Netflix's Super Crooks Trailer Promises More Millarworld Madness

What's the only thing more dangerous than a team of supervillains? A team of supervillains with a plan.

That's the idea behind the comic limited series "Supercrooks" by writer Mark Millar and artist Leinil Francis Yu, which is being adapted into the anime series "Super Crooks" by Netflix next month. A group of down-on-their-luck supervillains join up for a daring, "Ocean's 11"-style heist. Their target? The riches contained within the compound of the most successful villain of them all, who has retired to a life of luxury in Spain. To pull off the job, they'll have to avoid the big boss, the authorities, and their old superheroic nemeses. 

In June, Deadline reported that Netflix had ordered a live-action adaptation of "Supercrooks," even as it was cancelling the series based on Millar's "Jupiter's Legacy." For now, fans of the comic can get a taste of what the animated version will look like, thanks to a new trailer released by Netflix October 22.

The trailer is, in the parlance of our times, no plot, just vibes. The only characters introduced by name are Johnny Bolt, the team leader supervillain with a power set based on the manipulation of electricity, and the superhero Praetorian, who Bolt says has "200 different powers," including, based on the trailer, flight, super strength, laser vision, pyrokinesis, and the ability to duplicate himself. Details of the plot are similarly vague. At least one heist is being planned, with promises that its success will make all the participants millionaires, but there aren't many details about who the target is or why they've gone after him.

The vibes are impressive. The adaptation was handled by Japan's storied Bones Inc. studio, which has worked on "Cowboy Bebop: The Movie," "My Hero Academia," and "Full Metal Alchemist." The action, featuring teleportation, motorcycle chases, and what appears to be a trolley riding down a city street on a base made of ice, is impressive.

Netflix's plot description seems to indicate that the series will be following the comic storyline closely: "Johnny Bolt recruits a group of ragtag supervillains for one last heist. Their target: A ruthless super-powered crime boss. What can go wrong?" But CBR reports that the series won't be a pure adaptation of Millar and Yu's series, but instead something of a prequel that shows its heroes and villains (or villains and heroes) before the comic's grand heist before eventually catching up to the events of the series.

The move will help them get more mileage out of what was originally only a four-issue comic book. Series director Motonobu Hori told Animation Magazine that the comic will only consist of about 3.5 of the series' 13 episodes. "The original plot for the new section was written by Mark, but when we were turning it into the actual piece, I didn't think it was a good idea to veer from the original feel, so I was very careful about that," Hori said.

The additional space may also help them alter or provide context for some of the comic plotlines that might seem more dated today. For instance, in the comics, Johnny blackmails the superhero The Gladiator into helping his crew with the heist by threatening to expose his homosexuality. Granted, while every individual is different and has to come to their own accord with regards to their personal preferences and the societal pressures they might feel, in a world where the new Superman is bisexual, they may have to work harder to make sure that particular card carries enough weight to convince Gladiator to team up with his archenemy.

"Super Crooks" will be available on Netflix beginning November 25.