With season 1 notably keeping the character off the show, a fan video sees HBO's Velma finally meeting her version of Scooby-Doo, now much more terrifying. Executive produced by and starring Mindy Kaling, the series presents an adult animated twist on the iconic franchise and primarily focuses on Velma Dinkley as she investigates a string of local teen girl murders and her own mother's disappearance. While critics were divided on the series, audiences were overwhelmingly critical of Velma season 1, pointing towards its overly meta storytelling and changes to the source show.
Fresh off the show's renewal announcement, Avocado Animations has released a fan video imagining HBO's Velma finally meeting Scooby-Doo.
Though initially a charming meeting, Velma and Scooby-Doo's introduction quickly becomes an unhinged nightmare as she starts to have flashbacks to the original cartoon version of herself and her Mystery Inc. friends, including their dead bodies, mauled by the Great Dane. Scooby-Doo himself lets down the façade to reveal himself as some deific being, recreating the universe the second his human companions begin questioning the nature of his existence in a similar vein to Dark City.
Will Velma Season 2 Introduce The Show's Scooby-Doo?
Well before the show hit HBO Max, it was confirmed that Velma season 1 would not include Scooby-Doo, with Kaling later explaining the decision came down to the character establishing a "kid show" tone. Kaling has also explained that Warner Bros. Animation shut down their efforts to include Scooby-Doo for the adult animated show, though didn't indicate why the studio prevented his being used for the series.
Velma season 1 indeed left Scooby-Doo out of the show, and though it was recently renewed for season 2, many of the show's tweaks to the larger Scooby-Doo mythos have made it difficult to introduce the Great dane in the future. Sam Richardson's Norville "Shaggy" Rogers frequently mentions his distaste for drugs and displays a far nerdier persona than prior incarnations of the character. Both elements would largely clash with Shaggy and Scooby-Doo's dynamic from earlier shows, in which they were often compared to stoners for their constant eating and laidback nature.
Though WB Animation may have prevented the character from appearing in Velma season 1, recent changes at Warner Bros. Discovery could lead to his inclusion. The studio has cancelled two different Scooby-Doo movies, citing tax write-offs as the reasoning for doing so, and with the franchise's brand in a tough spot following the audience backlash to Velma season 1, the studio may look to push for him to feature in some capacity.
Source: Avocado Animations