Murphy's Multiverse

Author: Charles Murphy

  • ‘Blade’ Casts ‘The Wonder Years’ Actress in Lead Role

    ‘Blade’ Casts ‘The Wonder Years’ Actress in Lead Role

    Actress Milan Ray, who is best known for her role as Keisa Clemmons on ABC’s The Wonder Years reboot, has been cast in Marvel Studio’s Blade. According to the report from The Direct, Ray will portray a “key character” in the film.

    While the report did name Ray’s role, a report from over a year ago indicated that the production was searching for “Ruby”, a teenager described as “thoughtful, serious, and burdened by growing up in a complex world.” At the time, it was widely speculated that this role would turn out to be Blade’s daughter, a concept abandoned by Marvel Comics in 2015. It’s sensible that Ray’s character will be how Marvel Studios chooses to bring that character, Fallon Grey, to life in the MCU.

    Ray joins Mahershala Ali, Delroy Lindo and Aaron Pierre in the film which does not yet have a release date and looks to begin filming late this summer or early this fall. Bassam Tariq will direct the reboot based on a script by Watchmen scribe Stacy Osei-Kuffour.

    Source: The Direct

  • Taika Waititi on the Loki Story He’d Like to Tell

    Taika Waititi on the Loki Story He’d Like to Tell

    Thor: Love and Thunder marks director Taika Waititi’s second chapter in the MCU journey of the Norse God of Thunder and it promises to be a wild entry. The film will see Chris Hemsworth’s Odinson undergo a personal renaissance, Natalie Portman’s Jane Foster become the Mighty Thor and the two former lovers team up to take on one of the MCU’s most terrifying villains yet, Gorr the God Butcher.

    Promotional footage from the film has heavily featured many characters who are returning from Thor: Ragnarok, but so far, one major character from that film has been notably absent. Though a Variant of him is plenty busy having his own adventures, there’s been no sign that Loki would appear in Thor: Love and Thunder. This is sensible, of course, because the Loki from the timeline explored in this movie had his neck broken by Thanos in Avengers: Infinity War, making it difficult for even the God of Mischief to return. That doesn’t mean Waititi doesn’t have ideas about what he’d like to see Loki get up to in the MCU, however.

    In an appearance on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, Waititi talked about how he’d like to see one of Loki’s most colorful adventures from Norse mythology adapted to the MCU:

    Loki at one point turned himself into a female horse, had sex with, like, a serpent, and then got pregnant. And then gave birth to an eight-legged horse. Why was that not in Avengers? We’re gonna start a petition, we need to see Tom Hiddleston pregnant with a horse.

    Taika Waititi

    That eight-legged horse, Sleipnir, is the mythological steed of Odin and made an appearance in 2011’s Thor. And while Waititi may be conflating a few different mythological stories about Loki’s exploits, it’s certainly shows that with Waititi, none of the wild idea from Norse mythology are off the table.

    Thor: Love and Thunder will open in theaters on July 8th.

  • ‘Ms. Marvel’ Episode 3’s ‘Captain Marvel’ Ties Explained

    ‘Ms. Marvel’ Episode 3’s ‘Captain Marvel’ Ties Explained

    Through 3 episodes of Ms. Marvel, fans have learned much about Kamala Khan. And while she’s already gone through changes over the course of the first half of the series, one thing that hasn’t changed yet is her love for Carol Danvers. Just like the comics, the MCU’s Kamala Khan is Captain Marvel’s biggest fan, and Episode 3 of the series just provided what might prove to be the bridge between the two characters.

    As Kamala learns about the origins of her bangle from the Clandestine through a flashback, the audience learns that it was taken by Kamala’s great-grandmother from the arm of a blue alien. While there are certainly several species of blue aliens in the pages of Marvel Comics and already a few established in the MCU, it seems most likely that the bangle came from the arm of a Kree. Should that arm indeed have belonged to a long-since-dead Kree, it’s incredibly likely that it is one of a pair (the other is missing for the time being) of powerful bands with ties to the Kree Empire.

    While the true identity of the bands will remain unclear for the time being, it does seem safe to assume that Kamala’s bangle is either a Quantum Band or a Nega-Band, both associated with the Kree, though in different ways. The Quantum Bands, also knows as the Power Bands of Rinn, are hundreds of thousands of years old and have been assigned, over the years, by a cosmic being named Eon (who recently showed up in the trailer for Thor: Love and Thudner) to the Protectors of the Universe. In the comics, one such protector was the Kree hero Mar-Vell. The Quantum Bands have been shown to have a wide array of powers depenind on who weilds them, among them the ability to create constructs out of energy, taken from the Quantum Zone, such as those demonstrated by Kamala Khan in Ms. Marvel. The Nega-Bands, of which there are multiple pair, are Kree-created weapons that mimic much of the powers associated with the Quantum Bands, but have a connection to the Negative Zone, rather than the Quantum Realm.

