Murphy's Multiverse

Author: Joseph Aberl

  • ‘Marvel’s Avengers’ Spider-Man Eyeing an End of 2021 Release

    ‘Marvel’s Avengers’ Spider-Man Eyeing an End of 2021 Release

    Marvel’s Avengers set out to accomplish an interesting goal. Through the Games-as-a-Service model, we would get a continuous expansion of its core roster. We’ve already gotten our hands on Kate Bishop and Clint Barton with Black Panther to release next month. There was also the open question about when we can expect the PlayStation exclusive Spider-Man. In the FKNA podcast, lead animator Anthony Garttmeyer from Crystal Dynamics offered some insight into the game’s development, which included the following line:

    Spider-Man is the End of the Year. That is all I can say.

    We have to take into account that the lead animator is not involved directly with the approval process. So, we shouldn’t take this as an official confirmation. We’ll most likely get a clearer picture once the Year 2 Roadmap drops this or next month, which could potentially include the character. He is also exclusive for one console. So, it’s uncertain how large his content drop will be and if we might see him get added alongside other content. At one point, PlayStation’s official magazine confirmed a March release but that didn’t pan out as planned.

    Garrtmeyer also discusses the details on how long heroes take to get developed, such as around four to eight months until the animation is finished. We have to also keep in mind that early data mines showed that a lot of prep work has been accomplished for the game, which is rather common for the GaaS genre. So, they might have done a lot of prep work to keep a tight timing for the releases. Of course, the pandemic and launch bugs have delayed the game’s initial roadmap. A potential December release would align with Spider-Man: No Way Home, but we’ll have to wait for an official word

    Source: Twitch, YouTube

  • ‘Black Panther: Wakanda Forever’: A Desperate War for Vibranium

    ‘Black Panther: Wakanda Forever’: A Desperate War for Vibranium

    The rumors are pointing that the upcoming Black Panther sequel will introduce the world to Namor and Marvel’s Atlantis. The first hint came when Illuminerdi shared the info that Tenoch Huerta had already gotten cast in the role. The Marvel Cinematic Universe would potentially connect Atlantis with Mayan civilization, which would make it distinct from DC’s Aquaman franchise. Just a few days ago, Production Weekly shared some story plot points that hinted at a war brewing between these two isolated cities. As Wakanda expands to meet the world, Namor’s home country remains hidden from the world. The only question is, why will these two end up in conflict. Well, perhaps that listing may give us our first hint.

     

    Marvel: The Eternals would introduce Atlantis and the Prince of the Seas Namor

     

    There’s a curious line regarding Namor’s human father at the tail end of the description. It states that he went to search for the Vibranium in Antarctica. Sadly, it cuts off there, but it echoes the events from the comics. Winston Churchill sent Ernest Shackleton to find the rare metal there. He would end up falling in love with Princess Fen, and they would give birth to Namor. So, they might be closely following his comic origins. As Atlantis, a highly advanced civilization, was also hidden away in Antarctica, it might be another location where a Vibranium meteorite crashed long ago.

    Interestingly enough, Homo Mermanus also had an alien origin, as they are from the water planet Vodan. They may have arrived on Earth a long time ago to find the crashed metal. Yet, they shared their information and mixed it with Mayans that then moved underwater after the fall of their civilization. It could even connect to Chloé Zhao‘s Eternals, who played an integral role in the fall of the first Atlantean city of Lemuria. They fled from the surface world and used past scriptures to uncover the remnants of the meteorite. Yet, unlike Wakanda, where it took root in the fresh soil, the icy environment would not allow the alien meal to take root. So, they would eventually run out.

     

    Marvel Locations: Wakanda Forever - Hero Collector

     

    As Namor took over the throne, the country has reached a boiling point. Their source to keep the city safe is depleting. As such, a tough decision had to be made, and they set out to find the only other known source of the material. They send out some scouts that get caught by the Dora Milaje. It ends up pushing the conflict as they try to uncover the new secret invaders. Namor sees it as an attack and prioritizes the safety of his people. With it, the war for the final source of Vibranium starts. Wakanda faces a threat that no one would’ve seen coming. 

