The Violent, Chaotic Russo Brothers TV Show That Time Forgot

The Big Picture

• Deadly Class is a show about teen assassins featuring genre-bending elements and a talented ensemble cast that feels like real teenagers.
• The Russos' involvement in Deadly Class showcases their ability to handle ensembles and blend different genres, much like in their MCU films.
• The involvement of the original comic's creative team in Deadly Class sets it apart from other comic book adaptations and offers a faithful representation.

Joe and Anthony Russo rocketed to prominence with their directorial work in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, closing out the Captain America trilogy with Captain America: The Winter Soldier and Captain America: Civil War – and later, the Infinity Saga with the one-two punch of Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers: Endgame. Naturally, if you direct critical and commercial successes for a long-running franchise, Hollywood will write you a ticket to do whatever you want and the Russos utilized that opportunity when they created AGBO studios. AGBO has produced a number of television shows and films, ranging from the Oscar-winning Everything Everywhere All At Once to the bloody thrills of Netflix's Extraction franchise.

Prior to this, the Russos served as executive producers on the Syfy series Deadly Class. Based on the Image Comics series by Rick Remender and Wes Craig, Deadly Class only lasted a single season – yet it would feature many of the Russos' trademark flourishes, including playing with genre conventions and working with a talented ensemble cast.

What Is 'Deadly Class' About?

Deadly Class

A coming-of-age story set against the backdrop of late 1980s counterculture, which follows a disillusioned teen recruited into a storied high school for assassins.

Deadly Class takes place in the late 1980's, where Marcus Lopez Arguello (Benjamin Wadsworth) is struggling to survive on the streets of San Francisco. His luck turns around when he's approached by Saya (Lana Condor), a mysterious girl who recruits him for the elite private school known as King's Dominion. King's Dominion isn't just any old private school; it's training its students to be the next generation of killers. Instead of science class, they learn how to mix poisons, gym class is learning how to deliver deadly strikes to your targets, and more. Marcus attempts to navigate the social structure of King's Dominon under the watchful eye of King Dominion's headmaster Lin (Benedict Wong)

He eventually finds a group of friends which includes Saya, Maria Salazar (María Gabriela de Faría) – a member of the Soto Vatos drug cartel, Willie Lewis (Luke Tennie) – an anarchist-in-training, and Billy Bennett (Liam James) – a punk rocker with an affinity for poisons and a hatred for his abusive father. Eventually, Marcus is forced to come face to face with his past when Chester Wilson (Tom Stevens), his old roommate from the boys' home he was sent to after his parents died, comes looking for vengeance after Marcus disfigured him in an attempt to escape said boys' home.

'Deadly Class' Blends The Russos' Talents For Wrangling Ensembles & Upending Genre Conventions

Critical reception for Deadly Class was fairly mixed, but a recurring element that received the most praise was the chemistry between the cast. Wadsworth, Condor, Tennie, James and de Faria feel like actual teenagers. Yes, there's the obvious fact that they're training to be assassins, but each of them slowly peels back the layers of their character to reveal some hidden truths as well as some massive insecurities. Willie, initially thought of as a hardened killer, is revealed to be a pacifist at heart. Billy is studying poisons so that he can kill his father and impress the head of the local death cult, Petra (Taylor Hickson). Saya has her own obligations to the Kuroki Syndicate. Marcus himself gets the worst of it; he's attracted to Saya, but Maria is attracted to him – and her ex-boyfriend, Chico (Michel Duval) isn't happy with it. Even Headmaster Lin has his own secrets, as he's revealed to have a family he's been keeping secret. The Russos were no stranger to handling various ensembles, whether it was their Marvel films or their TV work, and it's a trait that's continued in their recent films – most notably The Gray Man.

Another element that makes Deadly Class stand out is its marriage of genres, particularly the high school drama and the literal cutthroat realm of Kings' Dominion. Instead of cliques, there are different criminal syndicates and gangs. For instance, Willie belongs to the Final World Order, while the white supremacists known as the Dixie Mob are the "popular kids", among others. Once again, the Russos' approach to blending together different genres is on display. Captain America: The Winter Soldier was a spy thriller that happened to star a superhero in the lead, while Cherry was described as being "six movies in one". The original Deadly Class comics fall in line with this, as they often shift from drama to horror to action at the drop of a dime.

'Deadly Class' Is One Of The Rare Comic Adaptations That Involved Its Creative Team

What makes Deadly Class stand out from the pack of comic book adaptations is the fact that the comic's creative team was heavily involved. Remender served as an executive producer on the series and wrote or co-wrote multiple episodes; as a result, whole scenes feel like they were literally ripped right from the pages. One key example concerns the pilot, which features an animated sequence using Craig's artwork to depict the horror of Marcus' parents' deaths. A great deal of this is due to Deadly Class being published under Image Comics. Unlike Marvel or DC, Image allows its creators to have full ownership over their work. Remender has utilized this freedom to its fullest, even helping to craft the story for other adaptations of his work, including The Last Days of American Crime and the upcoming Tokyo Ghost from Legendary.

Deadly Class also marked a short-lived period of SyFy programming that was based on comic books. It was joined by Happy!, based on the graphic novel by Grant Morrison and Darick Robertson. Soon after, Krypton premiered. Even Wynona Earp, which is slated to make its own comeback this year, was based on a graphic novel from IDW Publishing. Sadly, almost all of these series (except Wynona Earp) were canceled after a season or two due to waning ratings. But in a way, Deadly Class and its compatriots proved that not every comic book adaptation needs to come from Marvel or DC. Both The Boys and Invincible have earned their own followings. Deadly Class also showcased that the Russos could stand on their own after leaving Marvel Studios, even if they didn't entirely leave the world of comic books behind. Case in point: their next project, The Electric State, draws from a graphic novel.

Deadly Class is available to rent or buy on Prime Video in the U.S.

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