Murphy's Multiverse

Author: Joseph Aberl

  • UPDATE: ‘Marvel’s Avengers’ Includes Easter Eggs Teasing Scarlet Witch, Doctor Strange, and Wong

    UPDATE: ‘Marvel’s Avengers’ Includes Easter Eggs Teasing Scarlet Witch, Doctor Strange, and Wong

    UPDATE: So, it turns out that bug wasn’t actually a bug. Zawavari has various voice lines where he communicates with magic users. In one instance, he is talking to Wanda but the player below entered the circle at a time that made it seem like he mistook Thor for Wanda. In reality, he’s actually talking to her through telepathy. It has been confirmed by a CD developer on Reddit:

    Comment
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    inPlayAvengers

    There are other lines where it is implied he is talking to Doctor Strange, Wong (even mentions the Ancient One), Loki, and Doctor Voodoo. Loki is also confirmed in a specific voice line when talking to Thor. Content creator @BobDuckNWeave prepared a compilation of these various voice lines, which you can check out here:

    Source: Reddit, YouTube

    It looks like a tiny Marvel’s Avengers bug has found its way into the latest Black Panther expansion that may have accidentally confirmed a new playable character. When you enter Zawavari’s cave, he will greet the Avenger you are playing. It seems that someone may have managed to activate the wrong audio file, as he welcomes “Wanda.” The name is, of course, a dead giveaway that Wanda Maximoff a.k.a. the Scarlet Witch will become a playable character in a future update of the game.

    https://twitter.com/PlayAvenger/status/1427725416773701637

    There’s always the chance this could just be a placeholder that they’ve added in case they want to include the character. So, don’t take it as a definite of her inclusion or that she’s arriving anytime in the near future. As we’ve seen in the past, they record many audio lines far in advance. Still, she was included in the initial character leak that hinted at a whopping 15 characters potentially joining the game if it keeps up the momentum.

    Black Panther is our third addition since the initial launch of the game and is the biggest addition since. We get a free story mode and Wakanda is a brand new biome that offers quite a beautiful vista to explore. The game has come quite far and we’ve been promised an update to the roadmap in the coming weeks. So, we’ll see who the next playable character will be with Spider-Man the most likely due to his confirmed 2021 release.

    Source: Reddit via Twitter

  • ‘SHE-HULK’s Stunt Coordinator Confirms Production Wrapped on Disney+ Series

    ‘SHE-HULK’s Stunt Coordinator Confirms Production Wrapped on Disney+ Series

    It looks like She-Hulk may have wrapped production, as the show’s stunt coordinator Monique Ganderton shared an Instagram story confirming that production has wrapped. In it, she doesn’t directly refer to the series but confirms she got herself a wrap gift for finishing a production. It matches up with Normally, productions hand out these gifts with some kind of connection to the production, like the one for Matrix 4 that accidentally leaked the official title for the film.

    Ganderton has worked on quite a few projects with Marvel Studios. Most notably she was involved with Captain Marvel and Avengers: Endgame. Her last project was another Disney+ series with her involvement as stunt coordinator for Loki. She also helped develop Proxima Midnight’s fighting style in Avengers: Infinity War for which she shared a video a few days ago that was planned at one point for the character’s action sequences.

    We haven’t heard much about the series since the casting of Arrow alum Josh Segarra back in July. We theorized he might be this series’ Augustus Pugliese but there has not been any official confirmation on his role. Marvel Studios has been good at keeping most of the production under wraps with only a few images finding their way online. Most notably one featuring Mark Ruffalo decked out in his motion-capture suit. Here’s hoping that with the production wrapped we’ll get an announcement in the near future for when we can expect the series alongside a first look.

    Source: Instagram, Instagram (Proxima), IMDb

  • ‘WHAT IF…?’ EP Hints That Tom Holland’s Sony Contract Kept Him From Voicing Spider-Man

    ‘WHAT IF…?’ EP Hints That Tom Holland’s Sony Contract Kept Him From Voicing Spider-Man

    There have been many mysteries surrounding the first animated series by Marvel Studios, What If…?. Before the show even premiered, many wondered why certain voices did not get included in the production. Dave Bautista famously voiced the fact he wasn’t invited, which turned out to potentially have been the result of miscommunication. Yet, there’s also the surprising absence of Tom Holland, who’s been very open on wanting any chance to play Spider-Man. In a Collider interview with executive producer Brad Winderbaum, he gave a clearer statement on his absence.

    You know, I’m not treated to all the ins and outs of the relationship with Sony. But, I think it may have had something to do with it, yeah.

