Remember those good old days when your grandparents would tell you magical stories that would totally engross you? Although online video streaming may have replaced the original way of storytelling, Audible made efforts to bring it back through audio stories. Audible, the online audiobook service owned by Amazon, started a Hindi original podcast series Marvel’s Wastelanders based on the global franchise of the same name.
The series comprises six seasons in total, each focused on a different Marvel superhero. The first season, Marvel’s Wastelanders: Star-Lord, premiered this June with subsequent seasons releasing throughout 2023 and 2024. Apart from Star-Lord, instalments in Marvel’s Wastelanders series include Hawkeye, Black Widow, Wolverine, Doom, and Marvel’s Wastelanders. The second series, Hawkeye, premiered on 29 September.
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The Third Season
Following the success of Marvel’s Wastelanders: Star-Lord, voiced by Saif Ali Khan and the launch of Marvel’s Wastelanders: Hawkeye featuring Jaideep Ahlawat, Prajakta Koli, and Jennifer Winget, the six-season audio epic commences its third instalment. Marvel’s Wastelanders is making a return with its third instalment in the Hindi Audible Original podcast series, with Black Widow. The super intriguing trailer dropped today, leaving us piqued for the season that will be available to stream from 8 November.
The Plot
In a world devastated by chaos and upheaval, Black Widow returns in this action-packed, adrenaline-fueled adventure that aims to leave you on the edge of your seat. The trailer takes you on an exhilarating journey through the post-apocalyptic wastelands, where Helen Black has to navigate a treacherous landscape filled with new threats and old enemies. Explosive action sequences, mind-bending plot twists, and suspense await as she fights to uncover the truth and protect what remains of the world.
In this new season, Helen Black moves into a humble apartment in The Onar, a 161-story complex in post-apocalyptic Manhattan. Owned by S.H.I.E.L.D., The Onar symbolizes New York’s dystopic wealth divide after V-Day. Helen cryptically hints at her past troubles to her neighbour, Dr. Brian Mizuno. Simultaneously, Lisa Cartwright starts her job as a Residential Security Analyst, surveilling Helen’s section of The 100 Block. As she digs deeper, Lisa uncovers Helen’s true identity as the vengeful Black Widow, determined to topple the villains who threaten her world.
The Cast
The highlight of this new season, Marvel’s Wastelanders: Black Widow, is that Kareena Kapoor Khan is voicing the iconic character of Black Widow/Helen Black and Masaba Gupta is voicing Lisa Cartwright. Adah Sharma, and Vihaan Samat also lend their voices to characters Yelena Belova and Jordan Temple, respectively. This season captures the spirit of celebrating strong female leads. The cast also features
Nitu Chandra Srivastava, Aditi Bhatia, Gaurav Gera, Max Fernandes, Hitesh Bhojraj, Anil Datt, Danish Sood, Farhan Patel, Akash Makhija, and Ashwin Mushran.
Audience Reacts
The release of Marvel’s Wastelanders: Black Widow trailer featuring Kareena Kapoor Khan as Black Widow garnered enthusiastic and positive responses from fans. The comments section under Kareena’s post was flooded with appreciation. One fan said, “Super excited,” while another wrote, “This year was dominated by kareena kapoor khan she is literally everywhere queen for a reason.” A comment expressed, “Superrr Exciteddd my Favourite wish you best of luck lots of LOVe.”
About The Series
Marvel’s Wastelanders is the first collaboration between Audible and Marvel Entertainment and will be released simultaneously in French, German, Hindi, Italian and Japanese in the respective countries as a global audio experience with top-quality production, featuring renowned and high-profile actors in the roles of Marvel’s legendary Super Heroes.
The six-season audio epic was originally launched as an English-language series in June 2021. The original English version of Marvel’s Wastelanders: Black Widow was written by Alex Delyle (Fear the Walking Dead), directed by Timothy Busfield (Thirtysomething, The West Wing), with sound design and original music by Daniel Brunelle (The Two Princes, Sandra).
Audible’s Indian Market Hold
In 2021, Audible, a leading producer and provider of premium audio content, strengthened its content pipeline for India. The platform made a new catalogue of over 15,000 titles accessible as part of its ₹199 monthly subscription. Free and paid podcasts and Audible originals include those narrated by actors such as Sanya Malhotra, Kubbra Sait, Sayani Gupta and others. India is one of the fastest-growing markets globally, with an average engagement of two-and-a-half hours per day, the company said.
Creating a Hindi version of this original series is a genius idea as both Audible and Marvel Entertainment are tapping into their Hindi audience base through this podcast series. After loving the first two seasons, we look forward to witnessing Kareena Kapoor Khan and Masaba Gupta in Black WIdow.