    Regardless of whether Kamala’s bangle is one of the Quantum Bands of the Nega-Bands, it’s clearly connected to the Kree and provides a straight shot of a plot point to bring Carol Danvers into the mix eventually. While the clear and present threat to Kamala comes from the Clandestine, it’s also very likely that her use of the bangle will attract the attention of the Kree Empire, providing them a very good reason to come nosing around on Earth. With Iman Vellani set to play a lead role in The Marvels, it’s becoming very clear how Marvel Studios plans to get to there from here and why they chose to change Kamala’s origins in the MCU.

  • ‘Ms. Marvel’ Episode 3’s ‘Shang-Chi’ Easter Egg Opens a New MCU Mystery

    ‘Ms. Marvel’ Episode 3’s ‘Shang-Chi’ Easter Egg Opens a New MCU Mystery

    Episode 3 of Ms. Marvel, “Destined”, provided an interesting backstory for the bangle that has been at the center of all of Kamala’s adventures thus far. In the opening scene of the episode, a flashback to the early 1940s shows how the Clandestine, specifically Kamala’s great-grandmother, Aisha, came to be in possession of the bangle. It’s a very informative scene filled with details, including one that ties Ms. Marvel to Shang-Chi and The Legend of The Ten Rings.

    At around the 3:09 mark of the episode, as the Clandestine are discovered at the underground vault by British soldiers, an overhead shot established that this vault seemingly belonged to Wenwu’s Ten Rings as the organization’s symbol is clearly seen carved into the ground.

    As established in Shang-Chi and The Legend of The Ten Rings, Wenwu existed roughly one thousand years before the MCU’s present-day and conquered most of Asia, so there’s no reason to believe he couldn’t have made his way to India during that time. Whether or not the blue alien in possession of the bangle came to the vault before or after it was abandoned by the Ten Rings and what else he may have had with him is relevant both to Ms. Marvel and Shang-Chi.

    The story of how exactly Wenwu came into possession of the Ten Rings is left intentionally vague, seemingly meant to set up the uncertainty of who or what is being hailed by the rings in the mid-credit scene to Shang-Chi and The Legend of The Ten Rings. Could Kamala’s bangle be tied to Shang-Chi’s ten rings? Could this be the “tomb” where Wenwu originally found them? Both artifacts certainly seem alien in nature and grant their users extraordinary power.

    Unfortunately, for now, it seems like fans are left with more questions than answers. The logo could be nothing more than an Easter egg that fits so well given the long lives of both Wenwu and the Clandestine. However, it’s equally possible that its presence in Ms. Marvel hints at a larger mystery that might bring Kamala into Shang-Chi’s world before too long.

  • Marvel Studios Reveals Where ‘Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness’ Fits on the Official Timeline

    Marvel Studios Reveals Where ‘Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness’ Fits on the Official Timeline

    From 2008 through 2019, Marvel Studios released 23 films in their shared cinematic universe. After sitting out 2020 due to the pandemic, Marvel Studios got back in the game in 2021, releasing the first of its Disney Plus streaming series, WandaVision. With Ms. Marvel currently in the middle of its streaming run, Marvel Studios has now released over half as many projects (12) in the past 18 months as they did in their first 11 years as a production company, making a comprehensive rewatch tougher all the time.

    For those looking to start working on the rewatch in Timeline Order, the release of Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness on Disney Plus adds another rewatchable project to the list and now, Marvel Studios has made it clear exactly where it fits in. According to the “Marvel Cinematic Universe in Timeline Order” section of Disney Plus, fans looking to view the projects chronologically should check out the Doctor Strange sequel AFTER Eternals.

    While the events of Eternals have no impact whatsoever on the events of Multiverse of Madness, its placement ahead of the sequel also gives us an idea of where Spider-Man: No Way Home should fit in, given that it is probably the direct predecessor of the events of Multiverse of Madness. It’s also of note that Multiverse of Madness now clearly follows the events of Shang-Chi and The Legend of The Ten Rings, which briefly featured Wong, the Sorcerer Supreme of Earth. With Wong set to appear in She-Hulk: Attorney At Law, it’s worth paying attention to where that project will fit in the timeline when it releases next month.

  • ‘Dune: Part Two’ Finds Its Lady Margot

    ‘Dune: Part Two’ Finds Its Lady Margot

    Supermega auteur Dennis Villeneuve has added another big name to the cast of the his Dune sequel. French actress Lea Seydoux has joined the cast of Dune: Part Two, set to begin production this Fall.

