes debuting weekly. In July 2015, Guggenheim revealed the series takes place around episode S03E15 and S03E16 of ''Arrow'', saying, "We were shooting pisodeS03E14 f ''Arrow''when we wrote ''Vixen'' so we sort of tied it to the continuity not of when it ultimately came out because that would require us projecting very, very far into the future, but we just committed to our timeline of around when we were writing it. We knew, of course, at that point that Oliver would be going off to the

League of Assassins The League of Assassins (sometimes known as the League of Shadows or Society of Shadows in adapted works) is a group of supervillains appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. The group is depicted as a collective of assassins who ...

and changing his costume as a result, so this takes place just right before that."

Blake Neely Blake Neely (born April 28, 1969) is an American composer, conductor, and orchestrator. He has been nominated for seven Emmy Awards for his work on '' Everwood'', '' The Pacific'', ''Pan Am'', '' Pamela, a Love Story'', '' Good Night Oppy'' and ...

, composer of ''Arrow'' and ''The Flash'', composed the music for ''Vixen'' along with Nathaniel Blume. In January 2016, CW President Mark Pedowitz announced that The CW had renewed ''Vixen'' for a second season of six episodes, again totaling about a half-hour of content. Pedowitz also stated he regretted not airing the entire series as a half-hour special on The CW, something he hoped to do with season two. In January 2017, in terms of renewing ''Vixen'' for a third season, Pedowitz said, "We haven't had that discussion, but based on the success of he secondseason I have no reason why not to." The entire series made its broadcast debut on The CW on August 30, 2017.

Home media

In February 2017, Warner Bros. announced ''Vixen: The Movie'' for release on digital download on May 8, 2017, and on Blu-ray and DVD on May 23, 2017. The release sees the first two seasons combined into a single story, with 15 minutes of never-before-seen content. Bonus features on the release include the ''

Justice League Unlimited ''Justice League Unlimited'' (''JLU'') is an American superhero animated series that was produced by Warner Bros. Animation with DC Comics in season 3 and aired on Cartoon Network. Featuring a wide array of superheroes from the DC Universe, and ...

'' episodes "Hunter's Moon" and "Grudge Match" and a new featurette.

Reception

IGN ''IGN'' is an American video gaming and entertainment media website operated by IGN Entertainment Inc., a subsidiary of Ziff Davis, Inc. The company's headquarters is located in San Francisco's SoMa district and is headed by its former e ...

's Jesse Schedeen gave the series a 7.3/10, praising the action sequences, the animation and the tone, saying the series "finds its niche in the Flash/Arrow-verse". Schedeen criticized the short run time and the voice acting of some actors, particularly those crossing over from the live-action shows, saying "There's a certain stiffness and even slowness to

's Ollie,

's Barry and Carlos Valdes' Cisco that isn't present in live-action. This is especially apparent whenever the characters launch into witty banter with each other." Oliver Sava of ''

The A.V. Club ''The A.V. Club'' is an online newspaper and entertainment website featuring reviews, interviews, and other articles that examine films, music, television, books, games, and other elements of pop-culture media. ''The A.V. Club'' was created in ...

'' gave the series a "B+" rating. In 2017, Vixen was nominated for the Golden Reel Award for Outstanding Achievement in Sound Editing – Computer Episodic (Webisode).

Arrowverse

Guggenheim stated that if the series was successful, a live-action series centered on the character could be possible. Echikunwoke appeared as the character on ''Arrow'' during the fourth-season episode " Taken," in which Mari aided Oliver Queen and his team in rescuing his kidnapped son. After Vixen's appearance on ''Arrow'', Pedowitz reiterated again that it would be possible for the character to spin out to her own live-action series, or potentially join the characters on ''

''. It was originally intended for Echikunwoke to reprise her role in the second season of ''Legends of Tomorrow'', but she was unable to do so due to previous commitments.

Maisie Richardson-Sellers Maisie Richardson-Sellers is a British actress and director. She first gained recognition for her role as Rebekah Mikaelson / Eva Sinclair on The CW series '' The Originals''. She has since gained wider recognition for her starring roles as Kat ...

was ultimately cast to portray Amaya Jiwe, the grandmother of McCabe who also operated as Vixen. Kuasa appears throughout the third season of ''Legends of Tomorrow'', portrayed by

Tracy Ifeachor Tracy Ifeachor (born ) is a British television and theatre actress. She is best known for playing the role of Aya Al-Rashid in The CW vampire series '' The Originals'', and Abigail Naismith in the ''Doctor Who'' Christmas special, " The End of ...

, while Chuck McCabe appears in the episode " I, Ava" and is portrayed by Eli Gabay. The events of the season end up retroactively changing the continuity of ''Vixen'', resulting in an altered timeline where Zambesi was never destroyed, and Mari shares the Vixen mantle with Kuasa.

References

External links

* * {{CW Seed 2010s American adult animated television series 2010s American black cartoons 2015 American animated television series debuts 2016 American television series endings 2015 web series debuts 2016 web series endings 2010s American superhero television series American adult animated action television series American adult animated adventure television series American adult animated superhero television series American adult animated web series American animated web series American animated action television series American animated adventure television series American animated superhero television series American black superhero television shows American English-language television shows Animated television series about orphans American teen animated television series Television shows set in Ghana Television shows set in Detroit Television series by Warner Bros. Animation Adult animated television shows based on DC Comics Television series by Blue Ribbon Content Television series created by Marc Guggenheim American adult animated drama television series