Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness will see Stephen Strange explore new territory in the MCU when it hits theaters this May. The recent teaser for the film shows Strange exploring the multiverse and, in the process, running into Variants of himself. Recently, one of those Variants, Defender Strange, was revealed by way of a Target Exclusive Marvel Legends figure. Now a new image, first shared by Twitter user @eljaunleon, gives us our best look yet at the Variant.
The Variant of Strange, who was seen briefly in the teaser, is based, at least aesthetically, on the character as he appeared in Matt Fraction and Terry Dodson’s 2011 comic book series, The Defenders. That series, which ran for 12 issues, saw Strange team up with Silver Surfer, Namor, the Red She-Hulk and Iron Fist and ended, ironically enough, with Strange altering time to prevent the destruction of the universe. At the time it was being developed, Fraction teased that the series would “explain everything that has ever happened in the Marvel Universe”, so referencing it in a film that might attempt to do the same seems logical.
The teaser only shows Defender Strange for the briefest of moments, so there’s no telling what his role in the film is or what other Defenders he might or might not be working with in his universes. To know that, we’ll have to wait to see how things unfold when Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness hits theaters on May 6, 2022.
Following the cancellation of Netflix’s streaming series, Daredevil, fans united under the #SaveDaredevil movement to make it clear that Charlie Cox’s iteration of the character shouldn’t be retired. In late 2020, the first reports of Cox’s return to the role in Spider-Man: No Way Home circulated and sparked a debate among disbelievers that wasn’t truly settled until nearly a year later when Kevin Feige finally declared that Cox would be returning in the role. Though his appearance was brief, it was met with thunderous applause in theaters and has fans wild with anticipation about when they might see him again. Several months ago, a source who confirmed Cox’s return to the MCU last December shared something that should add to that anticipation. When asked where Cox might appear again, the response was, “expect to see him everywhere.” With a recent run of rumors lining up with that statement, let’s take a look at what’s next for Cox’s character.
She-Hulk
Rumors have persisted that the next place we’ll see Charlie Cox is in Marvel Studios yet-to-be-dated for 2022 streaming series, She-Hulk. This rumor (is it even still a rumor at this point) makes too much sense for it not to happen and promises that Cox will have quite a bit more to do than catch a brick. Rumblings have Cox showing up in the court room as Murdock, where he’ll probably go up against Tatiana Maslany’s Jennifer Walters. The two, of course, faced off in Charles Soule’s 2014 She-Hulk, and had quite a fun relationship. It is worth noting that while the rumor has them facing off in a court case involving a superhero tailor, issue #9 of Soule’s run found the two on opposing sides of a case involving an old, depowered Steve Rogers. With Chris Evans rumored to return for two non-Captain America projects, his presence would make for one helluva surprise.
Of course that’s only half the rumor and the other half sounds a whole lot more fun. Probably also inspired from the same Soule run, the rumor suggests that Cox, sporting a shiny, new, yellow suit and kicking some ass as Daredevil. It looks as though Cox’s reintegration into the MCU is going to be step-by-step with She-Hulk giving fans their first chance to see Daredevil hit the skyline again. So we’ll see the character at least once in 2022, though there is a rumor he has some role to play in Moon Knight as well.
Echo
Daredevil is also rumored to be appearing in the Marvel Studios streaming series, Echo, which is currently slated to go into production in April. Echo will feature several new Native American roles and a couple of new, female villains but there’s definitely room for Daredevil. Whatever role Cox’s character plays in the series, it’ll be markedly different from the source material. Echo was first introduced in Daredevil Vol. 2 and was trained and sent out by Kingpin to take out Daredevil, who he blamed for the death of Echo’s father; along the way, she met and fell in love with Matt Murdock. While the two did battle, Murdock was able to convince her of the truth before she killed him. Echo went on to take her revenge on Kingpin by shooting him in the face, similar to the scene we saw at the end of Hawkeye.
Even though that story seems like it’s off the table (we could always see a flashback if Marvel really felt the need to tell it), there’s plenty of room for the two to run into one another. The end of Hawkeye is just the beginning of Echo’s journey. Everything she once thought to be true about her life was revealed as a facade that came crashing down. It’s likely that her journey will lead her back to New York and the Kingpin and that her path will intersect Murdock’s along the way. This should be the first of at least two 2023 appearances for Cox.
Armor Wars
Armor Wars is still a long way off and very, very little is known about it but the premise is that a group of villains mysteriously come into possession of Stark Tech and that James Rhodes will have to deal with the fallout. One of those villains is engineer Wilbur Day who uses the tech to upgrade his original suit. It would represent a major missed opportunity not to include Stilt-Man, originally a Daredevil villain who first appeared on the page in 1965, in Armor Wars and have Rhodey enlist the help of Daredevil in taking him down. Assuming we also see Cox in Echo, this will mark at least his second 2023 appearance (there’s also a rumor he’ll appear in Ironheart, which would come out before Armor Wars).
Spider-Man 4
Spider-Man: No Way Home gave fans the first onscreen meeting of two longtime comic book friends: Spider-Man and Daredevil. Although they only met as Peter Parker and Matt Murdock, hope remains that the two will team-up again down the road to take on a shared foe: Kingpin. While he’s best known as Daredevil’s archenemy, Kingpin first entered the world of Marvel Comics in 1967’s Amazing Spider-Man #50. The stage is set up perfectly for an adaptation of that arc where Fisk united crime bosses into the international crime syndicate known as the Maggia.
