Murphy's Multiverse

Author: Charles Murphy

  • RUMOR: A New Frontrunner Emerges for the Role of Reed Richards

    RUMOR: A New Frontrunner Emerges for the Role of Reed Richards

    No sooner did the Screen Actors Guild settle their long strike than the Marvel Studios rumor mill began to spin again. For quite some time, the cast of studio’s Fantastic Four reboot, helmed by Matt Shakman, has been the apple of scoopers’ eyes and now a new name has emerged from a pair of well-known MCU leakers.

    According to both Daniel RPK and Jeff Sneider, Disney Plus’ The Mandalorian‘s leading man, Pedro Pascal, may be ready to sign on the dotted line to take the role of Mister Fantastic.

    Pascal is roughly the one billionth name to be attached to the role of Richards and the third with ties to one of Disney’s otherajor brands, Star Wars, joining Adam Driver and Diego Luna. It has long been believed that Vanessa Kirby had signed on as Susan Storm, the Invisible Woman, and that Joseph Quinn (Stranger Things) was close to landing the role of her brother, Johnny, aka the Human Torch. The studio has been rumored to be looking long and hard to pair someone with Kirby and perhaps Pascal is their man!

  • ‘What If…?’ Season 2 Trailer Introduces a Totally Tubular Team of Avengers

    ‘What If…?’ Season 2 Trailer Introduces a Totally Tubular Team of Avengers

    Marvel Studios is trying something all-new and all-different with the second season of their first canonical animated adventure, What If…?, by switching up their long-standing release strategy. Starting December 22nd, fans will be able to tune into one multiversal adventure per day for nine days and, as seen in the first trailer for the project, will be meeting an interesting variant Avengers team.

    The trailer comes out swinging by introducing fans to an alternate universe where a very powered-up Peter Quill in what, based on Quill’s age, is either set in the late 1980s or early 1990s. The young Quill Variant, who based on the use of his powers, seems to have spent some time with his father, Ego, draws the attention of S.H.I.E.LD., run by Peggy Carter and Howard Stark, who send a very interesting team of Avengers to deal with the boy.

    As revealed over several scenes from the trailer, Quill is met by Bucky Barnes, Mar-Vell, Hank Pym/Ant-Man, Bill Foster/Goliath, King T’Chaka/Black Panther and Thor. The team is quite time-appropriate given what we know about the Sacred Timeline, though the inclusion of T’Chaka and Mar-Vell is very interesting given the relative anonymity of their alter egos in the 616 multiverse. Avengers Assemble!

  • ‘The Marvels’ EP Confirms the Post-Credit Scene’s Uncanny Inspiration

    ‘The Marvels’ EP Confirms the Post-Credit Scene’s Uncanny Inspiration

    The final scene of Marvel Studios’ action-packed The Marvels, which features Kamala Khan recruiting Kate Bishop to join a team of young heroes, was clearly inspired by the MCU’s first-ever stinger which introduced Samuel L. Jackson’s Nick Fury as he recruited Tony Stark after the events of Iron Man concluded. The post-credit scene to The Marvels hit hard as well and while it’s inspiration might not have been quite as apparent to moviegoers, we had a hunch we knew exactly where it came from and now Executive Producer Mary Livanos has confirmed that suspicion in an interview with EW.

    The scene features Teyonah Parris‘ Monica Rambeau waking up in an alternate universe and coming face-to-face with a super-powered Variant of her mother, Maria, played once again by Lashana Lynch. While it’s not the first time a powered up Variant of Maria has been seen on screen, this particular Variant was hanging out with the X-Men and going by the name Binary which seemed like a nod to author Chris Claremont’s beloved run on Marvel Comics Uncanny X-Men in which Carol Danvers spent quite a bit of time with the mutant super team. According to Livanos, that’s exactly what went down.

