Murphy's Multiverse

Author: Charles Murphy

  • 4 Ideas We’d Like to See Explored in ‘Ant-Man 4’

    4 Ideas We’d Like to See Explored in ‘Ant-Man 4’

    Ant-Man and The Wasp: Quantumania may not have been well-received by critics but its strong performance during its opening weekend at the box office likely means it won’t be the last entry in the Ant-Man franchise. The support for Peyton Reed to return for a fourth film seems to be there as well as he and Executive Producer Stephen Broussard have noted that they have already begun thinking about the next film and having discussions with Marvel Studios One Above All, Kevin Feige.

    With a fourth film in the franchise unlikely to debut before Avengers: Secret Wars, it’s unlikely Scott’s fixation with Kang the Conqueror will still be unresolved, so what would the focus of the new project be? As always, we have some ideas inspired by the comics!

    Ant-Man, The Wasp and Stinger: Irredeemable

    2015’s Ant-Man set the stage for the plot of a sequel and given it’s yet to be revisited, the fourth film might be the perfect time for a handful of reasons. During the chaos at the Pym Tech HQ near the end of Ant-Man, Martin Donovan’s scumbag Hydra double agent Mitchell Carson stole a vial of Pym Particles and escaped while being chewed up by ants. Carson had been after Hank Pym’s great creation since the late 1980s when the two worked together at S.H.I.E.LD. and he holds quite a grudge against the good Doctor Pym. Bringing back Donovan and allowing him to have his revenge on Pym would make for a great opening act and grant Michael Douglas‘ wish to let Hank die!

    In the comics, Carson has some strong connections to Eric O’Grady, the third Ant-Man. Irredeemable could see Carson team up with O’Grady, another Pym Particle-Powered character, Erik Josten, and mutant loser Whirlwind to take his revenge on Hank and the Ant-Family. The three villains would nicely provide each of the film’s heroes with their own baddie. Scott and Josten, aka Atlas, could kaiju fight around San Francisco; O’Grady’s shady, stalker, perv vibes would put him at odds with Cassie; and Whirlwind, one of Janet van Dyne’s most persistent foes in the comics, could take on Hope. What would that leave for Janet? Revenge on Mitchell Carson who could even come complete with his mangled face as a result of the ant attack at the end of Ant-Man.

    All parties involved have expressed interest in going “smaller” in Ant-Man 4 after taking on Kang and this might be the best bet to make that happen.

    Ant-Man and The Wasp: Avengers Academy

    It would have been awesome to see the Young Avengers come together in an Ant-Man film but since Ant-Man 4 isn’t likely to hit theaters until after Avengers: Secret Wars, those characters will probably assemble on screen before then. That doesn’t mean, however, that Scott Lang and Hope van Dyne can’t mentor a new generation of heroes!

    While the Young Avengers were a group of powered people identified through Project Failsafe to be the next generation of heroes, Avengers Academy assembled a powered group of youngsters in hopes of keeping them from breaking bad. The Academy was led by Hank Pym, Tigra, Hawkeye, Jocasta, Quicksilver, Justice and Speedball with Pym and Tigra really at the forefront. It wouldn’t take a lot of imagination to revamp the roster of instructors and let Scott and Hope take the lead. The group could take on some of Ant-Man and The Wasp’s more proletariat rogues like Whirlwind or Kangaroo or Crossfire or take on something a little more awesome…like the Awesome Android and the Mad Thinker.

    Ant-Man, The Wasp and The West Coast Avengers

    Yes, the people involved in the Ant-Man franchise have expressed their desire for the fourth film to be a smaller film…but that doesn’t mean it can’t have a killer cast. The West Coast Avengers certainly seem to be headed to the MCU so why not let the fourth Ant-Man film be the place where the team assembles.

    Give Scott Hank’s place on the team and assemble Hawkeye, Mockingbird (now that we know she’s in the MCU), Moon Knight, Wonder Man and introduce Tigra and let this be the dumb fun movie of the year. Let Hawkeye use Pym Particles and become Goliath. Put them up against the Grim Reaper (maybe he’ll be introduced in Wonder Man) or the Zodiac…in all their crazy glory. There are so many wild stories waiting to be told in the pages of the West Coast Avengers comics that one must be just right for Ant-Man 4!

    Ant-Man and The Wasp: Vengeance

    This pitch exists for one reason: to introduce Jack of Hearts to the MCU. The film would take on elements of the comics and combine them with Jack of Hearts origins to create an adventure worthy of the Ant-Family and one that would provide Scott with one of his great comic book not-quite-besties.

