Murphy's Multiverse

Author: Joseph Aberl

  • ‘Agent Carter’ Footage is Absent in Peggy Carter’s ‘Legends’ Episode

    ‘Agent Carter’ Footage is Absent in Peggy Carter’s ‘Legends’ Episode

    As is tradition, Marvel Studios released a new slew of episodes for their Legends series. It recaps the story of a character or specific group to ensure others can catch up quickly ahead of its release. What If came with an interesting combination featuring the Avengers Initiative,  the Ravagers, and Peggy Carter. It teases the first three episodes of the new animated series What If and could hint at new entries for each new scenario in the future. Yet, there’s an interesting reveal with the episode focused on Peggy Carter, it’s missing a significant part of her story, Marvel TV’s Agent Carter.

    Why is it significant? Well, there have been many discussions about the canonicity of Marvel TV’s ventures. Loki’s introduction of the Sacred Timeline and eventual expansion into the multiverse opened up the possibility of any type of story being part of the bigger piece. So, it seemed like the perfect time to include her story, especially with the inclusion of  James D’Arcy’s Edwin Jarvis in Avengers: Endgame. Yet, the entire episode doesn’t feature a single piece of footage from the expanded ABC series.

     

    Cap☆ en Twitter: "A cameo that really surprised me was seeing Jarvis from Agent Carter in Avengers Endgame.… "

     

    There is some footage that some viewers might be surprised to see return, the original Agent Carter One-Shot. It was released in 2013 featuring the tease of the Zodiac. So, why did it make the cut but not the show? There’s a chance it is purely due to the Zodiac plotline finally getting picked up after its complete absence in the ABC series. As it was a Marvel Studios production, they may want to revisit the storyline through an alternative reality, which may also be their approach with the Fury’s Big Week adaptation.

    With the confirmed return of Bradley Whitford, who only appeared in the One Shot, it seems very safe to assume that’s the reason for its inclusion. Yet, Agent Carter‘s second season ended on quite the cliffhanger that still never got resolved. Sadly, it seems we’ll never find out what happened to Agent Thompson and due to them not picking up those pieces, it wasn’t included in the Legends episode.

     

    Marvel One Shot: Agent Carter - "Action Peggy" Clip

     

    Yet, we’ve theorized that its absence may also continue the story that Marvel Studios is distancing itself from storylines set up through Marvel TV. Even a month ago, James Gunn declared WandaVision as the first true MCU series. So, Legends completely sidelining two seasons’ worth of stories while still showing us Peggy’s final days and even funeral, which does not seem relevant to the What If scenario of the original Captain America: The First Avenger.

    It’s an odd balance and continues to showcase the growing rift between Marvel Studios and the old TV division. The appearance of the Marvel Netflix series in future entries could also highlight this direction by using the old cast with completely new stories, negating any canonicity of these original shows. For now, until they pick up or reference any story from that franchise, we’ll have to accept it’s part of a multiverse that seems forgotten. Yet, one could argue the use of the iconic red hat from the first season might be that glimmer of hope after all.

  • RUMOR: ‘The Flash’s Villain Might Be an Evil Barry Allen

    RUMOR: ‘The Flash’s Villain Might Be an Evil Barry Allen

    It looks like we might’ve gotten some more insight into the mysterious multiversal plot surrounding The Flash. Not so long ago, we saw set photos featuring a stand-in for Ezra Miller next to the actor himself. It implied we’ll meet multiple versions of Barry Allen. It seems there’s more to this than we thought, as The Direct has shared some insight into the main villain of the film, an evil version of Barry.

    They claim that the story will take inspiration from Flashpoint, but a doppelganger will take the place of Reverse-Flash.  So, it will remain that the Flash will go up against another speedster, but it’ll end up being a displaced Barry Allen. It’s uncertain if it might also echo the CW show’s this, where an alternative version of Barry turned out to be the villain Savitar. It’s not stated that they’d take inspiration from this version of the character, or it’s simply an evil Flash.

    It’s a popular storyline in the comics as well, as Wally West faced an evil version of himself known as Walter West or the Dark Flash. He might be the cause for the multiversal rift or a showcase of what would happen if the character ends up down a darker path. The concept isn’t too bad, but it’s strange they’d replace such an iconic villain. There’s a chance they don’t want to introduce this new villain and somehow fit him into the story while exploring the multiverse. We’ll see if further details are teased as the film continues production.

