Author: Charles Murphy

Stop Hating On the New Captain America…At Least For Now

If social media is to be believed, Wyatt Russell’s John Walker, the MCU’s new Captain America, might just be more hated than Thanos. Within minutes of his debut in episode 1, fans were already talking about his punchable face and following yesterday’s episode, “The Star-Spangled Man”, the hate reached epic proportions. But here’s the thing: no matter how badly you want John Walker to be a bad guy, he’s not…not so far at least. The writers and directors of The Falcon and The Winter Soldier are definitely leading fans down a very particular path and making fans feel a very certain way but as fans, can we take a step back and change the lens through which we’re viewing the character? Let’s give it a shot.

John Walker Did More to Earn the Title of Captain America Than Steve Rogers

It might seem impudent to the legacy of Steve Rogers, the man who was willing to stand alone against Thanos and his army when all else had failed (and easily my favorite MCU hero) to suggest it, but Walker’s career as a military hero has earned him a shot at carrying on the legacy and it’s a much more accomplished career than the one the guy before him had.

As we learned in Episode 2, Walker is a 3-time recipient of the Medal of Honor, the highest military decoration in the U.S., and led counter-terrorism and hostage rescue units during his distinguished career. Love him or hate him, the man was the very definition of an American hero before he was given the new job. Rogers, on the other hand, had no prior military career and though he displayed his bravery by falling on a grenade during basic training, his greatest accomplishment was being smart enough to pull the pin out of the flagpole. And keep in mind that Rogers only got the chance to go through basic training after falsifying documents and because Doctor Erskine happened to be in the right place at the right time to hear Steve’s explanation to Bucky about why he wanted to be in the war.

It’s probably very intentional that longtime fans of the MCU think back to Gilmore Hodge while looking at John Walker, but despite the intent of the creative team, it’s important to remember that neither of them are bad men, just very good soldiers.

John Walker Isn’t Responsible for the Racism Sam is Experiencing

Early “leaks” (the bullshit kind) pegged Walker as a racist and all-around villain. It seems that despite the fact that those leaks were nothing more than poorly written fan-fiction, that the feelings they fueled have carried some momentum into the series. The Falcon and The Winter Soldier has deftly and subtly addressed racism in America in each of the first two episodes and hopefully continues to shine a light on it, but none of that is coming from Walker. In fact, it seems incredibly obvious that Walker is anything but racist. He’s married to a Woman of Color and his partner and good friend is an African-American man.

As Dalbin Osorio wrote here, when Walker was announced as the new Captain America just days after Sam handed over the shield, the words spoken at the podium “real American values” were code for “somebody real white.” In both episodes, Sam has dealt with subtle micro-aggressions steeped in racism, but nothing hurt him more than understanding why he was passed over for Cap. And as much as we want to hate someone for that, it shouldn’t be Walker. Walker isn’t the guy making these decisions, he’s a hero and soldier trying, in his own words, “to be the best Captain America” he can be in what he sees describes as “the greatest honor of my life.” Someone is doing Sam wrong here (I’m even inclined to believe we might uncover a government conspiracy as time goes on-Redwing does seem to get glitchy whenever government ops touches him and we just found out that they track Sam via the drone) and we’re bound to find out who. John Walker isn’t responsible for the racism Sam is experiencing but he is benefitting from it.

John Walker is the Captain America Steve Rogers Used to Be

Perhaps no character showed more growth during his time in the MCU than Steve Rogers. By the time we saw him put the shield down and walk away at the end of Captain America: Civil War, he was barely recognizable as the soldier who was shaking hands and “socking old Adolf in the jaw.” We see Walker complain about that same song and dance in this episode before seeing him get his ass kicked in a rescue mission and while we want to hate Walker and want to see it as a weakness, we have to remember that Steve was in this exact same place early on. If Steve hadn’t been there, he wouldn’t have had room to grow; we have to at least allow Walker the opportunity to grow along the same lines Steve did. We have to hope that Walker, like Steve, can see that blindly following orders might make him a good soldier, but it doesn’t make him the “best Captain America” he can be, especially when those orders should conflict with his conscience.

