Murphy's Multiverse

Author: Joseph Aberl

  • ‘What If’: Andy Serkis Confirms Return as Ulysses Klaue in Disney+ Series

    ‘What If’: Andy Serkis Confirms Return as Ulysses Klaue in Disney+ Series

    What If‘s latest trailer shocked people when Tony Stark appeared on screen not voiced by Robert Downey Jr. While there were rumblings that not every MCU cast member was open to returning in the animated series, it still was strange to see it happen. Especially if you consider how many iconic stars are returning to reprise their roles. All the way when the first cast listing was announced during SDCC 2019, we wondered if they purposely left some out. It seems we were right, as Andy Serkis just confirmed via his Instagram page that he’ll return in the upcoming series as Ulysses Klaue.

     

    Klaue made his MCU debut in Avengers: Age of Ultron before stealing every scene in Black Panther. Sadly, the character met his untimely doom at the hands of Killmonger. He is getting an episode focused on his unlikely alliance with Tony Stark. We got a brief snippet of how they meet in the latest trailer and even see him in Wakanda. A toy leak may have also confirmed he might take on another mantle in the series. Klaue might once again be his entry point into the African metropolis, as he is the only one who knows how to break into the secure city.

    It’s fantastic seeing Andy Serkis return, as he was a personal highlight whenever he was on screen. Exploring the multiverse also opens up many possibilities to revisit these characters in new and curious ways. There was always hope they might revisit T’Chaka’s early years where Klaue first got his hands on the rare metal Vibranium. There’s a lot of history that is worth exploring. It could be worth exploring in the untitled Wakanda Disney+ series. Here’s hoping his return might signal more in the MCU’s future.

    Source: Instagram, Twitter

  • Dwayne Johnson Shares New Destruction-Filled ‘Black Adam’ BTS Image

    Dwayne Johnson Shares New Destruction-Filled ‘Black Adam’ BTS Image

    It’s crazy to think that we’ve seen more from Shazam: Fury of the Gods‘ set than from Black Adam. The latter started quite a bit earlier but has been kept tightly under wraps. Around five days ago, Sarah Shahi did confirm that we’ll meet the Intergang in the upcoming film. Yet, their exact role remains uncertain. In last year’s DC FanDome, we got a tease of Dwayne Johnson‘s Black Adam facing down the Justice Society of America, which includes Pierce Brosnan as Doctor Fate.

    With a stellar cast, the film is already a promising entry in the ever-expanding DCEU. Luckily, Johnson shared a new BTS image that teases the size of the sets they are working with and a glimpse at the detailing of his iconic black suit. Of course, it wouldn’t be an anti-hero film if he didn’t leave quite a bit of destruction in his wake.

     

    Johnson has been a strong force behind Black Adam’s strong marketing campaign. Unlike most films that keep a lot of things tightly under wraps, he’s openly shared images from the set and various teases to hype up his DC premiere. It’s a character that he is personally very invested in, which is always a good sign for a project.

    We do not know if there are any plans for Shazam and Black Adam to crossover into each other. They both gained their abilities from the same wizard with Adam taking a darker turn. We even got a brief glimpse of his appearance in the first Shazam film when Djimon Honsou as the wizard explained the history of these abilities. Here’s hoping we get the showdown of a century. The battle between him and Henry Cavill‘s Superman would also be an iconic cinematic event.

    Source: Instagram

  • REPORT: ‘Ace Ventura: When Nature Calls’ Villain to Join ‘Hawkeye’ Cast

    REPORT: ‘Ace Ventura: When Nature Calls’ Villain to Join ‘Hawkeye’ Cast

    Just recently, we’ve may have accidentally gotten an estimation on when Disney+’s Hawkeye series might finally drop this year. It seems likely it is eyeing a potential November release date, but nothing is set in stone. We haven’t heard much on it since around two months ago images leaked online revealing Jeremy Renner wearing Clint Barton’s iconic costume from the comics alongside Alaqua Cox‘s Echo. It looks like we might have gotten some more news as Cosmic Circus is reporting that Simon Callow has joined the series.