    “The notion that Monica ends up in an alternate universe with the hope that it could tie in with the X-Men was something I always had on my to-do list. I love how in the comics, Carol Danvers as Binary spends some time with the X-Men in space,” explained Livanos of the inspiration for the tag. “I’m so delighted that Kevin [Feige] and folks were stoked about the idea of Binary and the fact that she does fit into the X-Men universe. As a fan, I was just absolutely floored and delighted that we got to get Beast in there and have a big old X, right behind Binary. It was bananas.“

    As for how Kelsey Grammer, who first appeared as Beast in 2006’s X-Men: The Last Stand, ended up back in character for the first time in nearly a decade, Livanos said that was all Marvel Studios One Above All. “Kevin Feige just called him up! Kevin, of course, worked on the X-Men films back in the day, so they have their own wonderful relationship. We were just so lucky to have him.” Only a couple of years ago, Grammer expressed an interest in returning to the role so it’s unlikely Feige had to twist his arm for this appearance; however, given the way The Marvels ended, it seems possible the actor might get at leat one more chance to voice Dr. McCoy in the future.

    Source: EW

  • Iman Vellani Speaks Out on ‘Young Avengers’, MCU Muties Tag and ‘Ms. Marvel’ Season 2

    Iman Vellani Speaks Out on ‘Young Avengers’, MCU Muties Tag and ‘Ms. Marvel’ Season 2

    Despite a less-than-impressive box office, the majority of critics gave The Marvels a thumbs-up though not everyone was on board with Marvel Studios latest entry; however, it seems that very few, if any, critics had anything other than praise to heap upon Iman Vellani in her return as Kamala Khan. The young actress, who first appeared as the character in 2022’s Ms. Marvel, served both as the heart of the film and the film’s eponymous team and made quite the impression in her big screen debut. Though the SAG strike kept her from promoting the film and appearing at the premiere, Vellani was able to make a public appearance at a post-strike screening at the El Capitan and talked to THR about her experience.

    Ironically enough, despite social media’s derision of the film, The Marvels has done more to excite audiences about the future of the MCU than any other film in 2023. While that certainly calls into question the studio’s continued use of post-credit scenes to drive hype (the movie’s final scene and it’s tag are by far the most talked-about moments of the film), the reality is that The Marvels, as Vellai indicated in her interview, is hardly as disinteresting as you might think.

    “There was a version of this in an old script, but we never shot it,” explained Vellani about the film’s final scene in which she recruits Hailee Steinfeld‘s Kate Bishop to serve as one of the MCU’s Young Avengers. “And then there were rumors that we were going to get to it in additional photography, but with a different Young Avenger,” continued Vellaini, “So I never really got the script until right before additional photography and then I flipped out.”

    The film’s final scene serves as a fun imitation of the MCU’s first post-credit scene in 2008’s Iron Man in which Samuel L. Jackson‘s Nick Fury invited Robert Downey Jr.’s Tony Stark into a larger universe. For an MCU superfan like Vellani, having the opportunity to relive that excitement was important. “I immediately rewatched Iron Man and texted Nia in all caps,” said Vellani. “I was like, ‘I cannot believe the honor that I am getting right now. This is crazy!’ I did not need to rewatch that entire movie, but it didn’t hurt. So I was giddy the entire time. All of us were freaking out. It was also the last scene we shot for the movie, and it is the last scene of the movie.“

    As exciting as that scene was for fans of Marvel Comics, the film’s post-credit scene served up an even bigger tease as it revealed that Teyonah Parris‘ Monica Rambeau landed in an alternate universe where the X-Men seemed to be a prominent force. Given that Kamala was revealed as the MCU’s first mutant in Ms. Marvel, the scene, which featured Kesley Grammer‘s Beast, seemed to carry some added significance.

    “They shot the mid-credit scene during principal [photography],” explained Vellani. “They shot it earlier, so they knew what they were doing. But I thought it was going to be something else. I did not realize Beast [Kelsey Grammer] was in it. I knew they shot it, but I was expecting to see something else. And lo and behold, they kept the secret even from me,” added the actress who has a famously open-door relationship with Marvel Studios’ head honcho, Kevin Feige. “I literally jumped and had a heart attack on my bed when I watched it for the first time. I literally texted every single person we worked with, and I was like, “How could you keep this from me?” But at least I got to experience it as a fan, which was so cool. I’m just so excited to see what they do with that in the future.“