  • ‘Black Widow’ Eyeing a $110M Post-Pandemic Domestic Opening

    ‘Black Widow’ Eyeing a $110M Post-Pandemic Domestic Opening

    It looks like a lot of bets are on Marvel Studios’ grand return to cinemas after a two-year pandemic-induced hiatus. The last entry of the franchise was released in June 2019 with Spider-Man: Far From Home. Black Widow was originally going to premiere last year in May but got continuously pushed back. Finally, we are only a few days away from its release and Box office predictions are already aplenty. Marketing recently kicked into overdrive with various short spots and featurettes getting released. Rotten Tomatoes currently has it Certified Fresh at 82% with 162 reviews. After F9‘s $70 million debuts, there was a lot of hope that the next MCU flick could even surpass that and current predictions are looking great.

    According to Box Office Pro, the film is currently predicted for a domestic premiere between $80 to $110M. As the film’s release draws nearer, the predictions have gone up. That would put it at a potential $310M total run. It’s certainly a sign that cinemas are still helping form the effects of the pandemic, but it also has to be considered that Black Widow will also be made available via Disney+’s Premier Access option.

    So, you can technically stay at home and purchase the film for an additional fee through the streaming service. It will potentially cut into its opening day earnings, but it still looks like the film is set for an impressive Box Office. The higher end of that opening would put it on par with 2017’s Spider-Man: Homecoming. Even the lower end is slightly below 2016’s Doctor Strange release, which opened with $85M. So, it’s looking good for Marvel Studios to continue their Box Office dominance even after the long hiatus.

    Source: Box Office Pro, Rotten Tomatoes, Business Insider

    Black Widow design for header by @valentinromeroa

  • First Details for Disney+ Anthology Series ‘Star Wars: Visions’ Revealed

    First Details for Disney+ Anthology Series ‘Star Wars: Visions’ Revealed

    Lucasfilm is venturing out into new territory. Most of the Star Wars series that hit Disney+ continued the overarching story and explored the different eras throughout the franchise’s history. Currently, The Bad Batch is continuing where The Clone Wars left off. We also are expecting the release of The Book of Boba Fett that continues where The Mandalorian’s last season left off. Luckily, that isn’t all, as they just revealed the upcoming anthology series Star Wars: Visions during the Anime Expo Lite. It’ll release September 22nd with nine unique stories that are inspired by the famous franchise and they even revealed the official listing of which iconic Anime studio is tackling which story:

    • The Duel (Kamikaze Douga)
    • Lop and Ocho (Geno Studio)
    • Tatooine Rhapsody (Studio Colorido)
    • The Twins (Trigger)
    • The Elder (Trigger)
    • The Village Bride (Kinema Citrus)
    • Akakiri (Science Saru)
    • T0-B1 (Science Saru)
    • The Ninth Jedi (Production IG)

    It’s quite the line-up of talent and Lucasfilm did not restrict them to follow the franchise’s current canon. As such, these unique shorts are their own independent stories that even explore stories of existing characters, such as Tatooine Rhapsody. The pandemic has affected the productions with various shorts being in production simultaneously. As the trailer revealed, each episode will follow a different art style, such as The Twins looking like it could be an episode of Kill la Kill. Akakiri and T0-B1 have a similar art style and tone with the former seeing the return of Astro Boy‘s sound designer, which was recorded at the Muza Kawasaki Symphony Hall. It’s great to see the franchise explore new avenues and, hopefully, it might also be a sign that Marvel adds an anime-inspired anthology series in the future s well.