    Sadly, the information on his role is sparse but supposedly will have a key role in the earlier episodes. He may have ties to Tony Dalton‘s Jack Duquesne, who is better known as Swordsman. Cowell has a long history with cinema and TV, which goes as far back as 1975’s Get Some In! and 1984’s Amadeus. The British actor has also appeared in films like 1998’s Shakespeare in Love and even 1995’s Ace Ventura: When Nature Calls. In the latter, he played the main antagonist of the film, Vincent Cadby. He also appeared in some pop-culture favorite franchises like the BBC series Doctor Who as Charles Dickens and Netflix’s The Witcher.

    It’ll be interesting to see what role he has in the series. If they use this show to explore Hawkeye’s past before he joined SHIELD, it wouldn’t be too surprising for him to play Ringmaster. It would make the most sense, but the Disney+ series has surprised us in the past. He may even be a father figure to Echo, who’ll have a prominent role throughout the series and could also connect to Swordsman in some way. Marvel Studios has kept the series’ plot under wraps and here’s hoping we get a trailer in the near future to offer some more insight on what we can expect from the archer’s grand return.

    Source: Cosmic Circus

  • Disney Shares ‘Black Widow’s Disney+ Numbers As It Garners $215M Worldwide

    Disney Shares ‘Black Widow’s Disney+ Numbers As It Garners $215M Worldwide

    It looks like the $100M projections were a bit optimistic after all. Black Widow is now looking at an $80M domestic opening weekend. It is far from its high-end predictions but still ahead of F9‘s $70M. As such, it is the highest-grossing weekend since the pandemic started. As Forbe’s Scott Mendelson points out, it had a low-bar multiplier over the weekend that is below other Marvel Studios releases and may hint at a stunted long-tail growth. Still, Disney also proudly proclaimed it as their third-best origin story opening after Black Panther‘s 202M and Captain Marvel‘s $153.4M.

    In the best case, the film continues to garner numbers throughout the summer even with a lower opening than expected. Still, Disney has surprisingly shared its income from the Disney+ Premier Access, which adds another $60M to its overall opening weekend. So, it did pass the $100 domestic mark, but not in the traditional sense. In total, the film passed $215M worldwide, as it also garnered $78M in international markets (excluding China and India). No matter what, Disney sharing their Premier Access numbers is a motivating sign of more transparency for the future.

     

     

    Even with Disney+ income being 100% pocketed by Disney, it isn’t the usual Marvel Studios’ Box Office. They’ve performed better in the past, but there are many contributing factors at play. Mendelson believes that many have left the franchise after Avengers: Endgame as its “closing chapter,” but one could argue Spider-Man: Far From Home‘s numbers would negate that effect. The success of the Disney+ shows has also shown that the interest in Marvel Studios projects continues to remain strong, but perhaps its more grounded story had some rough competition against Loki exploring the multiverse.

    The pandemic certailny showed its effect with cinemas only slowly increasing their peak numbers with each new film. We also have the fact that Black Widow has been marketing its release for almost two years now. It’s hard to keep up that kind of momentum without spoiling many of the film’s plot beats through repeat trailer releases. Disney+ may have also pushed its overall weekend income but hurt the later release.

     

    Black Widow movie review & film summary (2021) | Roger Ebert

     

    Repeat viewings seem cheaper through the streaming service, which may also show its fangs next weekend. The general audience visits cinemas in the Saturday to Sunday time window but opted to remain at home. It’s why the film’s weekend got frontloaded on Friday with $40M. For now, Black Widow seems on track to make around $500M to $800M. Currently, the lower-end seems the more realistic option for now. It’s not a bad performance by a long shot and could still make what it would’ve done pre-pandemic.

    Technically, Disney is the big breadwinner here as they get to pocket the full $60M from Disney+. So, even if the film isn’t performing up to Marvel Studios’ usual standard, the film is still quite profitable. By the time September rolls around, there’s a chance Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings might be a big hit at the Box Office. It’s certainly a good start, and we’ll keep a close eye on its development.

