After seeing what Velma decided to do with one season 2 character, it’s quite a relief that Scooby-Doo isn’t present in the spinoff show. Velma is a Max original animated series that was written by and stars The Office alum, Mindy Kaling. The show tells the origin story of Velma and how she found herself joining the iconic Mystery Inc. Since its release in 2023, Velma has been met with quite a bit of controversy.
Velma has chosen to make some major changes to the original Scooby-Doo characters that just don’t sit right with viewers. On top of that, the show has a sense of humor that hasn’t really landed with audiences and some over-the-top storylines that don’t feel true to the source material. Following the startling season 2 finale, it is unclear as to whether Velma will get a third season. If it does end up happening, however, the finale proved that Scooby-Doo should remain uninvolved with the series.
The season 2 finale of Velma ultimately proves that it’s a really good thing the show never brought the classic, big, brown Dane, Scooby-Doo, into the mix. Velma decided to position Scrappy-Doo as the villain of the show. In a childhood-ruining moment, Scrappy-Doo ended up murdering Velma. Velma then came back as a ghost and murdered Scrappy-Doo.
It’s clear that Velma doesn’t mind putting fan-favorite characters into really disturbing situations that change the way viewers see them. That’s why it is for the best that Scooby-Doo has not been present in the show. He is too iconic and beloved of a character to potentially ruin. Given how dark in nature Velma is, there is no telling how the show would have chosen to utilize him, and it could have done irreparable damage to how audiences see him.
Though it may seem confusing that Scooby-Doo is not in the Velma spinoff show, it is actually for good reason. Charles Grandy, Velma‘s showrunner, has explained that what made the original Scooby-Doo content for children was the presence of Scooby-Doo. Warner Bros. Animation also said that the show could not use the dog in this adult spinoff, which ultimately coincided with the creative team’s desire to make a more mature take.
According to Insider, Grandy has also shared that he wanted to be respectful of the importance and iconicness of these Scooby-Doo characters. He said, “We didn’t want to just kind of take these beloved characters and put them in outrageous or gross situations and say, ‘Isn’t it crazy you did that to Velma?‘” Given that Velma did end up putting characters like Scrappy-Doo into some pretty head-scratching situations, it’s certainly for the best that Scooby-Doo isn’t involved.