     

    Source: Star Wars, YouTube

  • REPORT: She-Hulk to Face the Wrecking Crew in Disney+ Series

    REPORT: She-Hulk to Face the Wrecking Crew in Disney+ Series

    She-Hulk has been quietly filming in Atlanta. Only a few tidbits found their way online. There was a rumor three weeks ago that Hulk’s son Skaar might make his live-action debut in the series. We got the official confirmation that Jameela Jamil will play the iconic villain Titania. Surprisingly, we haven’t seen much from the film’s set outside of a photo of Mark Ruffalo in his mo-cap suit and a brief tease of Tatiana Maslany as the titular heroine. So far, it’s been otherwise quiet, and we’ve been wondering what else the series might have in store for us. Well, it looks like Cosmic Circus might have gotten their hands on a juicy tidbit as it seems the Wrecking Crew will appear in the upcoming series.

    For those wondering who they are. The Wrecking Crew is a team that consists of four supervillains known as Bulldozer, Piledriver, Thunderball, and Wrecker. They made their first appearance in The Defenders #17 back in 1974. In the comics, Dirk Garthwaite, the future Wrecker, was mistaken for Loki and gained mystical powers when he got an enchanted crowbar by the Norn queen Karnilla. After his friends grabbed it when it got struck by lightning, they all got their abilities. It’s uncertain which members will appear, as the roster has changed over the years in the comics.

    As you can guess by their origin, they commonly get connected to Thor’s rogue’s gallery but some adaptations have also added Gamma radiation to their powers, such as The Avengers: Earth’s Mightiest Heroes. The team seemed like a classic Saturday morning cartoon villain. So, it seemed unlikely they would get adapted into the Marvel Cinematic Universe anytime soon. So, it’s great that Marvel Studios is using these Disney+ shows to introduce some minor characters from the comics.

    Source: Cosmic Circus

  • HBO’s ‘Lovecraft Country’ Won’t Get a Season 2

    HBO’s ‘Lovecraft Country’ Won’t Get a Season 2

    This one really hurts. HBO’s Lovecraft Country is a one-of-a-kind series yet it seems that the show will not make a return with a second season. Mischa Green‘s work on the series was unrivaled. with the blend of horror, period drama, and social commentary to adapt Matt Ruff‘s 2016 novel. the series starred Jurnee Smollett and Jonathan Majors that became true standouts through the series. It even garnered a high 1.5 million viewership and the first season’s finale was the most-watched new episode on its first day. It managed to cross the 10M mark by October, but sadly it didn’t ensure that it’ll get the renewal. In February, they seemed to hint at the team were working on a second season, as stated by HBO’s Chief Content Officer Casey Bloys:

    Misha is working with a small team of writers and they’re coming up with a take. She had a book to go on in the first season, she and the writers wanted to go off and take some time to go out and figure out without a book with these characters, what’s the journey we want to go on. We all want to be sure she’s got a story to tell. That’s where she is right now, working on those ideas. I’m very hopeful, as is Mischa, so we’re giving them the time to work.

    It seems they might’ve had trouble adapting the story, as the first season covered the entire book. The series was produced by J.J. Abrams’s Bad Robot and Jordan Peele‘s Monkeypaw Productions. Even if we don’t currently get a second season, there is a chance they might return to the series in the future once more ideas have come together on how to continue Green‘s original vision. It was initially pitched as a mini-series. So, the second season wasn’t always on the board. Still, it’s a shame that the series that was giving a stronger focus on those that were left out of history won’t continue to carry that message.

    Source: Deadline

  • Latest ‘Marvel’s Avengers’ Dev Stream Confirms Red Room Takeover Returns Next Week

    Latest ‘Marvel’s Avengers’ Dev Stream Confirms Red Room Takeover Returns Next Week

    Marvel’s Avengers once again got a brand new dev stream that offered some tiny insights into what the future holds. It was a rather short one as we are still in the middle of the Cosmic Cube event, but there was a nice major reveal. It looks like May’s Red Room Takeover event is making a grand return. It’ll run from July 8th up until the 22nd. We’ll also get a brand new nameplate and they confirmed the issues from last time were fixed. It is also a reason why it is making a return, as they wanted to offer those that missed out on it. Of course, that was not all, as we also got some updates on current bug fixes and what they are working on.

