Murphy's Multiverse

Author: Joseph Aberl

  • Super Bowl to Feature Disney Trailers for ‘Raya and the Last Dragon’, ‘Falcon and the Winter Solider’ And Potentially More

    Super Bowl to Feature Disney Trailers for ‘Raya and the Last Dragon’, ‘Falcon and the Winter Solider’ And Potentially More

    The Football event of the year is just around the corner. Everyone has their eyes on the Super Bowl for different reasons. Some are there to cheer on their team, while others can’t wait for those exclusive trailers. Well, after a year-long pandemic, some are wondering if anyone will risk the investment. According to Deadline, we will see a smaller line-up than in the past few years. Many streaming services like HBO Max, Peacock, Apple TV, and Netflix will skip this year. Luckily, it seems that Disney is willing to take the risk. They plan to release at least two to four trailers that will be on par with previous years.

    Raya and the Last Dragon is a safe bet to be one of the trailers, as they want to test out their second Premier Access film that releases next month. Last year, Disney+ made a major splash with their first official teaser for their Disney+ slate. It was a short trailer that showcased Falcon and the Winter Soldier, WandaVision, and even Loki. None of these series got a release date at the time, but it certainly left an impact when it initially aired. So, there is a good chance we will get another trailer that teases their 2021 Marvel slate. Deadline does not rule out a possible trailer for Black Widow, which is still set to release May 7th. They highlight that you shouldn’t expect a sudden announcement that the film will be made available on Disney+ during the event.

    It is crazy to think that Black Widow released a trailer last year and was only a few months away from release. If they do end up including the upcoming Marvel film, there is a good chance we might not see another delay. They could be waiting out to see how Raya performs before making any decisions. It is understandable after Mulan underperformed last year on the service. The release of Pixar’s Soul saw a massive increase in app downloads. However, it probably was nowhere near as profitable as a regular cinematic release. Well, no matter which direction they end up going. There is no competition this year, and Disney will be able to dominate the post-game buzz with anything they decide to release.

    Source: Deadline, Digital TV Europe, Deadline (Soul)

  • ‘WandaVision’: Wonder Man Could Be Jimmy Woo’s Missing Person

    ‘WandaVision’: Wonder Man Could Be Jimmy Woo’s Missing Person

    The latest episode of WandaVision finally revealed what was happening outside of the strange sitcom bubble. We get introduced to Monica Rambeau, Darcy Lewis, and Jimmy Woo. Most revelations in this episode surrounded Wanda’s control over this small American town. Yet, there was one more subtle reveal. Woo’s search for a missing person case brought everyone to uncover Wanda’s sitcom world. He reveals that it is a man who is in the Witness Protection program. It seemed odd that they added such detail to what could be just a throwaway line. I think we already got the teaser of who it might be as early as the show’s first week.

    Let’s take a look back at the Disney+ show’s premiere. We finally got to see the first two episodes and were welcomed by a brand new featurette. There is a brief shot of head writer Jac Schaeffer with a comic image of Wonder Man, a.k.a. Simon Williams, in the background. So far, there has not been a single remark or hint at his existence within this story. There is another hint hidden in the second episode’s opening. If you look closely, there is the iconic helmet of Marvel Comic’s Grim Reaper. He is an iconic Marvel Comics villain who some might know as Eric Williams, Wonder Man’s brother. The character had an important role in Tom King‘s Vision run, so it felt like a nice Easter Egg. Yet, the image in the featurette may have given away his inclusion in the story.

     

     

     

    There are a few potential hints that we can use to connect the dots. Wonder Man has an essential connection to Vision in the comics. When Ultron created the synthezoid, he used the brain patterns of the deceased superhero. Of course, we never got this origin story in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. After his apparent death in Avengers: Infinity War, there might be a chance to revisit his original origin. Plus, it wouldn’t be too surprising if Williams joined the Witness Protection program while being on the run from his brother, who could still appear in the story later on.

    Also, there is the aspect of the Westview citizens getting trapped in a sitcom world. There is a possible connection to Wanda’s history with the genre, but it also seems like the perfect world for a guy like Williams to feel at home. He might overact his way through the events. There is also the fun possibility that he is one of the few people aware of what is happening but just decided to have some fun with it. This series would also not be his first potential appearance within the MCU. Nathan Fillion almost played the character in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2. There he was only going to have a brief appearance and be featured on posters. So, they were planning on introducing the character in some form or another at some point. Yet, there has been no sight of Fillion so far to tie it together.

