Murphy's Multiverse

Author: Charles Murphy

  • ‘Multiverse of Madness’, ‘Love and Thunder’ Top Fandango’s Most Anticipated List

    ‘Multiverse of Madness’, ‘Love and Thunder’ Top Fandango’s Most Anticipated List

    While Summer isn’t exactly just around the corner, the Summer movie season is and 2022 is shaping up to be quite the season. The long-awaited sequel to 1986’s Top Gun, another Jurassic Park film and the Buzz Lightyear origin story you didn’t know you needed are among the choices audiences will have this Summer, but according to a poll by Fandango, it’s a pair of Marvel Studios’ films that have audiences most excited.

    Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness (May 6th) and Thor: Love and Thunder (July 8th) were the top two choices in a poll that was voted on by over 6,000 moviegoers. Jurassic Park: Dominion and Top Gun: Maverick were right behind, followed by two animated films in Pixar’s Lightyear and Dreamworks’ Minions: The Rise of Gru. Elvis, Jordan Peele’s Nope, Bullet Train and Downton Abbey: A New Era rounded out the top 10, all of which should be incredibly successful at the box office.

    Even in a Summer where Tom Cruise’s return as Maverick is in the cards, it’s not surprising to see two Marvel Studios’ projects top the list. The Doctor Strange sequel’s perceived connection to the story of the wildly successful Spider-Man: No Way Home has driven advance ticket sales; meanwhile, the mystery surrounding the fourth Thor film hasn’t taken away interest. Even as critics continue to pump out think pieces about superhero fatigue, superhero films still top the list for audiences.

  • Levi Miller Joins Cast of Sony’s ‘Kraven the Hunter’

    Levi Miller Joins Cast of Sony’s ‘Kraven the Hunter’

    Production on Kraven the Hunter, Sony’s follow-up to the disappointing performance of Morbius, has been underway for some time now in the U.K., but the cast is still rounding into shape. According to a trade report, the latest addition is Levi Miller, a 19-year old Australian actor best known for playing Peter Pan in WB’s 2015 Pan.

    Directed by J.C. Chandor, the film will star Aaron Taylor-Johnson as Sergei Kravinoff, one of Spider-Man’s greatest foes. The film is not expected to feature Spider-Man. Instead, it will feature Kravinoff’s half-brother, Dmitri Smerdyakov, aka the Chameleon (another one of Spidey’s great foes), played by Fred Hechinger, and their father, played by Russell Crowe.

    Kraven the Hunter will join Venom, Venom: Let There Be Carnage and the aforementioned Morbius in Sony’s growing universe of films created around some of Spider-Man’s greatest foes, but without Spider-Man. The film is set to release in January of 2023.

  • Review: Marvel’s ‘What If…?’ Doctor Strange Supreme Pop!

    Review: Marvel’s ‘What If…?’ Doctor Strange Supreme Pop!

    Marvel Studios first canonical animated series, What If…?, introduced fans to a Variant of Doctor Strange whose life turned out quite differently than the one from the Sacred Timeline. This version, who couldn’t bare to live in a world without Christine Palmer, sacrificed everything, including his universe, to find a way to keep her alive. Doctor Strange Supreme became one of the most powerful figures in the Marvel Studios Multiverse and now, ahead of his rumored return in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, you can add a fantastic looking Funko Pop of the character to your collection.

    Much like the Star-Lord T’Challa figure, Strange Supreme comes with a nice stand that allows him to levitate amongst your collection.

    Marvel's What If Doctor Strange Supreme Pop! Vinyl Figure

    The Strange Supreme Funko can be ordered from Entertainment Earth by clicking here for $11.99 and become a part of your own Multiverse of Madness!

    Murphy’s Multiverse is an Entertainment Earth affiliate.

  • Review: ‘Book of Boba Fett’ Pop! Vinyl Figure

    Review: ‘Book of Boba Fett’ Pop! Vinyl Figure

    While opinions on just how enjoyable the Star Wars streaming series The Book of Boba Fett was, one thing that isn’t up for debate is that it was, and always will be, great to see the iconic armor in action. To that end, fans can bring home one of the better looking Boba Funko Pops and remember what was good about the series.

    This Funko is the standard 3 3/4″ figure and comes on a sturdy, Star Wars base to help display the beloved bounty hunter. It’s proven to be a hot item at Entertainment Earth, where it’s available for $11.99.

    Star Wars: Book of Boba Fett Pop! Vinyl Figure

    Murphy’s Multiverse is an Entertainment Earth affiliate.

  • RUMOR: ‘She-Hulk’ Streaming Debut Facing Indefinite Delay

    RUMOR: ‘She-Hulk’ Streaming Debut Facing Indefinite Delay

    Just as word comes that star Tatiana Maslany has put together a “jaw-dropping” performance as Jennifer Walters in the upcoming Disney Plus streaming series She-Hulk, a new rumor has surfaced that indicates it might be a while before fans get to judge for themselves.

