Murphy's Multiverse

Author: Charles Murphy

  • ‘Werewolf By Night’: Tracing Ted’s Excellent Adventure in the MCU

    ‘Werewolf By Night’: Tracing Ted’s Excellent Adventure in the MCU

    Marvel Studios Werewolf By Night might be the first time Man-Thing has been present in the action, but breadcrumbs, hints and Easter eggs of the existence of the creature have existed for the better part of a decade. With Man-Thing, who Jack so lovingly refers to as Ted, now in the spotlight, a brief look back at his history, both recorded and imagined, is in order.

    Iron Man 3

    No, you didn’t miss Man-Thing in Iron Man 3; however, clues to his origin story could be found. In the comics, Ted Sallis was a scientist working on Project Gladiator, one of a billion attempts to recreate the Super Solider Serum flowing in the veins of Steve Rogers. Sallis’ research partner and lover, Ellen Brandt, was turned by A.I.M. and eventually tried to steal the research. Ted said no, Ted drank the formula, she shot Ted and Ted fell into the swamp. When he emerged from the swamp, he had become Man-Thing, obviously. Ted and Ellen had a less than happy reunion that led to Ellen’s face becoming horribly disfigured by the touch of Man-Thing because, as we all know, whatever knows fear burns at the touch of the Man-Thing!

    In an MCU that’s seen a few attempts at recreating the Super Soldier Serum, it wouldn’t be too surprising to find out that Project Gladiator went down at some point in time. More than that, however, A.I.M. agent Ellen Brandt had a gnarly facial scar and a missing arm that could easily be retconned to have been the result of an encounter with Man-Thing! Given that Iron Man 3 took place in 2013, we can deduce that Ted has been Man-Thing for at least a decade assuming Werewolf By Night takes place in the MCU’s present day of 2025.

    Thor: Raganarok

    Having (not really) established that Ted operated as Man-Thing as early 2013 really does little to explain away how his face ended up on the Grandmaster’s palace on Sakaar in Thor: Ragnarok. As the Grandmaster says, time works a little differently there, but what you can be sure of is that at some point before the events of Thor: Ragnarok, Man-Thing was one of the Grandmaster’s Champions. It’s not clear under what circumstances he found himself participating in the Contest of Champions, but from Jack’s dialogue in Werewolf By Night, it’s clear that Ted has a bit of a habit of getting himself captured. Perhaps he found himself unwillfully part of the Contest, became champion and won his freedom. Whatever the case may be, assuming Werewolf By Night takes place in the MCU’s present day, Manny eventually found his way back to Earth.

    Werewolf by Night

    Man-Thing finds himself the prisoner of the vile Verusa as the events of Werewolf By Night begin to unfold. And while he has his revenge on her by burning her up and tossing her body across the great room of Bloodstone Manor, what’s more important in giving us clues about Ted’s excellent adventure is his heart-warming relationship with Jack. Michael Giacchino did a fantastic job of retrofitting Jack, Ted, Elsa and other characters, both seen and unseen, into the MCU’s history. The timeline isnt’ clear, but Jack’s been around for a while and he’s known Ted long enough to not only become besties with him but also save his butt more than once.

    What’s Next

    The existing relationship between Jack and Ted makes one ponder what other monsters exist within the shared universe who have also been on the receiving end of Jack’s help. If saving monsters, like Ted, is what Jack does in the MCU, it seems like he, Man-Thing and their new friend Elsa, might be likely to team-up again at some point. Putting those 3 together is enough for the foundations of The Legion of Monsters.

    It’s also possible that Marvel Studios chooses to explore Man-Thing’s identity as the guardian of the Nexus of All Realities, a gateway located at a point where all of the many realities of the multiverse interest and can be accessed. The Multiverse Saga has just begun and isn’t set to end for three more years, meaning further exploration of the concept is sure to happen. Perhaps Man-Thing could appear in a project such as Loki Season 2 in a little less-monstrous capacity.

  • Marvel Studios Should Make Michael Giacchino the Architect of Their Horror Future

    Marvel Studios Should Make Michael Giacchino the Architect of Their Horror Future

    Werewolf By Night’s debut on Disney Plus is extraordinarily timed. Not just because it’s a few weeks out from Halloween, but also because it comes at a time when the MCU is under heavy criticism from fans who can’t seem to get a handle on where “things are headed” in the Multiverse Saga. While the Special Presentation may not give fans any clarity on that issue, there is not doubt that Werewolf By Night knows EXACTLY what it is and, on a larger scale, what horror in the MCU could be.