From the goofy grin, to the cocky attitude to the threat to Sam and Bucky about staying out of his way, we’ve been given plenty of reasons to hate John Walker. It’s good writing, it’s what we’d expect from Marvel Studios, to make us feel angry at the guy who got the title our hero Sam deserves; however, for the time being Walker hasn’t done anything to deserve it. That’s not to say he won’t because it seems like there’s definitely another shoe waiting to drop. Until then, though, let’s work on a growth mindset; let’s not hate John Walker…yet.

March 27, 2021
‘THOR: LOVE AND THUNDER: Jeff Goldblum Joins the Cast in Australia

It’s been a few weeks since we’ve seen anything turn up from down under on the next installment of the Thor franchise but now, thanks to @wwos on Twitter, that drought is over. The account spotted a few Marvel Studios stars in Russell Crowe’s private suite at a rugby match in Australia on Friday and among them was the American National Treasure, Jeff Goldblum.

Goldblum, who was joined by Thor director Taika Waititi and a couple of Thors in Chris Hemsworth and Natalie Portman for the match, played the big screen version of the Grandmaster in Thor: Ragnarok and hasn’t been officially revealed to be return for Thor: Love and Thunder. While we cannot confirm he’s reprising the role of the Grandmaster for the film, it surely seems like a long way to go just to watch a rugby match in person. Additionally, Goldblum heavily teased his involvement in the film in an interview with EW last Fall:

I can’t reveal any secrets, not that I know anything definitively, but there’s a whisper of a thought or notion that I might have some participation in it,” Goldblum said. “I would love to [return], to the extent that Taika Waititi is directing it. I would show up anywhere where Taika Waititi is — and all of Marvel too.

Goldblum’s quirky Grandmaster was one of many highlights in Ragnarok. Last time we saw him, he was trying to talk his way out of a tough spot so his return to the MCU will almost certainly come with one hell of a story.

Thor: Love and Thunder is set for theaters on May 6, 2022.

Sources: Twitter, EW

March 26, 2021
Leaked ‘THE FALCON AND THE WINTER SOLDIER’ Marvel Legends May Hint at John Walker’s Fate, Wave BAF

Yesterday we got a good look at Sam Wilson’s new Captain America suit via the Disney Store. It wasn’t much of a spoiler as most fans believe Sam will eventually take on the mantle of Captain America and the suit itself looks to have been ripped straight from Stuart Immonen’s comic design; however, today a new set of images have leaked, this time of Marvel Legends from the upcoming series, and one might just be a little spoilery.

At the end of Episode 1 of The Falcon and The Winter Soldier, Wyatt Russell’s John Walker was announced to the world as the new Captain America. Since most fans are of the mind that the series will wrap up with Sam as Cap, logic dictates we aren’t likely to have 2 Caps, so what will happen to Walker? As you can see in the photos below, it looks like at some point in the show, Walker will change gears a little bit and become U.S. Agent.

Walker has gone by U.S. Agent more often than not in the comics, so this shouldn’t come as a surprise to avid readers, but not everyone watching Disney Plus is a comic book aficionado. The figure shows off a darker suit for Walker, more in line with his familiar comic book ensemble. If Walker is still standing at the end of the series, we could see Russell marching into future MCU projects (Thunderbolts?) as U.S. Agent.

In addition to Walker, the series will feature Baron Zemo (it’s still interesting to me that he’s called “Baron”) and Bucky Barnes figures and all 3 include what are clearly pieces of the wings we saw on Sam Wilson’s Cap suit, meaning that Sam Wilson Captain America is the Build-A-Figure for the wave! We’ll keep our eyes open to see if we can fill in the rest of the figures in the wave but for now we’ve gotten a great look and some insight into what to expect as the series unfolds.

March 25, 2021
Additional Evidence Supports Kid Loki Joining the MCU in ‘Loki’

Over the last year, there’s been mounting evidence that the upcoming Marvel Studios Disney Plus streaming series, Loki, would feature different versions of the trickster. Sophie Di Martino is widely speculated to be playing a female version of the character (speculation that was backed up by some samples of the score for the series), Richard E. Grant’s role as “Classic Loki” may have been revealed by his stuntman, and, last September, evidence emerged that we might also be getting Kid Loki in the series. Now young actor Jack Veal has confirmed his role in Loki via Instagram and furthered speculation that he could be playing a younger version of the God of Mischief.