    Hank Pym knows a lot of smart people, so introducing audiences to another one, Philip Hart, who has sovled the world’s energy crisis with his Zero Fuel wouldn’t be a stretch. When Hart’s invention is perfected and he’s ready to give it away, the criminal organization known as The Corporation steps in killing Philip and exposing his son, Jonathan, to the dangerous fuel and mutating him into the powerful–and dangerous–Jack of Hearts. Hank’s relationship with Philip could be enough to get him killed in the explosion, leaving Scott, Hope, Janet and Cassie on a quest for vengeance parallel with Jack’s. The Corporation is full of all types of terrible goons they could take on and the plot could, as comic book readers know, set the path to the end of Scott Lang’s time in the MCU as well.

  • Peyton Reed Discusses What His Future with Marvel Might Hold

    Peyton Reed Discusses What His Future with Marvel Might Hold

    Peyton Reed is in rare company at Marvel Studios. With the release of Ant-Man and The Wasp: Quantumania, Reed joined Jon Watts (Spider-Man) as the only directors to complete a trilogy of films for one franchise. They’ll be joined by James Gunn when Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 hits theaters in May and while Gunn’s future won’t include more Marvel Studios projects, Reed’s very well may. It’s already been made clear that ideas for a fourth Ant-Man film have been hatched and discussed with Kevin Feige so it seems just a matter of time before Ant-Man 4 gets the green light. But would Reed want to return for another round?

    That’s a lot more complicated answer than you might believe as Reed revealed in an interview with Collider. The short answer is definitely yes, but the director has some pretty interesting thoughts about what coming back would mean.

    It’s interesting because, you know, I’m superstitious about this stuff, right? I mean, when we were doing the first Ant-Man there was certainly no guarantee we were going to get to make a second one. And even after the second one, there was no guarantee. When we finally announced that, “Okay, we’re gonna make Quantumania, we’re gonna get to do this,” it was marshaling all the forces onto that because we knew if we’re gonna get to do a third one, it’s gotta be something altogether different. We gotta show the audience something different.

    For me, it was the Quantum Realm, of being able to create that whole world, worlds within worlds, and answer those questions. What the hell was Janet Van Dyne doing down there for 30 years? And also, to kick off Phase 5, to introduce Kang the Conqueror with Jonathan.

    Peyton Reed

    Reed’s interest in returning seems to be tied to making sure whatever comes next looks and feels different than what came before. Quantumania certainly accomplished that even if it wasn’t well-received critically. So what would a fourth film entail? While he doesn’t give a direct answer, inspiration might be found in the pages of Fantastic Four comics.

    So I was focused on that thing. Now that the trilogy is done, who knows? Again, years ago – you and I have talked about this before – I developed Fantastic Four like 20 years ago. I channeled a lot of my Fantastic Four love into the Ant-Man world, and specifically into Quantumania. You know, it’s no mistake that both are kind of dysfunctional families of superheroes, and in Fantastic Four they may go into the Negative Zone, we went to the Quantum Realm. I really scratched that itch with these movies.

    Peyton Reed

    With so many great Fantastic Four stories to be told and only so many films in which to tell them, it’s possible that Reed could continue to turn to them for inspiration for the Ant-Man franchise should things head in that direction. However, there are some other Marvel properties in the works that Reed might be interested in working on as well, should the opportunity present itself. “I want to play in a lot of different sandboxes,” said Reed of the idea of working outside of Marvel before adding, “I would never say no to a future doing stuff at Marvel. I mean, I’ve loved my time at Marvel, I love the people in Marvel, and I love what they’ve been able to do.“

    What other “stuff” at Marvel might have caught his eye? “I would do a Nova movie,” said Reed. “I love [The Man Called Nova]. That seems cool.” With a Nova project currently in development at Marvel Studios, Reed may just have his chance.

    Source: Collider

  • ‘Ant-Man and The Wasp: Quantumania’: Where the Threequel Fits on the MCU’s Timeline

    ‘Ant-Man and The Wasp: Quantumania’: Where the Threequel Fits on the MCU’s Timeline

    The MCU’s five-year time jump created all kinds of narrative space to explore within the Multiverse Saga and the creatives behind Marvel Studios’ Phase 4 projects took full advantage. While WandaVision takes place in 2023 just weeks after the events of Avengers: Endgame, Thor: Love and Thunder and The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special seem to be set in 2025. So where does the latest installment of the Multiverse Saga fall? Fortunately, Marvel Studios has made pinpointing the location of the events of Ant-Man and The Wasp: Quantumania on their timeline very simple!