Both Tom Holland and Vincent D’Onofrio have expressed their interest in their respective characters coming into conflict, making Fisk a very likely possibility to appear in the next Spider-Man film. With Spider-Man now known to be sticking close to his new NYC neighborhood and Daredevil likely patrolling the city as well, it’s only a matter of time before these two bump into one another and unite to take down the head of NYC’s organized crime. With Kevin Feige revealing that they have already begun work on the next Spider-Man film and Sony’s eagerness to have the character appear every two years, it’s possible that this film could make it into theaters for late 2024.
Daredevil
The final rumor is that a solo Daredevil project is now in development at the studio. I’ll caution (though it’ll do absolutely no good) that being “in development” never, ever means a project will get made but, given the enormity of the popularity of Cox in the role, this odds that this ends up getting a green light have to be high. It it happens, it’s probably 2 to 3 years off but given the possibilities outlined above and Cox’s other contractual obligations, it may well be that long before he can lead his own project. At this point, all we really know is that it is not currently slated to enter into production in 2022.
While Tom Holland’s time as Spider-Man has been full of critical and box office success, it has not been without criticisms. Among the most common is that Peter’s relationship with Tony Stark gave the young hero too much, too soon, and took him far away from his comic book origins. Fans grew tired of Parker’s dependance on Stark’s technology, calling him “Iron Boy”, and hoped, with Stark now out of the picture, that Parker would have to learn to fend for himself. Stark tech was present once again in Spider-Man: No Way, both by way of the Ion Spider suit and the fabricator that helped Parker synthesize cures for the multiversal villains. By the end of the film, however, audiences saw a Parker who more closely resembled the young hero from the comics, having learned the true cost of being Spider-Man. And according to the film’s writing duo, Erik Sommers and Chris McKenna, putting Parker in that place was part of their mission.
Fans of the long-running comic book series are used to Peter having to deal with what he’s come to call “Parker Luck.” It’s never been strictly defined by Marvel (I don’t think), but Parker Luck seems like a very specific branch of Murphy’s Law: if anything can go wrong for Peter, it will. More acutely, it seems to explore the inverse relationship between the time Peter spends doing good deeds as Spider-Man and the amount of GOOD things that happen to him. In Spider-Man: No Way Home, Peter’s acceptance of his moral mission as Spider-Man, morals defined by his Aunt May, came at the cost of those he loved most, as McKenna explained:
He was trying to do what May taught him and that made the sacrifice that much more difficult, because it blew up in his face and it got her killed. Then he started questioning that morality in a way that he never really questioned because he hasn’t been put to the test in that way.
How did Parker come to terms with those questions? As we see by the end of the film, he seems to have come to terms with the fact that in order to be the hero he wants to be, there could be no getting around the spell cast by Strange to make people forget him. Though he promised to find MJ and Ned and “make them remember” him, McKenna says he comes to the realization that making that choice would only put them in danger:
You want to have that doughnut scene be him making the last piece of the sacrifice. “I could tell them everything. I can try to get my friends back. But I’d be going right back to the place of endangering my loved ones by bringing them into my life. And I can’t have that.”
Peter makes the mature choice after MJ mentions that her cut doesn’t really hurt anymore. While her words describe the physical pain of the cut, Peter realizes that the MJ’s emotional pain of losing him has also dissipated and chooses to leave her and Ned happy and safe, making, as McKenna said, the final step in his sacrifice and choosing not to try to continue live in two worlds, as Doctor Strange warned him. As many astute fans have noticed, it’s only at the end of Spider-Man: No Way Home that we are finally getting the version of the character that made him so beloved over the years. Moving forward, Holland’s Parker is on his own without the benefit of Stark’s tech or the support of those around him, meaning the next trilogy of MCU films will look a whole lot different and, potentially, a whole lot more like the comics.
Magic. In Spider-Man: No Way Home, magic was both the problem and the solution and, because how magic works remains a mystery to us, fans were left with a lot of questions as they walked away from the theaters. Why did Doctor Strange’s original spell-gone-wrong draw Tom Hardy’s Eddie Brock into the MCU? Does Strange’s final spell mean the Guardians or Captain Marvel, who weren’t on Earth when it was cast, will forget Peter, too? In an interview with Variety, writers Erik Sommers and Chris McKenna explained their approach to magic in the year’s biggest box office hit.
The film’s central plot revolved around Peter meeting five villains from previous Spider-Man films and trying to cure them. The mid-credit scene, however, introduced a sixth: Hardy’s Eddie Brock and his alien symbiote companion, Venom. While the other five found themselves involved in a conflict with the Spider-Men, Brock chose to while away his time in Mexico, having drinks and catching up on the history of the MCU. But why was this version of Brock, who has yet to meet a Peter Parker in his own universe, brought to the MCU by the spell? According to the writers, the answer lies in a line spoken in the post-credit scene to Sony’s Venom: Let There Be Carnage, which the duo revealed was actually directed by No Way Home’sJon Watts.