     

     

    So, we certainly haven’t seen Fillion appear at any point in the past episodes. I doubt that he will be reprising the role, as he is busy filming The Rookie. Still, it doesn’t mean they would completely sideline this original set-up. He is in the witness protection program so he could’ve gone through facial reconstructive surgery. The former actor was forced into hiding and is on a mission to relive his glory days. Suddenly, the small town turned into a living sitcom. Even brainwashed, he couldn’t hold back his hammy acting and was there where he wanted to be. Once Wanda’s grip on this reality started to loosen, he couldn’t help himself and tried to embrace a larger role. If they continue Fillion‘s teased approached, he may end up biting more than he can chew.

    Who would be perfect for a potentially larger role in the MCU? Well, how about Evan Peters? We are still waiting to find out who he might be playing ever since our very own Charles Murphy reported his addition. Everyone focuses on his history with American Horror Story as the template for him to potentially end up playing Mephisto. There is also his comedic background with Kick-Ass and the X-Men films. Now that I mentioned it, there is also the big question in the room if he might be a different version of Quicksilver, as he took on the role since Days of Future Past. Whatever he turns out to be playing, he would be a fantastic addition that could grow into a larger role moving forward. He seems like perfect casting to take on the role and showboat his acting skills while everyone else is trying to figure out why Wanda is controlling their lives. 

    Source: Instagram

  • ‘Black Panther’ Director Ryan Coogler Developing a ‘Wakanda’ Disney+ Series

    ‘Black Panther’ Director Ryan Coogler Developing a ‘Wakanda’ Disney+ Series

    Black Panther has become one of Marvel Studios’ flagship franchises. Even after the tragic passing of Chadwick Boseman, the story and its social relevance will be continued in his honor. The sequel is still in development and will most likely not release until 2023 at the earliest. Well, it looks like Ryan Coogler has some other plans for the franchise, as Deadline just reported that a new drama based on the Kingdom of Wakanda is now in development for Disney+. It is part of a larger deal that the director has made, where he will have a five-year exclusive contract with Disney Television. He gave the following statement regarding the deal and project:

    We look forward to learning, growing, and building a relationship with audiences all over the world through the Disney platforms. We are especially excited that we will be taking our first leap with Kevin Feige, Louis D’Esposito, Victoria Alonso and their partners at Marvel Studios where we will be working closely with them on select MCU shows for Disney+. We’re already in the mix on some projects that we can’t wait to share

    It seems that this untitled Wakanda series might just be the first of many projects he and his production company Proximity Media will be involved with. The director has seen quite the rise to stardom after his success with Fruitvale Station put him and Michael B. Jordan on the map. It will be interesting to see what other projects he is teasing, so perhaps supporting characters from the iconic series will get their time in the spotlight. There is no mentioning that he is only restricted to a specific IP, so we might see him involved in a variety of Disney+ series in the future. It seems Marvel Studios has some major plans moving forward.

    Source: Deadline

  • RUMOR: ‘Raya and the Last Dragon’ Premier Access to End in June

    RUMOR: ‘Raya and the Last Dragon’ Premier Access to End in June

    Marvel Studios is about to enter its next test to see if their upcoming release of Raya and the Last Dragon could turn profitable. The film will release in March. Kelly Marie Tran is tackling the leading role alongside Awkwafina, who will be the titular dragon. The first official trailer was released just a few days ago to kick-start the marketing of their next attempt at this streaming model. Now, the big question on everyone’s mind was if Disney might take a different approach with Premier Access this time around. Shortly before Mulan was released, they announced that the film is free for all Disney+ subscribers. It was made available three months after its initial paid release, and it seems that Raya and the Last Dragon might follow a similar model. According to Streaming Buffer, they discovered the planned release date in the source code.

     

     

    It looks like the film might be eyeing a release on June 8th for all Disney+ subscribers for free. Yet, some interesting stipulations may go against this. First off, June 8th is a Tuesday, which is uncommon for a streaming release. Disney+ commonly aims for a Friday, which was the case for Mulan. The three-month difference does sound reasonable, but it is uncertain after Mulan’s underperformed if they would stick to the same release window. Also, we tried to cross-reference the source code within Disney+, but there is currently no specific menu for the upcoming film.

    As such, we weren’t able to replicate the availability of this data. It currently is not available in either the US or German service. The only thing we were able to confirm is that there is a. link for /rayainfo that links back to the help center. So, there could be some validity to the showcased data. For now, we can only take it with a grain of salt until some more evidence gets revealed. There is a chance this is also just a placeholder once the page is made available in the service.

