Saif Ali Khan, Kareena Kapoor, Jaideep Ahlawat turn superheroes for Marvel’s Wastelanders podcast. Here’s who plays what

Marvel’s Wastelanders, a new Hindi Audible Original podcast, has roped in several Indian celebs for their upcoming six podcasts. Saif Ali Khan, Kareena Kapoor Khan, Jaideep Ahlawat, Sharad Kelkar, Ashish Vidhyarthi, Vrajesh Hirjee, Masaba Gupta, Mithila Palkar, Sushant Digvikr, Prajakta Koli, Yashaswini Dayama, and Anangsha Biswas will all play characters of the Marvel universe. The superheroes have to adjust to a post-apocalyptic future where the super villains have been in charge for more than 30 years after a tragic event, V-Day, that killed nearly all the former guardians, including Thor, Captain America, Hulk and Iron Man. Those who have survived must find a way to live and move on. (Also read: Jeremy Renner’s co-star Evangeline Lilly says actor’s recovery is a ‘miracle’: ‘He’s made of something really tough…’)

In Marvel’s Wastelanders: Star-Lord, Saif Ali Khan is Peter Quill and Vrajesh is Rocket Raccoon. The heroes are a bit older and slower as they crash land on Earth to find that Doctor Doom has taken over along with other super villains like Ghost Riders and Kraven the Hunter. This series will be launched on June 28, 2023 and is the only series to have finished recording. Anangsha Biswas plays the Collector who sends the Guardians of the Galaxy out on a mission.

Jaideep Ahlawat plays Hawkeye in Marvel’s Wastelanders: Hawkeye, the sole survivor of the Avengers. The sharpshooter, who is now losing his sight, has become a sideshow freak. He gets reunited with his estranged 17-year-old daughter Ash (Prajakta Kohli) as they both set out on a mission to avenge the ones they have lost in their lives.

Kareena Kapoor and Masaba collaborate in Marvel’s Wastelanders: Black Widow. The actor plays Helen Black who moves into a new 161-story apartment complex in midtown Manhattan, owned and operated by S.H.I.E.L.D. Masaba plays Lisa Cartwright, a Junior Residential Security Analyst for a private security company hired by S.H.I.E.L.D. who has to spy on the residents. As she looks into Helen, she finds that the woman is not at all who she says she is.

Sharad Kelkar plays a guilt-ridden Wolverine in Marvel’s Wastelanders: Wolverine. When he finds Sofia (Mithila Palkar), a young mutant in-hiding and it becomes his mission to send her off safely to the remaining X-Men, but before that he has to taken on Red Skull, who is now president of United States and has an open agenda against him. The final series of the podcast is Marvel’s Wastelanders: Doom which features Ashish Vidyarthi as Doctor Doom. He frees himself after 30 years of imprisonment and gets ready to take revenge on those betrayed him on The Day The Villains Won. He gets help from Valeria Richards (Yashaswini Dayama), the daughter of his enemy, Fantastic Four’s Reed Richards. But can he trust her?

The audio fiction series has been artistically directed by Mantra Mugdh, who was on hand to present the new superheroes at the event in Mumbai. Of the names announced today, it was a mixed bag of those who had worked in the audio medium before like Sharad, Prajakta and Vrajesh, and those who hadn’t. Actors like Saif, Kareena and Masaba were all making their audio debuts with the podcast. The event also had a superhero team up as Saif, Kareena, Jaideep and Sharad got into character to give audiences a look ahead at what their characters would sound like in the series.