In that scene, Brock and Venom are catching up on their telenovelas while hiding out in Mexico when Venom begins to explain to him that he possesses “80 billion light years of hive knowledge across universes” that would “explode” Eddie’s “tiny little brain.” And just as Venom prepares to give Eddie a “taste” of that knowledge, the pair are caught up in Strange’s spell and brought to the MCU. According to McKenna, somewhere in that hive knowledge exits the Parker/Spidey connection, as he explained, “The idea is that the symbiote has knowledge of other universes. Buried in his brain is some knowledge of that connection.” Problem solved.
The writers were a little less specific in their explanations as to exactly how Strange’s final spell, which made everyone on Earth forget about Peter Parker, would play out down the line, especially with him still actively working as Spider-Man. “Obviously, some sort of magical redaction has occurred,” McKenna explained. “At the end of all this, we didn’t want a lot of people trying to do magical math in their head.” And so, according to Sommers, they left the problems to be solved by their future selves:
We decided, let’s try to do it in the most satisfying way and just focus on the emotion of it. And then if people have questions about some of those details that didn’t get answered here, we’ll answer them hopefully in another movie somewhere down the line.
Give that the duo have worked on each of the MCU’s Spidey films so far and that there’s a fourth in development, they’ll probably have to start figuring out how to answer them sooner rather than later.
Xochitl Gomez’s America Chavez is set to play a key role in the events of next May’s Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness. Chavez, a one-time Young Avenger in the comics, possesses the unique ability to open star-shaped portals in reality, allowing her and her companions to traverse different realities across the multiverse. The character was briefly seen in the recent first look at the film but now, thanks to some new promo art, fans can get a better look at the character who happens to be pulling off a familiar pose.
As you can see Gomez is imitating the pose held by Chavez on artist Jamie McKelvie’s variant cover to 2017’s America #1, written by Gabby Rivera. The character has always been a powerhouse, boasting superhuman strength in addition to her ability to travel interdimensionally. The character has always been a lot of fun on the page as well and she now joins the ranks of fellow comic book Young Avengers Kate Bishop, Billy and Tommy Maximoff and Eli Bradley in the comics. Hopefully we see them team up sooner than later.
After sitting out 2020, Marvel Studios returned in a big way in 2021 with 4 films and their first 5 streaming series. That all kicked off in January with WandaVision, a 9-episode series that paid homage to eras gone by and changed the way MCU fans consumed and processed media. It’s not overreaching to say that nothing has been the same since the series concluded its run, so as the year comes to an end, let’s reflect on what we all learned from WandaVision.
To Appreciate Character-Driven Projects
While fans initially disapproved of the slow pace of the first few episodes of WandaVision, they also noted the incredible work by stars Lizzie Olsen and Paul Bettany. Bettany got to show off his comedic chops while Olsen put on a master class, essentially playing a new character in every episode (which also served as interesting meta commentary on changes made to the ways women have been portrayed in sitcoms over the decades). It’s not as if these were talents we didn’t know they possessed, it was just that they hadn’t been allowed to exhibit them in the MCU as they were overshadowed by the actors whose characters were headlining the films in which they appeared.
Upon deeper reflection, however, it wasn’t only because they were finally getting their starring roles.Marvel Studios was making a different kind of product for their fans and they bravely and boldly proved that by releasing 3 episodes of WandaVision with almost no trace of the big action associated with the brand. In short, they let their actors act. The trend continued in The Falcon and The Winter Soldier, where Anthony Mackie and Sebastian Stan gave a depth to their characters that they would never have gotten on the big screen and Daniel Bruhl actually got to perform; it continued into Loki where the bond between Tom Hiddleston and Owen Wilson became the heart of the show and Jonathan Majors laid out the gauntlet for the future of the MCU in one of the best performances in its history; it concluded in Hawkeye, perhaps the strongest character work yet, with Jeremy Renner’s subdued performance while his character embarked on a redemptive arc, Hailee Steinfeld’s star-making work as a new hero and her incredible chemistry with Florence Pugh and great turns by Vera Farmiga and Tony Dalton. By simply letting the actors act, Marvel Studios found the key to making its streaming world go round: keep the focus on the characters.
That Expanding the Universe Is Good
With characters who had previously served as supporting characters taking the leads in their own series, new characters had to be inserted into their stories to help flesh out them and their worlds. Undoubtedly one of the best gifts given to fans in 2021 came in the form of these new, supporting characters. And it wasn’t just the new heroes that fans learned to appreciate, the expanded universe and the time to breathe gave life to incredible new anti-heroes and villains, too.
WandaVision gave us Teyonah Parris, who will co-star as Monica Rambeau in 2023’s The Marvels, and Kathryn Hahn’s Agatha Harkness, who will now lead her own series, Agatha: The House of Harkness. We also met Tommy and Billy Maximoff, who were the first of the MCU’s Young Avengers to enter the universe, and who will serve as the catalysts for the next steps taken by Wanda. The Falcon and The Winter Soldier gifted us with Julia Louis-Drefus’ Val, Wyatt Russell’s punchable John Walker and Erin Kellyman’s Karli and Carl Lumbly’s Isaiah Bradley, who made Sam question what being a hero really means. In Loki, we were introduced to the concept of Variants and with that met two whose impact extended far beyond the confines of the series. The confrontation between Sophia Di Martino’s vengeful Sylvie and Jonathan Majors‘ He Who Remains changed the MCU forever but also had a profound impact on Loki himself. And, in Hawkeye, Marvel Studios created a street-level corner of the universe that gave us Maya Lopez and Wilson Fisk, who is likely to show up again in the Lopez-centric Echo series in 2023.