    Michael Giacchino is a legendary composer, arguably the greatest of his generation; however, he had never taken the reigns as a director on a project as large as Werewolf By Night before. Given that relative inexperience, fans understandably questioned if the cut of his jib was right for a feature-length project. Now that audiences can see and digest the project, only the most contrarian of critics would make the argument that Giacchino didn’t just “handle it”, but put together one of Marvel Studios’ most unique and artistic projects in its impressive history. And he did so because he knew exactly what he wanted it to be.

    A wonderful homage to the Universal Classic Monster films, Werewolf By Night reconciles century-old sensibilities into cinema’s modern-day monster. Giacchino is as much a fan of those old horror films as we all are of the MCU; they live inside his mind. The result of that is a finished product where nothing feels forced or out of place because it’s all an expression of a project that Giacchino not only wanted to make, but that he’d likely been making in his head, in some form or another, for years. And in true MCU fashion, he made something that serves not only as a one-off masterpiece but could serve to create a brand new corner of the MCU that’s populated with beautiful characters and stories for a decade. And if that is indeed the plan as laid out by Marvel Studios One-Above-All and the Parliament, then this project should have convinced them to allow Giacchino to be its architect.

    Kevin Fiege and the Parliament are busy, busy people. The studio now produces a minimum of six projects a year and as we move further away from the COVID shutdowns of productions, that number could increase. In a situation like that, having an experienced person on a project can save each of the executive producers a great deal of time and Giacchino has as much experience as anyone. Should he write, direct and compose every horror project for Marvel Studios? Absolutely not. But he should write, direct and compose as many as he can and wants to and should be the point person for every one that he does not. Werewolf By Night has defined Marvel Studios’ horror in a very unique way, one that obviously can still be enjoyed by fans of all ages. To ensure that each subsequent horror project stays on brand, it would be wise to have Giacchino acting as at least a consultant, making sure there’s some continuity between them.

    What’s next for the MCU in terms of horror? Beyond Blade, the studio has made no official announcements. Rumors of a Ghost Rider project have come and gone for years; the debut of Moon Knight has fans dreaming of the Midnight Sons; Werewolf By Night leaves the door open to a Legion of Monsters project. With Blade on the hunt for a director, could Giacchino quickly jump on board that project and help new writer Beau DeMayo craft a story that would fit seamlessly with Werewolf By Night? Would he even want to be? For Feige and company, there’s only one way to find out and at this point, it would seem they’d at least make an overture. Giacchino has created something that feels as important as any project Marvel Studios has put out in Phase 4. As they continue to bring back creatives from other projects to work on either successive or associated projects, it would be a shame if they didn’t do the same with Giacchino, who could be to horror what Michael Waldron is to the MCU multiverse.

  • Leaked’Madame Web’ Set Photos Include Spoilery Action

    Leaked’Madame Web’ Set Photos Include Spoilery Action

    Almost unbelievably, Sony continues making movies with their roster of Spider-Man adjacent characters, including Madame Web, which is now in production. Set photos and rumors of a confirmed cast list have been making the rounds for a while now, but a new leak seems to contain some pretty hefty spoilers.

    A new group of set photos reportedly shows the stunt double for actor Tahar Rahim squaring off against Dakota Johnson and Celeste O’Connor’s character. The photos pretty clearly show Rahim’s stunt double wearing what can only be described as an alternate Spider-Man suit.

    The suit seems to lend credence to the rumor that Rahim is playing Ezekiel Sims, a character who, in the comics, had similar powers to Spider-Man, wore a Spidey suit (though it didn’t look like that one) and found himself sometimes at odds with other Spider-folk. Whether Rahim is Sims or not, I’m sure it’ll all much a whole lot of sense when Madame Web hits theaters next October.

  • ‘She-Hulk’ Makes a Major Change to the MCU Landscape, Hint at Possible Cap 4 Connections

    ‘She-Hulk’ Makes a Major Change to the MCU Landscape, Hint at Possible Cap 4 Connections

    Billed as a legal comedy and delivered pretty much along those lines, She-Hulk: Attorney At Law didn’t seem like the type of show that would have far-ranging implications for the landscape of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. However, with one episode left to go, it seems that quite a bit of potential has been packed into these shorter episodes. Bruce Banner has left the planet for personal business on Sakaar; Jen’s blood has fallen into the hands of the HulkKing; and a man is running around in a frog suit! As big of a deal as Leap-Frog might seem to have been in Episode 8, “Ribbit and Rip It”, another revelation might end up being a bigger factor down the line.

