Ultra Violet & Black Scorpion

Ultra Violet & Black Scorpion is an American superhero coming-of-age action-comedy television series developed by Leo Chu and Eric S. Garcia and created by Dan Hernandez and Benji Samit that aired on Disney Channel from June 3 to November 11, 2022. The series stars Scarlett Estevez, J.R. Villarreal, Marianna Burelli, Juan Alfonso, Brandon Rossel, Zelia Ankrum, and Bryan Blanco.

Plot

The series centers on 13-year-old Violet Rodriguez who is constantly overshadowed by her brother Santiago Rodriguez. One day, she is chosen by a magical Luchador mask to be its wearer. When she puts it on, Violet becomes a superhero that possesses super-speed. In need of a collaboration, she trails the Luchador superhero Black Scorpion and discovers that he is Violet's uncle Cruz. With both of them knowing each other's secrets, Cruz agrees to train Violet and have her follow in his footsteps.

Cast

Main

Scarlett Estevez as Violet Rodriguez / Ultra Violet, a 13-year-old girl who gets chosen by a magical Luchador mask that transforms her into a superhero with super-speed
J.R. Villarreal as Cruz De la Vega / Black Scorpion, Violet's maternal uncle and superhero mentor who owns a wrestling gym and fights crime in secret where he possesses super-strength and the ability to teleport through shadows
Marianna Burelli as Nina Rodriguez, Violet's mother and Cruz's sister who is the principal of Dolores Huerta Middle School
Juan Alfonso as Juan Carlos Rodriguez, Violet's father who is a big lucha libre fan
Brandon Rossel as Santiago "Tiago" Rodriguez, Violet's over-achieving elder brother
Zelia Ankrum as Maya Miller-Martinez, Violet's best friend and confidante to whom Violet tells about the mask and secret identity
Bryan Blanco as Luis León, an antisocial hall monitor at Dolores Huerta Middle School and a gossip blogger who wants to unmask Ultra Violet

Recurring

Lorena Jorge as Catalina Rivera, a school counselor at Dolores Huerta Middle School and Cruz's love interest who is secretly the matter-phasing masked antihero known as Cascada

Episodes

Production

On January 21, 2020, Disney Channel gave Ultra Violet & Blue Demon a cast-contingent pilot order. Dan Hernandez and Benji Samit serve as executive producers. Blue Demon Jr. was also set to be an executive producer. Dan Hernandez and Benji Samit serve as writers.

On March 11, 2020, it was announced that Juan Alfonso joined the series. Marianna Burelli, Brandon Rossel, Zelia Ankrum, and Bryan Blanco were also announced to star in the series. The first episode was set to be directed by Alejandro Damiani.

On August 2, 2021, it was announced that J.R. Villarreal had joined the series, now titled Ultra Violet & Black Scorpion. Eric Garcia and Leo Chu serve as showrunners and additional executive producers. Blue Demon Jr. no longer has any involvement with the series. The series is filmed using single-camera. It was filmed in New Orleans.

On April 28, 2022, it was announced that the series would premiere on June 3, 2022. The first ten episodes were released on Disney on June 8, 2022. On November 18, 2022, it was reported that the series was canceled after one season.

Reception

Critical response

Alex Reif of Laughing Place wrote, "Ultra Violet & Black Scorpion has a lot of fun with a premise that has proved popular recently with shows like Miraculous: Tales of Ladybug and Cat Noir. At its core, it’s a Disney Channel comedy, but it has a lot to say about remaining true to yourself and celebrating your cultural heritage. There’s a meaningful and relatable message for all viewers, but particularly those in the Mexican American community." Thomas West of Screen Rant stated that Ultra Violet & Black Scorpion "manages to set itself apart from many of the other superhero series that have occupied so much of the popular culture sphere."

Diondra Brown of Common Sense Media gave Ultra Violet & Black Scorpion a grade of three out of five stars, complimented the depiction of positive messages and role models, citing the dynamic between the characters of Violet and Black Scorpion, and took notice of the diverse representations across the characters, while calling the series a "funny action show." Andrew McGrotty of MovieWeb included in their "Best TV Series Coming to Disney in October 2022" list, asserting, "The series has been a hit with viewers."