As 2021 comes to a close, the roster of heroes and villains, and those who toe the line, is fuller than it has ever been and it’s hard to argue that the MCU is worse for it.
The Weekly Format is Good
As was the case with The Mandalorian, Disney eschewed the binge watching preferences of streaming audiences in favor of the old fashioned weekly format for the Marvel Studios streaming series. In review, the weekly format allowed for an incredible amount of content and conversation around the projects which can only be a good thing. A careful schedule was created that began with screeners sent out to media outlets. Outlets had strict scheduled to follow, first sharing social media reactions, then later full reviews ahead of the premiers, building hype for the first week’s release. Following that, the studio arranged weekly interviews with the cast and crew, something that would have previously only happened in pre-screening junkets for films. Whether fans loved or hated the episodes, the conversation was constant and engaging. However, the weekly format also had some pitfalls, notably…
To Separate Rumors from Theories and Speculation…Well, Some of Us
More than any project before or after it, WandaVision fueled an insane amount of speculation on a weekly basis. Speculation led to theories and then, somehow, theories led to disappointment and, even more damaging, disbelief in the obvious. Mephisto was everywhere, but when he wasn’t, that meant that there was no way Sharon Carter could be the Power Broker? The trail of cookie crumbs leading to Kang’s presence in Loki couldn’t have been easier to follow, but because Evan Peters was Ralph Bohner, that meant there was no way Kang was showing up and that, instead, Loki would be meeting himself at the Citadel at the End of Time. It was easier for fans to believe that the big boss running organized crime in NYC, Maya’ “uncle”, was either Val or, worse yet, Jack Duquesne, even AFTER seeing and hearing Vincent D’Onofrio in Episode 3. The lack of critical thinking trickled over to the film side of things where, despite an incredible amount of evidence that Tobey Maguire and Andrew Garfield were in Spider-Man: No Way Home (and absolutely no evidence of any other potential plots that did not include them), fans persisted in their beliefs that they would not appear and that the film’s plot would not include the multiverse…DESPITE IT FEATURING CHARACTERS FROM THE SONY FILMS!
WandaVision changed the game in the way some fans perceive information now. Because Reed Richards didn’t make Monica’s suit and because it was Agatha all along, there has never been more refutation of reliable sources of information. It’s not all bad, however, as other fans have learned to be scrutinize more and think more critically about what to believe. For that second set of fans, the MCU might actually be more enjoyable in the future as there will certainly always be wild rumors, speculation and theory leading up to Marvel Studios’ projects. If there’s anything we should all have learned from WandaVision, it’s that knowing how to separate them into their appropriate categories makes a big difference.
That the “Big Reveal” in the Last Episode Doesn’t Always Work
In some cases, despite the fact that the were making streaming series, the projects were put together like longer films. What was sometimes lost in translation there was the fact that in most all films, the villains are revealed early on. Beginning in WandaVision, Marvel Studios seemed to really embrace the idea of last act/last episode reveals and it really was hit or miss. Agatha Harkness, He Who Remains and Kingpin all came onto the scene late in the game with only one really getting enough time to make a major impact on the series. The Falcon and The Winter Soldier took a different approach, developing Karli over the course of the series alongside the other characters, allowing her to be much more impactful to the overall story. As they move into 2022, their decisions on WHEN to do things with their villains will be something to watch closely.
Moving forward into 2022, it’s likely that Marvel Studios has learned a significant amount about how to move forward with their projects. We’re already seeing an increased level of secrecy with upcoming projects like Moon Knight, Werewolf By Night and, to a lesser extent She-Hulk. Let’s all meet back here next year to see how what they’ve learned from WandaVision changes things again.
Following the conclusion of Jonathan Hickman’s 4-issue Inferno, Marvel Comics’ X-Men line will move out of the Reign of X era and into Destiny of X. Launching in 2022, Destiny of X will be comprised of 9 books and is being billed as the “Second Age of the X-Men of Krakoa.” In the weeks since the original announcement, more information about the line of books has made its way online, including creative teams and solicitations for some issues. With that in mind, here’s a look at what to expect from the line of books when they launch next year.
Immortal X-Men
Launching in March, Immortal X-Men will focus on the political machinations of the ruling body of Krakoa, the Quiet Council. Described by writer Kieron Gillen as a companion book to the main X-Men title by Gerry Duggan, Immortal X-Men will deal with the fallout of Inferno and the revelations of Ben Percy’sX Lives of Wolverinie/X Deaths of Wolverine. Artist Lucas Werneck will join Gillen in telling the story behind the scenes of the most powerful governing body on the planet. Immortal X-Men will be available at your local comic shop on March 30th. The full solicitation is available below.