    When pressed as to whether or not the scene was included as a tie-in to Ms. Marvel’s reveal that Kamala was the MCU’s first mutant, which Vellani called “an honor”, the actress fell back to the old MCU axiom that it’s all connected. “Yeah, I think they’re connecting a lot of things,” said the actress. “They’re sprinkling in the mutants here and there. We saw [Charles Xavier] in Multiverse of Madness. So I honestly am not privy to what they’re doing with the X-Men and how they’re going to incorporate them, but it is extremely cool and a really big flex to have one in our own movie. Well, two, if you count me.“

    Given Marvel Studios’ less than stellar track record on following through with their post-credit tags and the recent turmoil that has seemed to leave some of the studio’s plans up in the air, it remains to be seen just what importance, if any, the tag will have. However, it’s clearly something that has gained some traction in the minds of fans of the MCU and with the recent struggles the studio’s projects have had, it’s safe to assume they’ll enjoy the online debate about exactly what’s going on in the stinger.

    On the topic of things that seem safe to assume, a second season of Ms. Marvel seems a fairly safe bet despite the uncertainty currently permeating Marvel Studios’ future. Though she certainly didn’t confirm it, Vellani is quite hopeful that the sophomore season will happen, especially given the positive vibes her performance in The Marvels has received. “I am patient, and honestly, I hope all the love that Kamala is getting from this movie inspires people to be more vocal about wanting a season two. I would absolutely love to continue this story, and Kamala and her entire community has so much story left to tell. I want to see Bruno [Matt Lintz] again. I want to see Nakia [Yasmeen Fletcher] again, and that’s just me. So it would be really amazing to have a season two, and there’s so many different directions we can go with it.”

    The Marvels is now in theaters and all episodes of Ms. Marvel are available to stream on Disney Plus.

    Source: THR

  • ‘The Marvels’ Uncanny Post-Credit Scene’s Explained

    ‘The Marvels’ Uncanny Post-Credit Scene’s Explained

    By now, even if you haven’t seen the movie it’s likely you’ve heard about the beastly post-credit scene of The Marvels. The scene brought Monica Rambeau face-to-face with an alternate reality variant of her mother, Maria, and a very familiar furry friend. Despite it being clear who everyone is, there’s no clarity about exactly where in the multiverse she is, leaving the audience just as confused as Monica. While we can’t offer any clarity on that, we can look to the comics for a little help about what might have gone down in that universe before her arrival.

    After Kelsey Grammar’s Beast is revealed, a wider look at the facility in which Monica is recovering makes it clear that she’s in an X-Men facility. It’s also revealed that in this universe, Maria is a fully costumed superhero. While we’ve seen that idea fleshed out once before in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, it’s a little different here as Beast refers to her as Binary and she’s wearing quite a different costume. Given what we know, it seems that this post-credit scene is very heavily influenced by longtime Marvel Comics writer Chris Claremont’s beloved Uncanny X-Men run.

    From 1975 through 1991, Claremont gave new life to the X-Men and made them one of Marvel Comics premier teams. In 1982, Claremont wrote Carol Danvers into Uncanny X-Men #158, kicking off a long run of her appearing in his X-book and even becoming an honorary member of the team. Claremont remade Danvers, who had never been anywhere near as fully realized as she was during her time in his books. In Uncanny X-Men #164, Danvers–with a brand new power set, took the name Binary.

    While not everything lines up perfectly, the universe in which Monica wakes up at the end of The Marvels may be one in which events much like those from Claremont’s Uncanny X-Men have unfolded. Just how that will impact the future of MCU, if at all, remains to be seen but it would be great to see nods to the Shi’ar space opera, Rogue’s interesting history with Carol (which would probably be with Maria, instead) or even the Morlocks pop up the next time we see that universe on screen.

  • REVIEW: ‘Loki’ Season 2 Finale

    REVIEW: ‘Loki’ Season 2 Finale

    The reinvention of the God of Lies is complete. With a thrilling and satisfying finale to the second season of Loki, Tom Hiddleston has roundly addressed critics’ concerns (including my own) about how much could possibly have been left in the tank for a character who had already done so much. Hiddleston’s dedication to the character, a fantastic creative team that was fully dedicated to some ridiculous sci-fi concepts and held fast to their vision and a deep cast combined to provide 12 incredible episodes of streaming television including an astounding season (and likely series) finale.