    Source: The Direct

  • ‘Solo: A Star Wars Story’s Batu Sener to Score Disney+’s ‘Ice Age’ Spin-Off

    ‘Solo: A Star Wars Story’s Batu Sener to Score Disney+’s ‘Ice Age’ Spin-Off

    It looks like Disney+’s revival of the Ice Age franchise has found its composer, as Film Music reporter has revealed that Batu Sener will score Ice Age: Adventures of Buck Wild. The series will explore the character introduced in Dawn of the Dinosaurs, who is voiced by Simon Pegg. It’ll follow the story of the titular character in the Dinosaur World, alongside his sidekicks Crash and Eddie.

    Sener has worked on various projects, such as How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World, and Solo: A Star Wars Story. He worked on the projects that were led by composer John Powell, who also worked on a few of the Ice Age films. He took over from David Newman, who led the original 2002 film. The final film in the series was composed by John Debney.

     

    9 Buck wild ideas | ice age, ice age movies, blue sky studios

     

    The series was first announced during Disney’s Investors Day back in December. Since, we’ve heard very little about the series. It’ll be animated by 20th Century Studios. The focus on Buck Wild makes sense, as the character was one of the more popular additions to the franchise. He became a mainstay returning in the sequels Continental Drift and Collision Course.

    As the story explores their time in the Dinosaur World, it will act as a prequel before they meet the main gang in the original franchise. So, we’ll follow their everyday taking on the larger-than-life reptiles. It’s uncertain if this might revive the franchise, and we’ll see other spin-offs in the franchise. The entry is currently eyeing a 2022 release.

    Source: Film Music Reporter, Batu Sener, Twitter

  • ‘What If’ Executive Producer Brad Winderbaum Talks Recasting MCU Characters

    ‘What If’ Executive Producer Brad Winderbaum Talks Recasting MCU Characters

    Ever since the last trailer dropped of What If we’ve been hotly discussing the odd absence of actor Robert Downey Jr. Once the official cast list dropped, we noticed big names like Chris Evans, Scarlett Johansson, Tom Holland, and Brie Larson were noticeably absent. There was even the surprise mention by Dave Bautista that he was never approached to reprise the role, which also got featured in the previously mentioned trailer. In an interview with Comic Book, executive producer Brad Winderbaum gave some insight into their approach with the voices.

    One early decision was we were not going to let the show be defined by the actors we thought we could get. Part of the fun of What If…? is being able to tell stories in any corner of the universe you want to and that means that you need that infinite canvas, you need that infinite potential. Also, I was afraid we wouldn’t get any actors to come back. The fact that we got as many as we did, 85% of the actors came back or something like that. It’s incredible and it’s a real honor and privilege to work with all of them

    Captain America & Iron Man als Zombies, Hawkeye als Hulk & viel mehr: Das verrät der "What If?"-Trailer über die MCU-Serie - Serien News - FILMSTARTS.de

     

    Interestingly, they don’t mention why specific actors didn’t join. There’s a chance that the dealings with the various returning voices were not done directly by the creative team, but rather by Marvel Studios directly. Winderbaum did discuss their approach to finding

    In the cases where we couldn’t get the original voice actors back, and many of which were very iconic roles, very identifiable voices, we prioritized the performance over the soundalike. So you might be able to achieve a perfect Tony Stark voice, but if the depth of the character wasn’t there and the acting, the performance didn’t have dimensionality to it, it wouldn’t matter. You’d be taken out. That would take you out.

    He also goes on to discuss that working within a parallel universe does help them sell the fact that the voices aren’t the same. It’s great their focus is on keeping the character’s spirit alive, but it would be nice to know why specific actors didn’t join. Especially Brie Larson’s absence is odd, as she seems to love playing the character, but she may not be comfortable doing voice work. We do have a theory on why Tom Holland isn’t included with the confirmed appearance of Spider-Man, which you can check out here.

    Source: ComicBook

  • ‘What If’: Chadwick Boseman Voices Multiple Versions of T’Challa

    ‘What If’: Chadwick Boseman Voices Multiple Versions of T’Challa

    What If has a lot of challenges ahead. It is Marvel Studios first attempt at an animated series, and also will be the last time we get Chadwick Boseman’s performance as T’Challa in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Ever since the first trailer was released, the series shared a first look at the future Black Panther traveling through space and taking Peter Quill’s place.

