CW Seed premiered its new animated series Vixen in 2015, and everyone needs to watch it! This fierce heroine is authentic and relatable in the way that she is shown as a flawed character. Not to mention the fact that the show will have you giggling with the addition of Carlos Valdes as Cisco Ramon. His sense of humor from The Flash will be sure to translate over into the animated version of his character. Vixen was announced in early January of last year.
The show follows Mari McCabe as Vixen, who inherits a magical item that gives her access to the many talents of various animals. She can be as fast as a cheetah, as strong as a rhino, or as camouflaged as a gecko. If an animal can do it, so can she. “As the superhero Vixen, McCabe seeks to protect the world from the greed, corruption, and violence that took the lives of her parents.” According to lead character designer, Phil Bourassa, the show is all about McCabe trying to figure out who she is, what her powers mean, and trying to figure out where they came from. Arrow and The Flash alum Marc Guggenheim takes up the role as executive producer, and James Tucker directed the animated series.
Vixen takes place in the same universe as the CW’s Arrow and The Flash. So this could be seen as a fourth addition to the DC troupe of shows on The CW, including the upcoming 2016 Legends of Tomorrow, set to premiere on January 21st. Stephen Amell and Grant Gustin have reprised their roles as the Arrow and the Flash. Emily Bett Rickards also voices her character, Felicity Smoak, within the show. Megalyn Echikunwoke voices the role of Vixen. Echikunwoke has a main role in the upcoming A&E drama Damien and she has also voiced a character named Angie in American Dad!
The CW Seed is a web-based platform that describes itself as the “younger sibling” of The CW “that didn’t get as much parental supervision.” The CW Seed broadcast classics such as Whose Line Is It Anyway? and The Flash from 1990, as well as original shows like Backpackers, Very Mallory, and Husbands.
This is the first animated series with an African-American women as the lead, and I hope to see her cross over into her live action counterparts Arrow and The Flash in the future. The show will run for six episodes.