    During Jen’s brief and slightly embarrassing court battle with Matt Murdock, Murdock casually revealed that the Sokovia Accords, which have governed the vigilantism of superheroes since the United Nations adopted them in 2016 following the events in Lagos, Nigeria, have been repealed. The Accords were intended to put an end to the unsanctioned acts of powered individuals and groups, such as the Avengers, by establishing an agreed-upon set of regulations.

    The Accords have been addressed in several projects over the years after having been established in Captain America: Civil War. WandaVision saw a government agency defy them and The Falcon and The Winter Soldier, which was set in 2024, saw them on display in the Smithsonian. So while they might have seemed like a relic of the Infinity Saga, they’ve been kept alive for a reason before being tossed out there again in She-Hulk, which is set in 2025. What good comes from keeping them on the minds of the audience, though, when they’ve largely been ignored since their creation? The answer might be in the fine print.

    By signing the Accords, heroes agreed to a whole mess of things, including:

    • providing a DNA sample
    • revealing their secret identities/legal names
    • power analysis
    • the use of tracking bracelets

    The Accords also prohibited governments from sending powered heroes to other countries without the approval of that country; outlawed the creation of self-aware AIs; outlawed the creation of further superhumans without strict oversight.

    For a line that was interjected into the middle of a fairly fast-paced bit of dialogue by Murdock, the revelation that the Accords no longer govern not only the actions of powered individuals but the CREATION of them seems incredibly important given the fact that Jen’s “better blood” is in the hands of, presumably, the Intelligencia which, presumably, is lead by The Leader. With The Leader recently announced as the villain of Captain America: New World Order, Jen’s tease of a Red Hulk and the long-standing rumors of her blood being used to create multiple Hulks that might face off in a World War Hulk project, the fact that there are now no universally accepted regulations on how to handle these types of situations seems like it is setting the stage for chaos to ensue…and a new order to be established.

  • BREAKING: Emma Tammi to Direct ‘Five Nights at Freddy’s’

    BREAKING: Emma Tammi to Direct ‘Five Nights at Freddy’s’

    Blumhouse has been developing a film adaptation of Five Nights at Freddy’s for several years now in collaboration with creator Scott Cawthon. In August, Jason Blum indicated that the production was working with Jim Henson’s Creature Shop on the adaptation, but things have been quiet since then…until now. Emma Tammi will helm the project, with production set to begin in February 2023.

    The live-action adaptation of the popular horror video game has been in the works since 2015, just a year after the game debuted. Christopher Columbus was attached to direct the adaptation at one point, but development stalled over the years and the two parted ways. Now it’s in the hands of Tammi, who recently directed two episodes of Into the Dark for Hulu.

  • ‘Ironheart’ Headed to the Windy City to Continue Production

    ‘Ironheart’ Headed to the Windy City to Continue Production

    Comic book fans know well how important of a setting Chicago is to Riri Williams. And while Riri might not spend a lot of time there when she appears in Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, the Windy City will be featured when Ironheart streams in 2023. According to a new report, residents of Chicago might want to be on the look for Marvel Studios cast and crew to move in at the end of October.

    The bulk of production on Ironheart is already in the books, having taken place in Atlanta over the last few months. As the production’s time in Georgia winds down, Screen Magazine has learned that Marvel Studios is set to begin work in Chicago “on or near October 24th.” Interestingly enough, Sam Bailey, who was brought on board as one of the Ironheart’s directors, is a Chicago native. Though it’s unclear which episodes will take place in Chicago or whether or not Bailey will helm those, it would make for a nice touch and lend an extra touch of verisimilitude to the project.

    In the comics, Riri Williams was born and raised on the South Side of Chicago. Identified as a genius at a young age, Riri turned her garage into a laboratory and lived a fairly happy, though introverted life. At the age of thirteen, however, tragedy struck while at a family picnic at Marquette Park. Given the production is headed to Chicago rather than trying to rebuild parts of it in Atlanta, it’s likely that at least some of the series might feature flashbacks to this time in Riri’s life and choose to shoot on location.

    Riri Williams will be seen this November in theaters in Black Panther: Wakanda Forever before heading to Disney Plus in Ironheart!