    According to a trade report, Seydoux will play Lady Margot Fenring, a Bene Gesserit who is sent to seduce Feyd-Rautha Harkonnen, who will be played by Austin Butler in the film. Seydoux has risen to prominence over the past several years, first for her work in the Craig James Bond films and, more recently, through a pair of films that debuted at the Cannes Film Festival.

    Dune: Part Two, the sequel to the visionary epic Dune: Part One, is set to debut in theaters on October 20, 2023.

    Source: Deadline

  • New ‘Thor: Love and Thunder’ Spot Features Key Location from Thor Comics

    New ‘Thor: Love and Thunder’ Spot Features Key Location from Thor Comics

    The promotional footage for Marvel Studios Thor: Love and Thunder has been coming fast and furious as the release date for the film approaches. The fourth Thor film will feature one of Odinson’s most fearsome comic book villains, Gorr the God Butcher, and his quest to rid the universe of gods. Gorr was introduced in Jason Aaron’s highly-acclaimed Thor: God of Thunder and the latest promo for the film features a key location from that run.

    Just six seconds into the spot, entitled “Speech”, we see what looks to be Thor’s goat-drawn ship leaving a building floating high in the clouds. Fans of the Aaron comic no doubt recognized the building as Omnipotence City, a location that was central to Thor’s quest to uncover information about Gorr’s murderous spree against the gods.

    In issue #3 of Thor: God of Thunder, Thor makes his way to Omnipotence City, a vast neutral zone for the gods built millions of years ago following a war. Once there, Thor makes his way to the Halls of All-Knowing where with the help of the Lord Librarian, he began researching all the gods who had already fallen victim to Gorr…and those who might in the future.

    Thor’s quest for knowledge was interrupted when Gorr’s Black Berserkers attacked, but he was able to get enough info to continue his quest. Given what’s seen in the brief glimpse here, it’s likely that Thor’s trip to Omnipotence City will serve as a waypoint on a much longer quest.

  • Disney Plus Timeline Places ‘Spider-Man: Homecoming’ After the Events of ‘Black Panther’

    Disney Plus Timeline Places ‘Spider-Man: Homecoming’ After the Events of ‘Black Panther’

    Disney Plus has done wonders for fans who wish to watch the MCU in Timeline Order rather than release order as it provides what must be assumed to be the definitive order. Now, with Spider-Man: Homecoming making its way to the platform in the UK, Spider-Man: Homecoming has been given its official place.

    According to D+ UK, the events of 2017’s Homecoming occur between Black Panther, which was released in 2018, and 2016’s Doctor Strange. Landing here also places it chronologically at the end of 3 films that all essentially spun out of Captain America: Civil War (Black Panther, Black Widow and Homecoming) and before the events of Thor: Ragnarok and Ant-Man and The Wasp, which most directly led to Avengers: Infinity War.

    With Homecoming’s official place on the timeline revealed, Tom Holland’s other two Spider-Man films join 2008’s The Incredible Hulk as the only canon projects whose exact place on the timeline remains in question other than Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, which will get slotted in when in hits Disney Plus later this week.

    Source: The Direct

  • UPDATE: Amber Heard Not Cut From ‘Aquaman’ Sequel

    UPDATE: Amber Heard Not Cut From ‘Aquaman’ Sequel

    Despite a report to the contrary, a spokesperson for Amber Heard has stated that the actress will not be removed from the upcoming DC film Aquaman and The Lost Kingdom.

    Referencing a report from Just Jared, Heard’s spokesperson had the following to say, “The rumor mill continues as it has from day one — inaccurate, insensitive and slightly insane.” The previous report stated that Heard’s role would be entirely recast and her scenes reshot following the conclusion of the defamation trial with her ex-husband, Johnny Depp.

    While Heard’s role in the Aquaman sequel was said to be considerably smaller than her role in the first film, it would still be expensive and problematic for Warner to cut her, recast her and reshoot the scenes. It’s possible that Heard’s role as Mera, Aquaman’s love interest, might be recast for future appearances in the DC universe, but for now it seems that the actress will remain on board through her already filmed appearance.

    Aquaman and The Lost Kingdom will hit theaters March 17th, 2023.

  • Sgt. Rock

    Sgt. Rock

    Premiere: TBD

    Directed by Luca Guadagnino, DC Studios’ Sgt. Rock will be a period piece exploring the WW II adventures of the title character. In November 2024, it was reported that the studio was in talks with Daniel Craig to play Sgt. Rock. The character first appeared in the DCU alongside Easy Company in Episode 3 of Creature Commandos.

    Cast