    Ant-Man and The Wasp: Quantumania gives a few clues to its location on the timeline, including a slightly older Cassie, but the best bit of info doesn’t come from the movie itself, but rather from a combination of facts from another film and, more importantly, a member of Marvel Studios’ Parliament. During Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, which is seemingly set in early 2025, some information about the setting of Ant-Man and The Wasp: Quantumania is casually shared in a CNN ticker. That bit of info on the ticker reveals that Scott Lang is out and about on his book tour during the events of Wakanda Forever.

    Scott Lang continues tour in support of autobiography Look Out For The Little Guy.

    Black Panther: Wakanda Forever

    As exciting as that is, it doesn’t quite pinpoint Quantumania’s place on the timeline because book tours take some time. However, the events of Quantumania can clear things up a bit because it seems that the book reading seen in the film is probably the last one on the tour since Scott–and the rest of the Ant-Family–find themselves in the Quantum Realm shortly after. Thankfully, that’s where Parliament member Nate Moore‘s comments come into play and can clarify.

    The Marvel Cinematic Universe in Timeline Order as seen on Disney Plus

    In an interview with CinemaBlend, Moore gave some clarification as to when the events of Wakanda Forever and Quantumania take place.

    Yeah I mean, look if you think about… This movie clearly happens after No Way Home and Eternals. I think it probably happens potentially concurrent with [Thor: Love and Thunder]. New Asgard does exist in our universe, for instance, or in our film. And almost concurrent with Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania, which is coming out in February.

    Nate Moore

    Given that Ms. Marvel has a Scott Lang Easter egg dropped in, it’s safe to say that Wakanda Forever, She-Hulk, Ms. Marvel and Thor: Love and Thunder are all taking place fairly concurrently with Quantumania but that Quantumania‘s setting is just a bit after Wakanda Forever and just a bit before Love and Thunder. So, until further notice, 2025 it is!

    Source: CinemaBlend

  • ‘Quantumania’ Mid-Credit Scene Explained

    ‘Quantumania’ Mid-Credit Scene Explained

    Season 1 of Marvel Studios Disney Plus streaming series Loki made it clear that the future of the MCU was going to be full of Kangs. Ant-Man and The Wasp: Quantumania introduced one of the most menacing Variants of the character in Kang the Conqueror but the savvy fans who stuck around while the credits rolled got more Kang for their buck. Nothing but spoilers to follow…

    The mid-credit scene of Quantumania took a turn for the weird and introduced fans to an arena full of Variants of Kang. As wild as it seems on screen, the idea of a Council of Kangs was ripped right from the pages of Marvel Comics. There have been a few iterations of the Council of Kangs in the comics and this one feels like a bit of an amalgamation of them all in that it is apparently filled with actual Kangs (not fake Kangs) from different timelines throughout the Multiverse. Though it may well be more similar to the Kang Collective in its composition, we’ll keep calling it the Council of Cross-Time Kangs for now and wait for Marvel Studios to give further details. Whatever the name, this horde of Kangs is coming together for a “code red” situation involving one of their own. While the short scene doesn’t really give enough context as to what exactly the body is all about, there are at least a few identifiable Kang Variants in the group who may provide some hints of what to expect over the course of the Multiverse Saga.

    Rama-Tut

    In the comics, the Rama-Tut Variant comes from a reality in which a young Kang uses a time machine to travel back to Ancient Egypt. Shortly after arriving, Kang conquers the people of the time and installs himself as their Pharoah, Rama-Tut. In the MCU, placing a Variant in Ancient Egypt provides potential for a tie-in to the mythology established in Moon Knight. It also opens the door for the Variant to come across a character that Marvel Studios should be eager to work into the MCU sooner rather than later to wash away the horrid depiction of him done by fox: En Sabah Nur. The two have a fascinating history in the comics that involved Nur being enslaved by Rama-Tut and then being shot and left for dead. Of course, Nur is better known as one of Marvel’s most powerful mutants, Apocalypse, so there’s some interesting potential for this story to evolve in the Multiverse Saga.

    Immortus

    Another easily identifiable Variant of Kang is Immortus. The simplest description is that Immortus is a Variant of the Variant known as Rama-Tut. In one timeline, Kang abandoned his station as Rama-Tut, traveled to the 40th century and attempted to master both time and the realm of Limbo. From his place outside time, Immortus attempted to manipulate all timelines and realities so that only his Variant could end up ascending to become…him. Ultimately, Immortus felt he became a tool of the Time Keepers (who were seen in Loki) and another Variant emerged to make sure he didn’t follow that path. While you probably can’t trust a Kang, this Variant of the character is the most manipulative and untrustworthy of them all and is sure to cause a problem for the other members of the Council at some point..