    Well, it seems that he’ll appear in four episodes, and executive producer Brad Winderbaum confirmed he’ll play different versions of the character. His tragic passing also influenced the show’s development, especially their approach to the score to honor T’Challa’s story in the new Disney+ series.

    He plays different versions of the character. I wouldn’t say that anything changed drastically. We wanted to honor, frankly, his performance and his eagerness to be a part of the project. In retrospect, he recorded this episodes for us knowing what we all know now. We wanted to honor what he did, so we actually didn’t change a lot of it. There were certain things, in the context of his passing, especially musically…Lauren Karpman delivered what I think is an incredible score for the entire series and the way she approached T’Challa throughout, especially in light of his passing, is really beautiful.

    There’s a good chance one version of T’Challa will appear in the Killmonger-focused episode, which teases him appearing in Wakanda. We even got a Funko Pop teasing his future connection to the country in this alternative universe. Still, it’s great to see that the animated series will pay respects to the actor. It’s still uncertain how the live-action Black Panther: Wakanda Forever will tackle his tragic passing and continue the story set-up with his appearances throughout the Marvel Cinematic Universe. No matter what, his legacy will live on no matter what.

    Source: Comic Book

  • Don’t Expect New MCU Characters in ‘What If’

    Don’t Expect New MCU Characters in ‘What If’

    We’re only over a week away from Marvel Studios’ new venture on Disney+. Not just that, it’ll be their first animated series that explores the vast multiverse introduced in Loki. The creative team behind the series confirmed they weren’t restricted by other series exploring this concept. Yet, it seems there was one specific rule set by Marvel Studios’ head Kevin Feige. In an interview with the Malaysian site Kakuchopurei, director Bryan Andrews revealed that they weren’t allowed to introduce new characters.

    We basically had operating instructions from Kevin Feige. Basically, we can’t introduce anyone or any character that hasn’t already been introduced in an MCU movie. You won’t be seeing, like, some random person pop up from the comics or other franchises that we hadn’t seen already in MCU proper

    It’s an interesting rule to set. While it makes sense they would want to focus on What If scenarios featuring well-known characters, they could’ve added some characters that normally would never get the spotlight in a film or series. Yet, it also opens up the possibility they might have some plans after all.

    Of course, it’s also a way to avoid theories surrounding these newly introduced characters existing during the original run. It could cause some continuity errors if they plan on introducing these characters in a future series or film if one looks too deeply into their appearance. We still don’t know how they’ll tackle the multiverse in the future, and if this might also connect to Loki‘s He Who Remains storyline. We got introduced to Kang. So, he could technically appear.

    Source: Kakuchopurei

  • REPORT: ‘Ms. Marvel’ Likely Delayed to an Early 2022 Premiere

    REPORT: ‘Ms. Marvel’ Likely Delayed to an Early 2022 Premiere

    After a long wait, we finally got our first look at Ms. Marvel’s full costume for the upcoming Disney+ series. It included her brand-new ability that seems to envelop her hand in purple energy. We still have no idea if she will remain an Inhuman and keep her Embiggen abilities, but there are some changes heading our way.  Sadly, it seems like we’ll also have to wait longer due to a report by veteran television insider Matt Webb Mitovich from TVLine. In his latest Matt’s Inside Line entry, he shared the following insight on the series potentially delayed-release:

    I asked around and it is very safe to assume at this point that Ms. Marvel is now on track for an early 2022 premiere.

    There has been a lot of speculation that this delay was imminent due to Hawkeye getting an official release this November. It’s uncertain what it might mean for the original line-up, but there’s a chance that her series requires more effects work and, as a result, got pushed back. We know very little about the series, with rumors all over the place throughout the last few months.

    There’s still a chance we might get a surprise release, especially with the series getting a brief sizzle reel during Disney’s Investors Day last December. If it does end up releasing in 2022, it may take WandaVision’s January slot. It’ll likely run six weeks. So, it might not affect any plans for next year’s release schedule, which Marvel Studios is still keeping close to the chest. Here’s hoping we get some insight in the coming months into what their plans are for 2022.