IMMORTAL X-MEN #1 Kieron Gillen (W) • Lucas Werneck (A) • Cover by Mark Brooks Design Variant COVER by Tom Muller Headshot variant COVER by Todd NAUCK Carnage FOREVER variant COVER by TBA Quiet Council Variant COVER by Phil Noto Promo Variant COVER by Leinil FRANCIS Yu Teaser Variant COVER by Lucas Werneck Variant cover by Peach Momoko Variant cover by Oscar Vega WOMEN’S HISTORY VARIANT COVER BY EMA LUPACCHINO IN THE QUIET COUNCIL, NO ONE CAN HEAR YOU SCREAM! The Quiet Council rules the Krakoan age, for better… or worse. Now, shaken by INFERNO and X LIVES / X DEATHS OF WOLVERINE they strive to hold together, no matter how much they want to tear each other apart. Writer Kieron Gillen (UNCANNY X-MEN, ETERNALS, The Wicked + The Divine, Die) returns to the world of X with artist Lucas Werneck (TRIAL OF MAGNETO) to bring us all into the room where it happens. “It” being “the most powerful people on Earth deciding the fate of the whole planet.” Prepare for sinister secrets to be revealed and learn that some secrets are more sinister than others… 48 PGS./Rated T+ …$5.99
Marauders
One of the six titles that launched the Dawn of X era in 2019, Marauders is being relaunched with a new #1 in March. Steve Orlando will take over writing duties from Gerry Duggan and be giving Captain Kate Pryde and Bishop and all-new, all-different crew consisting of Aurora, Daken, Psylocke, Tempo, Somnus and a recently revealed final member: Cassandra Nova. Nova, the evil twin sister of Charles Xavier, will be helping the Marauders as they try to solve a mutant mystery over two billion years in the making. Eleonora Carlini will be handling the art on Orlando’s stories and the duo will actually make their debut on the book with Maruaders Annual # in January. Marauders #1 goes on sale March 30th; the full solicitation for the book is below.
MARAUDERS #1 STEVE ORLANDO (W) • ELEONORA CARLINI (A) • Cover by KAEL NGU Variant Cover by PEACH MOMOKO Design Variant COVER by Tom Muller Variant COVER by Skottie Young Promo Variant COVER by Leinil FRANCIS Yu Teaser Variant COVER by Eleonora Carlini Variant cover by Russell Dauterman Variant cover by Erica D’Urso Variant cover by Lucas Werneck NEW TEAM! NEW VILLAINS! NEW MYSTERIES! Captain Pryde and the Marauders are rededicating themselves to rescuing mutants, wherever they may be, and no matter how dangerous the odds against them are. But Captain Pryde’s crew is not yet complete! Against her better judgment, Pryde comes face-to-face with the final Marauder: Cassandra Nova! One of the most infamous villains in mutant history might be the Marauders’ only chance to unravel a mystery stretching two billion years into the past! 40 PGS./Rated T+ …$4.99
X-Force
Current X-Force writer Ben Percy will stay on for Destiny of X’s X-Force book, launching in April. The official teaser shows X-Force members Wolverine, Kid Omega, Beast, Force and Sage hooked into Cerebrex, which seems to be an upgraded version of the current Cerebro worn by Professor X. Artist Robert Gill, who has been working with Percy on X-Force for the last 4 issues will remain on the book.
Knights of X
Also launching in April, Knights of X will be, is some ways, a continuation of the current Excalibur book that launched during Dawn of X and “ended” with this month’s #26. Excalibur writer Tini Howard will be joined by artist Bob Quinn on Knights of X which, as it turns out, should be read “Knights of Ten” (the teaser reads, “Ten Realms, Ten Knights”). It’s expected to be set primarily in Otherworld and pick up where the events of Excalibur #26, which saw Betsy Braddock remain in Otherworld to fight Merlyn, left off.
X-Men
Gerry Duggan will remain on board the main X-title. The solicitation for X-Men #9, which can be seen below, hints at some big troubles ahead for the squad.
X-MEN #9 GERRY DUGGAN (W) • Javier Pina (A) • Cover by Pepe Larraz Trading Card Variant Cover by Russell Dauterman Promo Variant Cover by Leinil FRANCIS Yu • CARNAGE FOREVER Variant Cover by TBA STORMBREAKERS VARIANT COVER BY NATACHA BUSTOS The Quiet Council of Krakoa. The Great Ring of Arakko. The Central Column of Orchis. Three ruling bodies, all about to make vital decisions that will affect their people for years to come…and the X-Men are caught in the cross fire. 32 PGS./Rated T+ …$3.99
Legion of X
Details have yet to be released on Legion of X, but it seems likely that it will star Nightcrawler and Legion and be a bit of a continuation of Way of X, written by Si Spurrier and drawn by Bob Quinn. A new team, shown above, was teased at the end of X-Men: The Onslaught Revelation, which served as the end of the Way of X story. The team, featuring Juggernaut, Doctor Nemesis, Pixie, Forgetmenot and a newly resurrected Blindfold, who was originally kept out of the Resurrection Protocols due to Moira’s demands that no precog mutants be allowed to be brought back to life. With Destiny having been resurrected in Inferno and Blindfold on the way and Juggernaut, who was banned from Krakoa by Xavier, on the team, it seems like there truly are some big changes coming post-Inferno.
Wolverine
Again, no new details here but Ben Percy, whose run on the book has produced the best work on Wolverine in decades, will continue on. Wolverine will continue in April with issue 20 that will, apparently, feature Deadpool who has been notably absent from the X-line for the most part.