    Source: Screen Magazine

  • REVIEW: ‘Andor’ Episode 5

    REVIEW: ‘Andor’ Episode 5

    “Everyone has their own rebellion.”

    In an episode that feels very small in terms of scope, scale and what’s accomplished as far as advancing the plot, those words, spoken quietly to Cassian by Faye Marsay’s Vel Sartha may capture the larger essence of the Age of the Rebellion better than any spoken on screen in any Star Wars project to date. Episode 5 of Andor, brilliantly titled “The Axe Forgets” showcases some beautiful scenery and wonderful cinematography as the backdrop to Cassian’s struggle to forge bonds and build trust with his new team. In what feels like the calm before the storm, the episode’s team-building moments that make up the bulk of the runtime seem to echo classics like John McTiernan’s Predator and Peter Jackson’s Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Rings.

    When they start their march, they are a team only in the loosest sense, united only because everyone, as it turns out, does have their own rebellion. And while they don’t initially trust nor much like one another, they are able to find common ground by understanding how each of them has been the tree on the receiving end of the Empire’s axe…and none of them have forgotten. And so while it may not feel like the larger plot of the 12-episode first season of Andor has moved along much by the end of Episode 5, for this group of people about to strike out against the Empire, nothing could have moved at all if not for the time spent together in it.

    The creative duo of director Susanna White and writer Dan Gilroy teamed up to illustrate the growing tensions not only amongst the team on Aldhani but also far away on Coruscant. Kyle Soller’s Syril Karn is hen-pecked by his insufferable mother, Eedy, while holding on to his hatred for Cassian; Denise Gough’s Dedra Meero continues to sense a growing threat, too random for anyone else to see; Mon Mothma’s work for the Rebellion is coming at the cost of her family; and Luthen Rael expresses anxiety that he may have overreached in his effort to strike back at the Empire. Though each of them only get a little time to shine in the episode, White and Gilroy make the most of it, carving each of their unique concerns out of the same material: the Rebellion, which now includes Cassian. And it’s Rael’s words in the episodes final moments that truly serve to frame just how tense of a moment the entire galaxy is on the edge of, even if only a few of them know it. As he says, what comes next may just be the start of it.

    In that sense, “The Axe Forgets” feels like the last bit of requisite exposition before the show switches gears. The characters have been developed, the costs to them made clear and their roles in it seemingly solidified. Episode 6 would seem to be the time for Andor to transform into the fast-paced action-adventure that fans certainly associate with the Star Wars franchise. But as the pace quickens, keep in mind that while each of the Rebels are trees who have been hit by the axe of the Empire, they’ve all been axes to the tree of the Empire and they are about to collectively take their biggest hack yet. And as the roots of the Empire extend to new parts of the galaxy, they’ll prove a tough tree to fell.

  • Keanu Reeves Considering Directing Netflix’s ‘BRZRKR’

    Keanu Reeves Considering Directing Netflix’s ‘BRZRKR’

    In October of 2021, BOOM! Studios launched BRZRKR, a comic book series about an immortal half man/half god named B. who bears a striking resemblance to a real-world immortal: Keanu Reeves. Written by Reeves and Matt Kindt with art from Ron Garney, BRZRKR was quickly picked up by Netflix who is developing an animated series and a live-action film that Reeves will star in and produce. Now, as development on the project continues, it turns out Reeves may decide to wear another hat.

    In an interview with Collider, Reeves revealed that there’s a 33% chance that he will choose to direct the adaptation. While Reeves is one of Hollywood’s most beloved and busiest talents, he has only one credit to his name as a director in the 2013 film Man of Tai Chi. Interestingly enough, according to Reeves, his involvement as writer led him down the path to eventually direct.

    I know how it’s a lot of work, but the film that I directed, Man of Tai Chi, was born, I became the director because I was part of the writing process, and I didn’t want to hand it over. I was like, oh, okay. I have to direct this. I’m not quite there yet on ‘BRZRKR’. I have to read the script, but I’m also interested in having a collaborator and what they could bring to it.

    Keanu Reeves

    Even as Reeves did not write the script for BRZRKR and admits he has not yet read it, it’s reasonable to assume he’ll feel a similar ownership over the project given that he’s the co-author of the source material. Certainly something to keep an eye on as things progress.