    Source: Forbes, Deadline, Twitter, Hollywood Reporter

  • ‘Black Widow’s Friday Domestic Box Office Soars to $40M, Currently Eyeing $89M+ Weekend

    ‘Black Widow’s Friday Domestic Box Office Soars to $40M, Currently Eyeing $89M+ Weekend

    We’ve all been keeping a close eye on Black Widow‘s Box Office performance. The industry has been slowly recovering but things weren’t always clear-cut moving forward. As future Marvel Studios’ entries aren’t announced with a Disney+ simultaneous release, its opening weekend could be the signifier if cinemas have recovered enough to focus on cinema-only releases for the rest of the year. Luckily, its Thursday screenings already had a record pandemic number with $13.1M. It broke F9‘s release even with the availability through Disney+’s Premiere Access that offers moviegoers to buy the film on their streaming service. It looks like it hasn’t lost any momentum, as it has now pulled in $39.5M on Friday.

     

    Black Widow": Rasanter Trailer zur Marvel-Verfilmung mit Scarlett Johansson

     

    At its current rate, a minimum of $89 seems like a definite over the three-day weekend. Yet, if it keeps up the momentum it could potentially pass the $100M mark. It is their first release since 2019’s Spider-Man: Far From Home. The first trailer for Black Widow was released around two years ago. So, it’s also being affected by how late Even at its lower prediction, the film will be the best domestic opener in the pandemic. Even better, this will be the first Box Office weekend to pass the $125M mark since the pandemic started.

    Overall, the film is on par with some of Marvel Studios’ pre-pandemic releases and the only worry is that current predictions see a drop in its Saturday earnings. Keep in mind that the Friday earnings also include Thursday’s 13.1M. So, the film earned 23.3M on Friday alone. Tomorrow will be the big test for its chances at passing the $100M mark, but its release on Disney+ also adds some uncertainty. There’s a chance that Disney has also made considerable earnings in addition, which goes directly into their own pocket.

     

    Black Widow Director Explains How the Movie Differs From the Rest of the MCU

     

    As of now, its momentum is on par with Ant-Man and the Wasp as well as Spider-Man: Homecoming. Forbes’ Scott Mendelson points out that this opening is pretty on par with pre-pandemic expectations due to some key factors. The big question is how the film’s legs will be post its release weekend. Even if it has a middle-tier Marvel Studios opening, it could have the same legs as the previously mentioned film sand eye a potential $245M domestic run. It might even manage around $305M. The only uncertainty remains if the film will even get a Chinese release, which could boost its overall performance. For now, only time will tell and the rest of the weekend will determine where it ends up.

    Source: Collider, Deadline, Forbes, Variety

  • ‘Black Widow’: David Harbour Hints at More Red Guardian in the MCU’s Future

    ‘Black Widow’: David Harbour Hints at More Red Guardian in the MCU’s Future

    The following article contains spoilers for the end of the Black Widow film. If you want to remain unspoiled, please only continue at your own risk.

     

     

     

    After a long wait, we finally had a chance to watch Black Widow. We got the last adventure of Scarlett Johansson‘s Natasha Romanoff before her untimely end in Avengers: Endgame. The film also set up some curious new players for the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s future, as we Florence Pugh‘s Yelena Belova, Rachel Weisz‘ Melina, and David Harbour‘s Red Guardian.

    The latter was a show-stealer throughout the film, as we meet a washed-up super soldier that is trapped in his delusion of grandeur. At the end of the film, he is seen flying off with the others as Natasha faced General Ross’ arrival. It made us wonder if Alexei might have a future in the franchise and it seems there have been some ideas going around. Harbour hinted at some rumblings behind the screens at Marvel studios in an interview with Collider.