    Source: Business Insider, The Streaming Buffer, Disney+ Help Center

  • Jeremy Renner’s ‘Hawkeye’ Set Photo Teases Clint Barton’s SHIELD History

    Jeremy Renner’s ‘Hawkeye’ Set Photo Teases Clint Barton’s SHIELD History

    WandaVision was just the first of six planned series to be released in 2021. Marvel Studios is going all-in with Disney+ to further expand their Marvel Cinematic Universe. The shows will have a good mixture of supernatural and grounded storylines.  Ms. Marvel explores the story of a girl adjusting to high school with supernatural abilities. There is also the series planned around Clint Barton. We know that he will pass on the torch to the next generation with Kate Bishop, who will be played by Hailee Steinfeld. We don’t know if the series will also use this opportunity to explore Clint’s own background but it could be a factor. Well, the actor released a photo from the set that may give us that answer.

    What makes this quiver so interesting is the SHIELD logo and its obvious age. In Avengers we saw that he was using a modern quiver that could automatically change the arrowheads. Here he is going back to his roots with a worn-out model. It looks like the archer is going to be down on his luck throughout the story and won’t be able to rely on his fancy tools. Now, the exciting aspect is also that there might be some emotional value to this specific tool in his arsenal. It wouldn’t be too surprised if we also get a look into what drew a young Clint to join SHIELD and why he explored archery. We may also see how the Ronin persona, which was introduced in Avengers: Endgame into his own backstory. There is a very personal story to tell here and it will be interesting to see how it all intertwines with the larger story that will introduce Kate Bishop.

    Source: Instagram

  • Lana Wachowski’s ‘Matrix 4’ Title Leaked Online

    Lana Wachowski’s ‘Matrix 4’ Title Leaked Online

    Warner Bros. has a major year ahead of it. Just recently, we got the first official trailer for Godzilla vs. Kong. It was followed by a teaser of the various projects that will hit theaters and HBO Max simultaneously throughout the year. Among them, there is also the highly anticipated release of the fourth entry in the Matrix franchise. So far, we heard very little from the project and many were still wondering if we would get a similar naming scheme from the last two sequels, Reloaded and Revolutions. Well, it looks like this is actually the case, as the title was accidentally leaked online when the production wrap gifts were shown off on Instagram. It reveals that the film’s name will be Matrix: Resurrections.

    Resurrection is a perfect title. It continues the trend of each sequel including a play on a word that starts with “re”. It is the revival of the franchise that ended in 2003. Lana Wachowski also returned to direct, write and produce the series. Many of the actors are also set to return from the original trilogy, which includes Keanu Reeves, Carrie-Anne Moss, and Jada Pinkett Smith. The film is currently set to release in December, so we have no idea what direction the story might be heading and how it continues the story of Neo.

    As Warner Bros. has been holding back with their trailers, we might not get an official trailer until a few months before the release, so the title reveals might not officially happen until then. It is the second time a title was accidentally leaked online, as  Jared Leto also accidentally released the subtitle for the upcoming Tron film half a year ago. Hopefully, as time goes by 2021, Warner Bros. might start release trailers a bit earlier than just two months in advance so we find out what the future has in store for Neo and Trinity.

    Source: Twitter via Reddit, IMDb

  • LockeDown #06: Hell’s Kitchen Turf War Gets Interrupted by a Devil

    LockeDown #06: Hell’s Kitchen Turf War Gets Interrupted by a Devil

    LockeDown is back with its latest episode bringing you up to speed on all the local happenings in New York City. As events are still unfolding with Spider-Man, the new Hell’s Kitchen has been quite active. New rumors and sightings of a “devil” may be chasing away recent Maggia activities. This story and more only on LockeDown:

     

     

    If you enjoyed the episode, don’t miss out on getting early access by subscribing to our Patreon to be one of the first to listen to the next entry:

  • Latest ‘Marvel’s Avengers’ Dev Stream Revealed First Details on Upcoming Hawkeye DLC

    Latest ‘Marvel’s Avengers’ Dev Stream Revealed First Details on Upcoming Hawkeye DLC

    Right after the announcement that Clint Barton would finally get a Deep Dive next month, Crystal Dynamics had their latest developer stream. Of course, they couldn’t reveal anything major, but the team did use this chance to interact with the community. Not just that, they were even able to tease something about Hawkeye’s unique abilities. So, without wasting any time, let’s jump right into the latest developer stream recap:

    • CD revealed two types of arrows that include Pulsar and Tripwire. Pulsar Arrows stick to surfaces before they can explode remotely. In contrast, tripwire arrows consist of three elements that trigger when enemies get too close.
    • A showcase stream will follow the Deep Dive. It will showcase how he and Kate are unique from each other. Her mentor has a different way of swinging his sword and heroics to make him stand out.
    • The next-gen update will include faster load times and unique haptic feedback for every hero. CD also teased the release date for the upcoming War Table video.

