Murphy's Multiverse

Author: Charles Murphy

  • ‘The Fantastic Four: First Steps’ Test Screening Leaks Have Landed Online

    ‘The Fantastic Four: First Steps’ Test Screening Leaks Have Landed Online

    10 years after Fox’s second attempt to bring the Fantastic Four to the screen crashed and burned, Marvel Studios take on Marvel’s First Family, The Fantastic Four: First Steps, looks to finally establish the heroes as a box office presence.

    Director Matt Shakman‘s choice to set the new film in a retrofuturistic 1960s New York sets the film apart from both of Fox’s previous versions while grounding it in the same era in which Stan Lee and Jack Kirby launched The World’s Greatest Comic Magazine. But will that be enough to make The Fantastic Four: First Steps The World’s Greatest Comic Book Movie?

    While it wouldn’t take much to earn the title of the best Fantastic Four film, fans are hoping for much more out of Marvel Studios’ first FF film, especially with Pedro Pascal, Vanessa Kirby, Ebon Moss-Bachrach and Joseph Quinn leading the way. Can they deliver ?With just under two months until the film hits theaters, the studio made the decision to do a test screening in Los Angeles, giving the public a first look at First Steps and reactions have begun to make their way online.

    Light spoilers ahead…

    From the collective reactions coming out of the test screening, The Fantastic Four: First Steps sounds like a very straightforward, very comic book FF adventure. According to one viewer, Ralph Ineson’s Galactus is “TERRIFYING” and “the best part,” described as having an “incredible scale” and “ripped straight from the comics” (so not a giant, lingering fart cloud). The same viewer said the film’s plot feels very “Lovecraftian” with a “cosmic horror angle” that gives it “a lot of personality.”

    On the negative end of the spectrum, the film’s lack of character development was cited as well as a disappointing use of Reed’s powers and use at all of The Thing.

    All in all, it sounds as though it’s a spectacle-heavy sci-fi adventure with summer blockbuster appeal; however , as always, social media reactions from test screenings and early screenings can’t really be taken too seriously, no matter which way they lean: they are, after all, just opinions and opinions do indeed vary.

    The Fantastic Four: First Steps lands in theaters on July 25, 2025.

    Source: MSS

  • Ryan Reynolds’ New X-Team Reportedly Revealed…and It Includes the MCU’s Rumored Wolverine

    Ryan Reynolds’ New X-Team Reportedly Revealed…and It Includes the MCU’s Rumored Wolverine

    Earlier this month, THR broke the news that Ryan Reynolds was “quietly plotting his return” as Deadpool. While the star has made it clear that he believes another solo Deadpool film would be superfluous, it turns out he’s been working toward a script for an MCU-based ensemble film that would include “three or four X-Men characters.” Now, a new rumor from one of social media’s busiest news might have revealed exactly what Reynolds has in mind.

    According to My Time To Shine Hello, Reynolds has been writing a script for a potential MCU-set X-Force film that would feature his Deadpool teaming up with Josh Brolin‘s Cable, Hugh Jackman‘s Wolverine and an all-new actor as Storm.

    If the new information is accurate, it meshes with a late-2024 report from Marvel Studios insider Daniel Richtman, who claimed that Jackman was set to carry on as the MCU’s Wolverine in the studio’s upcoming Avengers films and beyond.

    Like nearly every team in the pages of Marvel Comics, the roster of X-Force has been a revolving door since the team first appeared in 1991. Founded by Cable, X-Force often takes a more proactive, militaristic, and covert approach to dealing with threats to mutantkind, often involving missions that the mainstream X-Men would deem too morally ambiguous or violent. While the X-Men typically strive to protect and integrate mutants peacefully, X-Force is essentially the “black ops” arm of the mutant world.