New Mutants
This looks like a potential continuation as well with Vita Ayala and Rod Reis working on issue #25 which is headed to stores in August. The description of the book, which can be read in full below, calls it a “perfect jumping-on point”for new readers.
THE LABORS OF MAGIK START HERE! The big two-five is here – and it’s the perfect jumping-on point for fans new and old! Illyana Rasputin is the Sorcerer Supreme and the rightful queen of Limbo…but she’s been awfully busy on Krakoa. Someone’s got their eye on the throne – and Magik isn’t the only queen in mutantdom. Vita Ayala and Rod Reis rekindle an old flame for a whole new generation of Magik lovers
X-Men Red
A Storm-centric book launching in April, X-Men Red will see Al Ewing and Stefano Caselli team up to tell the story of the Regent of Arakko defend the Red Planet.
Additional Titles
And while they were not teased as Destiny of X books, fans of the X-books can also look forward to a Gambit solo series, which sees the return of legendary X-Men writer and Gambit creator Chris Claremont, who will be working with artist Sid Kotian, and Giant-Size X-Men: Thunderbird, written by Steve Orlando and Nyla Rose, which will tell the tale of the newly resurrected John Proudstar.
More information on all these titles will be available when the full April solicitations are revealed in January.
After sitting out 2020 due to the pandemic, Marvel Studios returned with 4 films in 2021. Black Widow, Shang-Chi and The Legend of the Ten Rings, Eternals and Spider-Man: No Way Home all took their turns in theaters and introduced fans to new characters who would be a part of the future of the MCU. The first three films also had both mid-credit and post-credit scenes that, upon further review, may have followed a potentially intriguing pattern that serves as the basis of this wildly speculative piece.
Eternals featured a mid-credit scene that seemed to set up an Eternals sequel and a post-credit scene that seemed to set up a spinoff project, in this case, Black Knight. The mid-credit scene following Shang-Chi and The Legend of the Ten Rings felt like a set up for the sequel, which we recently learned will see the return of Destin Daniel Cretton as both writer and director, while the post-credit scene guaranteed that we’d see the return of the Ten Rings organization, now headed up by Xialing, which could be one of the Disney Plus properties Cretton chooses to develop as part of his new deal. Finally, Black Widow’s post-credit scene set up Yelena Belova’s recent appearance in the Disney Plus streaming series, Hawkeye; however, upon first, second, third, fourth and fifth viewings, the mid-credit scene for the film seemed to be little more than a cute nod Avengers: Infinity War. Upon further review, however, it’s possible that there is more to that scene than meets the eye.
Black Widow takes place in 2016, following the events of Captain America: Civil War, leaving the better part of two years between it and the save-the-day entrance of Rogers, Black Widow and The Falcon in Scotland in Avengers: Infinity War. Could Marvel Studios be setting us up for more adventures with the duo?
Last year, we discovered that Marvel trademarked “Marvel Studios Nomad.” Among the several different trademarks on the property was one specific to “Entertainment services, namely, the development, creation, production, and distribution of digital multimedia and audio and visual content, namely, motion picture films, television programs, and multimedia entertainment…“, a trademark commonly filed when the studio plans to produce a film or series. Other similar trademarks were filed last year at the same time for the slew of projects Marvel Studios announced during their Investor’s Day presentation. Since the news of the trademarking broke, however, there’s been no mention of the development of any sort of a Nomad project at Marvel Studios, though the studio did file an additional trademark for Nomad just 4 months ago.
Shortly after the discovery of the Nomad trademarks, the news broke that Chris Evans was nearing a deal to return to the role of Steve Rogers in two potential MCU projects. Strangely enough, the trade noted that neither of those projects were expected to be Captain America projects. And of note to this wild theory is that, just recently, Marvel Studios One-Above-All, Kevin Feige, revealed that Scarlett Johansson was working with Marvel Studios on a “top secret, non-Black Widow-related project.” It’s easy enough to theorize that the return of both Johansson and Evans could be connected and related to either the Nomad project or another one of Evans’ potential projects.
Bringing the two back together would allow Marvel Studios to capitalize on the chemistry between Evans and Johansson, first seen in 2014’s Captain America: The Winter Soldier. It is during the time period mentioned above that Rogers, who put down the shield in Civil War, took on the mantle of Nomad, according the writers and directors of Infinity War. With nearly two full years of time to explore, it’s possible that a Johansson-produced project, starring Evans, could be in the works and would reunite Johansson’s Widow with Evans’ in a way that’s otherwise pretty tough given that one is dead and the other is 100 years old.
Could the project be called Nomad? Maybe. Sure it would feature the Secret Avengers (that’s the name of the group according to Joe Russo), but featuring them in a project called Nomad wouldn’t be any different than featuring the same group in a project called Captain America: Civil War. But the idea of them being the Secret Avengers is interesting enough in and of itself because, like most of what makes the MCU great, there’s a comic book behind it.