    • They confirmed that a minor patch is heading our way that’ll fix a variety of issues, which includes Captain America’s MCU shield, where his star was pointing the wrong direction, Monica shrinking and falling to her death in the Beating the Odds mission when using Hank Pym, and some other minor issues.
    • The bigger fix is regarding the Mega Hives and Last Avengers Standing, where enemies wouldn’t spawn on specific floors. This is still being looked into, but they found a fix that could help with various other issues. It does not require a patch and will be updated directly in the game.

     

    Marvel's Avengers' Red Room Takeover Is Now Live | Marvel

     

    • Hulk’s combat abilities were indeed nerfed, but only because he was overpowered due to a bug. His Thunderclap ability added 50% to melee damage rather than 25%.
    • They confirmed that up to eight different takedowns can get equipped once War for Wakanda drops.
    • Crystal Dynamics is looking into adding Twitch drops and other community offerings soon. It just sadly takes time due to many people being involved to make it a reality, but it is something to look forward to.
    • We also got a look at some brand new animated skins that feature magma running down their clothes. Luckily, @PlayAvenger was able to grab a video showcasing this effect for Thor’s skin:

     

    https://twitter.com/PlayAvenger/status/1411071667539939333?s=20

     

    Overall, it was a quieter stream as they are heading into a three-day weekend. The return of the Red Room Takeover is great, as it ties into next week’s Black Widow release. Again we got the tease of an MCU-inspired outfit heading our way before Thor gets his. So, I believe there is a good chance it’s a tie-in suit for the film’s release. The event’s runtime might also hint at the OLT’s release being the latest around the 22nd of July alongside multiplayer Mega Hives and permanent multi-heroes matchmaking. Here’s hoping we get more information next week on what is heading our way.

    Source: Twitch, Twitter

  • James Gunn Declares ‘WandaVision’ As The “First MCU” Show

    James Gunn Declares ‘WandaVision’ As The “First MCU” Show

    There has been a lot of discussion surrounding the canonicity of Agents of SHIELD, Agent Carter, or even the Netflix series. Loki added the concept of the Sacred Timeline into the Marvel Cinematic Universe that may have put Marvel TV’s shows in a strange limbo. No one openly wants to confirm or deny their connection to the overarching stories developed by Marvel Studios. Early seasons of SHIELD had some strong connections to overarching events in the films but started to distance themselves as the story continued to unfold. The first film acknowledgment of a series was James D’Arcy‘s return as Edwin Jarvis in Avengers: Endgame. Well, James Gunn took to Twitter discussing MCU actors that appeared in DCEU projects and vice-versa. In it, he also made a clear statement regarding the former Marvel TV series.

    https://twitter.com/JamesGunn/status/1410677884390236160

    He also went on to clarify that there wasn’t as much communication between Marvel TV and Marvel Studios as we thought. There were implications they got some of the older assets to recreate iconic locations such as the Triskellion. Well, Gunn states that there wasn’t any coordination between the two companies.

    https://twitter.com/JamesGunn/status/1410764308712022018

    We do know there was some communication regarding events, as Agents of SHIELD did tie its release around Captain America: The Winter Soldier‘s twist. The big difference is that the mentioned WandaVision series was not only produced in its entirety by Marvel Studios, but it is also part of their complete roadmap. While story elements connected to the films, they didn’t build upon any from the series like how Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness will continue Wanda’s story from her Disney+ series. There was still no reference to the newly formed spy organization at the tail-end of SHIELD‘s final season. Of course, it doesn’t mean the story could never be part of the MCU. There is still the likelihood of Marvel TV’s old series acting as part of the multiverse that is independent of the rest. Of course, Kevin Feige and his team could surprise us and add more elements from the shows in the near future that pay tribute to the Marvel TV projects but add their own spin.