Veal shared the recently revealed poster for the show and, as you can see in the photo above, confirmed he was in the series and responded “can’t wait” to a user referring to Kid Loki. Obviously, we’re in no position to officially confirm that Veal will portray Kid Loki, but he seems to be pretty excited about the prospects. The idea of there somehow being multiple versions of Loki involved in the show is both comic accurate and could set up any number of potential stories or spinoffs down the road. You can never be sure what to expect from a Loki but we’ll all find out together when Loki streams on Disney Plus beginning June 11th!

March 23, 2021
BTS Footage Shows Oscar Isaac Prepping for Marvel Studios ‘Moon Knight’

We’re one series and one episode into Marvel Studios streaming experiment and one thing that feels safe to say is that these series are going to box of chocolates route and that each one is going to be unique and, in some cases, surprising. While The Falcon and The Winter Soldier looks and feels very much like the MCU we know from the big screen, after watching WandaVision we know that Marvel Studios One-Above-All is willing to take some chances and wander into previously uncharted territory. None of Marvel Studios currently announced D+ series scream “uncharted territory” like Moon Knight and today, thanks to an IG post, we have what appears to be our first look at star Oscar Isaac prepping for his role as The Fist of Khonshu.

View this post on Instagram

At first glance it’s easy to say that this could be Isaac training for any role or even just rolling around in the gym to stay in shape; however, the fact that it was tagged #TheOneYouSeeComing SCREAMS Moon Knight to comic readers, such as those on our Discord server who pointed it out to us. As you can see in the panel below (taken from issue 5 of Warren Ellis‘ 2014 Moon Knight run), the hashtagged saying is a direct quote from one of Marc Spector’s alters, Mr. Knight.

The quote stems from the longstanding idea that unlike most heroes (including Batman, to whom he is often compared) Spector dons a bright white costume to make sure he’s entirely visible to the criminals who try to hide in the darkness of the night. More important than the quote is the impressive nature of Isaac’s work on the mat. If this is any indication of the type of action we can expect to see when Moon Knight streams next year, we are all in for a very special treat.

March 20, 2021
‘The Falcon and The Winter Soldier’ Rolling Credits Tease 2 Major Character Appearances

Marvel Studios The Falcon and The Winter Soldier has finally premiered and while the episode itself introduced some pretty great new characters to the MCU. Danny Ramirez’s Joaquin Torres seems set to be Sam’s man-in-the-chair throughout the series and we met the group that appears to be the series’ main antagonists, the Flag-Smashers, comprised of Erin Kellyman’s Karli Morgenthau, Desmond Chiam’s Dovich, Indya Bussey’s Dee Dee and Dani Deette’s Gigi. We also got a couple of cameos from returning characters with Batroc and Rhodey showing up to remind us just how vast this connected universe has become over the last 13 years. And on any other day, message boards and social media would be abuzz with theories about how any or all of those characters are going to play into the series; however, in this case, it’s a couple of characters referenced in the episode’s end credits (not even in the typical Marvel Studios mid-credits/post-credits reveals!) that deserve the attention.

Obviously, there are spoilers below so if you haven’t see the episode yet, please proceed at your own risk.

During the end credits to episode one, we are treated to references to 2 characters who will certainly have a MAJOR impact on the series: Isaiah Bradley and the mysterious Power Broker. First at 43:31, we see a shot of actor Carl Lumbly as part of a case file brought up from a search log. That shot proceeds a frame at 43:54 that includes the words “POWERBROKER WATCHING” alongside a couple of vials of what is most definitely Super Soldier serum (if the blue color didn’t give it away, you can put it together with the fact that Chiam’s Dovich is clearly juiced up). While it’s surprising that Marvel Studios reveals these characters, who do not appear within the run time of the episode, it’s also an incredibly tantalizing tease of what’s to come.