    While the streaming series has never really had an official date outside of “sometime in 2022”, a previously reliable source of information has surfaced again, this time suggesting that it’ll be late 2022 or even early 2023 before She-Hulk hits the streaming service. While the post doesn’t give details as to why it’ll be another half year or so before we see it, it can be inferred from other information in the post that the delay could be due to VFX work taking a little longer than expected.

    Whenever She-Hulk does stream, it’s expected to be a 9-episode series of 30-minute episodes and to be heavily comedic in nature. Maslany will be joined by MCU vets Mark Ruffalo, Tim Roth and newcomers Ginger Gonzaga, Renee Elise Goldsberry, and Jameela Jamil, who will portray Titania. Marvel Studios has not commented on any official release ate for the series.

    Source: Reddit

  • ‘Thor: Love and Tunder’ Marvel Legends Wave Provides First Look at Gorr

    ‘Thor: Love and Tunder’ Marvel Legends Wave Provides First Look at Gorr

    Once again Marvel Studios has allowed the first good look of a character from an upcoming project to leak through collectibles. This time, fans get their first look at Gorr the God Butcher, who will be played by Christian Bale in this Summer’s Thor: Love and Thunder.

    The wave, which features 7 MCU-based characters and a Korg build-a-figure, gives fans their first detailed look at the villain as well as noting that Thor’s “Thunderstrike” costume will be referred to as “Ravager Thor.” It also features “King Valkyrie”, Star-Lord, Groot, Jane Foster’s Mighty Thor and the new Thor armor that has been present in much of the marketing for the film to date.

    From the wave, it seems that Bale’s Gorr will not be an exact adaptation of the character from the comics; in fact, the character seems to resemble the humanoid aliens from 2012′ Prometheus more so than his comic counterpart. Of course, it’s reasonable to assume that Gorr, like many MCU characters, could take on many forms over the course of the film, so this may not be his final look.

    Thor: Love and Thunder is set to strike theaters on July 8, 2022.

  • ‘Ironheart’ Adds Young Actor Harper Anthony to Cast

    ‘Ironheart’ Adds Young Actor Harper Anthony to Cast

    As production on Marvel Studios Disney Plus streaming series Ironheart draws near, the cast continues to grow. Hollywood newcomer Harper Anthony, a 9-year old who has appeared in Vulture City and Chicago Med, has signed on for an undisclosed role in the show.

    Ironheart will carry on the story of Riri Williams, a genius inventor who creates the most advanced suit of armor since Iron Man. Williams will be introduced in Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, where one of her inventions ultimately brings Wakanda into conflict with a hidden civilization led by Namor. Chinaka Hodge will serve as head writer on the series, which is set to be produced by Hodge, Sev Ohania and Zinzi Coogler.

    Anthony joins star Dominique Thorne and Anthony Ramos in the upcoming series. Thorne’s character is said to be inspired by the late Tony Stark to become an adventurer, crime fighter and humanitarian.

    Source: The Wrap

  • Sam Raimi Addresses the Possibility of Working on More Spidey With Tobey Maguire

    Sam Raimi Addresses the Possibility of Working on More Spidey With Tobey Maguire

    Spider-Man: No Way Home saw Tobey Maguire suit up as Spidey after a 15-year hiatus from the role. Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness was helmed by director Sam Raimi, who returned to the comic book genre 15 years after his Spidey trilogy wrapped up in theaters. With both players back in the game, fans have clamoring for a reunion between the two in another Spider-Man film. According to Raimi, that possibility is NOT out of the question.

    I’ve come to realize after making Doctor Strange that anything is possible, really anything in the Marvel universe, any team-ups. I love Tobey. I love Kirsten Dunst. I think all things are possible. I don’t really have a story or a plan. I don’t know if Marvel would be interested in that right now. I don’t know what their thoughts are about that. I haven’t really pursued that. But it sounds beautiful. Even if it wasn’t a Spider-Man movie, I’d love to work with Tobey again, in a different role.

    Samuel M. Raimi

    The prospect of the two reuniting for a fourth Spidey film is tantalizing, especially given the sour taste left in the mouths of Raimi and the fans after 2007’s Spider-Man 3. Despite the critical response to Morbius being less than pleasant, Sony seems committed to continuing to develop films with their Spider-Man characters. Perhaps a Raimi/Maguire reunion would help bring a little positivity back to their corner.