    Source: Twitter (MCU), Twitter (Coordination)

  • ‘Spider-Man: No Way Home’ Funko Pops Offer Closer Look at Anti-Ock Inspired Suit

    ‘Spider-Man: No Way Home’ Funko Pops Offer Closer Look at Anti-Ock Inspired Suit

    That didn’t take long. Just yesterday, we found a listing for the upcoming Funko Pops inspired by Spider-Man: No Way Home. Well, it looks like the Funko Pops already found their way online via Marvel. What stands out is that it includes Doctor Strange holding a shovel, which is a rather curious detail. It also confirms which suits are given the respective title and it seems I was off by quite a bit. Check out the Funko Pops right here:

     

     

    The Iron Spider combo is the Integrated Suit that was listed. It seems the Gold Suit wasn’t just a gold-covered figurine but the black and gold mesh teased through the LEGO set. It’s interesting to note they connected the hat costume to a set that was inspired by Spider-Man: Homecoming and it’ll be interesting to see why Peter creates this suit. In Far From Home, it was made through Stark technology. So, perhaps he gets back to Happy to build it after his previous suit didn’t work. What makes this design stand out is that it seems strongly inspired by the 2018 Insomniac game’s Anti-Ock suit. Perhaps he might upgrade his arsenal to take on the confirmed return of Alfred Molina in the iconic role. The additionally leaked Legends figurines showcase red fingertips for the design, which are absent with the Funko Pops.

     

     

    It’s also noticeable that the pops focus primarily on Tom Holland’s Peter Parker. Even as many other classic characters are rumored to appear, it seems very unlikely they’ll reveal everything so early. The film is set to release this December and there is enough time to tease the overarching plot of the film. Doctor Strange seems to have a more prominent role in the promotion and might be. the dominant figure in the film’s first trailer. All we can do now is just wait for it to finally release.

    Source: Twitter, Marvel

  • REPORT: First Story Details Hint at Namor’s Motivation in ‘Black Panther: Wakanda Forever’

    REPORT: First Story Details Hint at Namor’s Motivation in ‘Black Panther: Wakanda Forever’

    Black Panther: Wakanda Forever just recently entered production. They also seemed to have added Loki‘s cinematographer, Autumn Durald. That wasn’t all, as DisInsider just shared some information from Production Weekly that offers even more details on the film’s plot. It seems that the reported logline confirms Namor’s live-action debut, which was hinted at by Illumiinerdi some time ago. Not just that, it even offers some details into the film’s story and what role Namor might have once it premieres next year.

    Both Wakanda and Atlantis are hidden civilizations with advanced technology and increased militaristic abilities that decided to separate themselves from the rest of the world for their own safety, and in a way, out of fear. Wakanda feared that their technology would be abused. Atlantis feared that surface dwellers would come and desecrate the mythical city just as they did so many years ago. And yet their fears escalate even further when these two once-hidden nations clash with each other. Wakanda and Atlantis have a shockingly intertwined history. Wakanda is the only county in the world with access to vibranium. However, rumors of its power spread throughout the world, and Namor’s human father was sent searching for this rare material in Antarctica…

    It seems he’ll have an antagonistic role, but what stands out is the hint at Vibranium’s history getting expanded. There is a reference to Namor’s father exploring Antarctica for the material, which may also be why these two nations go to war. It may have a vital role in Atlantean society as it is in Wakanda. Namor’s backstory might also tie closely to these events. It’s also interesting to note that they are revealing his people are from Atlantis, which leads to a direct comparison to DC’s Aquaman franchise. It could be a placeholder for now, but it is still odd it’s in there. One can assume Marvel and Disney want to brand this new city, and avoiding a direct comparison is the best approach.

    The report also includes the cast, which gives Letitia Wright the top billing. It adds more credence to the possibility of her continuing the title of Black Panther from T’Challa. Lupita Nyong’o, Winston Duke, Martin Freeman, Daniel Kaluuya, Florence Kasumba, and Angela Bassett are also currently listed. So far, none of these actors have been confirmed to return. It’ll be interesting to see if we get more information on the casting and story as the film already started production. For now, it’s our first glimpse into what may be heading our way, and hopefully, we’ll get more details soon.

    Source: Production Weekly via DisInsider