    There is some chatter around certain things. We were pretty focused on just this. They also have a lot of stuff in the pipe that, it seems like in this particular phase, there’s a lot of different… There’s like Eternals… There’s different elements to this universe that I think they’re branching out at this point until they start to do this. I knew I wasn’t involved in that branch. The discussions were… They didn’t really give a sense of what was up next. It was more just really focused on this movie, and some speculation of possibilities.

    There’s a lot of potentials to explore Red Guardian in a Disney+ series. We got some references to other famous members of a Russian superhero group that includes Mikhail Ursus, better known as the mutant Ursa Major, and a name drop of Crimson Dynamo. The latter was quite an interesting reference, as they combined the original character with Whiplash in Iron Man 2.

    Perhaps there is a future for the character in the upcoming Armor Wars Disney+ series. It would be fun to see Alexei form a Russian copy of the Avengers to face Captain America. Yet, he ends up facing US Agent and joined a very different cause. There’s a lot of potential with the character. So, hopefully, we’ll get more of Harbour in the MCU’s future.

    If you want to check out the interview with Collider, you can watch the video here:

     

    Source: YouTube

  • Piracy and Delayed Chinese Release Might Hurt ‘Black Widow’s International Success

    Piracy and Delayed Chinese Release Might Hurt ‘Black Widow’s International Success

    Black Widow kicked off to a great start in the U.S. Box Office. It could even keep up with pre-pandemic releases and is eyeing a potential 100M+ weekend even though it was made available through Disney+ Premier Access. Yet, what is not helping the film’s current release is a delayed-release in China. Even though it has gotten approved by Chinese authorities, it still has no set release. This case wouldn’t be much of an issue, but Disney’s streaming service isn’t available in the country. So, they can’t bank on people buying it through Premier Access. The only real option for Chinese viewers is piracy, which will hurt its Box Office potential.

    There doesn’t seem to be a reason why the release wasn’t time with the West. Their local business has been suffering, and July is also usually kept solely for Chinese productions. This year will see the 100th anniversary of the Communist Party’s founding. It has also led to an additional layer of censorship. So, the delay might be a result due to these political developments. It might even put a release in question.

    So, what are people to do? Well, they can pirate an HD version of the film that is made available through Premier Acess. So, even if the film releases there, most people might’ve already watched it by then. It’s a well-known issue, and companies take it into account with many Western releases. Marvel Studios is already facing troubles with the release of Shang-Chi and the Legends of the Ten Rings due to distrust created through Mulan and local beauty standards. Eternals is also uncertain due to Chloé Zhao openly criticizing the ruling party. As such, it’s uncertain if the production studio and Disney can truly bank on the Chinese Box Office moving forward.

    Source: Variety

  • Marvel Studios’ Kevin Feige Influenced ‘Black Widow’s Approach to Cameos

    Marvel Studios’ Kevin Feige Influenced ‘Black Widow’s Approach to Cameos

    There will be spoilers in the upcoming article on some key moments in the film. If you want to avoid spoilers, only continue reading at your own risk.

     

     

     

    Marvel Studios isn’t a stranger to including cameos in their films. As the years went on, we’ve seen the heroes of the Marvel Cinematic Universe crossover into other projects more and more. Especially a film like Black Widow that takes place between Captain America: Civil War and Avengers: Infinity War, it seemed like the perfect place to include elements from the expanded universe even as it introduces us to a new side of its past.

    Well, even with many rumors going around we never got a cameo by Robert Downey Jr.’s Tony Stark or Chris Evans‘ Steve Rogers. We got some references to Hawkeye but he wasn’t physically present. According to director Cate Shortland, this was a decision enforced by Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige, as she stated in an interview with Total Film.

    Initially, there was discussions about everything, about all of the different characters. What we decided was, and I think Kevin was really great, he said, ‘She doesn’t need the boys.’ We didn’t want it to feel like she needs the support. We want her to stand alone. And she does.