    Though it won’t be the last time we see Loki, “Glorious Purpose” was a wonderfully fitting bookend to the entire series (you’ll recall that the first episode of the series was also entitled “Glorious Purpose”). Loki’s journey into mystery led him right back to where Season 1 ended and put him face to face once again with He Who Remains who, sort of unsurprisingly, revealed that every step of said journey–including his own “death” and all the crazy bits that went on in Season 2–where engineered by him. Having spent centuries trying to save every reality and totally recreating himself along the way, Loki’s refusal to take He Who Remains final offer as an answer leads him to make a choice that nobody, including himself, could have ever predicted. No longer the conqueror or mischief maker, Loki reanimates the dead branches of reality and sets himself about the endless task of giving life to others at the expense of his own freedom. Free will outside of the boundaries set by He Who Remains.

    (L-R): Owen Wilson as Mobius, Wunmi Mosaku as Hunter B-15, Eugene Cordero as Casey, Sophia Di Martino as Sylvie, Ke Huy Quan as O.B., and Tom Hiddleston as Loki in Marvel Studios’ LOKI, Season 2, exclusively on Disney+. Photo by Gareth Gatrell. © 2023 MARVEL.

    As a finale to a season and the series, the episode lands because it ties up so many of the series’ threads nearly as neatly as Loki ties together the branched timelines. Loki is the MCU’s longest experiment with longform narration to date and it’s a tall task for any writing room to keep everything together over the course of nearly 12 hours of a series. Thankfully despite series creator Michael Waldron moving on, the studio maintained continuity by handing the keys to the show to one of Season 1’s most key contributors, Eric Martin. Resultant of that, Season 2 picked up where Season 1 left off, took the audience on a wild romp and then dropped them right back off in a familiar place with the main character in a familiar predicament.

    For as complicated as the sci-fi weirdness of the show seemed to be, in the end, Loki remained a fairly straightforward character study of one of the MCU’s greatest characters. And powered by one of the MCU’s greatest talents in Hiddleston, Loki became the warm light for all mankind to share. In that regard, Loki was more than just a series that maintained continuity over 12 episodes; it was a reverential ode to every beat that has made the character so popular since he first appeared in 2011’s Thor. In just about every way, Loki is the MCU’s “Breaking Good” full of all the things that make stories great. Perhaps, in his big chair at the end of time, this was a story written by the God of Stories himself.

  • Marvel Studios Overhauls Its Theatrical Slate

    Marvel Studios Overhauls Its Theatrical Slate

    Less than 24 hours after the Screen Actors Guild reached a settlement to end their strike, Disney made several adjustments to Marvel Studios upcoming theatrical slate. While the changes will make 2024 pretty barren, 2025 looks to be a strong year for the studio.

    As star Ryan Reynolds shared earlier in the day, the untitled Deadpool movie will hit theaters in the Summer of 2024, moving from May 3rd to July 26th. Two films that were still clinging to hopes of a 2024 release are no officially slated for 2025. Captain America: Brave New World and Thunderbolts are headed to theaters on February 14th, 2025 and July 25th, 2025, respectively, and will surround Fantastic Four which is still slated for a May 2, 2025 debut. Finally, Blade, which has seen significant delays as the creative team has undergone multiple changes, is not set for a November 7th, 2025 release.

    Like 2025, 2026 is set to see four theatrical releases. Marvel Studios is holding dates in February, July and November for untitled films and Avengers: The Kang Dynasty remains on the slate for a May 3, 2025 drop.

  • Kevin Feige Addresses Harry Styles’ MCU Future

    Kevin Feige Addresses Harry Styles’ MCU Future

    It’s been just over two years since a post-credit scene from Eternals revealed Harry Styles and Patton Oswalt had joined the MCU as Starfox and Pip the Troll, respectively. As is often the case with Marvel Studios, the appearance of the two came with the unspoken promise of further adventures which, to date, have yet to occur or even be addressed. Eternals wasn’t especially well-received and between some changes to the inner workings at Marvel Studios and a pair of strikes that have greatly impacted production, there’s hardly been a deluge of news on future projects which has left some fans asking what future, if any, Styles’ character might have.