    Introducing multiple X-teams is a must for Marvel Studios as it launches Kevin Feige‘s reported 10-year plan for the massive roster of characters obtained when Disney purchased 21st Century Fox in 2019. By reuniting Reynolds and Jackman, who drove Deadpool & Wolverine to become the highest-grossing R-rated film of all-time, and bringing back Brolin, who certainly made a compelling case to continue on as the Askani’son, whole also introducing a new actress as Storm, the studio would certainly be putting its best foot forward its efforts to provide the new Saga with a strong foundation.

    Sources: THR

  • New ‘Avengers: Doomsday’ Set Reportedly Reveals the Return of One of the MCU’s Heavy Hitters

    New ‘Avengers: Doomsday’ Set Reportedly Reveals the Return of One of the MCU’s Heavy Hitters

    Though she wasn’t part of the Marvel Studios’ stunt that revealed 27 members of the cast of Avengers: Doomsday, Brie Larson seems as safe a bet as any to join the cast of the 2026 film. Larson was among 33 additional names Jeff “The In” Sneider reported would be part of the studio’s next wave of reveals and given the ending of The Marvels, that certainly seems a safe bet.

    The 2022 Captain Marvel follow-up saw Carol’s best friend’s daughter, Monica Rambeau, stranded on an alternate Earth after helping seal a rift in spacetime. It’s all but a sure thing that Carol will make some effort to find her friend and that sort of inter-dimensional travel can cause some issues. Whatever the case, Carol’s presence in Avengers: Doomsday is a no-brainer and a new report from a trusted insider indicates it won’t be long before Larson is on set.

    https://www.instagram.com/p/DKEMPpat__z/?igsh=azRraWFseG9mY2Jj
    Following a report from longtime set photographer Atlanta Filming which indicated that a spaceship was being built near the Dark Wood in Windsor in Berkshire, England, insider Daniel Richtman has revealed that the ship will belong to Larson’s Carol Danvers.

    While Richtman’s report doesn’t explicitly say it, the ship is likely the Hoopty, Carol’s home in space since 1996. Should the report be accurate–and there’s no reason to believe it is not–Larson will likely be joining the cast in the UK soon.

    As one of the heaviest hitters in the MCU–if not the heaviest–Danvers will certainly prove invaluable as the mightiest  heroes of Earth-616 take on Doctor Doom and, perhaps, the X-Men of Earth-1005.

    Avengers: Doomsday is now in production and will be released on December 18, 2026.

  • ‘Schitt’s Creek’ Star Reportedly Joins Marvel Television’s ‘Vision’

    ‘Schitt’s Creek’ Star Reportedly Joins Marvel Television’s ‘Vision’

    Marvel Television’s 2026 D+ Vision-centric streaming series continues to sound more and more like it will be a true exploration of the boundaries of machine and man. With James Spader set to return as the murderbot Ultron, Kerry Condon and James D’Arcy reportedly set to portray human versions of Tony Stark’s artificial intelligences F.R.I.D.A.Y and J.A.R.V.I.S, respectively, and T’Nia Miller cast as Jocasta, it’s clear the Terry Matalas‘ created series will take audiences to some weird places. Now it seems another AI will be joining the mix.

    According to insider Daniel Richtman, who broke the Miller casting, Schitt’s Creek star Emily Hampshire has joined the cast of Vision. Richtman reports that Hampshire will bring another Stark AI, E.D.I.T.H.–the voice of Peter Parker’s augmented reality security, defense and artificial tactical intelligence system uploaded into a pair of glasses–to life.

    I’m not Ultron. I am not J.A.R.V.I.S.. I am… I am.

    -Vision

    With the series believed to be set to follow Paul Bettany‘s Vision through a bit of an existential crisis and explore “a lot of early Vision ideas from Phase 2,” according to Brad Winderbaum, there may well yet be more of Tony Stark’s creations brought to life. It’s possible, though in no way confirmed, that the streaming series may draw inspiration from Sam Humphries Avengers A.I. which explored the possibilities of artificial intelligences gaining sentience.

