After ‘Devil May Cry’ Season 2, Adi Shankar Is Ready to Bring Another Legendary Gaming Icon to Life in Animation

Adi Shankar recently revealed what he has planned for Devil May Cry Season 2. He sees it as a fresh start that will be quite different from the first season. He says, “Season 1 had to be the gateway drug, but season 2, the storytelling is going to pivot. Season 2 is going to be different, stylistically and tonally, from season 1. Virgil is a big, very important character. It’s essentially a new show.”

He’s aiming high with this next season, wanting to top the success of other big animation hits like Arcane. He imagines it like showing up to a tank fight with just a water balloon, but still winning because it’s cool.

Aside from Devil May Cry, Shankar is also focused on another beloved video game character: Duke Nukem. He recently bought the rights to Duke Nukem, not the gaming rights, but the overall property, from Gearbox.

His vision for Duke Nukem is clear and unapologetic. “It’s a middle finger to everybody,” he says. “When Duke Nukem blew up, a bunch of people sat around trying to turn it into a brand, when it’s just a middle finger. Duke Nukem can’t be made by a corporation, because the moment a corporation makes Duke Nukem, it’s no longer Duke Nukem. I don’t intend on having anyone tell me what to do on this one.” This shows how much Shankar values creative control and staying true to the original spirit of the character.

Shankar isn’t just reviving old video game franchises. He wants to change the way American animation is seen.

To him, American cartoons are stuck in the past, seen mostly as children’s entertainment, while Japanese anime is seen as cool and grown-up. Shankar wants to bring that coolness to American animation. He explains, “I’m trying to make animation cool in the way hip-hop became cool. The way Kanye changed fashion. The way Virgil Abloh changed luxury.” He believes animation should have a grown-up energy and style, mixing Saturday morning cartoon nostalgia with modern, adult storytelling.

This vision has already brought him success with shows like Castlevania and Captain Laserhawk on Netflix. Now, with Devil May Cry Season 2 and Duke Nukem in the works, Shankar is ready to shake up the animation world even more. He wants his work to be bold, different, and something that can change how people think about cartoons in America.

From his roots in a nomadic childhood to standing ringside at WWE events dressed like his own animated hero, Shankar is living proof of reinvention and pushing boundaries. He sums it up himself: “I’m making American animation f—–g cool. That’s what I’m doing.”

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