    Source: Collider

  • Jacob Batalon Says He May “Not Necessarily Be a Part of” ‘Spider-Man 4’

    Jacob Batalon Says He May “Not Necessarily Be a Part of” ‘Spider-Man 4’

    While Tom Holland has yet to officially sign up for another solo Spidey adventure in the MCU, Marvel Studios President Kevin Feige made it clear to fans that they planned to continue collaborating with Sony to develop Spider-Man 4. The fourth installment of the franchise has been in active development for nearly a year, but short of Sony execs making it clear they want Holland, Zendaya and director Jon Watts back for the project, there’s been next to no news on the project made available to fans. And if one of the original trilogy’s stars is to be believed, the actors are in the same place.

    Actor Jacob Batalon, who played Peter’s best friend and man-in-the-chair, Ned Leeds, recently spoke with Collider and indicated that while he’s sure there will be a Spider-Man 4, he isn’t sure if there’s a part in it for him. Discussing the ending of Spider-Man: No Way Home, which saw his character’s entire history with Peter wiped from his memory, Batalon described the conclusion as “poignant”, adding that it “ really puts an exclamation on the continuance of Spider-Man, but maybe not with us, and I think that’s a great thing. We may not necessarily be a part of it, in the end, but it was a beautiful ride anyway.”

    The film’s final scenes depict Peter moving on, creating a new, more comic-accurate suit and swinging above New York City during the holiday season, seemingly promising more adventures for the Wall-Crawler within the MCU, even without the word of Feige. But with Ned and Zendaya’s MJ no longer having their formerly strong relationship with Peter, it’s natural to wonder what role, if any, the characters might play. And given Ned’s importance to the first three films in the franchise, it would also be natural to think he’d have some sort of a heads up as to what the plans might be for his character. But according to Batalon, that’s not the case.

    I feel like actors are the last people to know. I think that people assume that actors are always hiding secrets. I promise you, we don’t know anything. But again, if it’s the right place, at the right time, with the right group of people that we’ve been with, I would say, why not? But other than that, whatever happens, happens. Really, those decisions are up to the big bosses, the people who sign the checks. We’re open to the idea, but we’re not hoping for it.

    Jacob Batalon

    As Batalon points out, Marvel Studios actors are often thought to be dissembling, if not flat out lying, about their involvement in future projects, so he’ll have to forgive those of them who aren’t quite buying what he’s selling. That said, it’s hard to imagine a long-term plan for Spidey in the MCU that doesn’t eventually loop Ned back into Peter’s life…one way or another.

    Source: Collider

  • Sam Reid Describes Bringing Lestat to Life in ‘Interview with the Vampire’ as “A Gift”

    Sam Reid Describes Bringing Lestat to Life in ‘Interview with the Vampire’ as “A Gift”

    AMC’s Interview with the Vampire debuted to high praise from critics, getting the studio’s Immortal Universe adaptation of Anne Rice’s works off to a great start. A common thread among the show’s supporters has been the work of Australian Sam Reid in bringing Lestat de Lioncourt, Rice’s primary protagonist throughout her Vampire Chronicles, to life. Though Reid is sharing the stage with Jacob Anderson’s Louis, who is equally brilliant, the actor has captured the enormity of Lestat’s personality, making it hard to ignore him on screen.

    In an interview with ComicBook.com, Reid discussed bringing the popular vampire to life. “It really is the most fun thing to do. I can’t tell you,” said Reid. “It’s so much fun because he’s so complicated a character.” The actor continued, pointing out how pleased he’s been being able to deliver dialogue lifted straight from Rice’s novels.

    And it’s like a gift, the dialogue that we get to say is extraordinary. And it is so gratifying playing this character and, in this world, saying direct Anne Rice lines. It’s incredible, because when you read it, it’s very different to how it sounds in your mouth, I mean how it sounds in your head when you have to put the words in your mouth and you actually go, ‘Holy sh-t, these people speak like this.’ Because there’s a lot of exclamation points and there’s a lot of love. There’s a lot of very extreme emotions in the book that when you translate it, they remain extreme, but you also have to put them in a sense of reality as well, which is a bit of a minefield to navigate.

    Sam Reid

    Of course, Reid adds that portraying a vampire means looking the part, which he’s apparently enjoying as well saying, “So, it’s really, really fun. And the fangs are fun, and the contact lenses are fun, and everything is great.“

    If AMC’s plans for their Immortal Universe are as bold as expected, Reid will have the opportunity to have much more fun over the coming years and fans much more time to enjoy him.

    Source: ComicBook.com