Charles and Charles got back on schedule this week and caught up on all the Marvel and DC news and gave their brief thoughts on their screening of Black Widow.
Author: Charles Murphy
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Connecting Imaginary Dots: Odin’s Wake and the Reforging of Mjolnir
Early this morning, Twitter user @fernx18 alerted Murphy’s Multiverse of the following detective work by user @loventhunders:
As the original post points out, it appears that the Asgardians have created a monument to Odin at the spot where he died in Thor: Ragnarok. His death allowed Hela to escape her prison and subsequently shatter Mjolnir nearby. While it’s all speculation on our part, it’s possible that the set photos above are part of a longer scene in which the Asgardians say goodbye to the Allfather with a friends-and family-style memorial. Thor has been fairly busy since his father passed away what with Asgard being destroyed, half the universe being wiped out and having to travel through time to fix it, so it’s probably about time to get around to honoring his father. It doesn’t seem like much of a stretch to assume that the set photos that captured Matt Damon, Sam Neill, Melissa McCarthy and others as they act out an Asgardian drama retelling Odin’s final days could be a part of that celebration (they were shot around the same time); additionally, it also opens up a very organic way for Natalie Portman’s Jane Foster to be reintroduced after having been sidelined since the events of Thor: The Dark World.
The memorial can be used to catch Foster up to speed (as well as new fans of the franchise) and, as we’ve seen in another set picture below, get her in front of Mjolnir where the enchanted hammer can work its magic.
While a common theory among fans has been that one or to other or both of Jane and Mjolnir would be brought in from the multiverse, the collection of evidence here seems to strongly support the idea that both are the Jane and Mjolnir that we’ve gotten to know. In every way, that makes for a stronger story as both Thor and the audience have relationships with both characters. We’ve seen Mjolnir reforged before in the comics (recently in Jason Aaron’s War of the Realms) and while it seems unlikely that Jane is going to fly it into the sun in Thor: Love and Thunder, the set photos do make it seem like something specific to Jane is the key to reforging the hammer. Perhaps it’s her previous connection to the Reality Stone, but it does seem crucial that the hammer can only be reforged by or for Jane, otherwise half of Avengers: Infinity War would seem to have been a huge waste of time.
Great catch @loventhunders! We’ll see how all this plays out next year what Thor: Love and Thunder hits cinemas around the world.
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Rumor: Hulk’s son Skaar set for MCU Debut in ‘SHE-HULK’
According to a report by TheDirect, Jennifer Walters won’t be the only relation to the Hulk that She-Hulk will be introducing. Apparently, Skaar, The Hulk’s son from the time he spent on Sakaar during the Planet Hulk storyline, is set to make his MCU debut in the upcoming Disney+ series.
As The Hulk rose to dominance in the planet he was once exiled to, his relationship with Caiera the Oldstrong developed, and they conceived a son. When the warp core on Hulk’s ship exploded, killing Caiera, Hulk believed his son had died in her womb. Unbeknownst to him, Skaar survived and was raised by his mother’s Shadow People amongst the ruins of Sakaar before being exiled to Earth.
The inclusion of Skaar in the series is incredibly surprising yet entirely sensible and opens up some room for more of the Hulk’s time on Sakaar to be explored. While Caiera didn’t appear in Thor: Ragnarok, concept art of her people, the Shadow People (or the Oldstrong) was developed for use in Thor: The Dark World and it wouldn’t be too difficult to work her relationship with Hulk into the time between Age of Ultron and Ragnarok. Skaar’s arrival on Earth would certainly rattle not only Bruce Banner’s cage but also those who have always been leary of the Hulk. And of course multiple Hulks could be the first step down the road towards something like World War Hulks being adapted into the MCU. The folks at Marvel Studios certainly continue to find ways to surprise and excite us.
Source: TheDirect
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New ‘WHAT IF…?’ Lego Leak Reveals the Name of Steve Rogers’ Iron Man Armor
With 2 months to go until Marvel Studios first MCU-based animated series, What If…?, hits Disney Plus, the leaks are coming fast and furious. A recent lego leak gave us some info about a new, Sakarrian Iron Man armor that we’re likely to see in an episode and, now, another leak connects to one of the earliest pieces of concept art we saw for the series. According to 1414falcon fan, Lego will be releasing a “Captain Britain and The Hydra Stomper” set.
We can confirm that Rogers’ suit, which will be built by Howard Stark, is called the Hydra Stomper and is necessary for Steve to head into combat. Rumors have swirled that the Captain Britain episode will be the first to air though that has yet to be confirmed. We’re also still waiting for an official announcement from Disney as to when the series will hit their streaming service. It was reported earlier this week that the series would debut on August 6th, but Disney quickly retracted the information saying only that it was still on schedule to stream in August.
What If…? will take fans through key events from the Marvel Cinematic Universe while reimagining them in major ways. The series will be told from the perspective of Uatu, the Watcher, voiced by Jeffrey Wright, and will see most of the cast of the MCU returning to voice their characters.
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Donny Cates Taking Over the Strongest There Is This November With ‘Hulk’ #1
With the news that The Immortal Hulk writer Al Ewing was taking over Venom following the denouement of Donny Cates’ run on the book, it only makes sense that Marvel Comics had Cates lined up to follow up Ewing’s instant classic, which delved DEEP into the history and psyche of the Hulk, and send the character in a totally new direction. Cates had been teasing some big news for weeks and yesterday Marvel made it official, announcing Cates and artist Ryan Ottley, who has been doing some great work on Nick Spencer’s Amazing Spider-Man, were teaming up for a new Hulk series with the #1 due out in November.