     

     

    • They asked the chat what enemy factions they would like to see. HYDRA was the top choice but also some surprising inquiries for Ultron bots. It surprised them as they know that people are tired of those robots.
    • Sadly, there was no update on Cloning Labs or Super Adaptoid.
    • The power rating and difficulty bug got fixed some time ago. It is currently only a UI issue.

    It was great that they were able to reveal something about Clint. The arrows sound like a lot of fun to use. He might be more focused on trapping enemies throughout the map. It certainly adds an interesting new twist. They did confirm that he will have a completely new toolset that will set him apart from his protégé. It was quite a lot of love for HYDRA as a new enemy faction. I would love to see some dinosaurs from the Savage Lands or even ULTIMATUM getting the focus in the future. There is a lot to draw from, so if the Watchdogs can make it, why not?

     

    Also, a big shout-out to @Sonicphoto and @CalexStreams for working together on collecting all the tidbits from the stream.

    Source: Twitch

  • How Monica Rambeau Will Influence ‘WandaVision’s Future Episodes

    How Monica Rambeau Will Influence ‘WandaVision’s Future Episodes

    After rewatching the latest episode of WandaVision, I’ve come to realize I never asked myself the question of why they decided to reintroduce Monica Rambeau in this story specifically. The character has close ties to Carol Danvers, but it seemed surprising they wanted to include her in a series focused on Wanda. Yes, it works to introduce an older version of the character played by Teyonah Parris, but something felt like it was missing. Advertisement showcased her as an essential character for the series. The moment the episode started, it suddenly clicked with me. At that very moment, I realized why exactly she is here and her importance moving forward into the rest of the season.

     

    I will be mainly spoiling the opening of this episode. If you are planning on going in without any spoilers then be sure to return to this article later. Otherwise, continue at your own risk.

     

     

    The episode opens up with Monica being blipped back into existence. She finds herself in a hospital where everyone is in disarray. Her priority is the empty bed beside her, as she tries to find out what happened to the person she was at the hospital. It turns out, her mother, Maria Rambeau, was fighting cancer. The surgery went well before she got snapped. It is heartbreaking when she finds out that her mother survived before facing a relapse two years later. We see her try to keep her composure, try to return to a normal life, and somehow move on with whatever happened to her. She returns to back to work and is ready to take on her old tasks again. Instead of falling into the tragedy, she accepts it and tries her best to move on.

     

     

    Her journey is a counterpoint to that what made Wanda bring Vision back to life. They both lost someone very dear to their heart, but one couldn’t let go. It leads to some questionable decisions that are still unknown in how far they go. Monica is here to become the emotional anchor that probably leads to the final decision of the show. Her experience of loss could help Wanda learn the same lesson. It is her chance to learn that forcing something to exist won’t make the pain go away. The ending of this episode highlights that aspect of her journey moving forward.

    We don’t know exactly where they are going with this yet, as we still have five more episodes to go. Monica is returning in Captain Marvel 2, so some story elements might get a focus later on. Still, the main character of this story is Wanda and her grief. It may also be what brought together an unlikely pairing of characters that would turn an entire town of New Jersey into a sitcom. Marvel Studios’ first venture into long-form storytelling feels unrestricted in many ways but still part of an ever-expanding franchise. I cannot wait to see what the future has in store for us in next week’s episode.

  • Roger Craig Smith Retiring from Voicing Sonic the Hedgehog After 10 Years

    Roger Craig Smith Retiring from Voicing Sonic the Hedgehog After 10 Years

    Here’s some heartbreaking news. Roger Craig Smith has just revealed on Twitter that he will no longer be voicing Sonic the Hedgehog. As he points out in his tweet, he took over the character ten years ago in Sonic Free Riders. He’s been playing the Blue Blur ever since. he also took on the role in the animated series Sonic Boom. There has been no official word by SEGA so far and it is uncertain if his voice will still be included in the latest game in development. It is never easy when a legacy character gets a new voice but he was welcomed with a lot of positivity all these years ago. Currently, we have no official confirmation on who will take over the role.

    https://twitter.com/RogerCraigSmith/status/1354805293369024520

    What adds to this reveal is that we still haven’t gotten a single reveal for any upcoming Sonic game. So, there is a chance that the upcoming release will be his last appearance as the official voice for the character. We might also be surprised with a brand new voice once the first trailer gets released. Smith‘s voice acting was the defining aspect of Sonic even as many took on the role throughout his history. Jason Griffith, Jaleel White, and Ben Schwartz have added their own spin to the iconic character. When he took over 10 years ago, he had to fill some big shoes as Ryan Drummond laid the groundwork for Sonic’s first real 3D adventure in 1998. Of course, we’ll be hearing more from Smith in his many other roles but this announcement may be just the beginning of a big change for Sonic’s future.

    Source: Twitter