    Source: Fandango

  • With Austin Meadows Deal, Al Avila Proves Tigers Are Serious About Contending

    With Austin Meadows Deal, Al Avila Proves Tigers Are Serious About Contending

    Just days after top prospect Riley Greene’s fractured foot forced him out of the Opening Day lineup for the Detroit Tigers, GM Al Avila made a stunning late-night trade to bring another left-handed bat into the lineup in 2019 All-Star Austin Meadows. It was stunning because most insiders believed that with Greene only out until around June, the Tigers would try to fill the spot internally, with Willi Castro and Victor Reyes, with reports about the Tigers looking to trade surfacing only a few hours ahead of the deal. It was stunning because the Tigers sent one-time top prospect Isaac Paredes out the door in exchange for Meadows. But most of all, it was stunning because it was the type of deal that fans have not come to expect from the GM in his time in Detroit, but it proves that the talk about contending this year is not just lip service.

    While fans are fretting about where Meadows will fit into Detroit’s already improved lineup, they should remember that manager AJ Hinch isn’t one to fall in love with ONE lineup and this gives him another fantastic tool in his tool box. Meadows hit .234/.315/.458 last year with a career high 106 RBI, good for seventh in the AL, 22 more than Jonathan Schoop’s team lead. Meadows was also clutch, driving in 19 game winning and 29 go ahead runs. His 29 doubles last year tied a career high and would have put him third on the Tigers behind Jeimer Cadelario and Schoop and his 117 adjusted OPS would have been second, again behind Candy. However you feel about Victor Reyes, he’s not going to put up those kinds of numbers even if he got 500 plate appearances. Meadows will step right into the lineup and do damage.

    After the shock wore off, fans found themselves wondering what this meant for the Tigers outfield once Greene returns from injury. Tigers Freep beat writer Evan Petzold put worries to rest pretty quickly, sharing the news that he’d heard: the plan is to put Greene in center field once he’s back. This unleashed a new wave of concerns about…too many good outfielders. We are 3 years removed from Christin Stewart and Mikie Mahtook being in the Opening Day lineup and now we’re worried about too many good outfielders. At any rate, it’s actually a wonderful situation for the team. Akil Baddoo, Riley Greene, Robbie Grossman and Meadows as your 4-man outfield is better than any other combination previously available. This scenario allows Hinch to move batters up and down the lineup when the situation calls for it (something he loves to do), keep Baddoo and Greene’s ABs wherever he thinks they need to be, and probably give Miggy some days off from the DH spot. Even if Baddoo and Greene prove to be every day players themselves, a sometimes platoon of Meadows and Grossman could be very effective. Meadows struggled against LHP last year, but put together a 137 wRC+ against RHP. Grossman’s 135 wRC+ against LHP almost matches that. Again, Hinch has options, and high performing ones at that.

    With Opening Day just a few days away, Avila’s offseason additions really stack up well. Javy Baez and Meadows bring two big WAR improvements from last year. Tucker Barnhart’s work with the pitching staff has been among the biggest talking points of the Spring. E-Rod and Michael Pineda should prove to be excellent anchors to a talented, but young rotation. Of course, the proof is in the pudding and nobody has thrown a pitch or had an at bat in a regular season game just yet, but Avila has given Hinch the tools he needed, wanted, to take this team back to the playoffs and this latest move might be the one that puts them there.

  • Recent ‘Ironheart’ Casting Call May Lend Credibility to Villain Rumors

    Recent ‘Ironheart’ Casting Call May Lend Credibility to Villain Rumors

    A recent casting call from POC Culture shed light on a new, supporting character to be featured in the as-yet-undated Marvel Studios Disney Plus streaming series Ironheart. The report indicated that the production is searching for a Black, Latina or Afro-Latina transgender woman between the ages of 18 and 22 to portray a character described as “smart” and “confident” with a “unique sense of humor.”

    As the news made the rounds, one additional bit of information seemed to slip through the cracks just a bit and it’s information that might lend credibility to some previous rumors about the villain of the series. In early January, The Illuminerdi reported that a casting call for Ironheart might indicate that Parker Robbins, aka The Hood, could be villain of the project. That idea has been met with a heavy dose of skepticism by fans because it seems incongruous to have a mystically-enhanced villain going up against a tech-based hero. However, the recent casting call for the transgender woman included an additional description of the character that actually supports the idea of The Hood.

    POC Culture’s report included among the descriptors of the character that she also had a “mystical bent.” While this is EXTREMELY vague, it does indicate that Ironheart will include at least some sort of mystical elements. And while this in no way confirms the presence of a character so steeped in mysticism as The Hood, it does raise some interesting points for discussion, not the least of which being that by putting a magic user up against Riri’s powerful tech, Marvel Studios would be going against LONG-established pillars of their stories in which the power sets of the villains match the heroes. By pitting someone like The Hood against Ironheart, Marvel Studios would give Riri a chance to truly flex her genius muscle and separate herself from her armored predecessor. So while this is by no means some sort of confirmation of The Hood, it is interesting food for thought and something to follow over the next couple of months.