    After being destroyed by Thanos in Avengers: Infinity War, Vision’s shell was confiscated by S.W.O.R.D.. Under the supervision of Marvel Studios’ worst villain ever, Tyler Hayward, Vision was reassembled and reactivated as part of Project Cataract in the streaming series WandaVision. After interacting with Wanda’s Hex version of Vision, the new White Vision left Westview and the next chapter of his story will be told when the Vision series hits Disney Plus in 2026.

  • The Hulk’s ‘Spider-Man: Brand New Day’ Role Reportedly Revealed

    The Hulk’s ‘Spider-Man: Brand New Day’ Role Reportedly Revealed

    The news that Spider-Man: Brand New Day will feature Mark Ruffalo in a “substantial role” has generated some serious hype for the 2026 film. After years of rumors about the film’s potential plot and cast, fans seem to believe that Bruce Banner to finally meeting up with Spider-Man after nearly a decade of them failing to cross one another’s paths is a recipe for success. Now, a new rumor sprinkles even more spice into the mix.

    According to a pair of rumors making their way around, Ruffalo‘s Hulk will serve as the main villain of Spider-Man: Brand New Day. Though it’s unclear why, the rumors suggest the Savage Hulk will return and that the showdown between him and Spider-Man will be central to marketing the film.

    With one part of the rumor reportedly stemming from a conversation with Chris Higashi, an entertainment journalist who claimed that Boomerang, Scorpion and Tombstone were revealed as part of Spider-Man: Brand New Day at the recent Disney Blockbuster Consumer Products presentation, also comes word that Tarantula will have a role in the film as well.

    Although the timing of these recent rumors can and should be questioned, fans have already begun to theorize what might cause Banner to revert to the Savage Hulk, and that the film will launch the MCU’s long-rumored World War Hulk project. With the film not set to hit theaters until July 31, 2026, expect plenty more rumors like these to emerge, and keep in mind that multiple reputable insiders leaked accurate information about Spider-Man: No Way Home that was initially disregarded until the film’s release.

  • T’Nia Miller Joins Marvel Television’s ‘Vision’ Series as Bronze Age Avenger

    T’Nia Miller Joins Marvel Television’s ‘Vision’ Series as Bronze Age Avenger

    In early March, concept art from Marvel Studios Senior Concept/Visual Development Mushk Rizvi’s now removed Art Station folder revealed early designs for Jocasta, a character whose introduction was teased a decade ago in Avengers: Age of Ultron. Now, a trusted insider has learned the name of the talented actress set to bring the character to life in the 2026 streaming series, Vision.

    According to insider Daniel Richtman, T’Nia Miller, who started in Foundation and Netflix’s The Haunting anthology, has landed to role of the A.I. Avenger.

    Though she was designed as “The Bride of Ultron”, Jocasta has long been an ally of Earth’s Mightiest Heroes and an Avenger herself. It’s unclear if Ultron will be responsible for the creation of her body in the MCU but it is starting to feel like Vision will see a proliferation of artificial beings with rumors that characters such as Viv Vision and Victor Mancha may also appear.

    Shaping up to be one of the studio’s most unique projects to date, Vision has been in production in the UK for several months. Originally developed by WandaVision and Agatha All Along showrunner Jac Schaeffer, Vision was passed off to Star Trek: Picard showrunner Terry Matalas in May 2024. Matalas wasted no time rebuilding the show according to his new…vision…and from what can be gleaned by going through the confirmed cast–which includes Ultron voice actor James Spader–and team of directors, Vision may end up being a tense psychological thriller with notes of existential crisis. And it looks like it might have a lot of artificial intelligence types as well.