    While there are certainly other Kangs present (A Skrull Kang, one that may be Mr. Gryphon and one that may be Scarlet Centurion), these two are the ones most likely to get up to no good…along with the other Variant of Kang who didn’t join the council and looks primed to appear in Season 2 of Loki.

  • ‘Quantumania’ Preview Night Box Office on Par with ‘Avatar: The Way of Water’

    ‘Quantumania’ Preview Night Box Office on Par with ‘Avatar: The Way of Water’

    While it’s on pace to have a nice opening weekend and likely be the highest-grossing Ant-Man film, Quantumania’s Thursday night previews take looks to be coming in significantly lower than any of Marvel Studios’ 2022 theatrical offerings. According to industry estimates, the third installment in the Ant-Man franchise raked in $17.5M on its first night in theaters.

    That figure puts it well below last year’s 3 MCU properties, though those 3 films led the way in Thursday night preview take. Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness ($36M), Thor: Love and Thunder ($29M) and Black Panther: Wakanda Forever ($28M) all opened to much stronger Thursdays than Quantumania, however, 2022’s box office champion, Avatar: The Way of Water, pulled in a comparable $17M on its first Thursday. It’s all a matter of perspective as the $17.5M night (the same amount Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 took in back in 2017) places Quantumania’s preview night in the top 40 of all time.

    Quantumania’s Thursday intake is the highest to date for the Ant-Man franchise. Ant-Man and The Wasp took in $11.5M in 2018 while Ant-Man grossed $6.4 in 2015. Some estimates have the new film taking in $120M over its opening weekend, though it remains to be seen what impact the largely negative reviews of the film (you can read ours right here) will have on general audiences.

    Source: Deadline

  • New Rumor Suggests One of Marvel’s Most Powerful Characters is Headed to the MCU’s Phase 6

    New Rumor Suggests One of Marvel’s Most Powerful Characters is Headed to the MCU’s Phase 6

    The MCU’s fifth phase of projects just kicked off with Ant-Man and The Wasp: Quantumania (you can read our review here) which introduces one of Marvel Comics’ most compelling villains in Jonathan Majors‘ Kang the Conqueror. The Conqueror is the second Variant of Kang to show up in the Multiverse Saga and we know he won’t be the last as the narrative progresses towards Avengers: The Kang Dynasty and Avengers: Secret Wars. With such a powerful and cunning villain set to antagonize the heroes of the MCU, they’ll need all the help they can get and a new rumor suggests that one of Marvel Comics’ powerhouses may be ready to join the MCU in Phase 6.

    A recent report suggests that the casting process for the 2025 Fantastic Four film is kicking off in earnest and that Marvel Studios plans to start by finding their Susan Storm, adding fuel to the fire that star Mila Kunis could be in contention for the pivotal role. Hot on the tail of this potential casting coincidence comes another intriguing tidbit from YouTube. According to the YouTube personality, Marvel Studios is skipping the origin and angling to introduce a more experienced Fantastic Four who are a bit farther down the road in life and, in the case of Sue and Reed, have already become parents!

    Though the rumor doesn’t specify, assuming Marvel Studios is following comic book canon in this regard, Sue and Reed’s first child is Franklin Richards, a character whose vast set of powers includes reality warping, matter manipulation and time travel. As an adult, Franklin was powerful enough to make Galactus his herald and lived free of the rules of the omniverse. As a child, however, as he would likely be portrayed in the film, Franklin’s powers would often manifest themselves subconsciously making him a wild card. The character played a large role in Jonathan Hickman’s companion Fantastic Four and Future Foundation series and with Hickman’s influence already being felt in the Multiverse Saga, it’s not surprising that his work may inspire Marvel Studios Fantastic Four and, potentially, Avengers: Secret Wars.

    What about the Richards’ second child, Valeria? While it’s unknown just how far into their superhero careers the Fantastic Four are, the unique circumstances of Sue’s pregnancy with Valeria and Franklin’s role in saving his sister’s life–along with Dr. Doom–it would be a shame not to see it on screen. All things being equal, some exposition could fill in the blanks of Franklin’s birth and early life just fine, but Val’s story may require and deserve to unfold on screen.

    Source: YouTube

  • ‘Hellboy’ Headed Back to Theaters in Another Live-Action Reboot

    ‘Hellboy’ Headed Back to Theaters in Another Live-Action Reboot

    Third time’s a charm… hopefully. After a 2019 reboot of Hellboy led by David Harbour failed to catch on, the character is getting new, new life in another live-action film.