In 2010, Ed Brubaker, whose Captain America run has defined the MCU’s Cap as much as anything, began writing an espionage-heavy series called Secret Avengers. In it, Rogers led a team of heroes, including Black Widow, that found themselves up against the Shadow Council, the Roxxon corporation and even Shang-Chi’s evil father. As the title indicates, they had to operate on the down low, much like Rogers’ team in the MCU would have had to do. Walking away from the shield almost certainly didn’t stop Rogers from doing what was right. Just because we didn’t see it on screen doesn’t mean that the MCU’s Secret Avengers weren’t active, but they certainly had to be discrete. And as we found out in Black Widow, Nat has some friends, one in particular that knows how to be discrete.
Black Widow introduced O-T Fagbenle’s Rick Mason, an ex-military character whose brief appearance showed us that he has some prior relationship with Nat and that he’s very, very good at finding things, especially given some time and money, as seen in the mid-credit scene in Black Widow. Fagbenle is charismatic, handsome and a rising star and has teased the return on the character down the road, saying it would be “criminal” for him not to return and that there’s a “great space” for him in the MCU.
And while a guy like Mason could show up just about anywhere, the hints at the relationship with Nat made him that much more interesting. That relationship could come in very, very handy in a Nomad project where Rogers and the Secret Avengers want to go out into the world to do some good, but don’t have Tony Stark bankrolling their projects. And that brings us full circle. When Nat takes off to break her pals out of prison at the end of Black Widow, it’s the beginning of something that we only see the end of two years later in Avengers: Infinity War, leaving a lot of stories to be told in between, the sweet spot for a Johansson-led Nomad project.
Any stories told during this time could bring in any number of villains from Cap’s rogues gallery that could or could not carry over into the era of Sam Wilson’s Captain America. Any stories told during that time could feature a run in between David Harbour’s Red Guardian and Evans’ Rogers. Any story told during that time could set up any number of villains or story lines to be further explored in Phases 4 or 5. Any stories told during that time could even feature Florence Pugh’s Yelena. You can see the pattern: just because these potential stories are told in the MCU’s past does not mean they can’t have a big impact on the MCU’s future, just like Black Widow has done.
Of course, this is all theoretical and, as such, based on almost no evidence. However, should Marvel Studios be planning on a Secret Avengers/Nomad project set in the post-CivilWar/pre-Infinity War time period, at least we have some idea of just how fun it might be.
Although it looked at one time like it might not make it, the first MCU-set Spider-Man trilogy has come to its conclusion in Spider-Man: No Way Home. The film grossed $1B in just 12 days and Sony and Marvel Studios have already confirmed that they are developing another film in the franchise. As is always the case in the world of comic book movies, the events of the film neatly tied up the plot while setting the table for what comes next. In this case, what comes next is likely another MCU-set trilogy in addition to some opportunities for star Tom Holland to participate in other films both in the MCU and Sony’s universe of Marvel films.
With No Way Home having been in theaters for two weeks, it’s time to join the conversation about what we might expect from the next Spidey trilogy. Of course, the conclusion and the mid-credit scene of No Way Home did set the stage for a couple of storylines to unfold, so let’s start there and work our way out:
J. Jonah Jameson Out to Get Spidey
Spider-Man: No Way Home did end on a little more upbeat note with Spidey swinging through New York in his shiny, new suit during the Christmas season, but that was preceded by Peter Parker suffering through a great deal of personal loss. Present and looming large over Parker while he struggled with the loss of May was the huge, talking head of J. Jonah Jameson. Jameson, who had been dogging Parker throughout, made a final appearance in the film (following the spell that erased Peter Parker from peoples’ minds) with the promise that he’d get to the bottom of the menace that is Spider-Man.
It’s a familiar feeling for long time fans of the Spidey films, especially since J.K. Simmons is back in the role, but there’s reason to believe that unlike the Jameson we saw in the Raimi films, the Jameson might be more than a loud mouth who bullies Parker at the Daily Bugle. The comics lay out a path that could potentially put Parker in real danger due to Jameson’s determination to “bring Spider-Man to justice.” Over the course of a half dozen or so issues beginning in The Amazing Spider-Man #20, Jameson served as essentially an outright villain. He first hired Mac Gargan to investigate how Peter Parker was able to get so many great pictures of Spidey and then took a key role in Gargan being turned into the Scorpion. When that didn’t work, Jameson hired Spencer Smythe to build the first generation of Spider-Slayers.
Having Jameson working against Parker in Spider-Man 4 could really make things difficult for the young hero. An adaptation of the events described above could allow for Michael Mando, who played Gargan in Spider-Man: Homecoming, to return in a beefed up role and allow for the Spider-Slayers to finally make their way to the big screen, maybe even one with Jonah’s mug plastered on it.
The Black Suit
The mid-credit scene in Spider-Man: No Way Home caused as much excitement as any Marvel Studios’ stinger since Nick Fury showed up at Tony Stark’s home in Iron Man. Defying the whole premise of Doctor Strange’s spell to send visitors from other universes back where they belong, a portion of the symbiote worn by Tom Hardy’s Eddie Brock in Sony’s Venom films was left behind in the MCU. This is one stinger that’s going to pay off in a big way, especially Marvel Studios’ favorite way: selling toys.