  • Marvel Studios Has Reportedly Chosen Tom Holland’s Surprising ‘Spider-Man: Brand New Day’ Co-Star

    Marvel Studios Has Reportedly Chosen Tom Holland’s Surprising ‘Spider-Man: Brand New Day’ Co-Star

    As part of the ongoing agreement between Sony and Disney that allows for Tom Holland‘s Spider-Man solo films to be set within the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Marvel Studios has to “lend” one of their characters to Sony for each film. Thus, Iron Man, Nick Fury and Maria Hill, and Doctor Strange were able to appear in the first Spider-Man Trilogy. With production on the fourth installment in franchise set to begin this summer, recent rumors and reports have started to roll out regularly and now one claims to have revealed which long-time MCU star will join Holland in Spider-Man: Brand New Day.

    According to a report from Nexus Point News, Mark Ruffalo‘s Bruce Banner is set to co-star in Spider-Man Brand: New Day.

    Obviously, one of the things to like bear in mind with Marvel is that there is, your film is a small cog in a large machine, and that machine has got to keep running, and you need to make sure that you can fit into that timeline at the right time to benefit the bigger picture.

    -Tom Holland

    Last seen in the D+ streaming series She-Hulk: Attorney at Law, Ruffalo’s Banner returned from a trip to Sakaar with his son, Skaar. NPN’s report claims Banner will have a “substantial role” in Spider-Man: Brand New Day, which is in line with the stars on loan from Marvel in prior Spidey installments. This report calls to mind a rumor from earlier this year that suggested the film would feature Spider-Man teaming up with Frank Castle to take on the Hulk.

    While no details about Banner’s role in the film we’re shared, the site speculates that he could serve as a science mentor to Holland‘s Parker. Given Banner was working in a lab on his own private Mexican island in She-Hulk: Attorney at Law, thats hardly a stretch. With filming set for late July, expect further casting news to begin rolling out soon.

    Source: NPN

  • ‘Avengers: Doomsday’ Adds a Pair of MCU Vets to Its Cast

    ‘Avengers: Doomsday’ Adds a Pair of MCU Vets to Its Cast

    Despite having its release date significantly delayed, Marvel Studios Avengers: Doomsday is deep into production. While there have been plenty of looks at a set that seems to show a downed Sentinel and a video taken by a fan who was able to sneak onto the studio lot, MCU fans are still waiting to catch a glimpse at some behind-the-scenes action. With the studio supposedly taking measures to keep prying eyes away from the action, those glimpses may be hard to come by; however, set photos and videos aren’t the only way to glean information about projects in production.

    As the cast of Avengers: Doomsday prepares to film on location in Bahrain, actress Mabel Cadena and actor Alex Livinalli, who played Namor and Attuma, respectively, in Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, were spotted at dinner with other members of the cast.

    With Anthony Mackie, Letitia Wright, Tenoch Huerta, Danny Ramirez, Simu Liu, Winston Duke and Hannah John-Kamen in Bahrain along with Cadena and Livinalli, it seems as though the Avengers will be turning to the Wakanda-Talokanil alliance for some assistance in solving the “space crisis” teased in Thunderbolts*.

    Bahrain’s unique location and architecture have fans theorizing that the capital of Manama could be used as a stand-in for Madripoor, which is believed to be visited in the film.

    While fans wait for another large-scale casting announcement, the returns of Cadena and Livinalli serve as a good reminder of just how large the scope and scale of Avengers: Doomsday will be. In addition to the rumored 60 “stars”, there will be plenty of other additions to the cast as the inhabitants of Earth-616 learn what’s coming their way.

  • Marvel Studios Guts Its Phase Six Theatrical Slate

    Marvel Studios Guts Its Phase Six Theatrical Slate

    Marvel Studios has made it clear that it plans to scale back on both its streaming and theatrical output. But knowing that doesn’t make it any less jarring when it happens. After originally planning to rollout four films in 2026, the studio will now release two: Spider-Man Brand New Day and Avengers: Doomsday.