    Source: TVLine, Comic Book

  • ‘What If’: Pandemic Pushed an Episode Into Season 2

    ‘What If’: Pandemic Pushed an Episode Into Season 2

    It looks like we might’ve finally gotten the confirmation on how many episodes we can expect in Marvel Studios’ first foray into animation. What If executive producer Brad Winderbaum confirmed that they originally planned ten episodes in the first season before pushing one into the second due to the ongoing pandemic. It also seems to imply that we might get the second entry sooner rather than later.

    We had to push an episode into Season 2. It was just, honestly, like everything else, that was a COVID impact. There was an episode that just wouldn’t hit the completion date, but luckily we do get to see it in the second season of the show. Season 2 will also be 9.

    He also goes on to describe their approach to the length of each episode, as they weren’t restricted or given any mandate in regard to how they would tackle each episode, which acts as its own individual story.

    We targeted a half an hour for each episode. Some of them come in a little longer, some of them come in a little shorter. We wanted to tell as many stories as we could and we had a certain budget we had to work with so it felt like that 10-episode — now 9-episode run — was the right quantity.

    There are rumors that at least Captain Carter would make her way into live-action in the upcoming Doctor Strange sequel. The latest trailer also teased that this team of multiversal members will unite as the Guardians of the Multiverse. So, it’s uncertain how it might connect to an overarching story and continue into the second season. It’s still an anthology series at its core. At this point, anything is possible in the MCU.

    Source: Collider

  • ‘What If’: Dave Bautista Reveals He Was Never Asked to Voice Drax in Disney+ Series

    ‘What If’: Dave Bautista Reveals He Was Never Asked to Voice Drax in Disney+ Series

    In all our excitement for the upcoming animated series, What If, we’ve been wondering about the noticeable absence of specific actors. We know that a handful of actors, which includes Robert Downey Jr., Scarlett Johansson, Chris Evans, and Tom Holland aren’t returning for the series. Yet, there was also the surprising absence of Dave Bautista in the list even though we got a brief glimpse of his Drax interacting with T’Challa’s version of Star-Lord. Well, the actor took to Twitter and unveiled he never got asked in the first place.

     

    https://twitter.com/davebautista/status/1422297797588623361?s=21

     

    This reveal is rather surprising, as the actor has been outspoken on his love for the character. We also know he’ll return in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3. So, why wouldn’t they want him to reprise the role? Either they already reached their limit on the budget with the massive voice cast, or Drax might not even have a line in the series. Yet, as the image above proves, he’ll interact with T’Challa at some point in the series.

    So, it’s a bit baffling how they determine who joined the cast and who doesn’t. It would be great to get an official statement on how this got determined throughout production. Animation takes quite a bit of time, and they confirmed they’ve been working on it long before either Loki or the Doctor Strange sequel entered production. Even James Gunn was surprised by this statement in a reaction to his tweet. He’s openly stated that the upcoming Guardians film is likely the last time he’ll portray the character. We’ll see what the future holds for the iconic team member.

     

    Source: Twitter

  • Paramount’s ‘Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles’ Film Adds ‘SNL’s Colin and Casey Jost as Writers

    Paramount’s ‘Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles’ Film Adds ‘SNL’s Colin and Casey Jost as Writers

    It looks like the new Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles film has found its writers, as Deadline just shared that Saturday Night Live’s Colin Jost and his brother Casey will tackle the project.  This project is separate from Seth Rogen’s new animated TV series, as it’ll be produced by Michael Bay, Andrew Form, Brad Fuller, Scott Mednick, and Galen Walker. Plot details remain under wraps, but it’ll feature the popular brothers of pizza-eating mutated turtles.

    There’s no word if this will be a live-action adaptation of the popular franchise, or if they will tackle an animated adaptation once more. We do know that Rogen’s Point Grey Pictures’ will adapt the turtles with a full-fledged CG reboot. Gravity Falls director Jeff Rowe is attached to the project, with Brendan O’Brien working on the screenplay. The last we heard of the project was around four months ago when Illuminerdi released character descriptions.

     

     

    What is curious about this movie is not only that nickelodeon and Paramount are fast-tracking the project, it’s also Jost’s first major franchise. He did write Worst Man for Universal and starred in Tom & Jerry, but he is slated to return for the next SNL season. The IP is a high priority, and it seems that their pitch for the film might’ve convinced them to tackle it on the silver screen once more.

    TMNT is a fascinating franchise that seems to get rebooted quite frequently by Nickelodeon. We’ve seen many iterations across the years that add a unique spin to the classic four turtles.

    Source: Deadline