    Discussing Film broke the news that Brian Taylor (Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance) will helm the new Hellboy film for Millennium Media. It seems that the new film may adapt 2011’s three issue miniseries, Hellboy: The Crooked Man.

    The report indicates that the script for the film ready to go and that filming is slated to kick off in April.

    Source: Discussing Film

  • ‘Fantastic Four’ Casting Update Teases a Sue-Centric Story

    ‘Fantastic Four’ Casting Update Teases a Sue-Centric Story

    Reed Richards is the brains of the Fantastic Four but Susan Storm has always been the heart and soul of Marvel’s First Family. As casting for Marvel Studios Fantastic Four gets underway, it looks as though the studio heads and director Matt Shakman understand just how important of a character the Invisible Woman is to the success of the project.

    According to Deadline’s Justin Kroll, as Shakman and Marvel Studios casting department, led by Sarah Finn, start the search for the MCU’s Fantastic Four, Sue is at the center. Kroll states that “the focus” of the casting process is finding their Sue Storm “and building out the rest of the team” from there.

    Given the importance of Sue to the rest of the cast, it would seem that the character will be the centerpiece of whatever story Shakman intends to tell, something that has long been the case in the comics. The report’s indication that casting is just now gearing up is interesting as a slew of names has been passed around as “top contenders” for months now. It also makes Shakman’s recent meeting with star Mila Kunis a bit more interesting as it could indicate potential interest in Kunis for the role of Sue.

  • Marvel Studios Pumps the Brakes on ‘Nova’

    Marvel Studios Pumps the Brakes on ‘Nova’

    The Human Rocket is still headed to the MCU but fans of the character are going to have to wait a bit longer. According to a new report from THR, as part of Bob Iger’s mandate that Disney’s big brands like Marvel Studios and Lucasfilm be more selective with their streaming projects, development on Marvel’s Nova project has been slowed.

    The project was first revealed to be in development in March 2022 with Moon Knight writer Sabir Pirzada penning the adaptation. There’ve been conflicting reports about the nature of the project, but given its inclusion in THR’s report, it can be inferred that Nova was not being developed as a theatrical release but rather a streaming series of Special Presentation similar to Werewolf By Night. Marvel Studios’ Head Cheese, Kevin Feige, recently confirmed that the studio’s Disney Plus programming schedule was going to change, and the slowdown in the development of Nova certainly fits into that change.

    Given that Nova never had a release date, it’ll be tough to track a delay, but it sounds like fans of the character probably won’t be seeing him on screen until 2024 at the very earliest.

    Source: THR

  • Marvel Studios Reportedly Considering an Indefinite Delay in Releasing ‘Ironheart’

    Marvel Studios Reportedly Considering an Indefinite Delay in Releasing ‘Ironheart’

    When Kevin Feige explained that Marvel Studios was looking to modify its streaming plans he meant it. Just 7 months ago, Feige revealed the studio’s ambitious plans for the streaming service in 2023 that included five live-action series spread out throughout the year beginning with Secret Invasion, ending with Agatha: Coven of Chaos and sprinkling Echo, Season 2 of Loki and Ironheart in between. According to a new report from THR, it seems only two of those series are now safe bets to stream in 2023.

    While most fans have long since understood that neither Echo nor Agatha: Coven of Chaos would make it to Disney Plus in 2023, THR’s report indicates that Ironheart is no longer guaranteed a slot on this year’s slate. Despite the fact that the project completed production some time ago, THR’s source states that due to tinkering in post-production, and the desire to spread out its content, Marvel Studios may delay the release of Ironheart until 2024.

    While Ironheart never had a firm release date (it was only given a Fall 2023 release window), talk of a delay comes as a bit of a surprise. Footage of the series (along with footage of Echo) was screened exclusively at D23 and was incredibly well-received by the audience; however, unlike Echo, Ironheart was never subject to rumors of a troubled production and this new report is the first time news of a delay has been relayed to fans.

    Given its relatively trouble-free production, it seems likely that Ironheart’s delay, should it happen, will be more related to a new mandate from Bob Iger, who wants all of Disney’s big brands to be “better at curating” their streaming content. According to an anonymous source, “There is going to be a level of rigor on Marvel and across the entire company. Numbers matter now, and costs are going to be outlined and enforced,” and in Ironheart’s case, it could simply be a matter of using post-production time to ensure the series is of the highest quality when it is released rather than rushing to get it to D+.

    Source: THR