Obviously, that symbiote is going to find its way to Parker and some point and fans will see Spidey in the infamous black symbiote suit for the first time since Spider-Man 3. It’s highly likely that Parker will wear it for a while, certainly long enough to showcase it in the all-but-certain Secret Wars project. It’s also likely we’ll get a little more comic-accurate arc for the symbiote this time that sees the symbiote attempt to permanently bond with Parker because it truly, deeply cared for him. And, like in the comics, when the symbiote leaves Parker it’ll find a new host, only this time it might not be Eddie Brock. With Hardy’s Venom franchise having the success it’s had at the box office, there’s no need to complicate things by adding another Brock to the mix, especially not when Holland can face off against him in the Sony films. No, it might rather make more sense to have the symbiote find another one of its comic book hosts, one that would be happy to cause some problems for Parker.
Mac Gargan Becomes Venom
Should Gargan turn up in Spider-Man 4 and once again be defeated by Spidey, it wouldn’t be too shocking to see him teed up for one more run at the Wall-Crawler, only this time on a level playing field. In the comics, after joining with Brock and becoming Venom, the symbiote developed an unsatiable bloodlust. That bloodlust grew larger when it bonded with Gargan and together, they became a much more monstrous version of Venom. For reasons that shouldn’t be too hard to understand, any MCU Venom should probably be VERY different from Sony’s and the Gargan version of the character would easily accomplish that. Should it work out, it would also allow for Gargan/Venom to join the Thunderbolts and/or Dark Avengers.
A New Romance
Fans across the globe felt the pain of Peter Parker walking away from MJ at the end of Spider-Man: No Way Home. While it’s hard to believe she’ll be out of the picture forever, her being temporarily out of the picture does allow for Parker to meet one of his many other romantic interests from the comics. And while fans might be feeling the urge to cheer for Gwen Stacy to appear, it’s time for Felicia Hardy to get her time in the spotlight. Felicia showed up for a beat in The Amazing Spider-Man 2 but the character, who has been a staple in Spidey comics since 1979, has yet to be fully realized.
The two met at a time when they were both young and vulnerable and despite being on different sides of the law as their alter egos, Spider-Man and Black Cat fell in love with one another. Peter revealed his secret identity to Hardy who, for a time, became his partner. Their relationship lines up nicely with Secret Wars and they both have a history with one particular NYC crime boss.
A Daredevil Team-Up
Spider-Man has always been a staple in Marvel Team-Up comics and no partner makes more sense for him to team-up with in an upcoming Spider-Man film than Daredevil. With Charlie Cox’s return an Daredevil in Spider-Man: No Way Home, the stage is set for the two high flying crime fighters to run into one another on the rooftops of NYC. And with the Kingpin running NYC’s organized crime, the opportunity is there for the perfect team-up. Vincent D’Onofrio, who plays the Kingpin, recently reiterated his wish to take on Spidey. Tom Holland has indicated interest in taking on the big guy. What more is there to discuss?
Peter and Johnny Storm’s Friendship
While it wasn’t always the case, over the years Peter has developed one of his closest friendships with Johnny Storm. It was a rocky start for the two in Spidey’s early days, but by the late 1970s, Spidey and the Human Torch were the cover boys for Marvel Team-Up #1. To honor his friend, Parker replaced Johnny on the Fantastic Four following his death; when Johnny came back, the two were roommates for a time. Johnny even helped Peter build the Spider-Mobile. With the rights to the Fantastic Four now residing at Marvel Studios, a Fantastic Four film in development and set to be directed by Jon Watts, who directed all 3 MCU-set Spidey films, it seems like an absolute sure thing that we’ll get to see these two hang out at the Statue of Liberty at some point in the next decade.
Miles Morales
Over the last several years, Sony has begun development on a lot of Marvel films. One can learn as much, if not more, from the films they aren’t developing as the ones they are, however. And one property that Sony has yet to develop into a live-action property is Miles Morales. Arguably one of the most important comic book characters of the last 20 years, Morales already exists in the MCU and, hopefully, Sony and Marvel Studios will work to bring him into play during the next trilogy.
Miles was referenced by Donald Glover’s character in Spider-Man: Homecoming and the crazy events within the Sacred Timeline of the MCU can work to Marvel and Sony’s advantage in bringing the character along at the right time. Homecoming was set in 2017 and then, a year later, Thanos Snapped away half the population of the planet. This gives Marvel Studios the opportunity to work around any age issues and introduce Miles as a 15-or-so-year old at some point in the next trilogy, which will all be set in 2025-ish or later. While it’ll be great to see the two Spider-Men share the screen for a time, allowing Miles to grow into the role of Spider-Man for a while clears the path for Marvel Studios and Sony to do something truly major at the end of the next trilogy.
The Death of Spider-Man
Even though he is beloved in the role, Holland isn’t wrong when he says that by playing Spider-Man forever, he’s taking an opportunity away from someone else. And even though he’s going to be paid a pretty penny for this next trilogy, one has to imagine Holland won’t want to keep putting on the spandex every other year for the rest of his life. To that end, Spider-Man 6 should feature the death of Spider-Man and the true passing of the torch to Miles Morales. To date, Marvel Studios has had no problem killing off their heroes and Spider-Man should be no different. A Miles Morales-led Spider-Man trilogy will not only be a box office boss, it’ll also be a major cultural event. Sony and Marvel Studios must know that. Also…in comics nobody is ever really dead, so if Holland gets bored he can come plan an adult Peter when he’s in his 40s. It worked for Tobey Maguire.
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