    At the beginning of August, his absence caught many people’s eyes. There have been some leaks that hinted at Spider-Man not being who we think he is, which his absence gave some credence. It’s uncertain which exact episode the What If…? version of the character will appear, but he is definitely part of the MCU canon, as they were not allowed to introduce new characters. Of course, they may have also simply found a different actor to voice the character similar to how they approached the absence of Robert Downey Jr. and Chris Evans. Still, here’s hoping the constant right disputes between Marvel Studios, Disney, and Sony might find an end in the near future to not restrict Holland or the character’s future within the ever-growing franchise.

    If you’re interested in the complete interview with Winderbaum, you can check out the Collider interview here:

    Source: YouTube

  • How ‘WHAT IF…?’ Confirms a Hela and Gorr the God Butcher Connection

    How ‘WHAT IF…?’ Confirms a Hela and Gorr the God Butcher Connection

    There’s been a burning question for many comic fans when Thor: Love and Thunder announced it will introduce Christian Bale as Gorr the God Butcher. The iconic weapon of the alien was the infamous All-Black the Necrosword that turned out to be the original symbiote forged into a sword by Knull. Yet, we’ve already gotten introduced to the weapon in Thor: Ragnarok through Thor‘s sister, Hela. At least, we believed it was the same weapon and didn’t get a confirmation until now.

    She wielded an unnamed blade that seemed to be based on the comic’s design of the Necrosword rather than her usual Nightswords. Her summoning them into her hands seemed to stem from the comic version. It opened up the question of if she was even wielding the same weapon and, if she was, how it might connect to Gorr in the upcoming sequel. Well, the latest episode of What If…? may have given us the set-up to that very answer.

    Hela: Hat Thor Ragnarok den mächtigsten MCU-Bösewicht?

    In a part of the multiverse where T’Challa became Star-Lord, the Collector became the new galactic crime boss after Thanos joined the good side. In his collection, he has a bunch of familiar weapons. It includes Mjolnir, the arm of Korg, and even Captain America’s shield. Suddenly, he pulls out the headpiece of Hela. The moment he wars it, he confirms that it is, indeed, a Necrosword. It also confirms she was using this weapon through the headgear rather than inherent ability. Of course, there’s no mention of All-Black or symbiote, but the first name drop seems relevant even in a What If scenario.

    Now, the only question remains if Gorr gets his hands on this version of the Necrosword. There’s a good chance that after the events of Ragnarok, her helmet flies off into space and the hands of Gorr. While the Collector doesn’t seem to change its shape when putting it on, the heat from Surter could have warped it in the aftermath. There’s only the question about Hela’s connection to Asgard, which the What If…? episode negates with Collector wielding it. We’ll see if they potentially utilize this connection or take a different route, but it is our first naming of the Necrosword in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

    Source: Disney+

  • ‘SECRET INVASION’: Marvel Studios Preparing to Start Production Soon

    ‘SECRET INVASION’: Marvel Studios Preparing to Start Production Soon

    The Marvel Cinematic Universe continues to expand, with quite a few productions going simultaneously worldwide. Still, all eyes are on the upcoming release of Shang-Chi and the Legends of the Ten Rings, as they just recently held a red carpet event. Luckily, FabTV got a chance to chat with Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige on how he feels about the success of their franchise.

    He highlighted that his focus always remains on the future, in which he discussed the various projects currently filming, which included Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania, and The Marvels. What stood out was that he confirmed that Secret Invasion hasn’t started production yet, as he states they are:

    Getting ready to start production on our Secret Invasion series.

    It’s quite a surprise it hasn’t already been in production. Samuel L. Jackson already hinted at his return as Nick Fury in The Marvels, which he wasn’t confirmed for yet. In a way, this helps structure the upcoming production schedule, as he’ll shoot his scenes for the film first before joining the series. It’s uncertain if Ben Mendelsohn’s Talos will also appear in the sequel, but he is confirmed for the Disney+ series.

    Given the character’s history, it seems likely, and they might re-use elements from the film in the spin-off series to cut down on production costs. It’s interesting to see if the series ends up taking place after the events of the film, or they might even set it up like Agents of SHIELD did with Captain America: Winter Soldier. So, the events of the film might take place during the season’s complete runtime.

    If you are interested, you can check out the interview here:

    Source: YouTube

  • ‘ETERNALS’: Sersi and Black Knight’s Romance Takes Place in MCU’s Present Day

    ‘ETERNALS’: Sersi and Black Knight’s Romance Takes Place in MCU’s Present Day

    Entertainment Weekly has released a grand interview with the cast and team behind Marvel Studios’ upcoming Eternals film. It offered many details on what we can expect from the film, such as what they were up to during events like Avengers: Endgame. Luckily, we also got some insight into Gemma Chan’s Sersi, who will be the driving force behind the film. Her relationship with Richard Madden’s Ikaris has been highlighted quite frequently throughout the press.