Late last January, we collected some evidence that suggested that we might just see Isaiah Bradley in this series. Our suspicions were furthered when Lumbly was announced as part of the cast just about one month later. Even at 69 years old, Lumbly is still a physically imposing man who fits the bill as Bradley. Given how the series will explore what it would mean for a Black man to take on the mantle of Captain America in modern times, it always made a ton of sense for Marvel Studios to find a way to work Bradley, a Black man who took on the mantle in the past, to meet up with Sam while he struggles to make the choice. The search log for Lumbly’s character names him “subject #02656” and mentions experimentation. Given everything we know about the series, this is the last bit of evidence we need to know that Bradley will appear in the series. And as we mentioned here, Isaiah Bradley showing up in the series opens the door for his grandson, Eli Bradley, a member of the Young Avengers, to enter the MCU as well. Just a couple of months ago we connected some more imaginary dots that lead us to believe actor Elijah Richardson had been cast as Eli Bradley, and right now the evidence is definitely all pointing to that coming to fruition as well.

The inclusion of the Power Broker (and the tease that this character is the one who is juicing up the Flag-Smashers) is equally exciting. Back in August, we explored how the Power Broker would fit really well into The Falcon and The Winter Soldier given both the themes surrounding Steve’s legacy, the Super Soldier serum and the fact that the mid-1980’s Captain America run by Marvel Comics legend Mark Gruenwald was a major source of inspiration for the show and that many of the characters from that run, including John Walker, were making their MCU debuts here. This end credits tease confirms the impending arrival of the Power Broker in the series while still shrouding the identity of the character in mystery (I will tell you that the correct identity of the Power Broker is in the article linked above, however).

For a studio that prides itself on its ability to keep secrets, Marvel Studios has let the proverbial cats out of their bags here with these two teases. Of course there’s still the beauty of watching it play out and the mystery around who the Power Broker is and why he or she is doing what he or she is doing for us all to enjoy and watch unfold over the next 5 episodes.

March 19, 2021
Let There NOT Be Carnage Anytime Soon: ‘Venom’ Sequel Delayed Again

Sony’s sequel to 2018’s Venom has been delayed again, this time moving from June to September 17, 2021.

News: VENOM: LET THERE BE CARNAGE pushed back from June 25, 2021 to Sept. 17, 2021.
— Borys Kit (@Borys_Kit) March 17, 2021

Production on the project began in January of 2019 and was wrapped prior to COVID shutting down Hollywood. However it was quickly moved from it’s original October 2020 release date when it became obvious theaters would not be open. It’s new June 2021 release date seemed safe, with director Andy Serkis recently saying a first look at the film might be coming soon. While that might still be the case, Sony has pushed the film a little further out once again, leaving fans wondering when they’ll finally get a look at the sequel.

Venom: Let There Be Carnage, starting Tom Hardy and Woody Harrelson, is now set for a September 17, 2021 release.

March 17, 2021
Kevin Feige Says That Chris Evans Says That Chris Evans Won’t Return to the MCU

In early January, a trade report indicated that Chris Evans was working on a deal to return to the Marvel Cinematic Universe as Captain America. The report was quickly met by a dismissal from Evans who tweeted out that the return was “news to me.” It’s been the norm for Marvel Studios stars to deny their involvement or knowledge of projects; the actors cite their fear of the infamous Marvel snipers and, in dissembling about their involvement, create an air of doubt around anything they say, so EW went right to the one person who would know, Marvel Studios head honcho Kevin Feige, to get the truth!

When asked about Evans returning to the role, Feige had this to say: “I rarely answer no to anything anymore because things are always surprising me with what happens, but that rumor, I think, was dispelled rather quickly by the man himself.” And the internet said, “Welp, guess Evans isn’t coming back because Feige said so.” Except he didn’t say that. Feige didn’t give his opinion on the matter at all; he just told everyone what Evans already said, effectively not answering the question. Now we’re in no position to make any claims about whether or not Evans is coming back as Rogers, but this was more of a non-answer from Feige than a “no” answer from Feige. Take it from the guy he said “no” to leading to Urkel breaking out into laughter.