    As part of a series of moves that saw Avengers: Doomsday move from May to December 2026, the studio also removed a pair of films from its 2026 release schedule. Originally set aside for untitled films, February 13, 2026 and November 6, 2026 were scratched from the calendar, joining the previously abandoned June 24, 2026 date on the scrap heap.

    Once upon a time, 2026 looked to be one of the studio’s most ambitious years yet; however, a series of delays and a changed approach have combined to leave only one of the four originally scheduled films (Sony schedules the Spider-Man films) Avengers: Doomsday, on the slate, arriving seven months later than its most recent rescheduling.

    2027 looks to be following a similar path, with Avengers: Secret Wars moving from May to December 2027 and a previously scheduled November 2027 film being removed from the slate. A July 23, 2027 date remains on the schedule for now.

  • Marvel’s Punisher Special Presentation May Take Inspiration from a Gritty Comic Classic

    Marvel’s Punisher Special Presentation May Take Inspiration from a Gritty Comic Classic

    Frank Castle may not have won the battle against Wilson Fisk’s Anti-Vigilante Task Force in the Daredevil: Born Again Season One finale, but he spilled plenty of blood. Most importantly, he lived to fight another day, escaping his dungeon cell and setting up the next chapter in his story. Set to stream on D+ in 2026, The Punisher Special Presentation, co-written by star Jon Bernthal and Reinaldo Marcus Green, will film later this year but to date, no details about the project’s plot or cast have been officially revealed.

    It’s like a shotgun blast of a story, but also has all the pathos and emotion that you want out of a Frank Castle story.

    -Brad Winderbaum

    When the Special Presentation was first announced in February 2025, Bernthal posted a picture of the cover of The Punisher #53, the first of a seven-part arc entitled “The Final Days.” Published in 1991, “The Final Days”, written by Mike Baron, saw Castle tangle with Wilson Fisk. Given that Fisk is the central villain in the street-level corner of the MCU, an adaptation of “The Final Days” in which Frank takes down the Fat Man would make plenty of sense. However, it sounds as though the new project may be introducing a new crime boss to the MCU for Frank to set his sights on.

    According to insider Daniel Richtman, The Punisher Special Presentation is currently searching for an actress to play a female crime boss who will serve as the primary antagonist of the project.

    I care very deeply about Frank, I’m really grateful that I’m getting the opportunity to tell the story that I think the fans deserve. We’re giving it our all and we’re trying to tell a Frank Castle story that we’re going to turn our back on the audience — it’s not going to be easy, it’s not going to be light, and I think it’s the version that this character deserves and I’m just beyond honored and grateful that we get the opportunity.

    -Jon Bernthal

    Though that’s about as generic as a character description can be, the information has fans beginning to believe that the villain will be Isabella “Ma” Gnucci, the head of the Gnucci Crime Family who tried to take Castle out in Volume 5 of The Punisher, written by Garth Ennis. The 12-issue arc, known as “Welcome Back, Frank”, launched Ennis’ 49-issue run with the character and has long been hailed as a classic Punisher tale. Harboiled and gruesome, “Welcome Back, Frank” took the character back to his roots and allowed him to do what he does best: kill bad guys with extreme prejudice…and a flamethrower. In terms of MCU Punisher continuity, Ma Gnucci makes quite a bit of sense as an antagonist for the project given that Frank wiped out several members of the Gnucci Crime Family, including her son Tony, in Episode 1.01 of The Punisher, “3 AM.“

    Earlier this year, Bernthal promised fans that the D+ Special Presentation would match the tone set over the two seasons of The Punisher, which streamed on Netflix. “It’s going to be dark; Frank has no interest in breaking out the darkness,” Bernthal said. “It’s not going to be easy. I don’t know if that’s the Netflix tone then that’s what it’s going to be. It will not be Punisher-lite, I promise you that.” If Bernthal’s new Punisher story does indeed draw inspiration from Ennis’ “Welcome Back, Frank” arc, there’s plenty of darkness from which to draw.

    Sources: THR