    During the premiere of The Marvels, ET asked Marvel Studios One Above All, Kevin Feige, if he could shed some light on when fans might see Starfox again.

    “He’s excited. We’re excited. We will see,” said Feige of Styles. “You introduce a lot of new characters in a lot of movies and a lot of tags. Where do the tag folk reappear? That’s a good question.“

    While it’s not the first time Feige has addressed when Styles might reappear, he’s still not giving much of an answer here. As is the case with most of the Eternals, there’s no clear-cut path for Starfox to have further adventures within in the ongoing Multiverse Saga. Many of the character’s common comic book companions are no longer involved in the MCU which means like many characters who have made the jump from page to screen, whatever adventures await Starfox are likely to be original ones. Additionally, it’s very likely that the MCU version will mostly be Starfox in name only as he’ll almost certainly undergo major changes from his troublesome comic book counterpart.

  • Early Reactions Call ‘The Marvels’ “Crazy” and a Fun Time at the Movies, Praise Iman Vellani

    Early Reactions Call ‘The Marvels’ “Crazy” and a Fun Time at the Movies, Praise Iman Vellani

    Ahead of its wide release this weekend, The Marvels screened for select members of the media across the globe and at its own red carpet premiere yesterday. While the film is currently tracking to have a woeful opening weekend, there’s some hope that positive reviews and word of mouth may give it a boost. While full reviews are embargoed a bit longer, first reactions have hit social media and are–to nobody’s surprise–overwhelmingly positive.

    The short run time is a big seller…

    One of the dumbest social media trends of our time is to prejudge projects based on their runtime. The Marvels is officially the shortest entry in the MCU’s long history…and nobody that has seen it is complaining.

    Iman Vellani is the truth…

    Anyone who watched Marvel Studios Disney Plus streaming series Ms. Marvel knows how wonderful Iman Vellani was as Kamala Khan. It seems nothing has changed on that front.

    https://twitter.com/heylarry/status/1722120709680361743

    There’s some crazy surprises…

    Apparently, director Nia DaCosta understood the assignment and made sure to pack the short runtime with a wild surprise or two.

    https://twitter.com/heylarry/status/1722121587342594065

    It’s not all good….

    Though it sounds like it’s no fault of Zawe Ashton’s, the film’s villain, Dar-Benn, seems to be a Phase 2 level miss.

  • New Synopsis for ‘The Marvels’ Promises Multiversal Madness

    New Synopsis for ‘The Marvels’ Promises Multiversal Madness

    Down to days before the release of The Marvels, Marvel Studios has made some significant changes in its marketing approach. Facing a disappointing opening weekend at the box office, the studio released a new trailer full of scenes ripped from the film’s third act (something they have typically avoided over the years) that play up the film’s multiversal stakes. Now, a new synopsis further teases the problems caused by the tear in space.

    In Marvel Studios’ “The Marvels,” Carol Danvers aka Captain Marvel has reclaimed her identity from the tyrannical Kree and taken revenge on the Supreme Intelligence. But unintended consequences see Carol shouldering the burden of a destabilized universe. When her duties send her to an anomalous wormhole linked to a Kree revolutionary, her powers become entangled with that of Jersey City super-fan Kamala Khan, aka Ms. Marvel, and Carol’s estranged niece, now S.A.B.E.R. astronaut Captain Monica Rambeau. Together, this unlikely trio must team up and learn to work in concert to save the universe as “The Marvels.”

    As seen in the trailer, Monica Rambeau is tasked with investigating and repairing the wormhole created by Zawe Ashton’s Dar-Benn. Given what awaits on the other side of that tear, it’s shocking that the studio featured it in the latest trailer (they’ve also already shown what’s over there as well). While all signs point to The Marvels winding up as a box office disappointment for the studios, first reactions will hit social media later today so maybe some positive last-minute word of mouth can help boost the opening weekend take.