Ewing’s 50-issue run on The Immortal Hulk will conclude, we think, in September and the final arc will see the Hulk faced with “a final accounting of his life” as he reaches the gates of Hell and the One-Below-All. Cates’ new run looks to be heading in an entirely different direction as Bruce Banner “discovers a radical way” to control the Hulk with the tease being whether or not it will be the end of the Hulk or backfire with unintended consequences…I’m guessing we can all figure out which what that’s going to go.
Cates had the following to say:
“Marvel just gave me the keys to the strongest one there is. Haha… oh boy. You guys are just not ready for this. You’re about to find out what happens when Ryan Ottley and I get angry… and guess what? Well… pretty sure you’re gonna like us a lot when we’re angry.”
Cates’ new book will explore the Hulk’s “incredible and destructive legacy” but will almost certainly carry on his tradition of finding creative ways to reinvent old characters and put them in some incredibly uncomfortable and surprising scenarios. In his short time at Marvel he’s made Frank Castle a Spirit of Vengeance, the Silver Surfer worthy, Loki the Sorcerer Supreme and Donald Blake interesting. The sky’s the limit for what he can do with Hulk and the incredible supporting cast of characters. Now I’m just waiting for that Donny Cates on Avengers announcement…
Source: Marvel.com
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Leaked ‘WHAT IF…?” Lego Set Teases New Iron Man Armor…with a Sakarrian Twist
Over the past year, it seems that it’s become more common for our first look at Marvel Studios characters and properties to come via toy leaks. Whether it be Marvel Legends, Funkos or, as is the case here, Legos, fans have been able to glean quite a bit of info about upcoming MCU projects. Now, thanks to IG user 1414falconfan, we have a look at an interesting twist that would seem to be from an episode of Marvel Studios first animated streaming series, What If…?
The series, which begins streaming this August, is set to take fans on a trip throughout the multiverse where key moments in MCU history turned out just a bit different. While we can’t confirm that this Lego set is based on an episode of What If…? (if any of the upcoming series could provide an opportunity to expand the toy line beyond what we see on the screen, it’s What If…?) it’s undoubtedly one of the cooler concepts we’ve seen from the series to date. The set seems to follow what would happen if Tony Stark, rather than Hulk, had been stranded on Sakaar.
The set, Tony Stark’s Skaarian Iron Man, shows what is clearly a Transformer’s inspired Iron Man suit built by Stark from the rubble heaps of Sakaar. In addition to the incredibly cool new Iron Man armor, the new set includes Tony Stark, Valkyrie and Uatu figures and seems to show off some artwork from other What If…? episodes on the box.
As the debut of the series draws near, we’ve already learned quite a bit about which characters will feature in the series from concept art and merchandise. Should this set be based on the series, this story line would join Captain Carter, Party Thor, evil Doctor Strange, zombie Cap, apocalypse Ultron, Gamora and Killmonger as other potential episodes. Fans are anxiously awaiting a new trailer from the series but we’ve got plenty of info to go on already and it looks like this series will deliver the goods.
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Update: Marvel Studios ‘What If…?’ Set for an August Debut, Date Still Uncertain
Update: After speaking with Disney, we understand that, as of now, no release date has been set for the series and the original report was in error.
What If…? will revisit some of the key moments in the MCU and reimagine those events in unexpected ways. Concept art and trailers for the 10-episode series have shown off some of the characters such as T’Challa as Star-Lord, an Ultron from a timeline where he apparently won, Super Soldier Peggy Carter and a most excellent Party Thor. The series will also introduce Uatu the Watcher, voiced by Jeffrey Wright, to the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Production on a second season of the show has already begun and early feedback on the series has been incredibly positive. As of now, Disney has not addressed whether or not they’ll drop all 10 episodes at once, a few in week one or stick with the weekly format they’ve followed pretty routinely so far.
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MURPHY’S LAW: EPISODE 91
The Charleses return after a month-long hiatus due to…well, who cares? They’re back. They talk the Eternals trailer, the 5th 2023 MCU film, the Sinister Six appearing in No Way Home and much more!!
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Christopher McDonald Joins ‘Secret Invasion’
Christopher McDonald, who played the iconic Shooter McGavin in Happy Gilmore, has joined Marvel Studios Disney Plus streaming series Secret Invasion. According to the trade report, the 66-year old McDonald will be portraying a newly created character with the potential to appear in other MCU properties down the road.
The production has been looking to cast an older male in one of two unfilled roles: a Tucker Carlson-esque news anchor role and a European spy so it’s possible that McDonald fits the bill for one of those two roles with the news anchor role making a bit more sense. Production on Secret Invasion is expected to kick off this August in the UK.
McDonald will join Samuel L. Jackson and Ben Mendelsohn, who will reprise their roles as Nick Fury and Talos, and MCU newbies Olivia Colman, Emilia Clarke, Kingsley Ben-Adir and Killian Scott.
Source: Deadline
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‘Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3’ Production Shifts Location
Earlier this year we shared the news that Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 was set to film this coming Fall in London. James Gunn confirmed a UK shoot in March in the tweet below, but as we know, when it comes to movie production timelines and locations, nothing is final until the shoot begins.
https://twitter.com/JamesGunn/status/1369427359170957320?s=19
We have learned that the third and apparently final Gunn-led Guardians film is now on track to be one of 3 MCU productions to film in Atlanta this Fall. Gunn is scheduled to complete filming on the HBO Max series Peacemaker, currently shooting in British Columbia, sometime next month and will have plenty of time for post-production on that series before getting going on Vol. 3 before 2021 comes to a close. Gunn will also be filming the Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special during this time which may be why they’ll get cameras rolling so early relative to their current release date.