EW also pressed The Falcon and The Winter Soldier co-stars, Anthony Mackie and Sebastian Stan, about the topic, and, unsurprisingly, both men took the “I know nothing” approach to answering the question. So we’re left with the equivalent of Feige saying Paul Rudd wasn’t going to be in Ant-Man because Paul Rudd said he wasn’t in Ant-Man, meaning we don’t know anything more or less than we did when you started reading this article. Journalism at its finest.

Source: EW

March 17, 2021
Report: Marvel Studios ‘Moon Knight’ Casting for Marc Spector’s Parents

During this past weekend’s media junket, The Falcon and The Winter Soldier star Sebastian Stan told the global press how much he was looking forward to Oscar Isaac’s Moon Knight, inadvertently confirming Isaac’s involvement in the series. The project is expected to begin filming late this month or early April and now a new report from POC Culture indicates that Marvel Studios is looking to cast a pair of actors that may be playing the parents of Isaac’s Marc Spector.

The casting of Isaac as Spector, whose Jewish heritage is a large part of the character, came as a surprise to many as Isaac, who has explained while he has Jewish roots on his father’s side, described his upbringing as “very Christian.” The report indicates that Marvel Studios is looking to cast two Jewish Latino characters described as a father and mother, under the names Eddie and Willow Silver, for a project set to film next month. The very specific nature of the roles would certainly seem to indicate that they are looking for actors who are a match for Isaac’s own Jewish Latino roots to portray the parents of Marc Spector.

Given that Isaac is 42 years old, the age of the characters (40-50) would seem to indicate that the project will be exploring Spector’s early life via flashbacks. Spector’s father, Elias, was a rabbi whose own checkered past ultimately played a role in his son developing the Dissociative Identity Disorder that would become the defining trait of the character. In the comics, Elias was originally a holocaust survivor, so Marvel will certainly have to update his backstory for the series.

Moon Knight begins production soon and is expected to stream on Disney Plus in 2022.

Source: POC Culture

March 17, 2021
Connecting Imaginary Dots: Carlos Navarro Joins the Cast of ‘Hawkeye’

CONNECTING IMAGINARY DOTS ARE PIECES WE WRITE HERE THAT ALLOW US TO BE WHAT WE ALL TRULY ARE: FANS. THESE SHOULD NOT BE TAKEN AS SCOOPS, EXCLUSIVES OR FACTS; JUST SPECULATION ABOUT THE THINGS FOR WHICH WE ALL SHARE A GREAT PASSION.

Filming on the Marvel Studios Disney Plus streaming series, Hawkeye, is slowly coming to an end and headed into post-production ahead of an expected late-2021 debut. Filming was done primarily in Georgia but fans will remember that our first look at Hailee Steinfeld as Kate Bishop was captured in a “but it’s too blurry to make out if it’s really her” video taken in New York in December. Thanks to a tip from a fan, we may have identified an additional cast member that has, so far, gone under the radar. We believe actor Carlos Navarro (The Walking Dead, The Outsider) can be counted among the cast of Hawkeye.

After receiving the tip, a quick check of social media indicated that Navarro was indeed in New York City working on an unidentified project in early December, the same time we were blessed with a bounty of Hawkeye set photos from the Big Apple. Further investigation shows a stuntman for Navarro listed on IMDB. Yes, we here are all just as aware as you are that IMDB can’t be taken as confirmation of anything. Around the time Navarro was confirmed to be in New York, set photos show that Hawkeye was filming some scenes involving members of the Tracksuit mafia, though a quick scan didn’t reveal Navarro among the members captured on film. It’s possible that an actor of Navarro’s caliber might have landed a meatier role than just another Bro, however; in early October, The Direct revealed that Marvel Studios was looking for a male in his 40s to play the recurring role of NYC Detective “Sherman.” Navarro fits the bill there just fine, giving us another option for a potential role.

Disney didn’t confirm the casting and they certainly won’t but we’ve struck gold on a couple of these types of potential castings before such as Tyler Dean Flores and Erin Kellyman from the upcoming series The Falcon and The Winter Soldier. That having been said, as stated above this information has not been confirmed and should be taken as a rumor until official word is given.

March 15, 2021