    Yet, we knew that Kit Harington might also spend some time with her in a romantic relationship. As he is playing Dane Whitman, the Back Knight, we guessed they would have had a brief romance during the Middle Ages, but it seems they’re taking a very different route this time around. Entertainment Weekly reveals that:

    One of the last roles to be cast was the film’s emotional center: Chan plays Sersi, who — unlike some of her Eternal cohorts — has a soft spot for humans. In the present day, she works as a museum curator in London and is dating human Dane Whitman (played by Game of Thrones alum Kit Harington)

    Entertainment Weekly

    This is quite an interesting hint, as it would imply that Whitman won’t don the iconic moniker from the comics. There’s still the chance he’s a descendant of a Black Knight and might end up wielding the Ebony Sword, but he isn’t from that time period. Of course, they could also take the modern route to give him the Photon Sword that he ended up wielding later on. They might want to avoid him swinging around a deadly sword when facing human enemies.

    Source: EW

  • ‘ETERNALS’ Will Explore their Absence During ‘AVENGERS: ENDGAME’

    ‘ETERNALS’ Will Explore their Absence During ‘AVENGERS: ENDGAME’

    We’ve been anxiously awaiting the next installments of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. It’s only a few more weeks until Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings finally releases, and Eternals awaits us in November. The latter will introduce us to a new race within the universe that has been guarding humanity since the earliest days. Of course, it made many wonders where they were in past entries of the franchise. Why they weren’t helping the Avengers from the planet getting destroyed?

    Well, it looks like Entertainment Weekly was able to shed some light on the topic, as in their big coverage of the upcoming film they sat down with the cast and crew to talk about the next entry in the MCU. In it, they also revealed some interesting details about what we can expect from the film and hinted that the film will explore why they didn’t get involved with any of the events we’ve witnessed since the first Iron Man in 2008.

    Eternals picks up after the events of Avengers: Endgame, when half of the population has returned after being snapped out of existence. It’ll also answer why the Eternals didn’t volunteer to help go after Thanos — or help tackle any of the other various crises throughout history. (The short answer is that their mission is to focus on the Deviants and never interfere with human affairs. Still, the Avengers probably could’ve used the help.)

    Entertainment Weekly

    The message of the first trailer did highlight that they don’t interfere with humanity, but we’ve witnessed them do it quite a bit in that same footage. So, whatever they did before these events might have triggered them to distance themselves from these events. Their focus on the Deviants is also an interesting aspect, but with Thanos having a Deviant gene in the comics, it might be a bit more complicated than it seems at first glance.

    Source: EW

  • Current State of Netflix’s ‘ONE PIECE’ Live-Action Series

    Current State of Netflix’s ‘ONE PIECE’ Live-Action Series

    Netflix has the tendency to greenlight a plethora of projects to bank its growing success on. It recently started venturing into live-action adaptations of classic animes. While their attempt with Death Note was questionable, the upcoming Cowboy Bebop series seems promising, but we’ve only seen the cast so far and a tease of the soundtrack. A personal highlight was the announcement to adapt the manga series One Piece.

    Eiichiro Oda‘s manga series started all the way back in 1997 and still continues to this day. The upcoming series was initially announced back in 2017, it wasn’t until 2020 that they got the backing of Netflix for the series. There hasn’t been a lot of details revealed since its announcement but with hints at its production starting soon, it’s the perfect timing to explore how much we actually know about the project and what is heading our way.

    Image

    As the letter above showcases, the mangaka behind the series is an active executive producer on the series and will oversee its production. X-Files‘ Steven Madea joined the project as its executive producer and is currently still the only official talent attached to the project. Cowboy Bebop‘s Becky Clements will also act in the same role on the series. Agents of SHIELD and Luke Cage writer Matt Owens has publicly confirmed his involvement with the project during the podcast The Reverie, and was mentioned on the official Twitter page. He even confirmed that Oda supervised the scripts. In March, the working title “Project Roger” was revealed on Madea‘s Instagram account.

    This brief tease was also followed by a brief interview by SyFy with Tomorrow Studios’ Marty Adelstein, who was working on the Snowpiercer series at the time and Netflix’s adaptation of Cowboy Bebop. He also gave the following update on when we can expect casting to begin and production:

    We were supposed to start filming in August in Cape Town, South Africa. We anticipate the date being able to film [now is] September, at the latest. We have basically all 10 scripts written. We will start casting when we go back. My suspicion is June 1, but we will start doing our casting. We have a lot of names that we’re talking about, and we should be in production in September. We have been working very closely with Sensei Oda. So, we’re going to get started, and this one is very big. I mean, Snowpiercer was a big production; this is even bigger.