    We do get one returning character from a previous project, which is William Hurt as Thaddeus Ross. He doesn’t have a big role but he does connect and set up the timeline when Black Widow takes place. Otherwise, the story is all about Natasha and returning to her long-lost family. Otherwise, the story is purely about Natasha and her past with the Red Room we got a glimpse of in Avengers: Age of Ultron. Moving forward, the question will be how and where characters introduced in this film might make a grand return.

    Source: Total Film

  • ‘Black Widow’: Cate Shortland Talks the Importance of Taskmaster’s Real Identity

    ‘Black Widow’: Cate Shortland Talks the Importance of Taskmaster’s Real Identity

    The following article contains a major twist from the film. Only continue reading at your own risk. This is your final spoiler warning.

     

     

     

    Black Widow has finally arrived. The wait has been a long one, but somehow the real identity of Taskmaster has remained tightly under wraps. In an interview with Total Film, director Cate Shortland finally was able to open up about that reveal after a whole year of silence. There have been countless theories that it was Rachel Weisz‘s Melina or O.T. Fagbenle‘s mysterious character.

    It turned out, we were all wrong. In reality, it turned out to be the man antagonist’s daughter, Antonia Dreykov. She was a sacrificial lamb when Natasha joined shield and had been referenced since the first Avengers film while Loki was taunting her from his cell. While sadly it wasn’t Tony Masters, we did get a very personal twist and Shortland offered some insight on the inspiration:

    What’s great in the film is, you see that [Natasha] physically has to face what she’s done. It’s not a fragment [of that]. It’s real. And so she’s really facing her worst nightmare. I almost see Taskmaster as being her psyche, ‘This is what I’ve done, and it’s coming back to get me.’ The androgyny of the character is really interesting.

    She also goes on to talk about Natasha sticking out from the other heroes due to her ambiguity. She’s done some terrible things but the film also gave us insight into how she was able to make the sacrifice in Avengers: Endgame. Yelena was an important part in her finally accepting her past and Antonia’s return let her apologize for the things she’s done. The Taskmaster Protocol might still make a return in the future and Marvel Studios has returned to some projects in the past to further explore them. So, we might see the legacy that Natasha left behind in the MCU’s future.

    Source: Total Film

  • New ‘Marvel’s Avengers’ Concept Art Teases Black Panther’s ‘War for Wakanda’ Expansion

    New ‘Marvel’s Avengers’ Concept Art Teases Black Panther’s ‘War for Wakanda’ Expansion

    Marvel’s Avengers has some major updates heading our way with August’s Black Panther expansion being a highlight. Currently, the Red Room is back to celebrate the release of Black Widow, but all eyes are on the upcoming Omega-Level Threat that finally releases after getting teased since the release of Kate Bishop. Sadly, we’re still waiting for the secretive Cloning Labs but it’s even more exciting to think we can tackle it with Black Panther once he releases August. We’re still a month away but Crystal Dynamics shared a glimpse at the upcoming expansion. Let’s start with some key visuals offering a glimpse at

     

     

    They’ve offered some details on the game, especially that they reworked every asset to fit the Wakandan-theme. So, you can expect some classic items adapting to the new environment, which will make it stand out from the AIM theme we have had throughout the year. We’ll also see the blending of modern Wakandan technology with some traditional elements, which is highlighted in the temple that we got a brief glimpse of in the latest trailer.

     

     

    We’ve also got a look at their approach to the new environment. they’ve promised explorable caves with various secrets hidden within. We got a brief glimpse of Vibranium-infused glyphs. They even showcased an in-game screenshot to showcase there will be more verticality with this new biome. So, the traversal will be more dangerous, as they are trying to make the environments more engaging.

     

     

    There was also a tease of the new Outpost, which will be in the capital of Wakanda. Overall, the concept art is very promising and truly feels like it could be part of its own game. Crystal Dynamics teased a special guest for next week, which might finally be the reveal of the character’s voice actor, who has been heavily rumored to be Christopher Judge. Hopefully, we’ll also get some gameplay soon as a new trailer and War Table video got teased for the near future. We’re only a few weeks away before we finally visit Wakanda.

    Source: Twitch