    Marty Adelstein

    There hasn’t really been any news since with only glimpses and rumors hitting the internet. If they are on track, they should be finishing up casting in the coming weeks before starting production in Cape Town Film Studios. There are rumors floating that Junie Lowry-Johnson joined the project as casting director alongside Black Sails‘ Marc Jobst as director, but these were never confirmed. The only movement that has been seen from the production is what looks like the Merry Go being built from all the way back in March as well.

    There hasn’t been much of an update since until Illuminerdi dropped the character descriptions, which hints at the ongoing casting process. It seems the only one they could hint at is Ludi Lin for the role of Zoro, but that’s it. If their schedule still holds, we might hopefully get the official castings in the coming weeks before they officially start produciton on the project. It’ll be interesting to see if we get any set photos featuring the cast and when we can expect the project to finally hit Netflix after an almost five year long wait.

    Source: Twitter, Instagram, Variety, YouTube (Reverie VIII), LRM Online, SyFy, Cape Town Film Studios, IMDb, Twitter, Twitter (Ship)

  • Carl Weathers Confirms ‘The Mandalorian’ Season 3’s September Production Start

    Carl Weathers Confirms ‘The Mandalorian’ Season 3’s September Production Start

    It seems like the production start date for The Mandalorian‘s third season has been one of the biggest mysteries as of late. We knew for a while that The Book of Boba Fett would replace its usual December release in 2021, but it was uncertain if that meant the series would start production earlier and then release throughout 2022. As time went on, there was no real news on it and it seemed like it might not release until December 2023, as Lucasfilm ventures out with other Disney+ series in the Star Wars franchise.

    The Mandalorian' Reveals Baby Yoda's Real Name

    Well, it seems we finally have a more clear date, as Carl Weathers revealed during a panel in Steel City Con that he’ll return as Greef Karga and also will direct at least one episode. Not just that, but he also gave us a time window with the Disney+ series entering production in September. Here is his quote from the event:

    And so now, we’re gonna start a new season of The Mandalorian, within the next month. Yeah. And I get to be in front of camera again, and I get to direct again

    Carl Weathers

    It’s great to finally get some kind of timeline for the production, as we’ve gotten various teases but nothing definite. We still know very little about what direction the franchise is heading with the third entry, as it continues to expand with other series like Ahsoka, which has been slowly picking up its casting in the past few weeks. They might have postponed production to also allow Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania to utilize the Volume. We can’t wait to see how Din’s story continues without Grogu by his side.

    Source: YouTube via ScreenRant

  • REPORT: ‘VELMA’ Character Descriptions Hint at HBO Max’s Reinterpretation of the Scooby Gang

    REPORT: ‘VELMA’ Character Descriptions Hint at HBO Max’s Reinterpretation of the Scooby Gang

    Scooby-Doo is no stranger to countless interpretations over the years. It has probably seen the most revamps of any franchise. Scooby-Doo! Mystery Incorporated was a personal highlight due to its overarching plot and Lovecraft-inspired elements. Yet, a brand new interpretation is heading our way with a prequel series focused on Velma.

    HBO Max announced the series in February, which will see Mindy Kaling starring in the titular role that wants to explore a time in the gang’s life without the titular pup. It’s certainly a surprising twist on the franchise and the Geeks WorldWide may have offered a closer look at the story threads. Here are the descriptions of the show’s interpretation of our favorite Mystery Inc. members:

    Scooby-Doo Animated Prequel TV Show, Velma, Coming to HBO Max
    • It looks like Shaggy is the editor-in-chief of Poortown High’s newspaper. He’ll be on the spectrum and has a hard time handling social norms especially when he is Velma’s only real friend. It looks like there’s a family secret, which he’ll need to solve with her help. So, we’ll see what pushes him towards the type of character we know him as in the series.
    • Daphne is the adopted daughter of two female police officers, who still faces daily challenges of being abandoned. There’s a curious emphasis of her red hair and she’s quite ruthless in trying to become the popular kid in their school.
    • Some characteristics remain for Fred Jones, who’ll be a “gym rat, riddled with daddy issues.” It seems that he’ll also face the trouble of never having gone puberty and is trying to hide it from Daphne, who he is dating in the series. All it takes is a false imprisonment to get the gears in motion and he learns to value Velma.

    Various character descriptions also include their parents, who might have a bigger role in the story. Scooby-Doo normally features the gang traveling the States taking down one fake ghost after another. So, only the before-mentioned Mystery Incorporated included their parents as essential characters to the mythos. Perhaps the series is taking some clues, but there’s no mention of “people in masks.”

    There’s a good chance this new interpretation also moves away from the various monsters they’ve faced in the past. Overall, it’s a bit disheartening that the clichés are still present with the character, as the popular Daphne and jock Fred seem well alive in these incarnations. Who knows if the actual show twists the interpretations presented here.

    Source: GWW